A Pinoy's guide to Taiwan 台灣

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Earth Ox at Taiwan's Airport

2009-02-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

I just want to share some pictures I took at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport. My favorite? The Ox made from mobile phones!

Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery

2008-12-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for the right time to post this in my blog... and it has come - I just won 200 NT$ (about 6 US Dollars) in the Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery! Well, it's not really that much. It took me more than a hundred receipts before I got lucky. All you have to do is KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!

The receipt number is your "ticket" to the Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery. There's also a line on top which will tell you the draw "month". In this case, my receipt shows "9-10" (hard to see on the picture below, but you'll easily find it in your receipt).

Once you know the draw date, you should check that section on Taiwan's Ministry of Finance Website: http://english.etax.nat.gov.tw/wSite/ct?xItem=58408&ctNode=11647

The Grand prize is 2 Million NT$ (Wow! gotta keep those receipts!) - just one winning number.

The First prize is 200,000 NT$ (still great!) - three winning numbers.

Second prize is 40,000 NT$ (last 7 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).

Third prize is 10,000 NT$ (last 6 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).

Fourth prize is 4,000 NT$ (last 5 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).

Fifth prize is 1,000 NT$. (last 4 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).

Sixth prize (last 3 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers). Yeah, I got the sixth prize...

You can claim your prize on your nearest post office - ChungHwa Post.

Do not forget to bring your ID, and fill up the back with your name, address and phone number (yeah, instructions in the back are in chinese so get some help)

200NT$ is a small amount, but hey, at least I get something back. It's an incentive from the Taiwan government to make sure you are buying from tax-paying establishments.

Merry Christmas To All!

Modern Toilet Restaurant

2008-09-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

I bet you've heard of this restaurant before... Now who in his right mind would try to eat in a toilet? Fortunately, it's just a theme - whew! Anyway, since I was visiting Kaohsiung over the weekend, I tried it.

To go to the Modern Toilet Restaurant, you have to take the Red KMRT line (yep, there are two lines now, the Orange line opened up a few weeks ago... but I'll write about that on another post).

If you're at the Kaohsiung Main Station, take the train that goes to the direction of GangShan. Stop at the Kaohsiung Arena Station and go up on exit number 4 (see the map below). Go to the direction of the Daba Restaurant/Gas Station (that's the opposite direction you are facing when you get off the escalator). Once you arrive at the corner of the Daba Restaurant, turn left and just go straight (if you see a Burger King at the other side of the road, you're in the right direction). When you arrive at Jhengsin Street (that's the first corner), turn left again.

When you see an establishment that has a faucet outside that looks like a toilet seat - BINGO! Welcome to the Modern Toilet Restaurant!

The walls are lined up with bathroom tiles. The tables are either kitchen sinks or bath tubs, and the seats are, well, toilet bowls. Talk about taking a dump while eating...

They serve regular lunch and dinner meals, although, the thought of having curry served on a "a toilet themed" plate is enough for me to lose my appetite. I only tried ice cream, and they serve it on a small toilet bowl - but this time, a taiwanese toilet bowl.

For an addition $NT30, you can have your drinks served in small plastic "portable urinal".

The chocolate ice cream looked nice when it was served. But when it was all melted and gooey, you start to imagine something else... nuff said.

I wonder what they'll think of next...

Long line at ColdStone Hsin Chu

2008-08-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Has anyone noticed that the summer this year is way hotter than before? It must be due to global warming.

While waiting for the bus at downtown HsinChu, I noticed the long line at ColdStone. Wow! The solution to cool-off at the end of a very hot day. The line shown on the picture is less than half it's total length! And these guys don't mind waiting in line for an ice cream!

Scooters, scooters and more scooters!

2008-06-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

One thing that I've noticed when I arrived in Taiwan is there's scooters everywhere. It's the most popular way to get around Taiwan. Parking problems? Traffic Jams? No Problemo! Not in Taiwan. You could fit about 4 scooters in a parking space (and road space) of a regular car. Check these out. It's like a scooter wonderland!

People get around much faster on scooters - this means you have no reason to be late for your appointment! Taiwan's roads have special lanes for scooters. They even have a special area on the intersection when you stop for the traffic lights - SCOOTERS ONLY.

They have an underpass and parking spaces for scooters only.

Everyone rides a scooter. Kids have their small bicycles, and by the time they're old enough to get a license, they're ridin' scooters! If there's a rent-a-car in most places, there's rent-a-scooter here for those who will just stay for a short period.

Well, not everyday is a no-traffic-jam day in Taiwan. When there's rain, they ride their cars, so think on how many cars would be in the streets! But on a normal day, it's scooters galore!

Oh, and if there's a scooter wonderland, there's bound to be a helmet shop! Safety First!

