Last week we did a post on our pet peeves here in Taiwan. But as we said, the things that we love about life in Taiwan far outnumber the things that drive us crazy! That is why we are both very grateful for our life as expats in Taiwan. And to prove that we aren’t just saying that – here’s the list 🙂
1. Public transportation is clean, cheap and efficient – and we’re not just talking about the MRT.
One major factor we considered when planning our move to Asia was the cost and ease of public transportation in various cities. Taipei came out looking very attractive through that lens! Taipei’s MRT is convenient, cheap, safe, clean, and easy to navigate without reading Chinese. And with the help of a couple great bus apps, the city buses aren’t that hard to master either. Plus this is a great city for biking! Ubike stations are everywhere here, and they are also cheap and easy to use.
But Taiwan’s public transit system isn’t just good for getting around the city. Intercity buses and special tourist area buses really open up the rest of the country for just a few dollars for an hour bus ride. Regular service trains will get you into the mountains and to more rural areas. The high-speed rail will get you to the other side of the country in about two hours. The quality, and affordability of the various public transportation here makes life here very livable.
2. Taipei really encourages and enables recycling.
We can only speak from our personal experience of dealing with the trash every week. But there are a few things here about waste management that really stands out. First and foremost, curbside composting. We could write an entire article about this, but watching local businesses and neighbors alike participate in recycling food waste instead of putting it into a landfill is brilliant.
Taipei incentives everyone to separate their trash by requiring everyone to buy special blue bags for non-recyclable waste. Meanwhile food waste and other recylable materials are collected for free if properly separated. As we walk our different trash bags down to the curbside we can physically see how much less we are sending to the landfill. The majority of those bags go into compost bins or the recycling service trucks. Meanwhile, our smallest trash bag is always the blue bag that goes in the back of the garbage truck.
3. Their national health care is very accessible.
We are employed full time, and so we are covered by the single payer health care network. There are multiple clinics and dentists in our area to chose from. We almost always use walk-in services. Usually the cost of a doctor’s visit for routine things costs about $8US, and the prescriptions rarely have a copay cost. There is a summer internship program at our job, and the interns are not covered by the national insurance program. However, when one of them developed a nasty skin infection, the visit to the clinic was just $30, which also covered the cost of her prescription. All of this without NHS taking a huge chunk out of our paychecks! Being able to speak a bit of Chinese is helpful, but not absolutely necessary. Health care here is extremely civilized.
4. Convenience stores are truly convenient
While we do have one major gripe about convenience stores here, in every other possible way convenience stores take the word “convenience” seriously. They offer so many services, many of which a lot of foreigners might not take advantage of. But it is extremely easy to pay your bills here. The ATM’s accept foreign cards. With a bit of help you can use the self-service machine to get train tickets or theater tickets. And, you can use your nearest 7-11 or Family Mart as a delivery addresses for online shopping services to pick up packages.
But of course, the first thing you will notice is how easy it is to eat fairly healthy and cheap here. Sure, there is plenty of junk food, but there is also roasted sweet potatoes and sticky rice balls (check out our vegetarian guide to Taiwan convenience stores for more ). In fact, a lot of expats live off of convenience store food until they can figure out how to order things off of all Chinese menus. It really takes convenience to another level.
5. Their commitment to green and public spaces is impressive.
Everywhere we go in Taipei, we see small parks. But we also see little benches, small playgrounds, and outdoor exercise machines! It’s not unusual to see groups of retirees taking advantage of the cool weather in the early morning by doing some stretches or a light workout in the local park. It’s also not unusual to see public art works that also double as benches, or a place to hang out in the rain, or provide shade from the intense sun. Meanwhile the parks are also really kid friendly. Some have playgrounds with rubber mats that are either recyclable or made from recycled material. Others have smoothed out concrete surfaces surrounded with a waist high rail for young skaters or boarders. Many parks have places for kids, adults, and the grandparents. A great example of addressing livability though multi-generational spaces especially in high density areas.
7. It’s easy to find cheap and delicious food!
There are a lot of food options here. A lot of them. So many, in fact, that it’s not unusual for apartments in Taipei not to have full kitchens. It’s just so easy to eat out affordably here. We work in an area near a university, so there are lots of restaurants catering to the fairly large student population. We go out for lunch with our coworkers every day, and are able to easily get a satisfying sit down lunch for between 3 and 5 dollars.
Of course the cheaper food tends to be a variation on the vegetable, noodle, and rice theme, but we really don’t find ourselves getting bored with that! Plus, there is always a cart that we haven’t tried yet, a cafe tucked away in an alley we’ve missed, or a new place opening. Even with our food restrictions (Pauline is vegetarian, and I eat a low-histamine diet) we have lots of cheap and yummy options.
8. There are hiking trails everywhere.
Just like the commitment to great public spaces, there is a commitment to great hiking trails. Taking the bus to a trail head and hiking up the hill to see a waterfall, or great vista, or strange rock formation is a very popular and doable activity. And you may not even need to take bus! There are some great hiking trails within walking distance of multiple MRT stations here in Taipei. Take Goldface Mountain for example!
Trails are very well maintained. Most have stairs with hand rails to help with the steep elevation gain. Some trails are even lit in both a subtle and useful fashion. This makes catching the sunset both beautiful and safe, even if you forget to bring a separate flashlight or a powerbank to light your way back down the trail. But for every well used trail, there are plenty of lesser known paths to explore. For people who love visiting nature and appreciate getting great exercise as a side benefit, this place is perfect.
9. It’s a gateway to Asia.
Taiwan is really foreigner friendly, and Taipei is especially accessible to non-Chinese speakers. They even try to have people available to help out in various languages in major transportation hubs. But because Taiwan is so stable, and travel is becoming more and more popular, it’s also extremely easy to get cheap flights from here to various destinations in Asia.
There are numerous low cost carriers that offer direct flights from Taipei to Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other top destinations. Most airlines have staff that speak the destination countries’ language as well as English. That makes Taiwan a great place to mount expeditions to Malaysia, or the Philippines, or any number of fantastic destinations without breaking the bank. We’re talking round trip tickets Okinawa for $150 USD, or to Kota Kinabalo for $250 (to mention just a couple of flight deals we’ve taken advantage of).
10. People here have a genuine desire to assist foreigners.
It is hard to really do justice to how welcomed and appreciated we feel as foreigners here. It genuinely seems to stem from a desire to share all of the great things that Taiwan has to offer. Now that we are well-oriented, getting around with Google maps and the official apps for buses or MRT, travel is pretty easy. But there are still moments, especially after leaving a MRT station, when someone will approach us and ask if we need help. Usually it happens when we are concentrating on our phones. We probably look confused, but we are actually just trying to coordinate a meet-up with friends. But we always try to be over the top thankful for being asked. Because there were moments at the beginning when we were totally lost, and the kindness of strangers saved the day. P
Even at bubble tea shops, restaurants, hair salons, or any number of other places we’ve had people reach out to help us enjoy our time here. Even when it isn’t necessary, the genuine desire to help us enjoy our time here is always very touching.
Of course this is not an exhaustive list! As I finish up this post I keep thinking of more (Like the receipt lottery! The plethora of great independent coffee shops. All of the night markets, museums, and hotsprings. Mango season! Oh, and the super cheap pay as you go cell phone plans! Plus of course, the butterflies and the huge community of butterfly enthusiasts here. And, and, and….). The list of things we enjoy about this country, its people, and quality of life just continues grow the longer we live here.