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Sterling_Archer posted:Just finally got a chance to read through the entire thread and I have a couple of questions, if that's alright. I'm looking to move to Taiwan this coming June/July (2013) and am having trouble finding answers to a couple things. Scooters vs. Motorcycles It depends entirely on where you live, and whether the ability to shift gears on a motorcycle is worth the trade off of convenience with a scooter. As you can carry a surprising amount of stuff on a scooter, and they are generally better for quick trips around town. Basically if you live in the city just buy a scooter. They are smaller and more nimble than motorcycles, so getting through traffic is much easier. If you live in a more sub-urban/rural area then you might look into getting a motorcycle, or better yet a motorcycle and a scooter. That way you have something fun to play around with, and something to get groceries/whatever on. As far as sizes go. Scooters come anywhere between 50cc and 250cc (though most are 50-150cc). Personally I think 50cc scooters are too under-powered and anything over 150cc is overkill for Taiwan. For motorcycles the vast majority in Taiwan are 125-150cc though there are a few 200cc motorcycles too. You can get bigger 250cc+ motorcycles, but then you need to start using the car lanes instead of the scooter lanes so you won't be saving any time on your commutes. Also with the way traffic is in Taiwan and the quality of roads in areas where there aren't lots of people on the road, you'll almost never get a chance to actually open up your 250cc+ motorcycle for some real fun unless you drive way up into the mountains. TLDR: If you live in the city just get a 100-150cc scooter and forget about a motorcycle because you'll never use it. If you live in a more sub-urban/rural area consider getting a cheap piece of poo poo scooter as a grocery getter, and a 125-150cc motorcycle for shits and giggles. Rain: As far as rain goes it is a tropical area so it does rain quite a bit. However, for much of the year that just means 30 minutes of heavy rain then right back to sunshine for the rest of the day. Also living in the North means A LOT more rain than living down South. With a scooter you can usually mitigate a lot of the "getting wet" with a plastic rain poncho from 7-11, but with a motorcycle your usually going to get soaked no matter what. Plan accordingly.
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Nov 28, 2012 03:36
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That's all really good information, but I'll add a little bit from personal experience. As far as licenses go, to ride a 50cc scooter, you only have to pass a written test. Depending on where you take the test, it can range from adequate English to nearly incomprehensible. There are some practice tests available online that make for good study guides. For a 50-250 scooter, you need to pass the written test and then a practical test. The toughest part about this is driving in a straight line at a low speed for about 6-7 seconds. This license applies to both scooters and motorcycles under 250cc. Anything over 250cc requires another license that can only be acquired after having the over 50cc license for over a year and then passing another test, which is actually a bit difficult to pass. The hardest part on this one is getting up to speed and then stopping under a specific distance. If you have a motorcycle endorsement on your international driver's license, you can skip these tests. You can wear a raincoat on a motorcycle, but your legs and shoes are going to get wet from exposure. A raincoat on a scooter will cover your body and legs and your shoes will be protected by the front of the scooter. You'll more or less stay perfectly dry. If you have any intention of driving in a small town, a scooter is way more practical than a bike. I got a bike because I thought it was cooler and now I kind of regret that decision. Scooters can duck and weave way easier and I get stuck behind cars all the time. Also, do everything you can to avoid driving in Yingge. It has the worst roads in Taiwan except for maybe Linkou. But Linkou at least has the excuse that they're rebuilding everything right now to allow for expansion.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:01
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Sterling_Archer posted:Just finally got a chance to read through the entire thread and I have a couple of questions, if that's alright. I'm looking to move to Taiwan this coming June/July (2013) and am having trouble finding answers to a couple things. As for the rainy thing, you can ride in the rain fine so long as you 1) ride defensively(as you should anyway), 2) check your speed a little bit more than normal so you can avoid needing to suddenly brake or turn, 3) stay the gently caress off the paint. duckfarts fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 04:04
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Haraksha posted:That's all really good information, but I'll add a little bit from personal experience. Not that I recommend others do this, but I have been driving without a license for 3 years with little problem. Almost every foreigner I know does this as well for scooters. Though I do agree you should get one for bigger motorcycles, and definitely if you get a car. I also regret buying my motorcycle a bit as well. I live in a rural(ish) area and it's fun to drive to work when it's not raining, and around town late at night when there is little traffic. However, it's so horribly impractical for pretty much everything else, and now that my old scooter died I keep thinking about just selling it.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:40
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The scooter driving test is a joke. I don't see any reason why someone wouldn't go and get it.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:05
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duckfarts posted:Already responded in PM, but need some clarification - are you talking about riding in Taiwan or in the states? Suppose I should have clarified. I have a 49cc Honda and an 1100S Ducati Monster in the US, but i'm trying to figure out what to buy out there that isn't overkill. From the responses, and your PM, I'm leaning towards a 125 or 150 cc scooter at first and maybe adding a dirtbike (drz450 if I can find one) later on, for kicks. I've been riding for nearly 8 years now but I hear nothing can prepare you for how....unpredictable drivers there can be.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:23
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I'm just a pedestrian/public transport type of guy, but calling Taiwanese scooter riders "unpredictable" is being very generous.thegoat posted:The scooter driving test is a joke. I don't see any reason why someone wouldn't go and get it. 
