Experience in Taiwan

AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,647
4
81
2/17: Some quick notes:

7-11 took over the world. They have everything and they SELL everything. they even have Warcraft III for sale.

Squat toilets, yumm...
Showers? think tub of water and scrub.



2/16: Sorry for the lack of updates, wasn't using too much internet in the past few days.

Finally in Taipei! Much more different than i would have thought. about a 3.5 hr train ride.
I also found out im in Yuan Lin (a little south of Taichung), so that gives a little perspective of where i am.

And the girls here in Taipei are much prettier than where i was. :thumbup;!!
Also found a shop that's a technogeek's wet dream. will post video later.



Background: I know no Chinese.

2/6: Leave for Taiwan (14 hour trip, 16 hour time difference). Flew Malaysia Airlines. Food was ok. Each seat had it's own LCD w/ 13 different channels (movies, TV shows, etc..) and 36 SNES games.

2/7: Arrive in Taiwan. Notice all the cars are much different than US cars. Take a van to where i'll be staying at (3 hour drive). Air quality is horrible.

2/8: Go walk around. Buy an air filter mask for 16 cents. Buy milk tea for 33 cents. I don't know what else. Everything is cheap. Buy jeans for $3. Eat noodles for 66 cents. Shop some more.

2/9 - 2/11: Do random stuff. Watch TV. Notice that they show Prince of Tennis, One Piece and Naruto in Chinese. Go to a Walmart-type store. Buy some slacks for $5, and they hem them for free!

2/11: Finally post this (from a PII 350 w/ 64mb ram and Win98). Lans here are 50 cents an hour. Will add more stuff later (pictures). Taking requests, questions, etc...

2/12: Posting from some i-cafe. Went by myself, and they thought i was crazy. I was hoping they'd understand "1 hour" or something, but i was lucky i had some english major next to me. About the beetle nuts thing, yeah i drove by a few of them. They wear very scandelous outfits, but haven't been (like my gf is going to let me go haha)

Also went to eat at Texas Beef Alliance. Its like all-you-can-eat salad bar n stuff, had porkchop dinner for around ~$5 USD? man, they had peanut butter and chocolate sandwiches, good stufffffz.
 

Actaeon

Diamond Member
Dec 28, 2000
8,657
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76
Wow, everything seems so cheap. $3 for jeans?

Do they take USD, or must you convert it to their currency?
 

j@cko

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2000
3,814
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mind you that air quality is only bad in the capital city Taipei City.... I know cu'z I am from Taiwan...
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
hmm how do u do things if u don't know chinese? do they have english signs everywhere or something?
 

AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,647
4
81
Originally posted by: J0hnny
I hear taiwanese women are hot, please confirm for us.

i saw some, not all. i'm not in taipei, so i guessing they're hotter there. of course you're going to want pics, but not ATM (especially w/ 56k :()


Originally posted by: toekramp
why are you there?

last minute spontaneous vacation w/ gf and her family


Originally posted by: Actaeon
Wow, everything seems so cheap. $3 for jeans?

Do they take USD, or must you convert it to their currency?

yeah, everything is cheap. gf and her sis bought like a jillion clothes, eat and drink everything in sight. electronics are expensive! real stuff like Xboxes and cameras are normal price. Sony DSC-T33 is nice. Its weird going into a walmart-type store and seing an Asus A7N8X and some Shuttle XPC.

they use NT, which is like around ~32 taiwanese dollars = 1 USD


Originally posted by: Tremulant
That's pretty cool.

Pics?

eventually :)


Originally posted by: j@cko
mind you that air quality is only bad in the capital city Taipei City.... I know cu'z I am from Taiwan...

it's pretty bad where i'm at too, all congested w/ scooters everywhere and smelling like sewage...
 

AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,647
4
81
Originally posted by: dighn
hmm how do u do things if u don't know chinese? do they have english signs everywhere or something?

make gf and co translate everything for me :(
 

AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,647
4
81
Originally posted by: j@cko
where are you then? so ur g/f is TWnese?

i.. don't know :p. somewhere in central taiwan (taichung or something?) yeah she's 1/2 chinese (mandarin) and 1/2 TWnese.
 

