The first love affair with Taiwan started during my national service days, spent almost a month in this country back then in 2001 and I've fond memories even up till today. In 2007, I decided to go back for a holiday and it has turned into an annual pilgrimage.. lol... to an extend that friends have commented that I can start my own tour in this beautiful country... but there are still many places to explore in this country..
What's my purpose in writing this entry?
1.) I wanted to jot down the happenings during the trip before they get lost in my memories. Hopefully, I can still remember those places which I've visited during 2007.
2.) Helping others to plan their trip. These trips wouldn't be possible if there wasn't the internet.
3.) Who knows I may get a job opportunity out of this? lol...
4.) Maybe 1 day, I might just relocate myself to there..
Most of the comments which I make along the way are from my own observations, if you think there's anything wrong with my observation, do let me know and I'll change/remove them.
I shall start with Taipei (台北) then..
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and this is the busiest city in the whole country. The main language used in this country is Mandarin and its written in traditional Chinese. Do not be put off if you do not understand Chinese, as most of the tourist attractions has signboards in English and Japanese too.
Most international flights will stop at the Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場). Some flights do land in Kaohsiung International Airport too.
There are couple of ways to get to Taipei once you get out of the airport.
1.) Express buses (in my opinion, cheapest and most convenient.)
2.) Taxi (expensive but you have your own private space)
3.) Going to Taoyuan HSR and taking a bullet train to Taipei.
Option 1
Taking buses is the most economical way of getting to the city. However, you do need to know which part of the city you are going to. Most of the express buses will bring you Taipei city but the route and number of stops maybe different. The best is to check with your hotel, some bus will even stop right in front of the hotel.
I can't believe after so many trips, I do not have a single photo of the bus counter. Hence I need to borrow from others on the internet to show you.
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| Credits to http://ruffeecola-in-taiwan.blogspot.com/ |
I tend to stay in the main city area near Taipei Main Station (will explain why in my later posts), so I'll always take the Kuo-Kuang (國光) bus. The reason?
1.) Fast, gets to the city in less than an hour.
2.) Only 3 stops along the way. Other buses which I took before has up to 6 - 8 stops.
The exterior & interior of the bus does not look very fantastic, so don't expect too much. Its clean and comfortable enough for me.
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| Headrest |
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| Interior |
Taxi is a more expensive way to travel, of course if you have budget for it, why not? I have not taken one myself, but from what I was quoted, it ranges between NTS1300 - NT$2000.
Option 3
Via the High Speed Rail (HSR). The airport offers free shuttle bus to Taoyuan HSR station and from there, you can take the bullet train (NT$160) to Taipei Main Station. Doesn't seem to be any faster, if you are travelling to Taipei and imagine the hassle of carrying your luggage up and down the bus and train. It does make sense if you are travelling southwards though.
Choose your options wisely. =)
Tax refund
The airport is also the place where you can do your tax refund. If you go shopping at major shopping centers such as Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越) and you spent above NT$3000 in a single day, you can request the customer service to do the tax refund forms for you. You'll need your passport with you for this. Once the forms are completed, all you need to do is to proceed to the tax refund counter at the airport to collect your refund. If I am not wrong, the tax is around 5%. Do this before you check in your luggage as the airport crew may do a random check on the purchased item.
