Archive for September 2013

Home Archive for September 2013

Most of the time when we buy things, we disregard the receipts. Either we refuse to accept them or we accept just to ignore them inside our wallet. And eventually when our wallet become bulky, we tore them up. Gone. Just like that.

BUT!!! You should not do that in Taiwan. Why??

Because these papers are your lottery tickets in Taiwan. Cool eh? No? Confused? No worry! Keep on reading!

Every two months there is a lottery in Taiwan (of course this is not the only kind of lottery in Taiwan). If the last several numbers (or all numbers) of your receipts match the winning numbers, you can win some cash! Not all stores provide receipts but so far, I think most of the stores I went into e.g. convenience stores, supermarkets, book stores, etc all give receipts in return of my purchases. Awesome right? No need to especially go and buy lottery tickets. =P

The winning numbers will be released on the 25th of the next month. For example, for the period of January and February, the winning numbers will be released on the 25th of March.

In addition, you can only collect the prizes on the stated collection dates. For your information, you can see these dates at the back of your receipt. For example, if you win prizes for the period January-February, you can collect your prizes at the nearest post office within 6th April - 5th of July.

So what are the prizes? All of them are cash prizes and is listed in the following orders:

Match all numbers - win NTD 2,000,000

Match final 7 digits - win NTD 40,000

Match final 6 digits - win NTD 10,000

Match final 5 digits - win NTD 4,000

Match final 4 digits - win NTD 1,000

Match final 3 digits - win NTD 200

If you don't want to check the numbers manually, you can go to this link and type in your number accordingly. http://postaround.me/taiwan/Taiwan-Receipt-Lottery-Checker.aspx

Okay, I've hit the jackpot. And now what??

1. If you are a foreigner, you are still eligible to collect the prizes if you have a valid Taiwan visa.

2. If you've won the 2 million NTD or the 40,000 NTD, you can only collect these from The Taiwan Cooperative Bank (http://www.tcb-bank.com.tw/)

3. For all other prizes (i.e. NTD 10,000 to NTD 200), you can go to any Post Office. The officer may ask you to produce some kind of ID number, and to save the hassle, I think it's easier to ask help from local friend to help collect the prize on behalf. Make sure to treat them something in return, okay? They are nice people. =)

Start collecting your receipts, people!!! And good luck! 祝妳成功！

Taking a bus is one heck of a challenging affair for me. Especially during those first few weeks in Taipei. But once you are used to it, it's pretty convenient to take bus to go from one place to another in Taipei.

First of all, we need to find the bus stop first. Bus stops are located almost everywhere in Taipei. And you will be able to see which bus stops at this bus station.

If you look closer, you will be able to see the complete route of the bus. Some of the stops (like MRT stations) have their English name written below.

One thing to note is the direction of the bus. You need to see the "arrow" mark to know which direction the bus is going. And sometimes this can be quite confusing. It'll be easier once you get used to Taipei's road direction. =P

OK, you know where you are going. You have successfully give signal to the bus driver to stop and now..how are you supposed to pay the bus driver? You just need to get your EasyCard (yes, that MRT card) ready and..tap?? Wait a minute! There's another step that you need to see before you decide to tap or not.

Oh no! Another bus sign and it's in Mandarin. O_o!

Basically bus fares in Taipei is divided by section (one or two), and this, affects when the passengers pay. When you step into the bus, check this sign out. If the sign begins with 上 you tap in the EasyCard when you get on the bus. If the sign says 下 you tap the EasyCard when you get off.

If you paid when getting on and the sign changes to 下 during the journey, do not panic! (I was panicking a bit when that happened the first time though. I thought I saw the sign wrongly!). If that happens, simply tap again when you are getting off the bus because you have traveled through two bus zones.

Intimidating enough? Don't worry and take the challenge. Once you have taken a few rides, you'll start to love the buses. Sometimes they are more convenient than the MRT. Really! And the most important thing, they are cheaper! Especially if you are students! Woohooo!

Find great hotel deals in Taipei here!