Taiwan is such a beautiful country to visit which requires more than 3 days to visit its beautiful places. This travel guide covers our personal DIY itinerary only for 3 days!
Ever since I have experienced traveling outside the country, I promised to myself that I will travel at least twice or even once a year. But as a holder of Philippine passport, I find it a struggle sometimes to go to the countries I want to visit because of the visa. Filing a visa is a hassle. YES IT IS! There are a lot of beautiful visa free countries that I can visit with my passport but wouldn't be nice if all countries are visa free for us Filipinos? I wish. hahaha!
Speaking of Visa Free countries, just last year October 16 2017, there was an announcement made by the press issued by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) regarding the VISA FREE entry for Filipinos in Taiwan. According to them,
Philippine nationals who intend to visit the ROC (Taiwan) for the purpose of tourism, business, visiting relatives, attending functions or events can enjoy visa-free entry to Taiwan for a duration of stay up to 14 days starting 1 Nov 2017.
This visa-free initiative shall undergo a 9-month trial period until 31 July 2018 as part of Taiwan’s goodwill and efforts of the “New Southbound Policy” to build closer people-to-people exchange of visits and an economic community between Taiwan and the Philippines.
So what are we waiting for? Time to book a flight to Taiwan now! Hold on, it maybe visa free but Filipinos are still required and must meet the following requirements:
- An ordinary/regular passport with remaining validity of at least six months from the date of entry (Diplomatic & official passport holders are not eligible for visa-free treatment);
- No criminal record in Taiwan;
- A return ticket or a ticket for the traveller’s next destination and a visa for that destination if it is required;
- A proof of accommodation (hotel) booking or host/sponsor’s contact information / or arrangements of tour, travel, visit, events and meeting, etc.
However, if a Filipino visitor intend to stay in Taiwan for more than 14 days, you are required to obtain an appropriate visa depending on your purpose of stay. Whether for study, work, missionary, residency, etc.
So what I did, I booked a flight right away! (Tip: Book your flight at least 3 months before your desired date of travel. Why? Because it's cheaper and there are a lot of promos too!) I got mine in promo though for January flight. So let's goooo!
My flight was scheduled in the morning so since it's an International flight, I went to the airport 2-3 hours before my flight. It was a smooth process from security check to Immigration knowing I've got plenty of stamps and a Korean Visa in my passport. Yes you read it right! Let me explain why I mentioned stamps and visa copies on passport. This is important!
Immigration Facts for first time travelers
Base on my experience with the Philippine immigration when I first traveled outside the country, I almost missed my flight because they put me on hold. On hold means they will ask you to proceed to their office for an interview and ask series of questions regarding the purpose of your travel. This could lead you to miss your flight because of the interview process. And that time, my flight was boarding already. Well, one mistake I did is to arrive in the airport an hour and half before my flight. And take note, the immigration officers wouldn't mind if you miss your flight as long as they will be convinced by your answers. This is the reason also why you need to be in the airport at least 3 hours before your flight to allocate some extra time for security and immigration process especially if it's an international flight. I remember that time there was a passenger before me who was refused to take her flight because of some reasons. Luckily, I was able to pass because of what I told them about my cash on hand, no checked in luggage and only one hand carry bag with me. That's why you need to make sure the purpose of your travel and provide documents to prove it. I thought I was just unlucky that time that made the immigration officer who handled me doubtful but it happened to my cousin too which was the worst when we both traveled to Hongkong. That was her first travel and was my second already. I passed the immigration smoothly and she was on hold like what happened to me before.
Therefore, this could possibly happen to first time travelers. So if you planning to travel outside the country for the first time, you must prepare the following additional requirements:
NOTE: This only applies base on what my cousin presented.
- Roundtrip ticket
- Proof of accommodation
- Payslips
- Cash on hand (They will just ask you this. No need to show your money or bank account)
- Company ID
- Itinerary copy
- Number of luggage
Again, this is only base on my experience and how my cousin passed it. It's better to be safe than never, right?
What to know about Taiwan - Day 1
Taiwan is basically near the Philippines. It is located north of Philippines and would just take 2 hours and 15 minutes by plane. It is a state in East Asia and officially Republic of China. The total area of the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China is 36,193 km2 (13,974 sq mi), making it the world's 137th-largest country/dependency, smaller than Switzerland and larger than Belgium.
