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HappyHelmet posted:So I remember reading somewhere (possibly on here) that not all Kaoliung tastes like gasoline mixed with white wine, and that if you buy the top shelf stuff it's actually pretty good. Does mao-tai count? That one's pretty strong and has a kind of floral aftertaste/vapor, pretty good. Then again, that was probably a nice one that I had at a friend's family's place from some nice porcelain container vs something scary from a brown glass bottle if it comes in those.
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Sep 26, 2013 15:12
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I've had some "top shelf" gaoliang and it was actually pretty good, assuming of course you've acclimated to the lovely stuff already. It's like if you have never drunk whisky before and you start at the top, it's going to taste awful. You need to learn to differentiate the good from the bad.
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Sep 26, 2013 15:17
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When my family was here I had some in-laws purchase a very expensive bottle of kaoliang as a gift. Not a single one of them enjoyed it. Not with water, not with wine, not at all. My uncle took it home and treats guests to it as Taiwan tequila.
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Sep 26, 2013 15:34
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I'm not against some kaoliang. From what I've heard you're supposed to boilermaker it with some beer.
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Sep 26, 2013 15:35
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Hmm... sounds like top shelf Kaoliang would be a waste then as none of my friends have developed a taste for it, and it's impossible to find in the US. Maybe I'll still get a bottle of the $2,000NT stuff though. Should be worth a laugh.
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Sep 27, 2013 00:47
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Spanish Matlock posted:I'm not against some kaoliang. From what I've heard you're supposed to boilermaker it with some beer. Only if you one shot it. Deep bombs!
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Sep 27, 2013 03:28
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I'm going to be moving to Taiwan from the US in two months and I have some questions, apologies if they're redundant --I've done my best to skim the thread and read the OP thoroughly. I'll be moving there jobless and I don't mind teaching English, so I can follow the OP if I need to find a teaching job. I actually just got a B.S. in computer engineering which may or may not help me find a decent job, any thoughts? My plan is to get the multiple entry visa, find a job, get an ARC and then eventually get residency (if I stay long enough). I'll keep searching the thread and other forums, but does this sound like a reasonable strategy? What kind of pitfalls should I be on the lookout for? What's the situation with foreigners getting health insurance in Taiwan? I'm not looking to mooch off their health system, but I have a health condition that requires extremely expensive and difficult to obtain medication. Other than that, I am completely healthy and able. However, some countries with public healthcare list my condition as immediate disqualification for residency (I'm looking at you, NZ). I have health insurance through my parents for a few more years under current US law that should cover the medication and possibly foreign hospital visits, but I won't be informing my insurance company in the US that I'm away unless they decide to use it as a reason to somehow drop me. After that, I think I'm on my own in  to fend for myself (there are several government programs that will pay for medication, but I'm unsure about US/international doctors visits). Anyway, has anybody heard about health conditions other than the ones they screen for being a disqualifying criteria for residency or any visa? The health condition I have is genetic, I probably can't pretend that I just found out about it.I've been in Taiwan briefly and Taipei is my favorite city on the island. I'd like to stay there and I especially liked the quieter (and probably more expensive) area around Yongkang Park in Daan. What kind of resources are available for finding a decent place with a decent landlord for a decent price? I don't speak Chinese, but I will have somebody to help me there. I'm planning on selling off my earthly crap to pay off my student loans and cover this move. Hopefully I can bring the remainder of my stuff with me and fit it in a tiny apartment. I'm really going to miss my project car  .
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Sep 28, 2013 08:22
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A buddy of mine used to do contract work for the MRT company (doing their ipad app for the security cameras iirc) The healthcare here is pretty boss. Without knowing the condition it'd be hard to find out if its on some kind of list, but I can't imagine that it would be (unless it's HIV, they have a pretty strict policy about that) I'd suggest going through a real-estate agent to find a place, they did us real good for.. I think half of the first month's rent as a fee? We laid out some conditions we were looking for and they matched us with a place real quick. Protip: I live in Taiwan and don't pay my student loans. Because loan companies are horrid fuckpipes and I don't care about racking up a lot of debt in a country that I don't plan to go back to. Consider just cutting the ties if you don't have a hankering to live in the US again in a hurry (you shouldn't).
