See the True Taiwan: an insiders guide

On a recent trip back to the US east coast I ended up needing to buy a one way ticket from Taiwan, and was looking at prices well over 1,000 USD (30,000 NTD). After exhausting all the options I wound up booking an award ticket on China Airlines for a direct flight from Taipei (TPE) to New York's JFK airport. There weren't a ton of reviews about the 777 business class product, and I was reluctant to fly with China Airlines (CI) because of things I'd head as a teacher to former employees, online reviews, and their poor safety record up to 2003. Yet the improvements on the ground and in the air were incredible obvious and I will gladly fly with CI again. After a comment from a reader, just wanted to say the experience was great, and while there is some room for improvement, I was satisfied with my choice to fly CI! Check in: Check in was a bit of a mess in Terminal 2 with a single row of counters handling several international flights worth of passengers. I arrived a...

For as long as I can remember people who come to Taiwan have asked about "those wild hot springs in Yangmingshan".  Somehow the idea of soaking in volcanic water in the untamed wilderness appeals to nearly everyone, and there are a ton of blogs written about the experience at Bayan. Perhaps it's the clever name that gets people involved - wild hot springs do sound fun! - but the name tells little of the truth. A better name is "Bayan technically illegal agrichemical waste water often over crowded and full of bathing soaps wading pools", but who would want to waste a whole day going there? Agrichemicals sounds like they make for an uninviting swim, but where do the pollutants come from you ask? Just uphill of the springs - and an area you'll need to pass through if you descend to the springs - is a giant farm which also features a man made reflective pool with a rock garden. As you descend from the road you'll snake your way through the fairly exten...

Here's the best practical advice for renting a scooter during your time in Taiwan. If you live in Taiwan and hold an Alien Resident Card: Get a local license when you get here and skip trying the IDL all together. There is a written test, in English, at the DMV and a simple driving test - if you actually know how to drive a scooter - and you can get up to a 250cc machine or e-bike. Now you can rent scooters without an issue anywhere and you're covered by the minimal insurance policy it has! Bonus local ID too. As a Tourist: 2022 Update: Many countries now have reciprocal license agreements with Taiwan. The list is continuing to grow as time goes on, but with few exceptions you'll need a copy of your original license, a Chinese translation, and your passport. The program is intended for short stays Bear in mind when actually acquiring a vehicle you're still far better off holding  an IDL. Here's the link to pdf's about reciprocal licenses Bring your International...

This blog has a few reviews of hikes to go on for a day trip if you head down to Shenkeng old street of Shiding. Both towns are great to see if you're ready to spend a day touring around the mountains south of Taipei. The two trails featured here are within easy walking distance from the river and old street in Shenkeng, and are actually part of the same set of (partially) linked hiking paths. If you're really in the mood you can walk up and over the mountains here and get to Maokong Station on the gondola which runs behind the Taipei zoo. To save 99% of readers time, the final conclusion of this entire article is you should avoid these hikes unless you've a) done all the hikes in Taipei already, or b) are doing it in winter and are a genuinely avid hiker with a good understanding of how to use your phone's GPS. These hikes are not suitable for casual walks on a date, or for people just looking to stretch their legs. I set out to do this hike on the first of tho...

This post has been updated and expanded, including tons of math. Find it on this blog here . A recent post about the cost of living in Taiwan got me to thinking if I would still recommend English teaching in Taiwan as a thing for people just out of college to do. There have been a lot of Facebook friend-of-friend messages asking me about it, with questions that are now answered in question and answer format below. For those looking for a simple answer, I went ahead and polled everyone I knew in the English teaching game, and the overwhelming majority of people, when pressed for a simple "yes" or "no" answer said you shouldn't move to Taiwan to teach English. Let's look at why you shouldn't come, and for whom Taiwan is actually a good fit. Can I make and save money teaching English in Taiwan? Yes, you will be able to make and save money while you are working in Taiwan. If you work the minimum 14 hours for an Alien Resident Card (ARC) at ...

Spring has finally arrived in Taiwan, which means there is about a two week window to get out and enjoy what may be the best hiking weather on earth until the temperature cranks up to unbearable levels. If you want to go somewhere that's close to Taipei, doesn't involve cramming it into a train to cat town, and is not full of other foreign faces, get down to Shiding 石碇. This is a day trip isn't far down the road from Shenkeng, the self proclaimed stinky tofu capital of Taiwan, but you'll still be getting long looks for being a foreigner here. The river view west and slightly south of the old street. A tribute to the village's mining history. Highway 5 runs overhead, Tanlan trail below. Off the beaten path? Not really, anymore, but still a great place to be for a day out of the city. It features genuine hiking, low-tempo river walks, and old street, and is based around an old school mining community. The main draw here is the hike at Huangdidian ...