so, i managed to purchase tix for the Puyuma from Taoyuan to Taian and felt very proud of myself
(got a 4 seat table, as it was the only thin available for this coming monday.) http://railway.hinet.net/Foreign/common/eng_order_no1.jsp
so. that was when i was still theoretically flying this morning into TPE.
issues with visa.
turns out, as my wife and I where married in mexico, our mexican marriage certificate needs to be verified and certified by the taiwan embassy in mexico. where we sent it last month. but it apparently first needed to be ratified by the special external government office of the state in which we were married (Yucatan, yay Carribean weddings!)
long story short, the DC embassy is helping out, but we do not yet have Visas. meeting w the Consul monday, and in theory should have visas by the monday after.
SO.
need to change tix. or cancel them.
i saw something on the website about cancellations and credit card policies, but i dont really get how it works.
i would not mind just changing the travel date. or cancelling and buying new ones.
i actually apparently made several reservations, and lost them as i did not finish paying online and could not pick them up by the designated date…
anywho
suggestions?
thanks yall.
also, personal opinions for easiest way to get from Taoyuan to Tainan with ten suitcases, two diaper bags (cuz they dont count as you on board suitcase! woot!) a big jogging stroller and two little girls…
here, most things fit in my honda pilot.
there, i dont feel gargantuan SUVs are common.
i had picked the slow train for ease of use w luggage, and that the end station is next to NCKU, our final destination
The system doesn’t allow you to simply change the dates. You must cancel your ticket and get a new one. One note: If you book tickets but don’t pick them up/pay for them, after a certain number you’ll be locked out from using the online system for awhile (I think 30 days?). So be careful about that.
If you want to get a refund online:
You’ll need your Reservation Number (aka Booking Code). If you wrote it down or took a screen shot when you ordered then you should have it. If you don’t have it, go to step 2.
I assume you mean from the Taoyuan airport? Here’s my opinion, since you mentioned easiest:
Taxi/Uber (probably quite expensive)
Rent a car (you might need an international driving permit)
Inquire at the airport bus station about buses to Tainan. You’ll probably need to transfer buses at least once. Buses have room for luggage underneath.
Airport shuttle bus to the High Speed Rail, take HSR to Tainan. The Tainan HSR station isn’t in town, but you can take a taxi/bus/local train from the HSR station into town. There isn’t as much room for luggage on trains, though.
yeah… my wife and I both have international driving permits that activate tmrw.
had thought of the rental car option, esp as it lets us explore towns along the way.
two two hour trips are much more fun than one three hour drive.
(esp w girls, we have driven at night so they are asleep. but again, new exciting country, has great potential for fun).
hmm…
so…
we decided to ship boxes to do 2 suitcases and 6 boxes instead of the supposed eight suitcases…
and ended up with 12 boxes and 11 suitcases… sigh… hahaha
ive seen those jacked up vannets at rental sites. that could def carry all our stuff
By the way, if you’re thinking about taking a non-HSR train (Puyuma or regular express train) from Taoyuan, with all your luggage I would definitely take a taxi to the station. You could take bus 5059 from the airport to Taoyuan train station; however, the bus stops two blocks from the station so you’d need lug all your stuff two blocks through a very busy and crowded area of Taoyuan (I live here)
Seriously, renting a car sounds easiest in your situation. The other methods would certainly provide you with adventure, though.
hahaha yeah… i dont like being burdended down when im adventuring.
rather drop all my crap somewhere, than adventure
i used to stash my big backpack at a train station, and adventure all day in euro cities, to return for my bag and go to a small town, sleep in a park or church, enjoy small town breakfast, and repeat.
of course, this was fifteen years ago and i didnt have kids. haha.
ok, tks again for the advice on canceling tix.
have an update https://ticket.ctbcbank.com/railway/refund/confirm
is the online portal if you paid with a credit card.
i got my booking number where you mentioned, and than just put that and my passport in, it asked me to confirm mty cancelation (showed all the trip deets) i said yes, and i will recieve a 1934ntd refund from my paid 2014
ntd. not bad at all. much better than myt airline 200-350USD penalties.
found this through the page you mentioned, a link appeared at the bottom saying that i should click it if i paid on line.
it was all in chinese. but than a button at the top makes it english.
than just click cancel on the left there, put in reservation num and passport, and voila!
thanks again.
and yeah… its lookin like car rental it is.
know any one that would let me leave the car in tainan?
is that common like here int he states? i assume the bigger companies do that.
Either rent a car or I think you can consider hiring a driver to drive you from Taoyuan to Tainan.
This requires you to load and unload your luggage once or twice. Any type of public transportation and you are definitely loading and unloading more than once. For example, off baggage claim, through the airport, on the train, off the train, through the station, onto a car, off the car and into the apartment. That’s a butt load of loading and unloading.
There’s plenty of the Volkwagon vans that seat 8. Plenty of room for you and the family plus all your luggage.
thanks guys!
yeah. i dont feel i need a driver. i have been a professional driver for years (tourist vans to big busses)
plus, i grew up and learned to drive in mexico city. so…
ill look into a van.
would you guys recommend rentign before i land?
i remember doing tourism in Cancun, ppl would often get much better deals on rental cars than what i could get them as a concierge if they rented with their travel plans or from abroad.