AkumaX

Lifer
Apr 20, 2000
12,647
4
81
Originally posted by: j@cko
pix of her?... sry.. had to ask for it... lol

sure! as soon as i can get all the pix off the digicam to some computer other than this...


Originally posted by: J0hnny
How is the soy milk?

don't know yet. just bought a bottle, will drink tomorrow morning.
 

Vegito

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 1999
8,329
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0
Go to the night market.. cheap good food and games and lots of hot little chicky walking around...

the knock offs are cheap, timberland boots that cost 50-70 here cost 2.5x there..

 

J0hnny

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2002
2,366
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Originally posted by: AkumaX
Originally posted by: j@cko
where are you then? so ur g/f is TWnese?

i.. don't know :p. somewhere in central taiwan (taichung or something?) yeah she's 1/2 chinese (mandarin) and 1/2 TWnese.

Hehe, uh oh, I sense some P&N issues here. She's all chinese in my book....

Did you see a Skyline GTR yet?
 

mitaiwan82

Platinum Member
Nov 29, 2000
2,209
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Originally posted by: AkumaX
Originally posted by: j@cko
where are you then? so ur g/f is TWnese?

i.. don't know :p. somewhere in central taiwan (taichung or something?) yeah she's 1/2 chinese (mandarin) and 1/2 TWnese.

Central Taiwan is good shit...Taichung is close to my hometown:thumbsup:. You should ask them if you can go through the central mountain pass (there's still a road open) and head over to Tarako national park...beautiful canyons there. After that you can stop by Hua-lien and breathe some cleaner air and enjoy the other coast of Taiwan.

<-made in taiwan82
 

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
0
Their 7-11 is much better than ours here.

And my allergy to pollens/grass/hay disappears when I'm there.

Food is ultra cheap, make sure you eat everything. Try the freshly blended watermelon juice. And cream puffs from any bakery.
 

maddogchen

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2004
8,903
2
76
Try the beatle nut stands!!
With the hot chicks ones of course ;)
Tell them you'll buy a big bag if they do this ________
1. enjoy
2. pay
3. throw bag away.
....
5. profit!
 

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
0
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Try the beatle nut stands!!
With the hot chicks ones of course ;)
Tell them you'll buy a big bag if they do this ________
1. enjoy
2. pay
3. throw bag away.
....
5. profit!

Oh yeah, those stands are everywhere... just look for green neon lights.
don't actually try to chew those things, you'll look like a vampire that just ate.
 

Atomicus

Banned
May 20, 2004
5,192
0
0
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Try the beatle nut stands!!
With the hot chicks ones of course ;)
Tell them you'll buy a big bag if they do this ________
1. enjoy
2. pay
3. throw bag away.
....
5. profit!

Had a bad experience with those beatle nuts when I was a kid back in Taiwan.... they need to learn how to spit to the ground :|

On another topic, you should see the street-vendor life after hours. Lots of great food, which I think is the only reason why I'd ever go back.

J@cko, I always thought Taipei was just very cloudy, until I learned about the wonders of smog :(
 

maddogchen

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2004
8,903
2
76
yeah don't eat the beatle nuts, throw the bag away like i said. I think it causes mouth cancer and its addicting. Plus people spit it out everywhere and it stains the ground, ugly.
 

jdub1107

Golden Member
Feb 9, 2003
1,060
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Hate Taiwan. Haven't been there in a few years. But the last time I went, it was dirty, crowded and dogs everywhere. Got sick too, I think it was food poisoning or something. Vowed to never go back if it would still be the same.
 

maddogchen

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2004
8,903
2
76
Originally posted by: jdub1107
Hate Taiwan. Haven't been there in a few years. But the last time I went, it was dirty, crowded and dogs everywhere. Got sick too, I think it was food poisoning or something. Vowed to never go back if it would still be the same.

it'll always be crowded. 20 million on a small little island with no room to expand. Crowded = dirty. Just the dog thing pisses me off. If you aren't responsible enough for a dog don't get one! too many end up on the street scavenging for food and dying horrible deaths.

yeah, don't think you'll be able to go back in your lifetime