Transportation in Taipei: Riding Taipei Metro

The good thing about staying in Taipei city is it's very convenient to go from one place to another. Taipei's public transport is very good. If you don't like waiting for the bus, you can traveling via MRT (or subway) to a lot of places. You can see that the MRT lines cover a lot of areas in Taipei.

The only drawback is the MRT line to Taoyuan Airport is not yet built at the moment. But let's hope that the Government will finish it soon, shall we? =P

How to spot the entrance to MRT station? If you spot something that looks like an entrance to the underground, that's most likely is one of the entrances/ exits of an MRT station. Anyway you will see the name of the MRT station once you get closer to it. 

You can buy the ticket by using this machine. If you want to get an Easycard (悠遊卡/ Yōuyóu kǎ), you can buy one at the ticketing counter. 

You will see that there are queue lines (i.e. the white lines) on the train platform and people do stand in lines according to that white lines. Good manner. I wish this can happen in Indonesia too but..oh well. Anyway, we don't have MRT, yet. 

People are not allowed to eat and drink (and chew bubble gum) inside the train. And that's the reason why the MRT looks so clean. The seat in dark blue (see bottom left corner) are meant to be for those in needs i.e. pregnant ladies, the elderly, and people with babies/ kids.

Another info about the MRT, the Taiwanese refer to the MRT as "捷運"/ "Jié yùn". When I just arrived, I asked the whereabout of the MRT but I said "地鐵"/ "Dìtiě" and yeah, nobody understand what I'm referring to. (P.S. If you use Google Translate, both Jié yùn and Dìtiě are actually referring to MRT).

And if you want to know whether Maokong Gondola is operating or not (it sometimes closes due to thunderstorm), you can listen to the announcement at the MRT station. The screen displays at the platform will also display the weather forecast for that day. Cool, right?

If you want to know more about the MRT, you can visit this website: http://english.trtc.com.tw/

Find great hotel deals in Taipei here! 

Taiwan Travel: Bu Cheng Shih Sz Museum at Taipei Botanical Garden

When my friend and I were taking a stroll inside Taipei Botanical Garden, we passed by a museum. Unexpected.

The name of the museum is kinda long. So I decided to call it "Bu-Cheng-Shih" Museum in this post.

It is formerly an administration building and residence of the former provincial governor during the Qing Dynasty. The building is used to be way bigger than the size it is now. And it is used to stand in the very center of Taipei historically. There is a display showing historical information of the place just after you pass through the main gate. But, yeah, it's all in Mandarin. U_U.

Since my Mandarin level is not sufficient enough at the moment, I left the reading part to my friend and ended up taking picture of the inside. XD

After walking for a while, we arrived at the main hall. Nothing much to see here.

There are some artifacts from the olden days which are displayed in the next rooms. Based on the scenes from the TV located just beside the artifact, we think that they are parts of the roof. 

There is no admission fee charged for the entry to this museum. So if you happen to walk around Taipei Botanical Garden, you may want to check out this museum. It probably will only take a while as the museum itself is not very big to begin with. =)

Taiwan Travel: Taipei Botanical Garden, Xiaonanmen

Studying is tiring. And that's why when you are a student, you should not keep yourself locked out in your room studying all the time. You should go out and enjoy whenever you can...(okay, i'm just bored and sometimes studying foreign language is getting the toll of me). =P

The good thing is...there are a lot of places that you can visit here in Taipei, especially when you are bored. I'm gonna start with my visit to Taipei Botanical Garden. To reach the place, you can ride the subway to Xiaonanmen Station.

The garden is located pretty near to the MRT (around 5 minutes walk) and if you are not sure about the direction, you can check the map inside the MRT station. You will see the big sign at the entrance gate. 

The garden is pretty big and it's so nice to be surrounded by greens. The garden was deserted during the World War II. After the war, the garden was rearranged and a huge variety of plants were planted. 

There is a greenhouse at the center of the garden although it's closed during the winter time. =(

Beautiful view inside the garden. 

Small bamboo trees. 

The garden is open from 4 AM to 10 PM daily. If you decide to visit the garden, I suppose it will a nice walk surrounded by greens. Alternatively, you can also visit Taipei Hakka Cultural Park near Taipower Building MRT Station.

