Dropping a small datasheet on a lesser-known coastal city in southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung, before I fly out tomorrow. Had the pleasure of staying about a week here on an extended business trip and was still able to focus on game half the time, and dig in enough to bring some light onto this little gem. Searched for "Kaohsiung" and led to few results, so time to start uncovering this city of nearly 3 million...
Where to Stay / Logistics
In terms of where to stay you've pretty much got roughly 3 districts.. the tourist/nature area, the classy area, and the ghetto/traditional area.. Keep in mind the city as a whole is uninteresting and not terribly romantic. Pretty much standard Chinese urban planning fare so if you don't actually have something to do you'll be bored.
![[Image: attachment.jpg38957]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg38957)
Yancheng / Cijin (tourist/nature)
Most domestic tourists would come to KS for the nature and beaches, which is honestly pretty average. (If you're expecting paradise KS only has glimpses of it, more south you'll find better paradise but still not picturesque) This area has a ton of hotels and some tourists flocking about, and most of them still seemed local/domestic. If you pipeline a lot OR do a lot of daygame this is your district especially if you can hop over to Cijin. There is one main street (Wufu) which is lined with 10-15 small bars but they looked depressing and uninhabited, spent one evening in them though. There are basically no night markets and everything shuts down after 10pm.
Northern Kaohsiung
Everything north of "Wufu" road I would consider northern Kaohsiung, this would be the more traditional, local part of city. There are some seedier clubs, and more underground bars that foreigners still like to visit but not too far east. Liuhe Night Market is the only decent night market IMO because the food isn't wierd and most things are still written in English (this strip is good for a first date).
Southern Kaohsiung
South of Wufu Rd was my favorite part of the city and spent most my time here. It's got its own 85 Sky Tower (which is KS's version of TP 101, essentially) and the Sundan shopping district immediately north of it, Sogo et al. There's a greater concentration of night markets here though the streets are really wide. Directly south of 85 Tower is a massive/modern library (perfect for getting work done) and the classier district with newer buildings and a couple nice outdoor malls. If you get an airbnb it should be in this vicinity.
Cost of Living
Surprisingly the day-to-day expenses were not that much less than Taipei. I would say that the typical things that you buy on the street (market food, supplies, shoes) were about 90% of Taipei prices. My rent was about 75% of what I was paying in TP though. A small meal still costs about $3-4, and rent translated to $600/mo for a solid studio just outside downtown. However services and labor (repairing motorbike/bicycle, storage, transport, SIM data) are still dirt cheap. Don't expect it to be like SEAsia though.
Other logistics: SIM data is dirt cheap here, one month from the fastest provider (Chunghwa) is about $30 USD a month for *unlimited* data, which is insane. Definitely a haven for digital nomads as you won't be tied to cafes or your hotel to get your job done. The 2 MRT lines are okay, bit limited so you'll want a bike in addition if you're always on the move.
Day Game Spots
Girls in Kaohsiung are depressingly unattractive, compared to their Taipei counterparts. I was expecting better I will tell you that. Chicks on the street are flat average, darker skin, barely any upkeep of their appearance. The population as a whole feels older and gnarly and it's difficult to justify a move from TP sacrificing looks just for better weather, wider streets, and higher value. Their English ability is about 30% of TP girls (which I consider equivalent to Hong Kong), enough to get by but does lock you in to the "foreigner hangouts".
Sundan Market: This wide strip clearly had the hottest girls and was lined with a handful of multi-level malls, however it's still sparsely populated. In the malls there wasn't much of a pickup culture, indirect game didn't seem to get them hooked or continue the conversation and I didn't have the balls to try direct game. KS as a whole has a softie culture and it feels as if you are agressive even 10% it would be out of line, slightly emasculating.
![[Image: attachment.jpg38958]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg38958)
The other 2 spots would be Cijin Beach and Sizihwan scenic area. Cijin was way better, and just a $1 ferry ride from the city, although it's full of couples there were still tons of cutesy local girl groups taking photos or playing sports throughout the day and taking pictures next to the monuments. Probably the top spot for a date with bungalow-style bars and restaurants and good view of the sunset. A handful of younger expats live out here as well. Girls along the boardwalk were very receptive and barely of them was actually from KS. Sizihwan district was a bit tougher and seemed more stressed out, maybe I went on a different day, there were some college students here and there (there's a bunch of university buildings along the coast) but barely any hot girls. Still has a beach but Sizihwan is more of an adventurous vibe than Cijin's relaxed romantic one.
Tried going to a couple huge parks but it seems like young people don't really go to them to hang out. They're still a nice break from the shitty city though. Would recommend only the Pier cultural park for a date, but a chunk of it still under construction.
