5th World University Bridge Championship

Venue:

11/F University Library Building, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Fetch a Local transportation direction.

Maps:

· Click and fetch a campus map of the venue, Department of Applied Math., National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (in Chinese or English versions), a map showing the route to the venue, and a map of the Kaohsiung city. Click on these links for Google maps of Hotel Kingdom and the NSYSU campus.

Travel Information:

· If you travel by air, please make sure that

your final destination is Hsiaokang International Airport at Kaohsiung.

Ø The airport code of Kaohsiung Airport on your ticket is KHH. There is another (much bigger) Taoyuan International Airport, that is, the Taipei Airport (airport code: TPE), (previously known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport) located at Taoyuan, 1 hour to Taipei downtown, and 5 hours highway drive from Kaohsiung.

Ø There are frequent scheduled flights connecting Kaohsiung (airport code: KHH) to other cities. In particular, there are about 9 flights a day from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung, and another 9 flights from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong, via the China Airlines (CI), Mandarin Airline (AE) and Dragon Airlines (KA).

Ø If you want to fly to Taipei (airport code: TPE), though not advised, and plan to take a high speed train (90 minute one way) from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung, please arrange your flight to arrive in Taipei before 7pm to catch the last train (departing at 10:16pm from Taoyuan high-speed train station). You need to take a shuttle connecting the airport and the high speed train station at Taoyuan for approximately 1 hour one way (including waiting time).

Ø Upon arriving at Kaohsiung, you can take a metro train from the KHH airport station to the downtown Kaohsiung,

n the university campus at O1 station ( `O’ for Orange color), or

n Hotel Kingship at O2 station (we are working with the hotel for pickup service at the airport).

n Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the hotel, or the university (known locally as Chung Shan University: ‘Chung Shan’ is the other name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen.) You pay by meter plus a fixed airport taxi service charge (NT $50). The cost for a single trip from Kaohsiung Airport to the hotel, or to the University is about NT $350 + 50. Paying tips is not necessary in Taiwan. However, you have to pay by local currency. We suggest you to make money exchange at the KHH airport. The rate is same as in downtown banks there. Hotel Kingdom also provides exchange services.

Ø If you travel by train to Kaohsiung from other cities in Taiwan, you can take a taxi from Kaohsiung Train Station to the University for about NT $150 per single trip. Or you can take the No. 248 bus and get off from the bus at the University Tunnel Entrance bus stop. The fare is NT $12. You can also use the metro at the train station (R11), and stop at the O1 station for NSYSU, or at O2 for Hotel Kingdom.

Ø If you use the highspeed train, you can transfer to the metro at the Kaohsiung highspeed train station (Zuoying R16). The campus is in 10 minute walking distance from the O1 metro station.

Ø If you travel by car, exit at the Chung Cheng Road rump on Highway 1. Then turn right at the first traffic light and you will be on Chung Cheng Road. Follow Chung Cheng Road until the end for about 20 minutes. Soon after you pass the Love River Bridge, make a right turn at the loop. You will be on Dagung Road and after a few blocks, you will be on the joint of a `T' shape bridge. Make a left turn there. Drive straight and make a right turn at Lin Hai 2nd Road. After four traffic lights you will arrive at the University Tunnel Entrance (for bicycles and walkers only). Make a left turn and follow the `S' sharp river side Lienhai road. About 5 minutes you will see the Main Entrance of the National Sun Yat-sen University. Tell the guards there you are attending an international bridge championship and then you will know how to drive to the venue.

Visas and other information:

Foreign nationals may obtain tourist visas to enter Taiwan if they hold foreign passports or travel documents valid for more than six months. The Visitor Visa Application Form can be downloaded from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The completed form should be submitted to Bureau of Consular Affairs or a Taiwan Embassy in your country, for visa issuance, visit also Information on Republic of China Visitor Visas.

· 30-day to half-year visa-free privileges are afforded to citizens of many countries and 30-day landing visas are afforded to citizens of other few countries. For any further information, please visit the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For any further questions about visa application, please contact: on-line, Tel: +886-2-2343-2888 or by Fax: +886-3-2343-2968.

One may find other useful information from the web page of the Tourism Bureau, ROC at http://www.tbroc.gov.tw. A brief history of Taiwan, as well as travel information, is available there, too.

Currency Exchange:

The current exchange rate is about US $1= NT $32 (New Taiwan Dollars). It is best to make exchange at Kaohsiung Airport right after you walk out from the custom. You can also make exchange at banks in downtown or at the hotels. Almost no service charge or surplus applies when you do it in a bank or at the airport. You can change it back to US dollars or Euros or other currencies at the airport again before you leave the country. Credit cards are popular here.

Other informations:

1. Electricity is supplied at 110 V - 60 Hz AC with American standard plugs.

2. Local weather in August can be very hot. It is easy to reach over 33 C in day time, and hardly drop below 20 in night time.

3. Window based PCs are available to participants to check E-mails during the Conference.

4. One can buy phone cards some at, e.g., the 24-hour operated ‘7-11’ chained stores. Mobile phone networks are everywhere.

5. Credit cards are very popular in Taiwan. Some ATM machine accept foreign cards.