>>2912607
Are South Asians welcome in Taiwan? I saw something online about a politician openly campaigning against South Asians and I'd like to know if this is a feeling from all over the island? People say I look Italian and that's what I tell people I am when they ask in Japan. It seems to work as much to avoid certain baggage.
Will I be turned away from massage parlors? Not looking for anything cheeky just s good foot massage.

>>2912614
You are a white incel from pol

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>>2912713

Weather is so perfect bros, I need to stop visiting in the middle of summer when it's a sauna.
Riding a youbike along the river for hours all blissed out. Chilling at Dadaocheng while the sun sets, such a good life.

>>2912653
Its so obvious at this point, bait used to be believable.

Chong Qing mogs every taiwan cities

>>2912687
There are 10000 rivers like this on the planet.

>>2912711
epic brown tiktok man

>>2912607
Excuse me, would you mind moving aside so others can pass?

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>>2914749

>>2912713
With a hundred km of high quality cycling infrastructure? With basically free bikes and nice stops and calm little vistas?
You don't get it and I understand, until you've done the riverside parks, you never will, they're huge and amazingly comfy, it's the best way to unwind. The Taiwanese get it, but you're some angry troll who's never even been to Taipei or New Taipei, I know.

>>2912653
Squidward is our personal /trv/ peanut gallery. Give him credit for bumping the thread.

He’s mad that people would rather make dick touch diaries than compare hiking gear.

We should cherish the general thread.

>>2912727
Americans take such things for granted because so many American cities have extensive greenway trail networks that are barely used because everyone is a fat mutt.

I have been to Taipei in April but didn't find it blissful at all. Gray skies, damp air and expressionless Mongoloid faces hurrying along. Coming from hot lively Chiang Mai it felt too modern, dystopian even. The language barrier was a real struggle. A hotel in Sanchong tried to scam me saying that the $28 booking price was an error and I should pay $25 more in cash. I refused several times and eventually was handed a key without paying extra.

>>2914749
What district were you in anon?
Because they aint the same

the most peaceceful spots I found on the island were
>Taipei and Keelung where they merge into the mountains
>The big hill in Taichung that has a university and a bunch of engineering companies on the way up
everywhere else seemed too smelly, commotioned (people/tourists), or intimidating (tamsui river)

I guess Taipei main station mall was comfy at 5am before anything was open, and Aletheia University in Tamsui was charming

idk, Okinawa was way better. Ama

>>2912614
I will say when I went I mostly didn't have problems. I was denied entry to a few night clubs but that wasn't too big of a deal. I just took the girl I was with to my rental and had my way with her there.

The club doormans face was so smug when he denied me. He then realized I was already with a girl and the look of udder shock on his face was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.

>>2914895
White incels larping in every thread they are chad

Is mandarin enough to get around anywhere in Taiwan? Or are there some places like in rural areas where people only speak min nan or Hakka?

>>2915012
It's more than enough for everywhere. Only the elderly are fluent in a local language called 台語, the young people understand it but don't speak it well. Around 1.5% of the population identifies as native to Taiwan and speaks a native meme language. The only people that don't speak mandarin are migrant workers, which some places have a lot of. They are mostly from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

I'm visiting for the first time in mid November for about one week by myself. My mother has expressed interest in visiting as well but is currently too busy at work so we will take a longer trip there together when it's quieter, probably next year, so this is a scouting trip on the way back from HK which I'm visiting for work. From the various threads about the subject currently active I've taken these notes about places I'd like to visit.

-Kenting looks great but 5 hours on train might not be practical given my short time there, Baishawan is a decent alternative and much closer to Taipei
-Beitou hot springs and Yangningshan National Park
-Buddhist monastery built in 70's between Tainan and Kaohsiung but further west
-Guanghua Digital Plaza
-Jiufen
-National Museum which apparently houses a rotating selection of pre-cultural revolution artifacts (?)
>>2912560 but I'm unsure how intense the hike would be.

I'm also looking for advice on where to stay in Taipei as well as anything else I must see. Ximending looks like it's well positioned but I also read that New Taipei has more of a youth focus. I like /fa/, /p/, /jp/ and /his/ and adore bubble tea. I'm not into nightlife or alcohol but I would be interested in seeing someone like Tzusing perform.