Nightlife Spots
KS nightlife isn't wild or advertised widely, but there's definitely a few hidden in the buildings here and there. If you live here you'd probably have to merge it with daygame or campus game (since KS is littered with college campuses) and find the girls who actually like clubbing to hook you up with the scene.
Muse and Lamp - These were the 2 high-end clubs, and everyone kept telling me Muse was better so I never actually bothered going to Lamp. Muse's entrance a bit hard to find but once you get in it's pretty flashy (believe it was $17 with 1 drink). Dress code surprisingly lax and super friendly staff. The crowd's not that snobby, still a lot of younger kids (on weekends) trying to hard to act cool and Korean-looking girls. If you can tolerate being doused in subpar techno music you can have a great time here
![[Image: attachment.jpg38959]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg38959)
Brickyard - This one's a more alternative scene but no less popular. Owned by an American guy so tons of foreigners do roll in here plus the chicks hunting foreign guys. Almost every girl in here spoke English other than the tourists from East Asia and you can actually talk in here at least until 1am or so, there's also a pool table if you run pool table game. The thing about Brickyard is it's very event-based, so there's Ladies Nights on Wednesdays (extra high cover charge for guys), Gay nights on Thursdays, and then special events on weekends so come according to the crowd you want. Usually the cover charge is $10 with 1 drink.
Fusion and Wonderwall - a couple late night hole-in-the-wall bars that are great for bouncing girls back to after a club (Brickyard is right across). I would not go to these places for pickup as they are either quite sparse or sausage fests, but you can sing karaoke and play darts to kill off the night.
Lush - spent just a few minutes here, even though it was supposed to be a spot for tourists, it was pretty clear that it was a seedy hooker joint but I could be wrong..
Mini-Fusion - a cocktail spot way east of the city. Personally didn't go but chicks wouldn't stop talking about it and may be worth the drip if you have a reliable date.
Overall I am fond of my time in Kaohsiung, but would have to give the city a pass for others, it had not nearly enough positives to warrant going there intentionally unless you looking for nothing more than a thoroughly well-balanced nomadic lifestyle with $1000+/month of passive income. I'm far from a KS expert but we should put this city on the map. Give it 2 years once the construction finishes, beautification has settled in and the city gets its bearings. For now it's just a glorified and slightly pricey coworking space. If I could do things over again, I'd:
- get the Airbnb on the south side of the city
- spend more time at Cijin beach district
- spend more time at the universities
Cheers and hope someone puts this one on their map..
Where to Stay / Logistics
In terms of where to stay you've pretty much got roughly 3 districts.. the tourist/nature area, the classy area, and the ghetto/traditional area.. Keep in mind the city as a whole is uninteresting and not terribly romantic. Pretty much standard Chinese urban planning fare so if you don't actually have something to do you'll be bored.
Yancheng / Cijin (tourist/nature)
Most domestic tourists would come to KS for the nature and beaches, which is honestly pretty average. (If you're expecting paradise KS only has glimpses of it, more south you'll find better paradise but still not picturesque) This area has a ton of hotels and some tourists flocking about, and most of them still seemed local/domestic. If you pipeline a lot OR do a lot of daygame this is your district especially if you can hop over to Cijin. There is one main street (Wufu) which is lined with 10-15 small bars but they looked depressing and uninhabited, spent one evening in them though. There are basically no night markets and everything shuts down after 10pm.
Northern Kaohsiung
Everything north of "Wufu" road I would consider northern Kaohsiung, this would be the more traditional, local part of city. There are some seedier clubs, and more underground bars that foreigners still like to visit but not too far east. Liuhe Night Market is the only decent night market IMO because the food isn't wierd and most things are still written in English (this strip is good for a first date).
Southern Kaohsiung
South of Wufu Rd was my favorite part of the city and spent most my time here. It's got its own 85 Sky Tower (which is KS's version of TP 101, essentially) and the Sundan shopping district immediately north of it, Sogo et al. There's a greater concentration of night markets here though the streets are really wide. Directly south of 85 Tower is a massive/modern library (perfect for getting work done) and the classier district with newer buildings and a couple nice outdoor malls. If you get an airbnb it should be in this vicinity.
Cost of Living
Surprisingly the day-to-day expenses were not that much less than Taipei. I would say that the typical things that you buy on the street (market food, supplies, shoes) were about 90% of Taipei prices. My rent was about 75% of what I was paying in TP though. A small meal still costs about $3-4, and rent translated to $600/mo for a solid studio just outside downtown. However services and labor (repairing motorbike/bicycle, storage, transport, SIM data) are still dirt cheap. Don't expect it to be like SEAsia though.