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Sep 28, 2013 09:02
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Here's the form you'll need to get filled out to get a Resident visa: http://www.cdc.gov.tw/info.aspx?treeid=AA2D4B06C27690E6&nowtreeid=5783A22EC021590D&tid=BDA0F493D3281BBA (if the above link doesn't work, go to http://www.cdc.gov.tw/list.aspx?treeid=AA2D4B06C27690E6&nowtreeid=5783A22EC021590D and click on item #2) Soo...yeah. If you don't have one of those diseases listed there, they don't care. Sucks for those people with HIV/AIDS though I feel that is shockingly discriminatory for a country that's otherwise pretty drat open-minded.
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Sep 28, 2013 09:24
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Spanish Matlock posted:A buddy of mine used to do contract work for the MRT company (doing their ipad app for the security cameras iirc) New Zealand rejects anyone with a health condition that costs more than NZ$25,000 over the course of four years to treat IIRC ($20687.50 US, works out to about $430 US per month) with no consideration as to whether or not you yourself can afford it, as well as anyone mostly blind, or mostly deaf, or unable to stand and walk unsupported, anyone with cancer that has less than a 90% chance of cure, anyone with basically any sort of genetic disease, anyone with an organ transplant, anyone with HIV or Hep B/C, anyone with osteoarthritis with a high probability of needing a joint replacement within 4 years, anyone with an autoimmune condition being treated with anything other than prednisone.. it's a long list.
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Sep 28, 2013 09:39
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Wow, I think $430 USD a month is a fraction of my current insurance in the US, divided by the number of people covered in my family. I found information about treatment options online, in English and Chinese. Seems my condition is one of the biggest burdens on their healthcare system out of all, but I found nothing about exclusions. It's not HIV. The treatment offered in Taiwan doesn't appear to be as good as in the US. They don't appear to offer preventative treatment, and I would have to go to the hospital once a week, minimum to pick up medicine if I decided to maintain the dosage I take now. Currently I get a month's supply in the mail for prophylaxis. I can stock up, I guess. Good to see that it seems there isn't a lot of stress involved in finding housing or a visa. Are you suggesting I apply for the resident visa immediately, rather than doing the multiple-entry thing, hitension?
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Sep 28, 2013 09:56
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I don't think you can apply for a resident visa without already having a formal purpose of residence, IE: either a school already admitted you as a student, you married a Taiwanese person, or in your case if you already have a job offer. The ARC does confer some benefits -- it's a valid ID for clubs and karaoke that's less bulky/risky to lose than a passport, it makes getting a cell phone (even a prepaid one) less of a hassle, you need it to get a scooter license and you will need it for the NHI. (Just realized I wrote those in increasing order of significance, heh) I don't work so maybe others can comment on this-- Isn't it illegal to start work without an ARC?
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Sep 28, 2013 10:10
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Unless you're on a JFRV (ie married to a local) or, possibly, on an Overseas Chinese thing, yes, it's completely illegal to work without an ARC. But your work generally sponsors it, so unless you're going totally under the table, it shouldn't be a problem.
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Sep 28, 2013 11:31
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Just saw my first fatality scooter crash. Not sure what he hit or why he fell off his bike, but he was several meters behind where the scooter landed. His helmet either was just attached to the scooter and fell off or wasn't on his head properly because it was a couple of feet from his body. I didn't see any blood, but he totally wasn't moving and didn't respond to the paramedics.
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Sep 29, 2013 15:27
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poo poo man that's horrible I've seen it in Shanghai and even Boston but I think it never gets easier. I'm taking my license test this week or next week too..