Taiwan NT10$ Coin: Dr. Sun Yat Sen

2008-06-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine showed me an unusual 10NT$ coin. At first, I thought it was a just another shiny coin, but upon close inspection, I found that it's a bit different. The coin on the left is the regular 10NT$, the coin on the right is the shiny "unusual" one.

On the "face" side, the portraits are different too:

The one on the left (the regular 10NT$) is Chiang Kai Shek. The one on the right (the shiny one) is Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

I checked up the website of Taiwan's Central Bank but did not find any information on this particular coin.

From the looks of it, it looks like a commemorative coin for the 90th anniversary of the Republic of China because it shows the date 1911-2001 (but it's already 2008, now I'm confused!).

This, most likely, is a new coin because it has the security features of the 50NT$ coin (see below):

Anyway, I have yet to find any other information about this coin on the web. I'll try to ask my Taiwanese friends if they're familiar with it...

KaohSiung MRT Opens - Free Ride up to April 6!

2008-03-22T02:26:00.000-07:00

Now that the KaohSiung MRT Red Line is open, getting around KaohSiung is much much more easier! Everybody's excited and the ride is free for one month!

Take a look at the Central Park Station of the MRT...

I went to KaohSiung City via the Taiwan High Speed Railway and tried out KaohSiung MRT. There's a KMRT station near the THSR Zuoyung Station so you wont get lost.

Now, to go to downtown KaohSiung City from the THSR ZuoYing Station ("R16" in the map below), you need to take the train that goes to SiaoGang Station ("R3" in the map below). On my last post, we took the red 301 bus that also goes to SiaoGang Station - it's the same case, SiaoGang is the final destination for both, but you need to get off the KaohSiung Main Station ("R11" in the map below).

The train's comfortable, airconditioning is OK, although there are only a few seats, which are for the elders, the disabled and the kids. I have one complaint though, the train is a bit short. When the train arrived in the platform at ZuoYing Station, I had to run because the train did not stop where I was standing. Either the train is very short, or the platform is very long. I think they should have marked the area where the train would stop (or would not stop).

The map below is the map of the KaohSiung City Main Station. There's only one exit which should lead you to the bus stops - the same area where the red bus 301 stop.

The KaohSiung MRT red line is free up to April 6 - enough time for me to explore KaohSiung for free! The Orange Line is expected to be open around August... Kaohsiung City does not feel so big anymore!

Pinoy's Guide to Taiwan Privacy Policy

2008-03-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

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Thanks You For Visiting the Pinoy's Guide to Taiwan!

KaohSiung City - The Big City at the South of Taiwan

2008-03-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

KaohSiung City (高雄市) is Taiwan's second largest City and it's largest international seaport. If you're looking for a place in Taiwan with a warm climate, KaohSiung is the place. It also has a lower cost of living compared to the other Cities of Taiwan (lower bus fares and taxi-flag down rates). KaohSiung's MRT is now partially up and running (I heard there's a free ride for 1 week this week!), so getting around would be a breeze! So here's how to travel to KaohSiung.

There are a number of ways to go to KaohSiung. Here are the options:

1. Railway

2. Bus

3. High Speed Railway

By bus, the trip will take 4-5 hours from Taipei so it's a long trip - good thing some buses offer very comfortable seats and an LCD screen to watch videos. Anyway, the fastest way to go to KaohSiung is via the High Speed Railway - just an hour and a half from Taipei.

To go to KaohSiung (via the HSR), you need to buy a ticket that goes to ZuoYing (左營). The ticket is NT$1,490 - well worth it if you like to travel fast. ZuoYing is the last station so you won't be missing your stop.

When you arrive at the ZuoYing Station, you need to go to the direction of the TRA (see the map below).

The picture below is the entrance to the TRA.

After you go outside, you will be greeted by this unusual sculpture by Arman titled Arrete Regarde et Ecoute (Stop, Look and Listen).

Just a few meters from this sculpture is the KaohSiung MRT Station.

The MRT's still not running now so you'll just have to take a bus to the city, there's a bus stop in the same area - the red 301 bus.

This is the only bus that passes on this bus stop, however, this bus goes from SiaoGang (小港) to JiaChang and vice versa. You need to take the one that's on its way to SiaoGang so you should stand on the bus stop with the signboard shown below.

When boarding the bus, ask the driver if it's going to SiaoGang just to make sure (just ask him "SiaoGang?" if you dont know how to ask in Mandarin). The bus fare is 24NT$ - make sure you have coins ready as you have to drop your coins in the fare box beside the driver.

The trip to downtown KaohSiung will take about 30-45 mins - you know you're there when you arrive at KaohSiung's Main Train Station.

On the succeeding posts, I'll feature the nice places to visit in KaohSiung.

Taiwan Calendar System - What's wrong with my Orange Juice?

