We have a few friends that plan to come to Taiwan in the future. Here are some things that we would have liked to have known going in that we thought others might find helpful.
Getting here:
Watch the deal sites for prices on tickets, typically round trip is cheaper. The plane ride is long and it takes about 24 hours of travel. Pretty much all Flights fly into Tokyo then to Taipei. We flew United, just because it was the cheapest possible. It is up to you, but it may be worth it to pay a little bit more to get non coach for your long flight between USA and Tokyo both because you get more room and get to check an extra bag for free. Once you land in Taipei you can take a bus to the High Speed Rail (HSR) there will be signs directing you to the area where you can buy a bus ticket. Then you can get your ticket to Taichung it takes about 45 min. (If that is your destination)
Visa:
You can apply for your Visa at the Taipei Economic & Cultural office in Kansas City.
You will need:
Passport (valid for at least six months)
Completed Visa Application Form Online or Offline
Two passport-sized photos (color, showing the front of the face)
Acceptance Letter issued by a university language training center recognized by the Ministry of Education
Proof of financial support (e.g. bank statement)
Study Proposal
Fee: US$160.00
If you are planning to stay for 6 months make sure you count the 180 days when buying your ticket
(DON'T TRUST THE EMBASSY IN KANSAS CITY! Double check everything they tell you especially when it comes to your entry and exit dates). Or if you plan to stay longe, plan ahead when getting your Visa. After 4 months of class you can apply for an ARC which lets you stay longer than 180 days. (a note on this though the ARC is more expensive to apply for and must be set up when you initially apply for your visa, This is generally only if you will be staying for a while.) Otherwise you will have to leave the country, and will be able to start your 180 days over when you come back to Taiwan. The penalty for overstaying your visa can range from 1000nt to 10000nt depending on how long you stay over and who you get as your immigration officer. Make sure you apply for a multiple entry Visa. This will be valid for 5 years and you will be able to visit 180 days at a time, every time you leave the country it will reset. A trip to Hong Kong is what many of the friends here do. Or the Philippines. (We really enjoyed getting to visit the Hong Kong branch.)
Packing:
When you are planning a trip for 6 months your instinct is to bring as many clothes as you can. I brought 4 suits and several dress slacks, I would say you really don't need to bring that much. I would say 2 suits and a few pairs of dress slacks and dress shirts. Hannah says she way over packed. Its nice to not to be re wearing clothes constantly, but if you are in a small apartment its a little difficult to fit everything. If you are coming during the winter bring a winter coat, gloves and a hat. Also a wind breaker is a good idea. The weather is pretty mild but when it rains and because you are on the scooter most of the time it gets pretty cold. We would say layering is the key to being comfortable. It was chillier than we expected it to be in the winter months. Also, If you have an extra set of sheets it is a good idea to bring them since they are very expensive here. Note: Almost all of the apartments do NOT have heaters. Often times inside is colder than outside. You will want to bring warm comfy clothes for around the house. Also they don't seem to have normal deodorant here at least we have only found one kind and it was rather expensive so I might recommend packing a few sticks. (We had some lovely parents ship us some from the States)
Transportation:
Here scooters are the primary way of transport. In Taichung there are pretty regular bus routes, but for service scooters are a must. You can get a 50cc scooter with your international drivers license. These cost about $15.00 USD and you can get it at any AAA office in the states. We have thought about it and of course it is totally up to you but it might not be a bad idea to get your motorcycle license before getting your international license, that will allow you to get a larger scooter. The 50cc scooters are cramped even for Hannah and I. Also they go a lot slower, which can be a little dangerous with the traffic here. In some areas there are steep hills that a 50cc scooter can barely make it up. The streets are pretty crazy here so make sure you are really careful and don't get too relaxed or too aggressive behind the "wheel" of your scooter.
NOTE:We only lived in Taizhong, so any advice pertaining to other cities is just what we heard. In Taipei a scooter is unnecessary, in fact not recommended. Public transportation is readily available be it a bus or the MRT which is like a subway system. However a note by my calculations, a scooter in Taichung is much cheaper over all than traveling a lot in Taipei.