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Sep 30, 2013 00:40
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I mean, I guess it's possible he was just so incredibly drunk that he passed out and lost control of the bike and that's why he was unresponsive in the road. But I've seen a lot of accidents here and every other time the person was able to move or respond or something. This guy was stone cold. I'm not even really sure what caused the crash. Maybe he was drunk and lost control, maybe he had a heart attack while driving and died before he even hit the ground. Other than him, it was an empty stretch of road. I guess someone could have sideswiped him and just drove off or maybe he collided with the divider.
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Sep 30, 2013 01:42
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When going to do ARC whatevers at the immigration office in Banqiao, I saw a police car start pulling out into the road cutting off two kids on a scooter that rammed into it. The guy on back got mini-launched onto part of the hood. The kids were basically bitching out the cop for a bit(it did seem to be his fault) then started walking/limping off somewhere(clinic/hospital? who knows?) and the cop was stuck there having to wait for other cops to do paperwork and scene photos and such. It was pretty cool, and I still remember the sound, and that was cool. The "oh-no" one I've seen was actually not a scooter, but a bike; during one of the Taipei Car-Free Days, they cleared access to a pretty long, sizable freeway that goes from Taipei City to Bali up north. It was poo poo city at the beginning because they had a gathering area with a stage and stuff at one part, causing a massive loving roadblock(imagine walking a bike for 1km or so in a thick crowd; fun!), but then there was plenty of bridge and road to bike on, and it was super-rad with all the scenery and a bit of a breeze. The problem was that there's a tunnel later on, which was fine, but it has a very slight decline. This meant you could freewheel it, but your sense of speed is diminished when you're in a tunnel, and they were constantly blaring messages to "please slow down here for your safety". Well, after the tunnel, a bunch of cyclists were blocking off an area. Some lady fell off their bike and it wasn't looking good; she may have been conscious, but not moving, and there was some blood around(of course she wasn't wearing a helmet). An ambulance came in decent time but that was the closest I've seen to "bike horror" around here; usually it's a 2-scooter collision or getting hit by a bus turn(this is the scary one in my opinion). Well, I've seen a car on fire on the highway, that was cool.
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Sep 30, 2013 05:39
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I've been scootering from my apartment in Daan up to Zhongshan for work every day, but as soon as the Xinyi line opens up I'm never doing that again, gently caress Taipei traffic and gently caress buses especially. EDIT: I never thought that "right turn lanes" would be something I would wistfully think of and miss. Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Sep 30, 2013 |
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Sep 30, 2013 05:46
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Hey Taiwaners. Last year around this time there were some technical writing positions opening up. i'm thinking about moving from Korea... I've taught esl here for too long. Any leads? I had bookmarked the Formosa forums, but didn't see anything recently.
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Sep 30, 2013 06:23
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Moon Slayer posted:I've been scootering from my apartment in Daan up to Zhongshan for work every day, but as soon as the Xinyi line opens up I'm never doing that again, gently caress Taipei traffic and gently caress buses especially. Try different roads until you find an ideal route; for example, Fuxing is pretty nice because it's wide, whereas Dunhua is horrible because it's so narrow and has all those buses.
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Sep 30, 2013 06:53
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I was in a taxi that hit an old octogenarian man crossing the street like 6 years ago. I left my phone number for the police, and I got a call a few days later. Some tired sounding man speaking nothing but Chinese, asking me what happened and such. I told him (in Chinese) that my Chinese was barely passable, and that for such a serious conversation I'd have to have an English speaker there to talk to, to properly explain what happened. I stressed that I'm more than willing to help, I just didn't feel comfortable using Chinese to explain it. He just said "So, that's it? Sorry, no English speakers here." and hung up. Never heard about it again. However, I've helped/saved a few old men since then, so my net is in the positive.