Regular class VS Intensive class @ Shida Mandarin Training Center

There are two kind of Mandarin classes in Shida, regular (普通班/Pǔtōng bān) and intensive (密集班/ Mìjíbān). I decided to go for the intensive class simply because I only have half a year to master this language to at least conversational daily level. But, what's the difference anyway between regular and intensive anyway?

REGULAR CLASS

1. Cheaper tuition fees because you only study for 2 hours per day
2. More class timings to choose (Morning: 08.20 - 10.10, 10.20 - 12.10, Afternoon: 12.20 - 14.10, 14.20 - 16.10)
3. The pace is definitely slower and there is no specific timetable given (at least that what I heard from those who take regular classes)
4. Need to take additional big classes outside those 2 hours small class. This is because the 2 hours class per day does not meet the quota hours set by the Taiwanese government for visa extension (i.e. you need to study at least 15 hours per week to meet the quota). The teachers will give the so called "time card" to the regular class students and they need to get it stamped to show that they have studied for the additional hours. If students prefer to study in the language lab, they too can get a stamp (if they study for at least 1 hour, I suppose). This time card is needed to be shown for visa extension purpose.
5. Maximum of 10 people in the class
6. Not many tests given

INTENSIVE CLASS

1. More expensive tuition fees because you study for 3 hours per day (1 hour extra if compared with regular classes)
2. Only two timings available for intensive class: Morning (10.20 - 13.10) and Afternoon (14.20 - 17.10).
3. The pace of the class is fast but manageable. The teachers usually give timetable for students to follow. They usually target to finish 1 chapter within 3 days, although this is not fixed.
4. Not required to take additional big classes because the course has met the requirement of minimum 15 hours per week
5. Maximum of 8 people in the class
6. Dictation* is usually given every day (except when there is a test on that day) and the test is usually given once every three days.

*both Chinese characters and pinyin/bopomofo are tested in dictation

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

1. Although the form for the class timing will indicate that there is an option to do evening class, this is not recommended for those study under visitor visa.
2. The schedule for the big classes for the regular class students can be viewed on MTC's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mtc.ntnu?fref=ts
3. The intensive class students are allowed to participate in the big classes although they don't have to collect stamp (they will not be issued any time card).

I know this information can be a bit confusing and that's why new students should try their best not to skip the orientation day. =P

For more info, you can google them in the forumosa forum and see other people's opinion on both classes.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be fine in a jiffy though. Good luck! =)

How to renew your Taiwan visitor visa?

At this point, you may have realised that you are enrolled for a 3-months course while you only have valid visitor visa for 2 months. Err, now what?

If you show your certificate of enrollment when you applied for the visitor visa, it is most likely that the remark "FR" will be indicated in the remark column on your visa. This means that the visitor visa can be extended twice up to 180 days. Good news, right? =)

You don't have to apply for the extension immediately. Anyway, you can only apply for one when the validity days left on your visa is less than 15 days. 

To apply for the extension, you will need to prepare the following: 

1. The application form, which can be found here: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/public/Data/0991064471.pdf

2. Original and copy of passport

3. Certificate of enrollment (if you are studying in Shida, this can be obtained by using the machine located in front of room 601).

4. Attendance record (same as above, can be obtained from the machine located in front of room 601)

5. Current month attendance. This record may or may not have been updated by the machine at the time of the application. But no worries, you can take the attendance form from the pink folder located in room 612 and ask the teacher to fill it on behalf of you). 

Once you have all the above documents, you can go to the National Immigration Agency (see map below). 

To get there, you can take the MRT to Xiaonanmen Station and go out to exit 2. Walk straight and turn left when you see the old South Gate. 

You will see the National Immigration Agency building on your left.

The office opens from Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 17.00. For further information, you can visit Taiwan's immigration website on http://www.immigration.gov.tw.

You can call the office too on 0800-024-111.

How to register your Mandarin class at Mandarin Training Center, NTNU?

Sorry for the lack of post these few days. My friend visited me for more than a week and I was busy juggling my class & tour-guide-activity. I ended up sleeping for the whole afternoon today when she's no longer here. XD *lazy blogger*

Right, let's go back to the school business, shall we?

Roughly around one or two weeks before the class starts, you are required to pay for the tuition and finish the registration to get your student ID, health insurance and class schedule.

You can see the registration date on the acceptance letter received from MTC. So what to bring on this day? Well, you must make sure you have these things in your bag when you come to register for the course.