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Nov 28, 2012 05:40
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TetsuoTW posted:I'm just a pedestrian/public transport type of guy, but calling Taiwanese scooter riders "unpredictable" is being very generous. Yeah I was trying to be a bit PC about it. In the states we have a name for people that drive like that: Self-absorbed Assholes.
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Nov 28, 2012 06:02
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thegoat posted:The scooter driving test is a joke. I don't see any reason why someone wouldn't go and get it. Also, TetsuoTW posted:Laziness. Your move. Sterling_Archer posted:Yeah I was trying to be a bit PC about it. In the states we have a name for people that drive like that: Self-absorbed Assholes.
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Nov 28, 2012 06:06
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duckfarts posted:The 7 seconds on a thin strip thing is annoying if you're not prepared for it, and it's 2 strikes and come back next week. My goal is to do that as soon as humanly possible. What's vehicle insurance like (Price/availability/reliability)?
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Nov 28, 2012 06:15
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Sterling_Archer posted:Suppose I should have clarified. I have a 49cc Honda and an 1100S Ducati Monster in the US, but i'm trying to figure out what to buy out there that isn't overkill. From the responses, and your PM, I'm leaning towards a 125 or 150 cc scooter at first and maybe adding a dirtbike (drz450 if I can find one) later on, for kicks. I've been riding for nearly 8 years now but I hear nothing can prepare you for how....unpredictable drivers there can be. Well like I said the biggest problem with a big bike is that 99% of the time you will never get to drive it over 80kph (not counting freeway time which is heavily covered by speed cameras). Unless you only plan to drive it on special trips to the mountains in which case you will only drive it maybe 20 days a year. In Taiwan big motorcycles are just too impractical in that you give up the ease of parking/quick scooter lane commute times, and you also give up the comfort of being in a car. Again I'd recommend that if you want to get a motorcycle look into getting a little 150cc motorcycle. They can still be fun (and even pretty quick if you get the right one) while still being small enough to squeeze through most traffic, and use the scooter lanes. Try googling and taking a look at some of these: Common brands KTR 150 (this is what I currently ride good for running around town, but not very fast, geared like a truck for some reason) SYM 125 Hartford 125, 150, and 200 (200 is rare) Uncommon brands Yamaha FZ 150 (no longer sold in Taiwan I believe, but can still find older ones) Honda CBR 150 (same as the Yamaha, my friend has one and it's really fast so maybe what you are looking for, very rare) HappyHelmet fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 14:30
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Anyone who likes beer should try and come out to Tucheng tonight (Haishan Station). There's a sweet microbrew bar out there.
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Dec 1, 2012 10:05
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Haraksha posted:Anyone who likes beer should try and come out to Tucheng tonight (Haishan Station). There's a sweet microbrew bar out there.
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Dec 2, 2012 06:01
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Man, I kind of hate those convex mirrors they put on corners in more rural areas. I feel like people just use them as an excuse to fly around blind corners without slowing down like they should. Glancing at the mirror for .01 seconds while cutting into the oncoming lane going 80 kph into a sharp bend on a two lane road does not qualify as "making sure things are safe."