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Sep 30, 2013 08:18
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Ravendas posted:I was in a taxi that hit an old octogenarian man crossing the street like 6 years ago. I left my phone number for the police, and I got a call a few days later. Some tired sounding man speaking nothing but Chinese, asking me what happened and such. I told him (in Chinese) that my Chinese was barely passable, and that for such a serious conversation I'd have to have an English speaker there to talk to, to properly explain what happened. I stressed that I'm more than willing to help, I just didn't feel comfortable using Chinese to explain it. He just said "So, that's it? Sorry, no English speakers here." and hung up. Never heard about it again. I feel like cops are the least willing to deal with English speakers of any profession I've met in Taiwan. I understand how it is that way in the small towns, but you would think they would have a system in place to deal with foreigners in the cities at least.
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Sep 30, 2013 08:41
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My friend seriously lucked out with lazy cops one night when he was driving home drunk on his scooter. He got pulled over, not even blockade, they just noticed he was driving kind of funny. He showed them his American driver's license and they had no one idea what to make of it (note: an American license even with a motorcycle endorsement is not valid at all in Taiwan, at least not from his state). Finally, he showed them his ARC and just because they could read the Chinese and tell he was at least supposed to be in the country, they let him go. A Taiwanese guy I know got pulled over doing the same thing and just started speaking in near perfect Korean until they let him go.
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Sep 30, 2013 08:58
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Atlas Hugged posted:My friend seriously lucked out with lazy cops one night when he was driving home drunk on his scooter. That's not cool 
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Sep 30, 2013 09:06
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Yeah, tell me about it. I had a friend do the same thing. He plowed into a wall and fractured his tibia and fibia. Bone sticking out and everything. It was like 3am so he was drat lucky there was someone around to call an ambulance or he would have bled out.
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Sep 30, 2013 09:13
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caberham posted:That's not cool Same; some people think it's okay because it's not like a car and they can go slow and stuff buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut no. Know of a person who did get tagged and they blamed it on the cops "targeting foreigners" at the time, y'know, aside from the actually driving drunk bit.  That said, cops can be wily folk; had one that pulled us over because we were leaving a KTV, and I'm pretty sure they were pulling over anybody coming out of the KTV.
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Sep 30, 2013 09:30
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Oh, I certainly wasn't approving of his behavior, just saying that even when they had him dead to rights, going through the hassle of dealing with a foreigner wasn't worth it. Speaking of hassle, I learned a lot about Taiwanese gangsters this weekend!
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Sep 30, 2013 09:58
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I've been pulled over 3 times for making illegal left hand turns, 3 times for turning right on red lights, and once for going the wrong way on a 1-way street. I have never once gotten a ticket. I drive much more carefully now, but I see locals doing the same poo poo ALL the time so I used to just do what they did (I live outside Taichung city proper so that sort of thing is more common). Every time I just pretend I don't know what I did wrong, and act like I don't know what they are talking about. One cop, who spoke some English, pointed out that my ARC and US drivers license do not count here, and threatened to give me a $10,000NT ticket for driving without a license. However, I just kept pretending like I didn't understand why he pulled me over until he let me go.
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Sep 30, 2013 11:17
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Taiwan Nov 7th-13th, first time! I think I've got most of my bases covered for the trip, except one. My situation is that I'm going with a friend, and she's attending two different weddings as a bridesmaid. I know neither couple. So a few questions: 1) I am sure the wedding itself is out, but how acceptable would it be to attend an after party? In the US there are plenty of couples who are cool with attendees bringing a +1 that they haven't met. How about down there? Too rude to even ask? I'm white and speak zero Chinese so I'll certainly stand out. 2) Failing that, how hard is it to umm find local girls at bars/clubs who speak English and aren't prostitutes? I'll be in Taipei, a tiny village in the south, and Taichung. This proved extremely difficult in Bangkok, even at the supposedly upscale clubs. I'm sure my friend has plenty of local friends. But she already said they probably aren't slutty enough, plus I don't think I'll be with her all six nights. And I don't expect her to stay out much later than 10PM, even if she is there. Also, how easy will it be to find a bottle of this? Or should I just order a bottle online and have it shipped to my hotel.