1. Original and copy of passport
2. The acceptance letter from MTC
3. Tuition fees (both cash and credit card payment are accepted)

The registration usually takes place at Level 5 of Po-Ai Building (MTC Building). If you see a lot of flags when you came out of the elevator, you are at the right place.

You are encouraged to come from 9 - 11 AM and 2 - 4 PM. I came just slightly after 11 for my registration and the volunteers have gone for break. I ended up waiting for 3 hours in fast food restaurant. U_U. Oh well, since the helpers are not paid to do the registration, there's nothing I can complain. XD

They will assign you a student ID number and ask you to fill in a form (for the health procedure thingy I think). Once you are done, you can come into the room behind those flags, and follow the procedures stated on the sign (the instruction is in English, no worry!). You will get the receipt and the student card at the end of the procedure inside that room.

In the opposite room, they will have an interview to assess your Mandarin. If you have zero background in studying Mandarin, they will assign you straight to the basic class starting from Chapter 0 of Book 1. (Yes, chapter 0 does exist!). If you prefer to use pinyin instead of bopomofo, this is the time to tell them your preference. 

And yep, you are done with the registration + payment procedure. The class schedule is usually available one day before the first day of class. I picked up mine on level 7 of the building. 

If this is your first time studying Mandarin in Taiwan, please make sure you attend the orientation day. They will explain everything that you need to know (and do) regardless of which course you take (regular or intensive). There is a difference in the regular and intensive class and it's very important because it's related to your visa. If you cannot come (or decide to go to do some last minute sight-seeing before class starts), I'll try my best to cover that in this blog for your viewing. Stay tune! =)

What to prepare when typhoon is coming to Taiwan?

I know that typhoon are common in Taiwan during summer but I never thought I'm gonna have to experience it. O_O.

Hmm wait, what is a typhoon anyway? Is it like the one we see in the movie "Twister"? Aren't we screwed if Typhoon Soulik looks like that????

Apparently, a typhoon is a combination between a very heavy rain (called "torrential rain") and a super strong wind (which can break shop signs and blow up trees). And this is how Typhoon Soulik looks like from the outer space. It looks like a whirlwind of clouds.

I've never experienced typhoon before so I did a lot of Google-ing about what to prepare. My Mandarin teachers have been telling the students one thing and another but they have been consistent in telling us to STAY INDOOR during the typhoon. 

So, how are we supposed to know when the typhoon is going to make a landfall?

To be honest with you, there's no way to know when unless you follow the news. The sky looks clear in the morning before the typhoon. There's even a rainbow! 

The government will make an official statement which will be broadcasted by all local TV channels in Taiwan. If you are studying Mandarin in Taiwan, most likely your teachers/ schools will update you on the timing. This time, Taiwanese government allowed the offices and schools to close at 2PM (hours before the typhoon made a landfall). If you see the characters "停班停課"/"Tíng bān tíng kè" on your TV screen, that means the government has declared a "stop-work-stop-school" policy which means everybody can go home to prepare the necessity for the upcoming typhoon.

More clouds built up in the afternoon time. 

In the precious few hours, you can prepare a few things in your house against the typhoon.

1. Stocking up food and drinking waters. (Typhoon usually lasts for max a day but heard that there's an occasion where it's reluctant to leave Taiwan and stay for days. Horror!)

2. Stocking up water for bath usage (just in case of 停水/ stop water). 

3. Tape and cover your window. I didn't really tape my window but I taped over a cover behind it to make sure that in the event of breakage, the double cover can at least reduce the impact. I guess putting a wood or something strong will be better but I don't have any "carpentry" skill and there's no man in the house. So yeah. U_U. 

4. Buy a flashlight (just in case of 停電/ blackout). The Mandarin teachers told us that this will be unlikely as the Government has made some improvement over the years to avoid this (well, the country does get battered by typhoon every year). 

When the typhoon made a landfall around 3-4AM on Saturday (07/13), it's really scary and you can hear the sound of the strong wind slapping your roof, your window, your door...oh well, the whole building. The door keep on slamming up and fro and at certain point, you can feel the building is kinda swaying (although not as hard as one in an earthquake). Not a pleasant experience but since there's nothing I can do (except praying that it will die down very fast) and go back to sleep. Thanks goodness there's not much damage around my neighborhood but I did saw some bad damages all over Taiwan. U_U. 