Money:
In Taiwan very very few places take credit card. In fact the only place we have seen here that takes credit is Costco and they only take American Express. It might be good idea to get some Taiwanese money before you come so you can pay for the high speed rail, taxi and other things when you first arrive. However I don't recommend getting too much as the exchange rate you will get stateside is not as good. There are exchange stations at the airport and ATMs which give the best option. We have found that right now at least the conversion is 28 or 29 NT to 1 USD. Depending on your bank they have a limit to how much you can take out per day. Our bank limits it per debit card to about 10000nt. Our bank charges us 2 dollars per transaction. If you are going to study at Feng Jia and you need more money you can pull out in the allotted time, then you can call your bank and they will temporarily raise your limit. Also make sure that you talk to your bank and credit card company before coming. Our bank required a letter listing our account and card numbers and the time that we would be gone before we could use our debit cards outside the U.S.
If you attend Feng Jia your Student ID can be used for the bus and you can load money on to it at a 7-11 for use of the MRT in Taipei. This card can also be used to pay for things in 7-11.
Communication:
If you have T-mobile or AT&T or another GSM phone you can call your company and have it unlocked. This will allow you to use your same phone and just get a SIM card here. You can get a SIM card with time on it for 500nt or about $17.87. You will need your passport and visa. One note though if you have a smart phone with internet at home you won't here unless you buy a phone here.
Internet at home is pretty cheap here but it depends on your building. Most will have a discounted rate. We got the cheapest package which gives us 6mbps down and about 1mbps up we paid 800nt ($28.57 USD) for 6 months. You may want to bring a wireless router from home or if not you can pick up a cheap one from a store called 3C. I got ours for about 500nt ($17.86 USD).
As far as talking with friends & family back home Skype is your best choice. We have found that you have to make arrangements via email to Skype due to the huge time difference. Depending on DST either 14 or 13 hour time difference.
If you have a Android cell phone, then I would recommend setting up Google voice. There is a program called Groove IP, it allows you to make phone calls over WiFi for free and with a Google voice number you can make calls to home for free :) .
Electricity:
Taiwan uses the same plugs as the USA the only notable difference is that the majority of the plugs here don't have a ground. You can buy a nice little adapter at most stores for about 100nt ($3.57 USD).
Plumbing:
Public bathrooms are a gamble some have modern toilets others are squatters. Feng Jia for example has both. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Family Mart normally have normal bathrooms but normally no toilet paper. Also Most public bathrooms don't have paper towels or air dryers so bringing a hand towel with you is a good idea. A lot of the plumbing in Taiwan is very old, most places prefer that you not flush any tissue paper. At most larger, newer apartment buildings at home you can flush toilet paper as long as you buy the kind that dissolves in water.
Water out of the faucet is not safe to drink, anywhere. So you can boil water or the better option is you can find a water dispenser (they are all over the place) and fill a 5 gallon jug that you can get at a few different stores. Below is an example of what it might look like:
Medicine:
There are pharmacies where you can get most of your standard things like some kinds of cold medicine and pain killers like ibuprofen. One note though we haven't been able to find migraine medicine, most people here like to go to the doctors at the drop of the hat. Mostly they recommend taking medicine made from roots and stuff every day for a week. If you having any pain that requires something stronger than tea to kick, I would bring pills from the States. Also sleep aids require a doctors prescription here, so you may want to pack some Tylenol PM just in case :)
Shopping:
For most little things there is a great little Japanese store called Daiso. Everything is 39nt which is a little over a dollar. You can get cups plates and all sorts of things there. Also Carrefour has appliances like toaster oven and other items. Including food and almost anything you could get at a place like target (target taiwanese style).
Here is a sample of some of the costs of items in Taichung: (note all costs are in NT our exchange rate averaged 29NT to 1 USD. YMMV)
Food:
You can get most food here that you can back home. Just be prepared to pay more for it. the few exceptions that we have found are: Hidden Valley Ranch, Mac & Cheese. You cant get those here. Food at local restaurants is fairly cheap. One of our favorites is Mak & May which is located just off Feng Jia's campus. We both can get a Plate like this with tea to drink for 140nt.
Costco is about the only place you can buy real ice cream by the carton. The malls like Tiger City and Top City will have ice cream places like Haugen Daus and Baskin Robins but they are very pricey. You can get most of the essentials at either Costco or Carrefour. If there is something imported that you would like you can get it at Super City (Inside Top City 台中大遠百 No. 105, Section 2, Táizhōnggǎng Rd, Xitun District, Taichung City, 407) it is Really expensive so I would think carefully how badly you need it. A note about buying bread Taiwan is very humid, so when buying bread unless you eat a lot very quickly we have found that buying half a loaf is better since a full loaf will get moldy before you can use it.
Emergency:
The Emergency number in Taiwan is 119 for general emergency. Or 110 if you just need the police in order to report the accident. If you are in an accident make sure you call and get a police report. The required insurance from the school will only cover your emergency expenses if you have this report. The insurance covers up to 70% of the medical bills.
