Taipei

[Skaz]

Questions for those of yall living in Taipei, specifically if you fly for China Airlines.

Whats it like, how much does stuff cost, whats the quality of life like?

Any open spaces?

[Skaz]

riiight, so i guess nobody lives in taipei then huh

[Stereolab]

Open spaces? This ain't Texas...it's Taipei...

[typhoonpilot]

Every sidewalk has an open space between the rows of motor scooters and the dog poop to walk on :eek:

Actually, I take that back, some sidewalks have so many motor scooters on them that the dogs don't even have room to poop :p

TP

[Skaz]

oh ok, silly me:hmm:

[Lost in Saigon]

All the expats in Taipei are too busy to answer this thread.

They are all busy flying their asses off.....

Or drinking their faces off....... trying to remember why they ever took the job in the first place.

[29chev]

An apartment will range between 500-3000 USD/month depends on what your willing to live in 800 will get you a small (I mean small 400sqft) apartment thats clean,$2000 buys a 1200sqft, 3 bedroom in a nice part of town....you can rent places for less but I wouldn't want to live in them.
Local food is cheap but if you want fruitloops and real steak it costs a lot, whiskey is not a bad price as is beer but any half good bottle of wine is off the chart .
And Lost in Saigon has it bang on.
Well off to the bar so I can sober up for my flight tomorrow night.

[Foreign Worker]

Taipei - polluted, smoggy, dirty, congested, smelly.
Expensive and cheap - both ends of the scale are available.
What precisely were you planning on doing in the open spaces?
This is Asia, man - that part of the world where people eat dogs, turtles, frogs, grasshoppers, snakes, monkeys' brains, tigers' penis', bears' gall bladders. The list is endless.

The place grows on you, but fortunately modern medicine has creams that usually take care of that!

[Snoopy]

A friend of mine who was posted to Taipei said that from an expat point of view, Taipei is the largest waiting room in the world. Nobody really wants to be there, everyone is just waiting for their next posting.

[crewlounge]

Hi Everyone,

Just want know if it's true CAL is buying B777 and r they taking expats for it?
How about EVA B777??

Thanks in advance for the info.

[International Trader]

Hey Chev29!!
Honeymoon over ?
I appears as though it has only taken the few three or four months that you have been in CAL to realize what people had been telling you was right.

Living in taiwan is tough for a westerner and drinking is the first direction they take to help get through the waiting.
Waiting?
..... for what ?
The next trip I hope, because promotion is not part of the deal.

More experience?....... qualifications are't recognized outside Taiwan, certainly not by other Asian and European States.

Waisting your time as an F/O in taiwan unless, the alternative is digging ditches.

[29chev]

Hi IT,
Time goes by fast when your havin fun...I'm flatered you remember me.....I have been around a bit longer than that.....but thats not really your point..... yes I went in with my eyes wide open and have learned many truths along the way.....I have no ideas of left seat time(well not any more) although I believe 5-6 expats have been upgraded(i think mostly on the 738), not lately but it did happen , but 5-6 is a small number compaired to the total number of expats in the company...and I know I will never be in that group...it just won't happen...too many keen local boys waiting for the job...but I have my reasons for being here and they are good reasons "the alternative is digging ditches" well not that good but good enough. Anyway thanks for careing and taking the time...I mean it. :ok:

[International Trader]

Fair enough Chev.
Where does your next trip take you?
We may be going together.

[Prince of Dzun]

Foreign Worker:

I"m a little late in getting around to your contribution to this debate but nevertheless I would particularly like you to know that I find your remarks about Taipei both rude, offensive and unwarranted. As well as giving you employment the Taiwanese would have offered you acceptance and friendship and to bad mouth them in the way that you have makes me think that it could only be upbringing that engenders such unnecessary smart alec remarks. The solution to your problem is easy; you resign and go back to where you come from. It's as simple as that.