Please don't let there be another typhoon in Taiwan this year. (Well, I can make a wish, can't I?)

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center, Taipei

The other complex of Shida (Library Campus Side) consist of a few buildings which include Mandarin Training Center. Mandarin Training Center is located inside Po-Ai Building (no. 11 on the map), just opposite the library. Let's take a walk together, shall we? =)

After the main entrance, you will see the campus square after walking for a few steps.

If you walk to the left side, you will find this building on your left. This is the library (圖書館, Túshū guǎn).

Since I did not really have a lot of plan on that day, I sneaked into the library to take a quick look. You can enter the library by showing the library staff your student ID (which you will get once you have finished your registration and paid tuition fees).

Shida has an anthem. But I have not heard anyone singing this until now. Hopefully someone will sing it to me before I'm leaving this school. LOL.

The building located just opposite of the library is called Po Ai Building, and this is where Mandarin Training Center is located. 

So, this is where you need to go on your registration day. Which will be covered in the next post. At least, now you know where to go, right? =P

For your information, Mandarin Training Center is known as 國語教學中心 （Guóyǔ jiàoxué zhōngxīn) in Mandarin.

First look at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU Shida), Taipei

Even though the spring term starts at the beginning of March, I need to complete my registration (and pay the tuition fee) on 21st February. Because of this, I stepped inside NTNU on a cold winter day (yes, it's cold in February..brrr).

The main gate of the university. It kinda looks like a gate of government official building, doesn't it? Well, Shida is one of the public universities in Taiwan. So I suppose that's why the gate looks like this. Haha.

The university actually has two complex which are located opposite to each other. The complex that I'm showing you now is the one indicated as "A". There is another area just opposite this complex where the Mandarin Training Center is located. 

Anyway, since we were already inside this complex, let's just continue, shall we? The main building looks kinda old and gloomy in winter. 

The school's church. There are a lot of new students viewing the place. Same with me. XD

The school's sport hall, which I did not bother to sign up until now. There is a swimming pool inside the hall. 

Last time my university did not even have this running track. Not that I'm gonna use it.  I hate running. >.<!

The school's cafeteria. 

Will post on the other side of the university next! Keep on reading. =)

How to look for a place to rent in Taipei?

Few days before I arrived in Taipei, the school informed me that I could not stay in the dorm because I merely came for studying Mandarin. Does that make me "half-student?" Geez. I suppose they don't have enough rooms to provide all students studying in Shida. =(

Anyway, no point in grumbling. The only way out is to find a room near the school so that I can save both money and time in commuting.

Oh man, where should I start? Well, good thing for you, as I've been going through this hassle, now I can share with you on few places to find information about accommodation while you are studying. =)

1. Ask the school

When your language school tell you that you cannot stay in their accommodation, it does not mean that they cannot help giving you suggestion on where to look for outside accommodation. One of the helpful staff in Shida's office asked me to go to level 7 of Mandarin Training Center building to see the notice board. And she's right, there are a lot of adverts offering rental and most of them are located quite near to the school. In fact, I got my place now from this notice board. Cool!

2. Online house hunting

These days, most of information can be found online and that includes adverts about rental. You can go to www. tealit.com and go to the apartment/ rental category. In short, you can click this link -> http://www.tealit.com/ad_categories.php?section_id=31

Most of the landlords who offer the place in the above website can speak at least simple English. So there should not be any problem when you call them to inquire further about the place.

There is another site called http://www.591.com.tw/ where the Taiwanese often posts their accommodation adverts on. But the hardest obstacle in browsing this website is it is written in Mandarin. If you have zero-ability of reading Chinese character and zero-patience of using Google Translate, then I suppose this website is not for you. =P

If you have tried the above and still has not found an ideal place to your liking, you can try to get the help of Tsuei Mama (http://www.tmm.org.tw/english/). It is said that they can help you to find accommodation but you have to pay certain fees (which I heard is not that high). Not sure about their efficiency as I did not use this method to find mine.

Good luck with your house hunting!

Taiwan Travel: Prepaid 3G SIM card in Taiwan

Before you can go on full throttle to find accommodation for the next few months/ years in Taipei, you will need your mobile phone and a Taiwan phone number. If you arrive in Taoyuan International Airport after 8 AM and before 8 or 9 PM, you can buy the SIM card for your phone in the airport. You can simply visit one of these booths.