Other logistics: SIM data is dirt cheap here, one month from the fastest provider (Chunghwa) is about $30 USD a month for *unlimited* data, which is insane. Definitely a haven for digital nomads as you won't be tied to cafes or your hotel to get your job done. The 2 MRT lines are okay, bit limited so you'll want a bike in addition if you're always on the move.
Day Game Spots
Girls in Kaohsiung are depressingly unattractive, compared to their Taipei counterparts. I was expecting better I will tell you that. Chicks on the street are flat average, darker skin, barely any upkeep of their appearance. The population as a whole feels older and gnarly and it's difficult to justify a move from TP sacrificing looks just for better weather, wider streets, and higher value. Their English ability is about 30% of TP girls (which I consider equivalent to Hong Kong), enough to get by but does lock you in to the "foreigner hangouts".
Sundan Market: This wide strip clearly had the hottest girls and was lined with a handful of multi-level malls, however it's still sparsely populated. In the malls there wasn't much of a pickup culture, indirect game didn't seem to get them hooked or continue the conversation and I didn't have the balls to try direct game. KS as a whole has a softie culture and it feels as if you are agressive even 10% it would be out of line, slightly emasculating.
The other 2 spots would be Cijin Beach and Sizihwan scenic area. Cijin was way better, and just a $1 ferry ride from the city, although it's full of couples there were still tons of cutesy local girl groups taking photos or playing sports throughout the day and taking pictures next to the monuments. Probably the top spot for a date with bungalow-style bars and restaurants and good view of the sunset. A handful of younger expats live out here as well. Girls along the boardwalk were very receptive and barely of them was actually from KS. Sizihwan district was a bit tougher and seemed more stressed out, maybe I went on a different day, there were some college students here and there (there's a bunch of university buildings along the coast) but barely any hot girls. Still has a beach but Sizihwan is more of an adventurous vibe than Cijin's relaxed romantic one.
Tried going to a couple huge parks but it seems like young people don't really go to them to hang out. They're still a nice break from the shitty city though. Would recommend only the Pier cultural park for a date, but a chunk of it still under construction.
Nightlife Spots
KS nightlife isn't wild or advertised widely, but there's definitely a few hidden in the buildings here and there. If you live here you'd probably have to merge it with daygame or campus game (since KS is littered with college campuses) and find the girls who actually like clubbing to hook you up with the scene.
Muse and Lamp - These were the 2 high-end clubs, and everyone kept telling me Muse was better so I never actually bothered going to Lamp. Muse's entrance a bit hard to find but once you get in it's pretty flashy (believe it was $17 with 1 drink). Dress code surprisingly lax and super friendly staff. The crowd's not that snobby, still a lot of younger kids (on weekends) trying to hard to act cool and Korean-looking girls. If you can tolerate being doused in subpar techno music you can have a great time here
Brickyard - This one's a more alternative scene but no less popular. Owned by an American guy so tons of foreigners do roll in here plus the chicks hunting foreign guys. Almost every girl in here spoke English other than the tourists from East Asia and you can actually talk in here at least until 1am or so, there's also a pool table if you run pool table game. The thing about Brickyard is it's very event-based, so there's Ladies Nights on Wednesdays (extra high cover charge for guys), Gay nights on Thursdays, and then special events on weekends so come according to the crowd you want. Usually the cover charge is $10 with 1 drink.
Fusion and Wonderwall - a couple late night hole-in-the-wall bars that are great for bouncing girls back to after a club (Brickyard is right across). I would not go to these places for pickup as they are either quite sparse or sausage fests, but you can sing karaoke and play darts to kill off the night.
Lush - spent just a few minutes here, even though it was supposed to be a spot for tourists, it was pretty clear that it was a seedy hooker joint but I could be wrong..
Mini-Fusion - a cocktail spot way east of the city. Personally didn't go but chicks wouldn't stop talking about it and may be worth the drip if you have a reliable date.
Overall I am fond of my time in Kaohsiung, but would have to give the city a pass for others, it had not nearly enough positives to warrant going there intentionally unless you looking for nothing more than a thoroughly well-balanced nomadic lifestyle with $1000+/month of passive income. I'm far from a KS expert but we should put this city on the map. Give it 2 years once the construction finishes, beautification has settled in and the city gets its bearings. For now it's just a glorified and slightly pricey coworking space. If I could do things over again, I'd:
- get the Airbnb on the south side of the city
- spend more time at Cijin beach district
- spend more time at the universities
Cheers and hope someone puts this one on their map..
The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.
DATASHEETS: Singapore (2014) | Vietnam (2015) | Cebu (2015) | Honolulu (2016) | Couchsurfing (2016) | KS, Taiwan (2018)
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