Health Care:
Health care is pretty great here even with out insurance most things are pretty cheap. A trip to the emergency room with X-rays cost us only 2000nt. and a trip to the dentist to get a small cavity filled only cost about 400nt. A trip to the doctor in a clinic for a cold will run you about 500NT.
Travel:
As a very wise missionary sister who served here told us "It would be a sin to come to Taiwan and not see Taiwan." Here are some cool places to go:
MaoKong Gondola into the mountains/Taipei Zoo
Actually pretty easy to get to if you take a bus or HSR to Taipei from the central station you can get on the MRT and take it all the way to the Gondola which takes you to the zoo.
Taipei 101 building
very cool experience one of the tallest buildings in the world. will cost you 400nt to go to the observation deck on the 89th floor or if weather is good you can go to the 91st floor.
Peng Hu Island
A small island to the West of Taiwan very beautiful and features snorkeling. You can get here either by plane or boat. I would recommend a travel agent for this one though. I also highly recommend snorkeling it will run you about 600nt per person but it is really really fun.
Sun Moon Lake
about an hour from Taichung by bus can be done in a day
Alishan
Recommend a couple days here lots of hiking in the mountains and get up early for the train ride to see the sunrise through a sea of clouds.
Nantou Mountains
About 2hours drive from Taichung but very beautiful. many things to do here including a farm with a great view of the mountains and the chance to pet sheep :)
Green Island
a small island to the East of Taiwan similar activities to Peng Hu. We didn't get to go here but sounded very cool.
These were just a few things that came to mind. I hope they are somewhat helpful. If you are seriously planning to go to Taiwan and have more questions let us know. :)
Getting here:
Watch the deal sites for prices on tickets, typically round trip is cheaper. The plane ride is long and it takes about 24 hours of travel. Pretty much all Flights fly into Tokyo then to Taipei. We flew United, just because it was the cheapest possible. It is up to you, but it may be worth it to pay a little bit more to get non coach for your long flight between USA and Tokyo both because you get more room and get to check an extra bag for free. Once you land in Taipei you can take a bus to the High Speed Rail (HSR) there will be signs directing you to the area where you can buy a bus ticket. Then you can get your ticket to Taichung it takes about 45 min. (If that is your destination)
Visa:
You can apply for your Visa at the Taipei Economic & Cultural office in Kansas City.
You will need:
Passport (valid for at least six months)
Completed Visa Application Form Online or Offline
Two passport-sized photos (color, showing the front of the face)
Acceptance Letter issued by a university language training center recognized by the Ministry of Education
Proof of financial support (e.g. bank statement)
Study Proposal
Fee: US$160.00
If you are planning to stay for 6 months make sure you count the 180 days when buying your ticket
(DON'T TRUST THE EMBASSY IN KANSAS CITY! Double check everything they tell you especially when it comes to your entry and exit dates). Or if you plan to stay longe, plan ahead when getting your Visa. After 4 months of class you can apply for an ARC which lets you stay longer than 180 days. (a note on this though the ARC is more expensive to apply for and must be set up when you initially apply for your visa, This is generally only if you will be staying for a while.) Otherwise you will have to leave the country, and will be able to start your 180 days over when you come back to Taiwan. The penalty for overstaying your visa can range from 1000nt to 10000nt depending on how long you stay over and who you get as your immigration officer. Make sure you apply for a multiple entry Visa. This will be valid for 5 years and you will be able to visit 180 days at a time, every time you leave the country it will reset. A trip to Hong Kong is what many of the friends here do. Or the Philippines. (We really enjoyed getting to visit the Hong Kong branch.)
Packing:
When you are planning a trip for 6 months your instinct is to bring as many clothes as you can. I brought 4 suits and several dress slacks, I would say you really don't need to bring that much. I would say 2 suits and a few pairs of dress slacks and dress shirts. Hannah says she way over packed. Its nice to not to be re wearing clothes constantly, but if you are in a small apartment its a little difficult to fit everything. If you are coming during the winter bring a winter coat, gloves and a hat. Also a wind breaker is a good idea. The weather is pretty mild but when it rains and because you are on the scooter most of the time it gets pretty cold. We would say layering is the key to being comfortable. It was chillier than we expected it to be in the winter months. Also, If you have an extra set of sheets it is a good idea to bring them since they are very expensive here. Note: Almost all of the apartments do NOT have heaters. Often times inside is colder than outside. You will want to bring warm comfy clothes for around the house. Also they don't seem to have normal deodorant here at least we have only found one kind and it was rather expensive so I might recommend packing a few sticks. (We had some lovely parents ship us some from the States)
Transportation:
Here scooters are the primary way of transport. In Taichung there are pretty regular bus routes, but for service scooters are a must. You can get a 50cc scooter with your international drivers license. These cost about $15.00 USD and you can get it at any AAA office in the states. We have thought about it and of course it is totally up to you but it might not be a bad idea to get your motorcycle license before getting your international license, that will allow you to get a larger scooter. The 50cc scooters are cramped even for Hannah and I. Also they go a lot slower, which can be a little dangerous with the traffic here. In some areas there are steep hills that a 50cc scooter can barely make it up. The streets are pretty crazy here so make sure you are really careful and don't get too relaxed or too aggressive behind the "wheel" of your scooter.