There are 3 telecommunication providers in Taiwan but they more or less offer similar packages for prepaid SIM card:

1. Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大)

2. Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信)

3. Far East Tone (遠傳電信)

What if you arrived in Taiwan at late nights or early mornings? I arrived quite late and these booths were already closed. U_U.

If that also happen to you, you need to go to the telecommunication provider's stores in downtown Taipei to buy the SIM card. I went to the one located closest to Shida and it happened to be Taiwan Mobile. I got this one for NTD345. A passport is required to get a number here.

If you are studying Mandarin in Shida, you will spot a lady setting up a booth (actually a table and a chair) just outside room 606 at Bo-Ai Building (which is where Mandarin Training Center is located). You can get a Chunghwa's prepaid 3G sim card from her for free. You just need to bring your passport and your student ID card, which means, the best time to do this is right after your registration. I will post it again when I share about the registration procedure at Shida. You need to buy the recharge voucher to top up the balance though. The recharge voucher for all three telco providers can be bought at convenience stores like 7-11, Hi-Life and Family Mart.

Save up to 25% on your hotel booking in Taipei here!

Mobile internet in Taipei

Today is the era of smartphone but the smartphone is not that "smart" without an internet connection. If you are renting a place in Taipei, the rental fee usually is inclusive of internet access (cable or wifi). If let's say, it doesn't and you really need an internet, what to do?

1. Look for the wi-fi hotspot

The wi-fi coverage in Taipei is actually pretty extensive and it includes public transport such as at MRT stations and inside bus. You have to register online before you can login to use the TPE-Free Wi-Fi. To register and to look for the areas which are covered by the free wi-fi, you can go to this website: http://www.tpe-free.taipei.gov.tw/tpe/index_en.aspx

Another option is to connect to Wifly, which is another wi-fi coverage in the city. It covers the major streets and MRT stations in Taipei. Besides, it also covers Starbucks, all 7-11 convenience stores, Burger King, MOS Burger, etc. The thing is, it does not come free as you need to purchase the wireless internet access card online. For the information on the card and the coverage of Wifly, you can go to this website: http://www.wifly.com.tw/Wifly7/en/

Your language school should have a wifi hotspot as well. NTNU/Shida offers wifi access at NTD 300 for one month. 

2. Short term mobile internet

If you are in Taiwan for a short term vacation or business trip, there is a 3G prepaid card broadband short-term plan which is offered by all telecommunication providers. For instance, Chunghwa Telecom is offering one at the following rates:

- 1-Day: NTD100; 

- 3-Day: NTD250;

- 7-Day: NTD450.

It doesn't come cheap I know. But the other providers' (i.e. Taiwan Mobile and FarEastTone) rates are more or less the same. For more info on Chunghwa's plan, you can click this link: https://123.cht.com.tw/webecss/PrePaidCard/Introenus.aspx

Happy surfing! 

Taiwan Hotel Review: Li Yuan Hotel, Taipei

Unless you have relatives in Taipei, most likely you will have nowhere to stay when you first arrive here. I have relatives in Taipei but I came with my friend and my relatives don't have spare rooms big enough to accommodate both of us. So we booked a hotel room near our school.

If you are studying at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU or Shida) or National Taiwan University (NTU or Taida), you may want to stay at the hotel which we picked, Li-Yuan Hotel.

We booked the room via Tripadvisor and you can find out about the hotel's price here. The bedroom is quite spacious for two persons.

We arrived in Taipei pretty late (around 10 PM-ish), so we did nothing on our first day. After we checked into our room, we practically just threw ourselves on the bed. But we do get excited when we checked the washroom because the toilet bowl looks pretty high-tech. XD

With some fancy buttons. Some of them not working properly though. 

If you book the hotel via agoda, the price is inclusive of breakfast (not sure if there is an option to book without paying for breakfast, but the breakfast is quite nice).

Home-made version of braised pork rice (Lǔ ròu fàn滷肉飯).

And certain Chinese vegetables.

And there is a 7-11 nearby the hotel. Which is pretty convenient if you are lazy to walk far to get food.

The complete address of Li Yuan Hotel is:

Li Yuan Hotel
98, Sec. 3, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan

Nearest MRT station to the hotel is Taipower Building MRT.