General Information

Language

English is the official language of the Program.

Climate

Taiwan has a tropical climate, varying from hot and humid in the south, to cooler temperatures in the north and inland mountainous region.  Winters are short and tend to be mild, while summer is usually hot, with plenty of humidity.  Throughout the country, sudden rain showers occur frequently and visitors are advised to travel with raingear.  In July and September, typhoons from the South China Sea bring heavy rains and as mentioned, monsoons occur frequently.  September to October (autumn) is the driest period in Taiwan, followed by a generally damp and chilly winter, with snow on the island's mountain peaks.  Temperatures in the summer can reach up to 90ºF (35ºC) at the coast.

(Excerpt from Word Travels: http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Taiwan/Climate/)

Time Zone

Taiwan is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +8) and does not have daylight savings time.

Currency and foreign exchange

TWD, or NT$, is the unit of currency in Taiwan. Its denominations are NT$1, $10, $50 in coins and $100, $500, and $1,000 in bank notes.  The exchange rate is approximately US$1 to NT$33.172 as of Nov 13, 2008.  Authorized money changers and approved foreign exchange banks are available for money exchanges.

Transportation

For the participants, there will be free shuttle buses departuring from Taoyuan International Airport to NHRI three times a day.  The bus schedule will be announced later.

The participants will be provided with local transportation during the Program.