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Dec 4, 2012 06:36
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I'm pretty sure the mirrors being there or not are having no effect on the judgment of people who would be driving so unsafely in the first place. I'd rather have them for us safe drivers to at least use than not have them just to punish those idiots who are retarded, to be honest. There are like 4 by where I live now that are pretty useful 
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Dec 4, 2012 07:15
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I'm pretty sure the mirrors being there or not are having no effect on the judgment of people who would be driving so unsafely in the first place. Yeah, that is true, and I do use them a lot for my own safety. I just hate it when I see someone glance at the mirror without really looking at it, and doing something stupid, often almost causing an accident.
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Dec 4, 2012 08:03
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My wife is starting her car-driving lessons today. She's never driven a car anywhere before. At least it's at some decent school with a private driving course and such, but still, Taipei traffic is nuts. I'll be quite worried when her lessons take her onto the actual roads.
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Dec 4, 2012 08:33
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Ravendas posted:My wife is starting her car-driving lessons today. She's never driven a car anywhere before. At least it's at some decent school with a private driving course and such, but still, Taipei traffic is nuts. I'll be quite worried when her lessons take her onto the actual roads. As far as I know, they only have to go onto the actual roads once with most driving courses. It's actually in my opinion why so many of the drivers in Taiwan are so incredibly bad. The driving lessons seem to almost exclusively focus on parking and specific precision maneuvers that are not representative of actual driving situations and traffic conditions. They more or less just teach you how to pass the test, which is comprised nearly exclusively of stupid trick driving (ie: driving in an S backwards). Once you've passed, you're completely on your own as far as the school cares.
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Dec 4, 2012 08:52
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Ravendas posted:My wife is starting her car-driving lessons today. She's never driven a car anywhere before. At least it's at some decent school with a private driving course and such, but still, Taipei traffic is nuts. I'll be quite worried when her lessons take her onto the actual roads. Who are you using? Can you let me know how the first couple of lessons go and can I have the details etc? ta E: While I'm here, I've been meaning to chime in the past couple of weeks with all the scooter chat. I finished paying off for my scooter literally y/day. I paid 48K for it new, and 4K on top to allow me to pay in 12x4K installments. I'm now going to swap it for a new one. I hand it back, receive 25K, and ride home on a new (slightly bigger) one. My reasons being the depreciation thing is a chore even on small numbers. Also, 2 people on a 150 is more comfortable than on a 125 (both seating and speed); while ~120 kilos on a 125 is possible and not uncomfortable, its less than ideal. Lastly, the new one comes with a fresh warranty etc. I get a ~50% refund since I'm handing it back with regular maintenance, only dropped it twice, never washed it once, replaced the back tyre, it's just shy of 10K on the clock, and also just shy of 1 year old (somehow). If I left it past Jan to swap it, I'd take another depreciation/re-sale value hit. It actually weighs in with 13 months, but blah blah, afaict, they do it Jan - Jan. url fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Dec 4, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 10:37
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What's the best way to get out to Taoyuan airport? My flight leaves next Wednesday at 9:00am, so I'm thinking I'll probably have to go to Taipei the day before and then spend the night. Are there any shuttles out there early in the morning? Or, someone at work suggested I just hire a car from here (DaJia, near Taichung) since Taoyuan is not all that close to Taipei anyway. Flying back to the US for three weeks to spend time with my family for the holidays, which'll be great since I haven't taken a vacation since April. That is way too long a time when you are teaching.
