Normally foreigners choose between two destinations when they decide to make the move to Taiwan: Taipei or Kaohsiung, the first and second largest cities in the country, respectively. We weren’t any exception, and after deciding living in Taipei would be too expensive, we were planning on finding jobs in the alternative. Obviously that’s not how things worked out since we are happily living in Hsinchu; however, we decided it was about time to take a trip down South to check out the place we almost called home.
We couldn’t lay our finger on why, but the city wasn’t quite what we thought it would be like. Not bad, just different. Maybe it was because we were expecting the big-city, cosmopolitan feel of Taipei, which Kaohsiung doesn’t really give off. Or maybe it was because we saw SO many foreigners, everywhere we went, at all times of day. And then again, perhaps it was because Kaohsiung felt more tropical and laidback than its northern counterparts. Anyway, regardless of it feeling different, we definitely weren’t disappointed in any way. Kaohsiung is a lovely port city that has really been cleaned up over the past couple years, and there are quite a few beautiful scenes to take in.
So without any further ado, here is a glimpse of Kaohsiung:
The Love River
Yummy German Food/Panchos (unfortunately they were both so delicous that we didn’t get any pictures of the food… apologies)
Banana Pier
Harbor
Central Park
That last photo almost looks like San Diego :)
It does kind of! Ahh I still think about how I want to live in San Diego one day. Do you still love it out there?
Thanks for the great post! I’m moving to Kaohsiung this November and I chose it over Taipei because of the same reason as you did – I’m not willing to pay for an expensive rent. I’ve only been to Taipei before so I have no idea what to expect but seeing lots of info on the internet about Kaohsiung it seems like a great place to live. I’m more into big cities like Taipei though, but coming from a city of pop of 100 000, I’m pretty sure Kaohsiung will feel huge enough for me.
Have you tried any local eatery? I know Tainan is a food paradise, but I guess Kaohsiung is not any worse than that.
Mario recently posted…12 Do’s and Don’ts: Flying with Wizz Air
You need to check out fifi world. Its a restaurant for people and their pets which is a funny experience. There are loads of great places to eat and I found Kaohsiung better than Taipei myself. If you start to miss home go for drinks in the splendour hotel for a bit of western flair.
Thanks for the great insight Eitre :-D