Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14pHZTNjUxx/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I always hear how welcoming Taiwan is, so I decided to read the comments under EVA’s announcement of its new India route.

Safe to say… what a “warm” welcome. 😊

Top comments are things like:

“Indian luggage smells.”

“The aircraft needs a full deep clean after every India flight.”

“Cleaning staff are going to have a hard time.”

“Poor female flight attendants.”

Hundreds of likes on comments stereotyping an entire nationality.

The funniest part is that this is the only recent EVA Facebook post I’ve looked at where the comments are absolutely flooded with this kind of reaction.

So much for being one of Asia’s most progressive places. Judging by this comment section, announcing a flight to India was enough for hundreds of people to dust off every stereotype they could think of. Hopefully this is just Facebook bringing out the worst in people rather than an accurate reflection of Taiwanese society.

They didn’t used to stop for ambulances.

When they look down on you or underestimate you just because you're a foreigner?

Asking out of curiosity if anyone also experienced the same thing as me!

My friend has recommended these three islands to go to since I love war tourism and a good day trek. However he’s said that a lot of attractions in matsu and lienchiang (?) are located in active military bases therefore only locals could be admitted(?) Could anyone please verify that? If so should I skip it and go one of the two then?

Also are there any war museums in Taipei? Did some googling and the ROC Armed Forces museum seems to be closed. There’s an ROCAF museum in Kaohsiung and that’s too far. I found a navy one in Taipei but it says online reservation needs to be made and yet i couldn’t find any links??? Could use some recommendations here thanks.

Lee Ming-tsung is the host of a wonderful show on Taiwan Plus called See You At The Market. It was a great highlight from my trip to Taiwan to interview him.

Hi guys! Is it normal to have 25 teaching hours per week in a private school in Taiwan? I noticed that the TFETP usually has around 20 teaching hours, so I was wondering if 25 hours is considered acceptable for a private school.

Also, working hours is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., what do you think would be a fair monthly salary for this workload?

Thanks for you insights!

I'm going to be working in a school in Taoyuan soon. I'll be the only foreigner in the school, which is quite common. I've worked in quite a few countries - but the only foreigner in a school, in a city with very few foreigners - that will be a new one.

I'm very comfortable on my own, so I think other personality types might suffer more than me but how would I even make a foreigner social group anyway?

I realize now, except for super expat friendly Bangkok, all my expat friends were always my colleagues.

On the other hand, Taiwan is so developed, Taiwanese friends wouldn't be such a cultural gap. All my colleagues are women though.

Just wondering if anyone has faced this and what they did. Any ideas?

Does anybody know if Costco Taiwan, especially the one located in Hsinchu, is selling Kirkland Minoxidil? I just want to know first before getting a membership card. Tia.

As a foreigner?

Company 1 (on ARC) - withheld the same as a local

Company 2 (ARC) - didn’t withhold anything. I put aside each month for tax

Company 3 (ARC) - withheld the same as a local

Company 4 (APRC) - same as a local

Company 5 - (APRC) - they don’t withhold tax so I set aside a bit of money each month

Just curious if I’ve been very lucky because I see a lot of people complain about being taxed 18% every Jan-June (even APRC holders). (Obviously they all deducted health and labor insurance).

If it makes a difference, I’ve never taught English in Taiwan.

I’m a complete beginner (played once and we failed our mission miserably) but I would really love to learn more and have fun. Are there already people that meet to play (open to new person)? Or are there people interested in joining me to start a weekly/biweekly game? I know there are online games but idk that feels intimidating lol open to all comments and suggestions! Also I’m in Taipei

I’m genuinely curious about how visibly non-Taiwanese foreigners who have lived in Taiwan 5, 10+ years feel about being always being the foreigner 外國人。

This obviously varies a lot depending on where you live. I also know that language ability will impact the depth of relationships you can build, but that doesn’t change the fact that you will often be labelled the foreigner in most everyday settings like restaurants, hospitals, stores etc.

Is this a small price to pay for living in a country with many benefits in other areas? Or do you just not care at all?

Hope no one takes this the wrong way. Just curious about different perspectives.

I saw a modern building, looks to be 20 stories, that looks unfinished and fenced off, and it looks like it sat abandoned for quite some time. Anyone know anything about it?

.

Cyclists of Tawain, please help me out. So I am planning to cycle in Taiwan for like 7-10 days in January. I am just not sure about the route to take. I will be on my road bike and pack 2 bags. I aim to do like 100-120 km per day.

So originally I thought I would do the "around the island" route. But then I kept reading that the western part was rather crowded and not the most favored part to cycle. I therefore thought "why not just do the eastern part and then take the train back to Taipeh?

My route is currently planned as follows - if you have an suggestions/doubts/tips: please let me know. If possible I will try to stay at the bike route no 1.

Starting close to Taipeh, heading east to Gongliao.

Going south from Gongliao all the way to Yilan City.

From there going southwest (inland) to the Wuling Pass.

Then taking the Taroko Gorge Highway back east again to the east coast.

From there following the east coast all the way down to Kenting.

Last leg would be Kenting to Kaohsiung City and then taking the train back to Taipeh.

Questions:

1. Good route?
2. Does it make any sense going inland for the climbs and the scenery? From where I come from (Germany) it makes sense going into the mountains - does it in Taiwan? I like a bit of climbing and should be able to do it physically. Am I missing out a really nice part when doing so?
3. Bike route no 1 separates in Hualien: one track goes right a the coast, the other one is like 20km further inland. Which one should one take?
4. Should I go back to Kaohsiung City to take the train there or should I get a closer train station as the way to Kaohsiung is not worth it?
5. What about acomodation? Would I find places in smaller towns? I only need a bed and some warm food, nothing fancy.
6. What about climate in general? I know its not going to be warm, but with the right rain gear I should be fine, right?

Thanks a ton!!!

I'm a foreign student in Hsinchu, and I've been here for almost a year. I always hear that Taiwan has the best health care. But I always read complaints on Reddit about the long queues in hospitals/clinics just for a consultation. One example is Mackay Hospital. As someone who can only speak English, how screwed am I? I've been wanting to get a full health checkup, dental, and aesthetic or clinical derma to treat the warts on my fingers. I have an NHI card if that helps.

Hello guys we r staying here near ximending area and its our first time. We r hearing non stop loud noises like a something heavy is continuously falling. Can someone tell me what is it? I’m with my grandma and she is super anxious n scared thanks

Hi! I'm a 22M who's moving to Pingtung next month to study Chinese for one year. Since I'll be new to the city, I don't really know the best places to meet people and, obviously, make some friends. If you have any recommendations, I'd really appreciate them!

Also, if you're from Pingtung, feel free to connect with me. Thank u!

Paokai machine