2008-02-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

You might notice something weird when buying food in Taiwan. A lot of stuff expired 11 years ago! Check out the orange juice I bought on the picture - the expiration day states 97 03 01. Nope, there's nothing wrong with this orange juice. Some stuff in the convenience store show the year "97" and some show the correct year (2008). But what's with the "best consumed before 1997" thing? Well, it's not really 1997... It's not 1997 AD - Christians, and most of the world, follow the AD format since it's how old Jesus Christ would be if he lived up to this day. It's 97. The year 97.

Ok, so what's with the year 97? Someone (or something) was born 97 years ago and he (or it) was special? Yes, to the Taiwanese (and Chinese) people, the answer is YES. On October 10, 1911, there was this WuChang Uprising in China which eventually led to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the "Birth" of the Republic of China. This "10/10" or Double Ten Day is a holiday (wooohooo!) and is called National Celebration Day 國慶日 . Going back to the story, a couple of months later after the uprising, they have set January 1, 1912 as the First Year of the Republic. And so, the year 2008 is the 97th year of the Republic.

So anyway, the next time you buy orange juice, or milk, or any stuff with a weird year, confirm it by adding 1,911. 97 + 1911 = 2008! The year would look more weird on 2011, the expiration date on my juice would be 100 03 01, it would not look like a date at all!

Whew! The history stuff made me thirsty, let's drink that orange juice!

Hsin Chu City - Dong Men Circle

2008-02-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

Our destination this week is the Windy City of Taiwan - Hsin Chu City. I wont talk about the History of Hsin Chu. You can learn all about that on wikipedia - Hsin Chu City.

Hsin Chu City is famous for:

Glass production
Hsin Chu Science Based Industrial Park - home of the Semiconductor giants: TSMC and UMC, as well as other large semiconductor companies
National Tsing Hua University
Chiao Tung University
And of course, the Hsin Chu city wind!

At the Center of this City is the Dong Men Circle, the East Gate (that's the picture above). So how do we go to downtown Hsin Chu? Here we go. Last week, we were at Taipei, so let's start there.

A. Bus - This is the cheapest way to go to Hsin Chu from Taipei. The bus stations are near the Taipei Main Station. You need to look for the How Tai Bus.

The ticket should cost around NT$110, and the trip takes about one and a half hours. The bus stop at Hsin Chu is just near the Hsin Chu Train Station (sorry, small pic, I used my camera phone..)

B. Taiwan High Speed Rail - I like this option better. It's much more costly, NT$290, but the trip only takes about 20 mins. Ok, I'm a fan of the THSR. This is because the train leaves and arrives on time so this is a big plus in planning your trips. Speaking of the train leaving on time, I once saw a passenger arrive at the platform just as the alarm sounded for the car door to close. They did not allow the passenger to board the train even though she was just about a couple of meters away from the door! Strict is strict... a lot of people inside the train depend on the accuracy of the train schedule, so make sure you arrive at the platform early!

Quick Taiwan Tip: Take note of the Chinese Characters of Taipei and Hsin Chu! As you go from city to city, you need to remember the characters of the city in Mandarin... this will help you a lot if you get lost (a familiar character will get you started).

Hsin Chu is the third stop from Taipei so this is a quick trip (Taipei -> Banciao -> Taoyuan -> Hsin Chu). Once you arrive at the Hsin Chu Station, take the free shuttle bus. The shuttle bus trip from the Hsin Chu Station to Dong Men Circle is about 20-30 mins.

Here's another picture from Hsin Chu Downtown. Enjoy Hsin Chu!

Taipei - Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

2008-02-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

One good place to visit in Taipei is the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The hall was recently renamed Taiwan National Democracy Memorial Hall, however, most of the maps still show its old name.

How do you get to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall?

Option 1 - Take a taxi. If you have a hard time telling the taxi driver where you want to go, make sure you bring along a map so you can point to him where you want to go. Remember to point the Chinese Characters - 國立中正紀念堂 (your browser may not support Chinese Characters, anyway, your map should provide you with the English and Chinese Characters). There are maps available on the Taipei Main Station.

Option 2 - Walk! If you are in the Taipei Main Station, it will take you about half an hour to walk towards the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. As with option 1, let the map from the Taipei Main Station guide you. Quick Taiwan Tip: Always verify the street names with the Chinese Characters. Chinese Characters have different "English-pronounciations", for example "chung" is the same as "zhong", but the Chinese Character is the same - a rectangle, and a line from top to bottom dividing the rectangle (and extending outside the rectangle). This character means "center" in Mandarin.

Option 3 - The Taipei MRT - this is the easiest (and most practical) way to go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. From the Taipei Main Station, the MRT fare is 20NT$. The MRT map below shows the fare as well as the stations. From the Taipei Main Station (the "20" inside the blue and red circle) you need to board a train that goes to XinDian (that's the last station of the train). The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is the second station from the Taipei Main Station to XinDian. The trip should take less than 5 minutes.