>>2914895
Even if you speak the language the door men get off on saying no foreigner, even if you're going to spend a lot. Very autistic

>>2912614
If by South Asian you mean Indian, then yeah, you probably won't feel very welcome there

>>2912711
>Chong Qing mogs every taiwan cities
This is true desu. Incredibly walkable, so many things to see and discover.

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Mama Su in the house, she's so cute.
Jensen and her seem to be in a race to be the coolest

>>2915017
Even in early November, can I get through the day wearing just a T-shirt?

>>2915308
yeah

>>2914895
>udder shock
Rejesh please

>>2914895
>udder shock
I get this sometimes in Taipei

>>2912713
Taiwan's rivers are absolutely disgusting. I lived in Sanxia for about six months and the houses near the rivers all had their sewage pipes dumping directly into them. I'd see kids playing in those rivers and I'd have to wonder how many diseases they were being exposed to. If you go to Danshui and look at the river water, it has filth floating downstream straight into the ocean.

>>2914870
>Tamsui
Fucking communist, it's Danshui.

>>2915012
>Or are there some places like in rural areas where people only speak min nan or Hakka?
There are still grannies and grandpas alive from before Chiang Kai Shek invaded Taiwan in 1949. Those are pretty much the only locals who don't s peak Mandarin. Hilariously, my mother's best friend only speaks Japanese (and now English).

>>2915057
>I'm also looking for advice on where to stay in Taipei
I highly recommend AirBnB. I've posted before about the excellent experience I had in one there. Cheaper and queter than any hotel I used. Here's my post about it from the archives:
https://archive.4plebs.org/trv/thread/2881758/#2882821
Specific room (there are lots more available in the same building):
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1435238200966478772

If you go to Baishawan, it's the 862 bus. (I think any of the 860-1-2-3-4-5 will work, but some take long inland detours). There's an excellent Vietnamese restaurant called Lan Phuong on the inland side of the road; I think it's a few miles past Baishawan. As long as you're going there, you may as well take a quick peek at the Yehliu Geopark, which is the endpoint of one of those bus routes (I think the 862, but check Google Maps to be sure). Oh, and the rock arch at Shimen (literally means "rock gate") is also nice and is less crowded and has a cool fishing boat harbor, the bus stop is right at a temple. Just don't go on weekends.

Guanghua is a sad shadow of what it used to be, but still useful if you are project-oriented.

>National Museum
It's the National PALACE Museum.

>>2915057
>but I'm unsure how intense the hike would be.
Is this regarding Taroko Gorge? The "hike" is however intense you want it to be. Mostly you'll just get out of the taxi every half mile or so and stare at the sights and take photos. There's one stretch where you should walk along more-or-less level ground for maybe half a mile to see the scenery and get picked up on the other end of that walk. There was one old building that was a bit of a walk but you don't have to do it. That's about it. I suppose if you want, you could just get dropped off at the start and go walk the whole thing. IDK if they'd even allow it since the rocks aren't all that stable.

I suppose it's a bit like climbing Mount Fuji nowadays. No, you won't need oxygen tanks and a sherpa.

In terms of fashion, there isn't much IMHO. I'm sure you can find high end tailors if you want, but most people are not into couture.

Oh, for history, go to Kinmen. You can go look at the "Bear of Kinmen" tankette, which is kind of cool. The driver literally greased his tank treads with the crushed bodies of communists.

might be buying a one way ticket to taipei real soon bros. if I do, I'm thinking of renting a short term 1-month thing before scouting longer term apartments. is airbnb the way to go in this regard or does anyone have recommendations? preferably in new taipei city as I hear that's where it's better to live in

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>>2916465 >>2917767

>>2916025
>ticket to taipei
>do no research besides while waiting at the airport
>decide on kaohsiung at the last minute because fuck it why not
>take the bus from taoyuan airport to kaohsiung
>listen to the radio and sleep
>arrive at around midnight
>chill in the park for a few hours
>wait for the phone store to open so i can get a phone number
>go to the library and browse for the cheapest last minute accommodation
>drop my bags off at a $7 hostel downtown
>wake up the next day
>get a youbike and spend $0.50 riding around the areas with lots of housing and taking pictures of signs
>when night falls hit up 591 and spam the listings asking if they have anything for 3 months (all in chinese)
>day after
>barely get any replies from the housing search (or fuck off we're full)
>fuck it repeat the process
>day after
>finally schedule my first viewing
>~$200 month, but its on the tail end of the subway
>go there and look at it
>place seems nice, landlord seems cool
>at the subway station there's a whole bunch of mormonfags harassing the locals
>decide to turn it down
>next day get my second viewing
>$145 + utilities, own room, shared kitchen and bath with one other guy
>good spot downtown
>immediately say yes
>stay the full three months
>get my deposit back
>go on with my life
if you cant at least read pic related you're ngmi tho

