Eating Local

Taiwan, being as small as it is geographically, offers one the advantage of eating locally. Here is a small stand in Beipu selling the dried stalks of Mesona chinensis to make your own grass jelly drink at home. I am pretty sure that these were harvested within or just outside the city limits.

Work with what ya got

I haven't worked out in a commercial gym for quite some time. In the US I had a nice little corner set up in my garage to store my weights and other miscellaneous exercise equipment. Taiwan has commercial gyms, like World and California Fitness, but I'd end up spending more time driving to the gym than working out, so I brought my weights with me when I moved to Taiwan, so now I work out in the elevator hallway on the mornings I can get up early enough. So far so good, but the apartment next to us has remained empty -- I hope when a family does move in my morning ritual won't disturb them. Either that, or I'll have to get some bumper plates...

Scooters

There are a lot of scooters in Taiwan. For intra-city travel, I feel that the scooter is the best way to get around. They are easy to park and very easy on gas -- for a week's worth of commuting and running errands, I will usually end up paying about $120 to $150NTD to fill up the gas tank. Because so many people ride scooters here in Taiwan, a large support infrastructure is set up to help scooter riders -- there are probably just as many scooter repair shops as there are convenience stores, so if you ever get a flat or need something fixed, help is only a short ride (or push, if you've got a flat) away. As much as I'd like to get a heavy motorcycle (>550cc), a scooter is still more practical for carrying bigger loads, as it has a step-in configuration, with a flat footrest area that's great for putting stuff/people/dogs.