The island of Taiwan has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi), and lies some 180 kilometers (110 mi) from the southeastern coast of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait. The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait directly to the south, and the South China Sea to the southwest. Its shape is similar to a sweet potato, giving rise to the name sweet potato used by Taiwanese Hokkien speakers for people of Taiwanese descent.
Here’s more info about Taiwan:
Language
Mandarin. People in Taiwan speak 0% English. During our stay there, we find it hard to communicate with them. From grocery counters to restaurant staffs, you will never understand each other. Unless there's a deep and very thorough hand gestures involve. One thing I noticed too is their pronunciation. They will never understand what you are trying to say if you pronounce the word incorrectly. Proper tone and stressing of syllables are a MUST. There are few people there who can speak English but VERY RARE. So I think it is better learn basic Mandarin before going there.
Currency
New Taiwan Dollar (NTD) 1 NTD = 1.74 Philippine peso. (As of January 2018)
Money Exchange
Countless ATMs everywhere; you can simply withdraw cash instead of exchanging currencies. You can also find countless money exchanger especially in subway areas and mall. So as in the streets.
Modes of payment
Cash. Many restaurants, hotels, and stores accept credit cards as well.
Transportation
Easy Card. What is an Easy Card? EasyCard is a 'touch-and-go' IC ticketing system for the Taipei Metro, bus services, designated car parks, stores and government agencies. Just pass the card over the sensor area to make a transaction, avoiding hassles with finding correct change. A value can be added to the card at any time, there is no need to repeatedly purchasing new cards. An EasyCard can be used for years and its ultimate aim is to allow people to travel throughout Taiwan with only one card.
Where to buy an easy card?
- you can buy in all convenient store around Taiwan
How much is an easy card?
- Well, for only NT$100, you can have your owned a card
How to reload an easy card?
- It can be reloaded at all convenient stores around Taiwan. Minimum load is NT$100 and maximum of NT$10000.
Time
Same local time in Philippines
We arrived in Taiwan at 12:30 PM. Since the hostel we booked will accept check in from 15:00 - 24:00, we decided to just leave our bags there and tour the city. We decided to book a hostel since we will just spend most of our time outside the hotel so it's best to stay in a budget hotel. We stayed in Angel's Hostel Ximen.
Below is our Day 1 itinerary.
The temperature when we arrived in Taiwan was around 16-18 degrees Celsius. So I was just wearing short.
228 Peace Park
Our first stop was the 228 Peace Park. The 228 Peace Memorial Park is a historic site and municipal park located at 3 Ketagalan Boulevard, Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. The park contains memorials to victims of the February 28 Incident of 1947, including the Taipei 228 Memorial that stands at the center of the park and the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, housed at the site of a former radio station that operated under Japanese and Kuomintang rule. The park also has a bandshell and exercise areas.
National Taiwan Museum
It was established in 1908, is the oldest museum in Taiwan. It was founded by the colonial government during Taiwan's period of Japanese rule. The museum is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei.
Inside the museum, you will know the history of Taiwan. The previous wars won, arts, exhibits, etc. Most of them are in Chinese characters though.
Presidential Office Building
Then we went to the Presidential Office Building. It is mainly the office of the president of the Republic of China. When we went there, it was closed and there were a lot of guards outside.
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) was a Chinese nationalist leader. For 2 decades he was head of state on the Chinese mainland, and after 1950 he served as president of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
It is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. The monument, surrounded by a park, stands at the east end of Liberty Square. The structure is framed on the north and south by the National Theater and National Concert Hall.
In February 2017 Taiwan's Ministry of Culture announced plans to transform the hall into a national center for “facing history, recognizing agony, and respecting human rights.” A corresponding de-emphasis of the Chiang personality cult is underway as proposals for transforming the hall are reviewed
The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The roof is blue and octagonal, a shape that picks up the symbolism of the number eight, a number traditionally associated in Asia with abundance and good fortune. Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps to represent Chiang's age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance. Source
After the Chiang Kai-shek, we then went back to our hotel to check in and rest. It was my first time to stay in a hostel where in one room, there are a lot of tenants. It's like a bedspacers. The bathroom is shared and towel is for rent. Small towel costs NT$ 20 whilst big towel costs NT$ 30. Not bad though. As long as you are sleeping in a very comfy bed then that's what more important.
So, I call it a day for now. Another day, another blog tomorrow.
Xiexie for reading, laters.....
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