NOTE:We only lived in Taizhong, so any advice pertaining to other cities is just what we heard. In Taipei a scooter is unnecessary, in fact not recommended. Public transportation is readily available be it a bus or the MRT which is like a subway system. However a note by my calculations, a scooter in Taichung is much cheaper over all than traveling a lot in Taipei.
Money:
In Taiwan very very few places take credit card. In fact the only place we have seen here that takes credit is Costco and they only take American Express. It might be good idea to get some Taiwanese money before you come so you can pay for the high speed rail, taxi and other things when you first arrive. However I don't recommend getting too much as the exchange rate you will get stateside is not as good. There are exchange stations at the airport and ATMs which give the best option. We have found that right now at least the conversion is 28 or 29 NT to 1 USD. Depending on your bank they have a limit to how much you can take out per day. Our bank limits it per debit card to about 10000nt. Our bank charges us 2 dollars per transaction. If you are going to study at Feng Jia and you need more money you can pull out in the allotted time, then you can call your bank and they will temporarily raise your limit. Also make sure that you talk to your bank and credit card company before coming. Our bank required a letter listing our account and card numbers and the time that we would be gone before we could use our debit cards outside the U.S.
If you attend Feng Jia your Student ID can be used for the bus and you can load money on to it at a 7-11 for use of the MRT in Taipei. This card can also be used to pay for things in 7-11.
Communication:
If you have T-mobile or AT&T or another GSM phone you can call your company and have it unlocked. This will allow you to use your same phone and just get a SIM card here. You can get a SIM card with time on it for 500nt or about $17.87. You will need your passport and visa. One note though if you have a smart phone with internet at home you won't here unless you buy a phone here.
Internet at home is pretty cheap here but it depends on your building. Most will have a discounted rate. We got the cheapest package which gives us 6mbps down and about 1mbps up we paid 800nt ($28.57 USD) for 6 months. You may want to bring a wireless router from home or if not you can pick up a cheap one from a store called 3C. I got ours for about 500nt ($17.86 USD).
As far as talking with friends & family back home Skype is your best choice. We have found that you have to make arrangements via email to Skype due to the huge time difference. Depending on DST either 14 or 13 hour time difference.
If you have a Android cell phone, then I would recommend setting up Google voice. There is a program called Groove IP, it allows you to make phone calls over WiFi for free and with a Google voice number you can make calls to home for free :) .
Electricity:
Taiwan uses the same plugs as the USA the only notable difference is that the majority of the plugs here don't have a ground. You can buy a nice little adapter at most stores for about 100nt ($3.57 USD).
Plumbing:
Public bathrooms are a gamble some have modern toilets others are squatters. Feng Jia for example has both. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Family Mart normally have normal bathrooms but normally no toilet paper. Also Most public bathrooms don't have paper towels or air dryers so bringing a hand towel with you is a good idea. A lot of the plumbing in Taiwan is very old, most places prefer that you not flush any tissue paper. At most larger, newer apartment buildings at home you can flush toilet paper as long as you buy the kind that dissolves in water.
Water out of the faucet is not safe to drink, anywhere. So you can boil water or the better option is you can find a water dispenser (they are all over the place) and fill a 5 gallon jug that you can get at a few different stores. Below is an example of what it might look like:
Medicine:
There are pharmacies where you can get most of your standard things like some kinds of cold medicine and pain killers like ibuprofen. One note though we haven't been able to find migraine medicine, most people here like to go to the doctors at the drop of the hat. Mostly they recommend taking medicine made from roots and stuff every day for a week. If you having any pain that requires something stronger than tea to kick, I would bring pills from the States. Also sleep aids require a doctors prescription here, so you may want to pack some Tylenol PM just in case :)
Shopping:
For most little things there is a great little Japanese store called Daiso. Everything is 39nt which is a little over a dollar. You can get cups plates and all sorts of things there. Also Carrefour has appliances like toaster oven and other items. Including food and almost anything you could get at a place like target (target taiwanese style).