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Oct 2, 2013 08:20
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zmcnulty posted:Taiwan Nov 7th-13th, first time! Wedding parties and weddings are kind of the same thing here. I'm sure they wouldn't mind her bringing a plus one if you bring a fat red envelope full of cash to donate to the wedding. It's good food usually too. quote:2) Failing that, how hard is it to umm find local girls at bars/clubs who speak English and aren't prostitutes? I'll be in Taipei, a tiny village in the south, and Taichung. This proved extremely difficult in Bangkok, even at the supposedly upscale clubs. You can get Kavalan at most liquor stores and friendly ladies at most bars.
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Oct 2, 2013 08:53
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zmcnulty posted:2) Failing that, how hard is it to umm find local girls at bars/clubs who speak English and aren't prostitutes? I'll be in Taipei, a tiny village in the south, and Taichung. This proved extremely difficult in Bangkok, even at the supposedly upscale clubs. Thailand is weird because a lot of girls at bars are willing to go home with you but will ask you for money first and still not consider themselves prostitutes. I was talking to a girl at a bar there once and asked if I could buy her a drink and she said just to give her the cash instead. I basically approve of this system. Taiwan is weird because girls will totally act like they won't go home with you and there's this whole cultural perception that only horrible dirty sluts gently caress guys they meet at the bar and Taiwan girls are way better than those whores foreign guys are used to back home, but it's all an act and really your odds are pretty good and so long as you aren't completely incapable of talking to women (ie: me) you should be fine. Also there are much better scotches available in Taiwan. Why drink Kavalan?
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Oct 2, 2013 09:59
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Well that's good to hear. Both the girls and the whisky. They make a good combination. I make a point of drinking local when I travel, bonus points if it's distilled. That's why Kavalan interests me. Any other recommendations?
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Oct 2, 2013 10:28
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Where is the wedding venue? Is it a hotel or restaurant? For most Chinese weddings, the attitude is the more the merrier. Last minute seating shuffles happen and who knows? Maybe someone can get you a seat? Your friend can discretely try asking and it wouldn't be that big of a faux pas. Especially when you are coming from overseas and have no idea how Chinese weddings are. Standard red envelope money in Hong Kong is around 1900 NTD for restaurants, 3000 for hotels - I don't think Taiwan will differ much. If you feel like you are being a wedding crasher, then just pitch in 3000 NTD. If you want to be fancy, don't use red envelopes, use high quality hand crafted Japanese ones. Nothing says class more than Shuugi Bukuro and wads of 10,000 yen. And course try out betel net and gaoliang.
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Oct 2, 2013 10:42
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I'm a really bad white dude I guess cause finding girls specifically from the foreign place I am for a week that are open to screw and also speak my language is never a priority to me e: people are telling me i'm being ridiculous so I guess I am! Ailumao fucked around with this message at 12:25 on Oct 2, 2013 |
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Oct 2, 2013 10:47
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Magna Kaser posted:I'm a really bad white dude I guess cause finding girls specifically from the foreign place I am for a week that are open to screw and also speak my language is never a priority to me That's because you prefer dudes 
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Oct 2, 2013 10:48
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zmcnulty posted:Well that's good to hear. Both the girls and the whisky. They make a good combination. Gaoliang.
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Oct 2, 2013 10:48
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caberham posted:That's because you prefer dudes That's true.
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Oct 2, 2013 10:54
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zmcnulty posted:I make a point of drinking local when I travel, bonus points if it's distilled. That's why Kavalan interests me. Any other recommendations?
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Oct 2, 2013 11:17
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How come i cant find that Cosmos People song relevant to this?
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Oct 2, 2013 11:29
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DontAskKant posted:How come i cant find that Cosmos People song relevant to this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLs8jf7iAnk
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Oct 2, 2013 12:44
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