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Dec 4, 2012 13:15
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Moon Slayer posted:What's the best way to get out to Taoyuan airport? My flight leaves next Wednesday at 9:00am, so I'm thinking I'll probably have to go to Taipei the day before and then spend the night. Are there any shuttles out there early in the morning? Or, someone at work suggested I just hire a car from here (DaJia, near Taichung) since Taoyuan is not all that close to Taipei anyway. Since Taichung is an actual city there should be a bus straight to the Taoyuan airport from somewhere downtownish. With a 9:00 AM flight if you want to arrive there at say 7:00AM you'd need to leave Taichung awfully early. If you stay up the whole night before a flight anyway, I'd go with that. There are always buses running. You could take the HSR too. I imagine you're familiar with the Taichung HSR in that it's a little out in the sticks, the Taoyuan HSR isn't close to the airport either (they're building a spur though!) but there is a convenient & super cheap bus from the HSR station to the airport which takes maybe 20 minutes. You could do both of those in the morning from Taipei too, it's ~3x closer to Taoyuan than Taichung is. I wouldn't take the normal train, there's no point. Bus or HSR should always be superior based on whatever your cost/convenience/time priorities are. Don't hire a car... that seems like a supreme waste of cash unless in addition to teaching you're also slinging coke on the side. But if for some reason money isn't an issue, go right ahead.
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Dec 4, 2012 13:58
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Moon Slayer posted:What's the best way to get out to Taoyuan airport? My flight leaves next Wednesday at 9:00am, so I'm thinking I'll probably have to go to Taipei the day before and then spend the night. Are there any shuttles out there early in the morning? Or, someone at work suggested I just hire a car from here (DaJia, near Taichung) since Taoyuan is not all that close to Taipei anyway. You live in Qinshui right? There should be a bus out of there to the airport though you might want to check before if it will run that early. My guess is there will at least be one to the airport. If not you can go to one of the stations in Taichung. I usually use the Chaoma station. Bus is far and away your easiest/cheapest option.
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Dec 4, 2012 15:27
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I'm gonna be taking a bus up to the airport in 2 weeks myself. I believe there will be buses running every (half?) hour. At least, that is what I was told. I need to get down there and get tickets soon.
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Dec 4, 2012 15:40
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I'm lazy and take a taxi from the middle of Taipei to the airport. Usually runs up an 800nt bill, but since it's usually at some godawful hour I don't care. Edit: Yes a taxi. Whoops. \/\/ \/\/ Ravendas fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Dec 5, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 17:24
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You mean a taxi? 800 NT could get you from Taipei to Tainan and back during the busiest travel weekends! 
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Dec 4, 2012 17:29
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I'm gonna go ahead and double post to ask a few "Where can I find this?" questions. 1. Hot sauce. The kind you'd find at a Mexican restaurant back in the states. Obviously you can get stuff like Tabasco here pretty easily, but other than that it seems like it's Asian-style hot sauces which are good, but not always what I'm looking for. I'd settle for pretty much anything, even something basic like Tapatio. I mention Tapatio because I've seen it at a few restaurants here and there, so there must be some place to get it. But hey, if there's a hot sauce/chili pepper fanatic shop somewhere I could go nuts at, even better. 2. Frames, as in for art. I'd prefer something simple and DIY since custom jobs can get pretty drat expensive, but I'd even settle on the whereabouts of a framing shop if DIY/pre-made stuff isn't an option. I know I saw a few framing shops back in Tainan but since moving up North I have not yet stumbled upon one and as far as I know there aren't any yellow pages to consult
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Dec 6, 2012 12:33
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Jason's and City Super usually carry a decent selection of sauces. I personally enjoy their Jalapeno Hot Sauce. It's a thick, red spicy sauce that's great on tacos or scrambled eggs.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:06
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POCKET CHOMP posted:
heping dong lu, near ShiDa, has like 3 or 4 frame shops up and down that street. Just go to GuTing Station and start walking towards ShiDa, you'll pass them.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:08
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I'll let more appropriate people handle the hot sauce issue, but for framing there's a place in Tonghua St. Night Market in Taipei that sells posters and both sells frames and does framing. I've gotten a couple of things framed by them and they've done a solid job. Otherwise you've got a good bet down Heping East Rd near Guting Station, they've got a ton of art stores there and some a bound to do framing.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:16
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I'm sure there is some good places to buy hot sauce in Taipei, but in Taichung it's a wasteland. The only non-Chinese option is Tabasco, and outside of Costco it's all ridiculously over-priced. I have found a few places that carry Siracha sauce, but it's usually pretty low-quality.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:21
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Carrefour used to carry Siracha, but I could make a pretty long list of things that Carrefour used to carry.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:31
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You could always try the proven Kant Technique. Spend 20 hours of research and scouting around and haggling to make the drat thing yourself.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:58
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Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I will definitely check them out. TetsuoTW, you wouldn't happen to recall about how much you paid when you had things framed at the night market? Just trying to get a ballpark on what to expect, which may affect how quickly I run off to get it done, haha. I should hopefully be getting internet at my apartment tomorrow afternoon. Apparently my apartment was the one apartment in the entire building that was not on Chunghwa's technical maps as far as what cabling it was equipped with, so they weren't able to make sure I could get any service here. I'm hoping now that I've got something actually scheduled there aren't any more delays that suddenly pop up.