Here is a sample of some of the costs of items in Taichung: (note all costs are in NT our exchange rate averaged 29NT to 1 USD. YMMV)
| bus
ticket x2 to High Speed Rail |
60 |
| High speed Rail x2 to Taichung |
1080 |
| Costco-Rottisery Chicken | 169 |
| Costco big jar of strawberry
spread |
299 |
| Venti caramel machiato Starbucks |
155 |
| 50cc scooter with extra
insurance and basket (discounted from bible study who owns scooter shop) |
11000 |
| queen comforter (approx) | 588 |
| lunch at restaurant near house
(lunch box) |
65 |
| milk Costco | 215 |
| Mcdonald's 2 meals (2x6 piece
Chicken Nugget) (2x med fries) and (2x coke) |
198 |
| Helmet - Phil's 3/4 coverage | 1500 |
| Helmet - Hannah's 3/4 coverage | 1300 |
Food:
You can get most food here that you can back home. Just be prepared to pay more for it. the few exceptions that we have found are: Hidden Valley Ranch, Mac & Cheese. You cant get those here. Food at local restaurants is fairly cheap. One of our favorites is Mak & May which is located just off Feng Jia's campus. We both can get a Plate like this with tea to drink for 140nt.
Costco is about the only place you can buy real ice cream by the carton. The malls like Tiger City and Top City will have ice cream places like Haugen Daus and Baskin Robins but they are very pricey. You can get most of the essentials at either Costco or Carrefour. If there is something imported that you would like you can get it at Super City (Inside Top City 台中大遠百 No. 105, Section 2, Táizhōnggǎng Rd, Xitun District, Taichung City, 407) it is Really expensive so I would think carefully how badly you need it. A note about buying bread Taiwan is very humid, so when buying bread unless you eat a lot very quickly we have found that buying half a loaf is better since a full loaf will get moldy before you can use it.
Emergency:
The Emergency number in Taiwan is 119 for general emergency. Or 110 if you just need the police in order to report the accident. If you are in an accident make sure you call and get a police report. The required insurance from the school will only cover your emergency expenses if you have this report. The insurance covers up to 70% of the medical bills.
Health Care:
Health care is pretty great here even with out insurance most things are pretty cheap. A trip to the emergency room with X-rays cost us only 2000nt. and a trip to the dentist to get a small cavity filled only cost about 400nt. A trip to the doctor in a clinic for a cold will run you about 500NT.
Travel:
As a very wise missionary sister who served here told us "It would be a sin to come to Taiwan and not see Taiwan." Here are some cool places to go:
MaoKong Gondola into the mountains/Taipei Zoo
Actually pretty easy to get to if you take a bus or HSR to Taipei from the central station you can get on the MRT and take it all the way to the Gondola which takes you to the zoo.
Taipei 101 building
very cool experience one of the tallest buildings in the world. will cost you 400nt to go to the observation deck on the 89th floor or if weather is good you can go to the 91st floor.
Peng Hu Island
A small island to the West of Taiwan very beautiful and features snorkeling. You can get here either by plane or boat. I would recommend a travel agent for this one though. I also highly recommend snorkeling it will run you about 600nt per person but it is really really fun.
Sun Moon Lake
about an hour from Taichung by bus can be done in a day
Alishan
Recommend a couple days here lots of hiking in the mountains and get up early for the train ride to see the sunrise through a sea of clouds.
Nantou Mountains
About 2hours drive from Taichung but very beautiful. many things to do here including a farm with a great view of the mountains and the chance to pet sheep :)
Green Island
a small island to the East of Taiwan similar activities to Peng Hu. We didn't get to go here but sounded very cool.
Taroko Gorge
Giant Gorge we didn't get to go here but it sounded amazing. It is gorgeous.
Miao Li Strawberry Farms
In the Winter you can visit and pick strawberries if you like. This may be part of the schools cultural trips which typically cost about 800nt per person and will take the whole day. They make every possible strawberry product imaginable.
We recommend starting travel earlier rather than later. We waited and it seemed like we had to cram a lot in in a short amount of time to make sure we got to see the big things in Taiwan.
These were just a few things that came to mind. I hope they are somewhat helpful. If you are seriously planning to go to Taiwan and have more questions let us know. :)