Once you get off the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station, you should exit on Exit 5.

This should take you just right outside the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. You would immediately see the National Theater hall after getting off the escalator and turning to the entrance on the right.

Here's another picture of the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (I took this one before they renamed the place so the Chinese characters on top of the shrine is now different).

Getting Around Taiwan - Taxi

2008-02-05T08:32:00.001-08:00

There are a number of ways to get around Taiwan:

A. The dependable (but costly) Yellow Taxi Cab
B. The cheap city bus
C. The Taiwan Railways
D. The Taiwan High Speed Railway

A. The dependable (but costly) Yellow Taxi Cab

As with almost anywhere in the world, the Yellow Taxi Cab offers the most flexible and comfortable way of moving from one place to another. You can flag down a taxi virtually anywhere. And, you can almost always ask the nearest information desk or security guard to get a taxi for you. So how much does it cost? It differs from city to city. The most expensive, from my experience, is in Hsin Chu City, where the current flag down rate is NT$100 (about $3.12 or Php127). It is much cheaper in KaohSiung - NT$80. Here's a summary of the fees:

An additional NT$5 is added ever 250m
An additional NT$5 is added every two minutes if you make your taxi wait.
There is a different rate table during Chinese New Year (the taxi driver will show this to you) - it is more expensive!
There is an additional 20% extra fare if you ride the taxi between 11:00PM - 6:00AM

That's the price of convenience.

Quick Taiwan Tip: If you do not speak Mandarin, a business card is very handy. Not your business card, but the business card of the place you want to visit. There are equivalent chinese names for most of the "english-named" places, and most often, the cab driver does not speak english. For example, the golden arches McDonald's is called Mai Dang Lao. So asking the cab driver to drive you to "McDonalds" will get you nowhere. The Ambassador Hotel (國賓大飯店), for example, also has a chinese name (and no, it does not sound like AM-BA-SA-DOR). This is where the business cards come in handy. Normally, there is a chinese version on the other side of the english version on most business cards. So just show the business card to the cab driver (the chinese side), do a little gesture that you want to go that place (or maybe you actually want to go somewhere near to that place), and off you go!

Taiwan Climate

2008-02-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Now that you're familiar with the directions: Bei or Pei (North), Dong (East), Nan (South) and Xi or Si (West), let's take a look at Taiwan's Climate.

In the Philippines, we have two seasons. As a friend of mine would say, we only have the Hot Season and the Hotter Season =D. It's hot all year round in the Philippines. In Taiwan, they also have two seasons, a hot season (from May to October) and a cool season (from November to April). It does not snow in Taiwan (except on the mountains), but it does get as cold as 5C during the winter.

The map on the left, courtesy of Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, shows today's weather forecast (February) so you have an idea where the warmer places are... down South! You should make it a habit to visit the website of Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau. This site shows you the weekly and monthly weather forecast fairly accurately. It also has records of recent Earthquakes in Taiwan (Yes! Earthquakes are pretty frequent in this island).

Quick Taiwan Tip: Since it gets a bit cold in Taiwan, you will need two sets of clothes - one set for the hot season and one set for the cold season. Of course, if you're not from the Philippines (or you live in Baguio City), and are used to cold weather, you already know this! You would also notice from the map that the Urban Areas of Taiwan are on the edges of the Island - so this means most of these areas are coastal towns/cities, which means, aside from the cold weather, you have to think about the wind from the sea, which adds up to the chill factor (especially if you are going to Hsin Chu area... it's pretty windy up there).

By the way, this week, the Chinese are celebrating their Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Rat! Let's greet them by saying:

新年快樂 / Xīn nián kuài lè / Happy New Year!!!

Welcome to the Pinoy's Guide to Taiwan

2008-02-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting the The Pinoy's Guide To Taiwan. In this blog, you'll be reading on how to go around Taiwan, where to eat (cheap, chinese food, filipino foods), places to buy your pasalubong, where to find the nearest Filipino store and other tips on how to survive in Taiwan.

Where exactly is Taiwan? If you look at the Map of the of Asia, Taiwan is the leaf-shaped island just north of the Philippines.

Taiwan quick tip: In Mandarin, Pei (or Bei) means North. Dong means East. Nan means South. Si (or Xi) means West. So TaiPei is the Taiwan City at the North. TaiDong is the Taiwan City at the East. TaiNan is in the South. You may encounter these four "words" from time to time, like, there are roads named BeiDa, DongDa, NanDa and Xida. There are also towns named ChuPei, ChuNan and ChuDong. Easy enough? Not really... not all places describe which where it is, but it's a start.

Till my next post... Enjoy Taiwan...

台灣欢迎你/Taiwan Huan Ying Ni/ Taiwan Welcomes You!!!