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Dec 7, 2012 17:11
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I'm gonna go ahead and double post to ask a few "Where can I find this?" questions. I'm staring at an empty bottle of tapatio right now. I'm pretty sure I've gotten it at either Jason's or City Super before. My manager gave me this one cuz he had a bunch, I assume he bought them at costco. If you want something readily available, B&B is different, but not bad at all. It's more of a cooking sauce in my opinion, if you're going to make a stir-fry or something, since it benefits from being fried. It's a little heavy and oily otherwise, but still good. A1 hot sauce is a pretty good Franks-alike. It's not quite the same but it fulfills pretty much the same role. Available at pretty much every Wellcome.
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Dec 7, 2012 18:48
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Thanks to everyone who got back to me about getting to the airport. I asked around the office, and it turns out that taking an airport taxi from DaJia to Taoyuan airport is only 2000 NT. Certainly more expensive than bus or train, but I think it's worth it since they will pick me up from my apartment building and drive me straight to the terminal. And besides, what's the point in living in rural Taiwan if you don't have a lot of disposable cash lying around and nothing to blow it on?
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Dec 8, 2012 04:15
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Moon Slayer posted:And besides, what's the point in living in Taiwan if you don't have a lot of disposable cash lying around and nothing to blow it on? This is why most of us are here!
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Dec 8, 2012 04:36
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Moon Slayer posted:Thanks to everyone who got back to me about getting to the airport. I asked around the office, and it turns out that taking an airport taxi from DaJia to Taoyuan airport is only 2000 NT. Certainly more expensive than bus or train, but I think it's worth it since they will pick me up from my apartment building and drive me straight to the terminal. I know that my friend in Chunghua was able to hire a bus service that literally came with the bus to pick him up at his house. I really should of asked him how he got that, but I know his school just set it up for him somehow.
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Dec 8, 2012 05:48
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I should hopefully be getting internet at my apartment tomorrow afternoon. Apparently my apartment was the one apartment in the entire building that was not on Chunghwa's technical maps as far as what cabling it was equipped with, so they weren't able to make sure I could get any service here. I'm hoping now that I've got something actually scheduled there aren't any more delays that suddenly pop up. Once you get settled, I can introduce you to the wonderful world of Battletech.
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Dec 8, 2012 11:31
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Nub question here. I've been doing ELT in S.America for a few years. Fun but terrible pay. I'm now trying to come work in Asia, and I've been looking at all kinds of countries, Korea, HK, Japan, etc. Trying to find where offers the best balance of pay/lifestyle/work. I've found plenty of jobs available in Taiwan, they are all the same basic package - 55-65k with the inward flight reimbursed, 100 hours a month. But I'm not sure. On other efl forums I've seen people be really down on Taiwan - say the schools are poor standard, wages are too low to save, no prospects of earning more money. But looking at this thread it seems you guys are enjoying it. I've seen so many mixed opinions... is teaching there really that much worse than opportunities on the mainland/HK/Korea, or worth a visit?
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Dec 10, 2012 18:41
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Low stress jobs, lots of free time, and enough money to have fun and save if you try. People are amazingly friendly, Taipei's public transportation is one of the best in the world, and the city is always getting better. I like it a lot here. Just make some attempt to learn Chinese and it'll make the whole thing more enjoyable. You can muddle through with English of course, but it makes you feel less of an outsider if you can speak with the locals a little.
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Dec 11, 2012 03:26
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