Prince of Dzun

[Foreign Worker]

You are quite correct, your highness.
I wasn't raised in the polluted type of environment known as Taipei (and Kaoshiung, for that matter).
My original post stands, and I stand by what I wrote.
You may find it "rude and offensive", but unwarranted it most certainly is not.
Perhaps you would care to point out which part, or parts, you feel are untrue?
I didn't mention the spitting and emptying of nasal fluids on the sidewalks, and even occasionally inside the airport terminals, that all makes up some of the mystique of this "delightful" part of Asia.

[Prince of Dzun]

Foreign Worker:

The Japanese excuse for their efforts in World War II was to declare they were removing the foreign upstarts from the region. Occasionally when I come across the likes of you I tend to think that they (the Japanese) had a point.

Metaphorically speaking I am putting an old pair of shoes (mine)on your doorstep. You won't have a clue what this means but stick around, you"ll find out.

Prince of Dzun

[Foreign Worker]

Your highness, I am unsure as to why you take exception to the facts I have posted, nor why you wish to defend the atrocities of the Japanese during the Second World War.
Perhaps you were a sympathiser or collaborator?
Again, I would ask you to list anything you know to be untrue in my post(s).
Quite frankly speaking, Taiwan needs to clean itself up from the point of view of pollution, and to possibly start the sort of campaign amongst its citizens that Singapore did with theirs. Forced cleanliness.
As to which foods they eat, that is entirely up to them, but when it affects endangered species, it then becomes a problem for that species, and one that the rest of the world (you and me, sir) needs to be actively engaged in halting.

One would hope that the "old shoes on the doorstep" are taken as a gesture of a new friendship, for I too have walked countless miles, and perhaps an exchange for a few weeks might be of benefit to both of us.

[sky330]

Dear Prince,

Taipei - polluted, smoggy, dirty, congested, smelly.
is a fact and denial won't change that situation.

I will look for the reference but last study fron the WWF I read had Taiwan in the 10 most polluted countries in the world.

Taiwan situation is not easy for that matter, high population on very scare usable grounds, errors of the past, obligation of very aggressive agriculture to feed the population on the available ressource, ..., but denying the problem by making irrelevant (and insulting BTW) remarks won't changed the facts.

Cool down, have a reality check and if you a proud Taiwanese (which you have every right to be, I have seen some really wonderfull things in Taiwan), start to work on your weak point instead of shooting the messenger.

[aviator's_anonymous]

Hi, if you're asking about the living in taiwan,
I grew up in Taiwan and lived there for over 18 years.
Yes, compared to a lot of other countries, taiwan is a lot more crowded,
and the pollution levels are a bit higher, but what do you expect from any
country that has the population of over 22 million....(22,749,838 to be exact) compared to a country like Australia where it only has 19,913,144. Then, take alllll the people, and cram it into an island smaller than say...Tasmania of Australia, or a land mass of slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined in the U.S.

Living Expenses in Taiwan is fairly cheap, where else in the world can you get a whole breakfast for under about 2 dollars Australian or about $1.50 USD (that's talking local foods and stuff).....but if you want say... MacDonalds a stuff, a Big mac meal would cost about 3-4 dollars Australian....about 100 National Taiwan Dollars....

Taiwan, and especially Taipei is very technology advanced. Transportaion around taipei is very easy due to the vast MRT system which is fairly cheap. Taxi's are plentiful, and there are buses everywhere also. If you're wondering about how technology advanced taipei really is, Taipei has currently the world's Tallest building......The Taipei 101 Towers.... http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=100765 or http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/10/17/taiwan.tower

Like any other country, it might get some getting use to, but if you're worried about modernization, i don't think you'd need to worry as Taipei would not be any different from any other country. Star Bucks nearly at every other block, and Maccers and every fast food chain everywhere else as well.
As for your health....well, over 22 million people survive there every single year and they're still going strong......I certainly don't have any health problems and i don't think it's a major concern if you're health conscience and stuff..

Well, i don't want to sell taiwan any more to you, but if you've got genuine questions you'd like to ask me, feel free to email me or msg me and i'll get back to you about it.
Cheers....

(facts/stats taken from http://www.cia.gov )

[Foreign Worker]

Do you have anything else to add, Prince?