Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

Advantages: Taipei lifestyle with a more provincial feel
Disadvantages: Hot, muggy, polluted, just like any other city

I've spent a lot of time in Kaohsiung. My grandparents on my mother's side are resident there, as are my Aunt, Uncle, and two little cousins. There's something of a language barrier, but I think we understand each other. At least well enough for them to know that I love their city. Like most Chinese cities (Taiwan being no different to the mainland in this respect) there is a constant bustle, a continuous sense of urgency, coupled with a relaxed ...
...to pull it off. Towering skyscrapers, crammed with apartments and massive department stores sit side by side with corrougated iron shacks; BMWs and Humvees ride alongside mopeds and rickshaws. The Dim Sum has to be tried to be understood - the melt-in-the-mouth texture of their turnip pancakes or the meaty, juicy explosion of suei jiow bought from one of the numerous markets, or roadside coconut juice drunk through a straw straight into the nut, ... Read review

Advantages: Big city
Disadvantages: Big City

Kaohsiung is a great bustling city. Humid as all places in Taiwan. It's a good place to get a bus or train, or plane to somewhere else. Night markets to fill your evenings, and shopping malls for the day (if that rocks your boat?) There are also some beautiful temples to see, as in all cities and towns in Taiwan. Some really nice hotels, quality comes at a price much cheaper than the UK! Although watch out for the 'continental breakfast' Kaohsiung ... Read review