Move back to Hong Kong - vs Taipei??

[asiabound?]

Help!

We lived in Tokyo in 1997 - Hong Kong from 1998 - 2002 - US citizens.

May have an opportunity to move back to Asia.

Loved HK (and Tokyo) - but after 4 years in HK - happy to leave as the air pollution was becoming overwhelming (and we lived on the south side of HK island in stand alone home...). We actually went for a look see from Tokyo to Shanghai in 1998 and nixed the idea as the air pollution was so bad - so picked Hong Kong.

I have heard that the air and water pollution is even worse? Exactly how bad is it? I am reading online that even the sea is filled with floating debris - got to say - never had that problem 8 years ago and we were constantly at beaches and in the water. How bad is the air and water quality?

Another possibility is Taipei - have never been there - anyone have any experiences? Loved the Asia expat experience for the sense of community/friends and the ability to travel and experiencing different cultures.

Any and all comments greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Raccon]

Taipei as a city sucks. It's convenient but crowded and noisy. In that sense it's actually not too different from many parts in Hong Kong but most annoying are the myriads of scooters that drive and park on the side walks, as well car/bus/truck drivers are more reckless (though not as bad as mainland China). Less people speak English as compared to HK but they are generally friendly and helpful.
Cost of living and especially accommodation is cheaper, you can get 2-3 times the size for the same price of what you pay here (at least when it comes to apartments).

Taiwan is nice though, just need to get out of the city and explore the mountains, go to the coast or one of the many islands. There are also lot's of places that can be easily reached from Taipei, e.g. for day-trips or an overnight stay during the weekend.
A car is an advantage for longer trips while in Taipei the MRT and bus network reach most places, as well taxis are cheap and plentiful.

[Morrison]

There are threads about air & water quality in HK on geoexpat, e.g. "HK beaches", if I remember correctly.

As to Taipei, go and get an impression. It's always better than relying on other people's opinion. For example I disagree with Raccon, there are also nice districts in Taipei and I like Taipei way better than HK.

[TheBrit]

Depending on the personal tax situation, if the higher taxes in Taiwan are not a big issue... then I would choose Taipei any-day.

[Mat]

Agree with Morrison, you should go an take a look first.

I'm not a huge fan of Taipei BUT Taiwan is great and at least you can own a car and travel around the country freely ;-) Something harder to do in HK where you are stuck in HK (unless you fancy paying huge $$$ to get a double plates)

Pollution in HK has certainly not improved as compared to when you left.

Discalmer: For TheBrit any other places in Asia are better than HK (except Macau which is even worst since they have no 3G - Actually they do, but he thinks they do not have) so I wouldn't read too much into the "any day"

[TheBrit]

As usual, my little French stalker Mat is here to mis-represent! Bonjour petit Mat!

What he says is rubbish - there are plenty of worse places in Asia to live than Hong Kong... however Taiwan is not one of them in my opinion.

[roen]

Amazing just how different the perceptions are of Taipei - definately worth a visit to judge for yourself. Personally, whenever I am there I keep wondering where the people are. It seems a lot less crowded and a lot better planned than HK but I have to agree the scooters are amazing. Not dangerous like in other parts of Asia that will run you down but just en mass are quite a sight to behold. I have found the people very friendly but very little english ability which has been a hurdle but not too much of an obstacle - ie can deal with that easily because I have found the people there a bit more laid back. Yes, I am a fan of Taipei.

[virago]

I found Taipei to be clean, friendly and definitely not as busy. Laid back as the other poster said. The girls are cute and sophisticated, food quite good and large enough to get out and see the rest of the island. No polluted at all either.

HK is definitely expat friendly and reasonably livable but becomes small quite quickly. Pollution is worrying. Definitely don't like the noise in the urban areas.

[Raccon]

Maybe you guys could state if you just visited or actually lived there and if so, how long. I have done 6 years on the rock and by now 3 years in HK, preferring the latter.
That's just my opinion / subjective view and others might of course disagree, no problem with that.

[Mat]

As usual, my little French stalker Mat is here to mis-represent! Bonjour petit Mat!

What he says is rubbish - there are plenty of worse places in Asia to live than Hong Kong... however Taiwan is not one of them in my opinion.

Ah I knew Britus would react

Don't think what I said was rubbish (ie Taiwan being great and you can get around easily and HK being more polluted now than before, or you claiming that Macau does not have 3G....oh right maybe that tiny bit part about any places in Asia being better than HK in your opinion, yes but that is what we call teasing britus...you should know)