>>2916109
maybe you quoted my post by accident? not sure what your blogpost is suppose to mean but happy for you

>try to book alishan railway the day tickets release two weeks ahead
>shitty system flips the booking day to the 21st, go through with booking before noticing the wrong date
>try again, fucks the date a few more times before finally accepting the right one
>sold out
fun

>>2916109
591 is a mess, even for locals.
If you're a foreigner expect at least 75% to ignore or reject you.
Finding a agent who can speak English and do middleman with landlords is the best time
it doesn't even have to be their own listings, they'll help search for a small fee, well worth it

what's the deal with the Mormons also, they creep me out in Taipei

>>2915164
>Very autistic
I think it's reasonable given how a lot of whites have created a bad reputation in Asia.

>>2916025
>is airbnb the way to go in this regard or does anyone have recommendations?
I had a good experience with it. Be aware that lots of cities in Taiwan have banned AirBnB or restricted it heavily. Some relatives of a friend of mine bought a place in Hualien with the intent to run it as an AirBnB, and then the city passed a law saying that AirBnB rentals must be for a minimum of 30 days at a time. Kind of killed their business model.

NTC has some nice districts but also some really shitty ones. It is actually Taipei County, and is a giant ring around the city of Taipei. I wish they'd never renamed it, it's just plain stupid to call the whole thing a single city.

I highly recommend Danshui as a place to live. Get a place in a modern elevator building, not some decaying commieblock. I had good luck on 591, but I had help from a coworker who was assisting me with getting set up when I moved there for a job. Landlords tend to dislike dealing with foreigners because the ESL teachers are such drunken assholes.

One downside to Danshui, it's sort of isolated. Last year there was some sort of accident on a bridge that destroyed the main water pipe supplying Danshui. Water was shut off for five days or longer, depending on which part of the district; I think some places were shut off for as long as ten days. Similarly, there's only one road into Danshui from Taipei, and it gets clogged as hell during daytime.

I'd give you my old landlord's email, but (1) he's probably living in the place now, (2) the building's garage levels were cracking and blowing out support columns and walls like that Miami condo that collapsed, and (3) he hates me and would probably reject you out of hand if he knew you'd gotten referred to him by me. I was really sad about how things ended up; he got divorced and started claiming I had missed paying rent. I even marked all the payments on a copy of my bank statements and emailed him photos of the pages, but he refused to listen.

>>2917767
>what's the deal with the Mormons also, they creep me out in Taipei
I always liked seeing them. They're polite, friendly kids doing a difficult job. I don't believe in their religion at all (or any other, for that matter) but I admire their sincerity and their genuine kindness.

And "the deal" is the same as it is for Mormon missionaries anywhere, they're trying to get people to convert to Mormonism. I actually knew a former one who moved there longterm; he said that on average each one of them converts one Taiwanese to Mormonism per year of their missions. Or maybe it was one for the whole term of their missions (two years IIRC).

>>2917792
>I admire their sincerity and their genuine kindness.
Just wait until you have to work with them or live around them. You have never done either. They're like sharks going for money. Or demons. They just smile a lot, virtue signal, and lie.

>>2917767
>what's the deal with the Mormons also, they creep me out in Taipei
Why do you say this? Are there many?

What appeal does Taiwan have over other places in Asia?

>>2917797
wombo combo of being genuinely more friendly and well-mannered compared to most other asia countries, not really tainted yet by influx of 3rd worlders or tourists, english being enough to have a good time, and hot woman/good food. imo

>>2917797
Chinks civilized by japs

>>2917795
They're gross no matter where in the world they are.

>>2917805
Western media has terrified enough people that Taiwan is about to get bombed any day now that it keeps all the normies away
Makes it perfect in my opinion desu

>>2917795
You can't spend more than a few hours in Taipei without seeing a pair of them wandering around.
Especially in summer they stand out like sore thumbs.

>>2917806
Taiwanese people shave their underarm hair, but Japanese people don't.

>>2915308
Pants would also be recommended, weirdo.

>>2917805
>genuinely more friendly
>enough English to get by
>good food
None of that was true during my visit.

>>2917797
I can't think of anything

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>>2917826

>>2917821
>b-but my experience

>>2917823
not that anon
>they were indifferent just like japs, viets, koreans, etc because they are 1st world
>I didn't visit any tourist traps and was trekking hills in keelung, and taichung instead
>food was horribly greasy. I enjoyed sushiro and steamed baozi bit to control my acne and spending I would cook in my hotel room for much of the 2 months

>>2917821
>None of that was true during my visit.
are you sub5 or brown?

>>2917797
Nothing you can find anything in Shanghai cheaper

>>2917794
Same Anon you replied to. Several of my closest friends over the years have been Mormon. I'm not, and they know I'm not. I've never had a problem with any of them.

I can't say the same about other Christian denominations. I've found that if a business conspicuously advertises itself as Christian (e.g., Jesus fish in their advertising) then it's best not to even consider them for any sort of work, because they WILL fuck you over and then claim "Well Jesus forgives me so you have to too!" Yeah, nah, I'm not your imaginary friend, bro, I'm an ex-customer who is going to make damn sure to post bad reviews everywhere I can.

>>2917812
Taiwanese are tolerant of tattoos.

>>2917797
East asian culture and development for south east asian prices (+ a really small premium)

>>2918021
They don't tolerant ppl without listening to their smart asses or paying dough

>>2918023
Food sure, some shopping definitely too.
Drinks are usually more expensive compared to SEA or Japan.
Accommodation in Taipei can be pricey sometimes (weekends basically double as people from other parts of Taiwan come to the city for fun). All these 3 star hotels that don't even have windows, its a bit depressing.
If you are willing to stay 15 mins out of the city then there's actually good value for rooms.

>>2918051
>They don't tolerant ppl
saar

>>2917791
>have banned AirBnB or restricted it heavily
Think its essentially banned everywhere unless it's over 30 days
You have to do all the things required of a hotel under 30 days, so it's dodgy for both customers and hosts.

>>2918023
That's just china

>>2918023
The only thing that’s cheaper in Taiwan and South Korea than in Japan is public transportation. While Japan’s public transportation operates on a self-supporting basis, in Taiwan and South Korea, the government protects public transportation as a public service and subsidizes its operating losses.

>>2918066
They didn't ban it, they say if you do listings or the majority of your listings <30 days you need a hotel license to operate.

I will never understand why people intentionally misrepresent airbnb shit.

>>2918241
>accommodation/rent isnt cheaper

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>>2918327

>>2918245
NTA but do you actually think any airbnb's in Taiwan have a fucking hotel license?
It's some next level requirements compared to a regular apartment and as such 99% are illegal. You need monthly checks and all sorts of other shit to maintain one of those licenses, the requirements are strict.
The only ones on there with a hotel license are actual hotels and they charge you 30% more than paying direct because that's the airbnb fee, it's just another advertising outlet for them

>>2918291
Hard to say. I know the one I stayed at a few years ago basically told me the day I flew "please don't mention anything about us, don't tell anyone you're staying here, don't talk to or engage with other residents in the building. If anyone asks, you are our friends and are staying here".
Kinda spooked me and my wife thinking we'd get nailed on some technicality but everything was fine. I'll be going again in a few months with some family that never traveled and am debating if I should book airbb with them or just go hotel and make it easy.

>land in taipei
>queue to get sim card
>start talking to old chinese couple behind me
>compliment my chinese but point out the mainland pronounciation
>invite me to visit them in tainan
>wife just stares at me like I'm a ghost
>start feelings grossed out and feel uncomfortable

Apologies for the slow reply.
>>2915372
Thank you, I ended up booking Airbnb in a similar location but pretty much all the rooms in that specific building were booked out until December. Have noted the Baishawan details, thank you. Is it worth swimming? I'm not much of a swimmer anymore but might as well while I'm there if it's nice.
>Guanghua is a sad shadow of what it used to be
This seems to be the case with alot of tech shopping malls I've read about or been to in other Asian countries.

>>2915373
Yeah, Taroko. I think when people say hike where I live they mean like a multi day camping trip or at least an intense all day outing over rugged terrain, what you described sounds like standard tourism outside of a city. Kinmen looks interesting and quite surprising that it's so close to mainland but not really practical to travel there with my limited time.

I was also looking for a recommended (e)SIM provider for Taiwan (and Hong Kong, if someone can recommend one)

flying lax to taipei, should I do eva air or starlux? or doesn't matter?

also, I think it's been asked before but what part of the city is unironically the best if you want a modern building/amenities but still not too far from main Da'an area?

>>2914895
>udder shock
Only happens to Hindus

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>>2918606
Guanghua seems more like a tourist attraction, there's not really good value or even a decent variety. The only actual cool shit in there is the non-computer stuff like ham radios/cameras/ second hand retro games. The only thing they do well with computers is repairs, parts and laptop cleaning.
For actual computer things you get way better value in the street level stores dotted around the entire suburb, but they always have inconsistent random stock so you end up walking around a lot. Tried to buy some ram because it was a decent price but the guy apologised and said they're only selling it in full builds now.
Half the stores don't even put prices on their ram anymore, these boomers know they're sitting on a goldmine of stock they bought a year ago.
Online has generally fucked all of those places except for the otaku tier niche stuff, still like visiting it, and the cultural park next door is cool.

> for a recommended (e)SIM provider for Taiwan (and Hong Kong, if someone can recommend one)
Just buy one at the airport it takes 3 minutes. Life is a lot easier for so many things if you have a Taiwanese number, even for short stays. Technically you can rent a youbike without a number but its messy and they want a big deposit provided, plus you have to install their app and it goes on.

Having a local number fixes many things and esims won't give it to you. Also an esim always comes out in HK or Singapore so all your search results get fucked instantly, I gave up in a week of having one, just doesn't work well.
Nomad is decent and simple to setup if you really want to go down this path but wouldn't reccommend.

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>>2918621
>>2918621
If its Daan you specifically need to be close to then Yonghe or Banqiao districts, along the river with all the new developments. Generally high quality buildings with amenities all getting built and not far on the train. Some are empty as fuck too, Chinese people are weird, they love investing into real estate with zero care about renting it out.
You could try around Wanlong or further south if you need it cheaper but its quite depressing there and the buildings are all old. Xindian does have some decent new places but its the end of the green line, and edge of the city.

>>2918051
Seriously what are you on about? Taiwanese probably have more tats than most of Asia? Think maybe Thailand would only be the one to outdo them.
A lot cover them up for office work but on the weekends and at night you see it.

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late one winter night, I was sat in McDonald's eating a big mac, avoiding the foul Taichung manholes and the unfulfilling silence of my hotel room. nearby there was a young man and a young woman. The young man would udder a short somber sentence periodically. The girl would react with delicate maniacal laughter while holding her drink up, biting the straw

Anyone watch Prozzie on YouTube? His Taiwan content is pretty comfy. Just like Taiwan. I can't wait to go back again bros. It's driving me nuts.

>>2919201
Once in a while I check in on his stuff. He's always been mega cringe. I likes his stuff from mainland china more, the videos with cmilk

>>2912607
I'm curious to hear y'all's experience with the local women in Taipei.

I know I'm not the only one to hook up with SH, MH, or AY.

>>2919298
I had lunch with a local actress while in the midst of philosophy readings on devote love and social dynamics. My headspace was very solemn. She was satisfyingly pleasant, I was suboptimally pleasant.

>>2917958
Hey good for you. Anyone that spends some time in Utah has less than rosey things to say about them. They're not pleasant people to be around.
>judge you and each other about drinking coffee or tea
>you're really going to drink that?? the body is a temple
>commonly fat and ugly anyway
>still big on sugar drinks anyway like root beer it's ok since it doesn't have caffeine
>doped up on anti depressants
>high autism rates (literally)
>runaways and suicides aren't too uncommon
>they will screw people over or abuse them and their associates will cover for them, lie, and give testament to their good character and morals to help try and cover it up
>routinely marginalize anyone who doesnt submit
>"they're not like us"
>if someone tries to leave The Church™ people may very well be sent to harass their family members (happened to a roommate of mine)
I can keep going but I'd rather just not.

>>2919315
yes, white culture can be a terrifying nightmare