sean Posted February 20, 2011 been having this weird, recurring craving the last few weeks to live in taipei for a few months. not sure if i'll follow through with it yet. but i'm curious, are there are any fellow bums in taipei? anyone with experience living there? anyone with an opinion whether i should do it or not? sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gerard Posted February 20, 2011 Hi Sean, Yes. You'll love it!! But also staying longer than that depends on how busy you'll like your environment, because Taipei is a very busy place. You've in there two of the best IMA teachers in today's world: Bagua guides Eric Luo of the Gao style (Luo Dexiu) and He Jinghan of the Gong Baotian style ( check out this thread, please as there is a lot of valuable info in there). Amongst HJH's students you'll come across Western Buddhist monk, Miro. You can learn a lot from him as well, including advice about living in Taipei. I can also provide you that advice as well, just ask in this thread or by PM if you feel more comfortable. Btw, don't forget to get into the wonderful world of "Cha Dao" (Way of Tea) if you are keen. Taipei is oolong tea haven. Good luck if you finally decide to make the move. Blessings, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sean Posted February 21, 2011 thanks for the help gerard! fwiw, right now most of my questions have become logistical: how to handle visa requirements - e.g., should i pre-apply for some kind of extended visa while i'm here, or just extend my visa when i get there. decent studio in $400/month price range cheapest flights (i usually use hipmunk.com or kayak.com) where to study Chinese - you mentioned National Taiwan University anything I need to know in advance about training with Luo De Xiu or He Jing-han (e.g., can I just show up? what are the fees?) any good groups to practice stillness meditation (sitting or standing)? ideally it'd be great to connect with someone over there already that'd be up for helping me a bit while i get settled in. sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gerard Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) thanks for the help gerard! YMW, what a place to be... fwiw, right now most of my questions have become logistical: how to handle visa requirements - e.g., should i pre-apply for some kind of extended visa while i'm here, or just extend my visa when i get there. If you can extend your VISA now do so but I don't think you can. However I am not 100% sure what would happen if you come to Taiwan as a student of Chinese language, otherwise you have to exit Taiwan (simplest and most economical way is to fly to HK and then back to Taipei (normally foreigners spend a weekend in HK for that purpose). Ask here: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewforum.php?f=67'>http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewforum.php?f=67 decent studio in $400/month price range Please ask in tealit.com: http://www.tealit.com/ad_categories.php?section_id=31 And here: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/ cheapest flights (i usually use hipmunk.com or kayak.com) Ask in the Forumosa forum as well since most of the users are either American or Canadian. where to study Chinese - you mentioned National Taiwan University That particular University offers very well structured classes for people from non-Chinese speaking background. Their fees back in 2005 were 20,000 NTD (New Taiwanese dollars) per semester. Ask in that forum about current tuition fees. anything I need to know in advance about training with Luo De Xiu or He Jing-han (e.g., can I just show up? what are the fees?) Nope. Just show up in there but letting them know first about your interest in becoming a student. He Jinghan can be contacted by e-mail: baguaquan [at] giga.net.tw To contact Luo Dexiu you need to go through one of his senior students travels to Europe, UK and the US quite often. Link here: http://www.yizongbagua.com/YZ_instructors.htm (click on where it reads Beth Snowberger) They teach very different styles of Bagua but it would be good idea to attend the first class as an introductory class (no obligation), and see which one suits you best. HJH teaches every Sunday morning at a central location in Taipei, and so does LDX. Fees: $4000 NTD 4 days a week, 8pm to 10pm (LDX)$2000 NTD once a week 9am to 12 noon (HJH) This was back in 2005. Ask them about today's fees via e-mail. any good groups to practice stillness meditation (sitting or standing)? No idea. But you could ask this guy: http://chessman71.wordpress.com/about-2/ His e-mail address is at the bottom of the page. He used to sell a guide about everything IMA in Taiwan, including Taipei. He might have that info you require. ideally it'd be great to connect with someone over there already that'd be up for helping me a bit while i get settled in. Once you attend any of those Bagua classes, you'll certainly meet numerous Westerners that are willing to help. We are a great family. Good luck! Edited February 23, 2011 by Gerard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sean Posted February 21, 2011 Good luck! 谢谢! really appreciate your help. *deep bow* sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
de_paradise Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) yeah, lived many years in Taipei and other cities. The info Gerard gave is spot on mostly. For Visa Ive always taken the approach of worry about that later, because its simpler to fly in and stay one month on a free landing pass, then when you use that up, go to HK or Manila (on cebu pacific $100 round trip) or BKK and get that 2 month extendable type, cost $60 or close. In fact I will be doing this in about 2 weeks, hit a massage or yoga course thingy in Thailand, and then come back. If you wanted to live in a more Chill place, you can think about Hualien, which is more coastal beauty type of city, lower prices (I pay $200 for a studio) for food etc. There is a Buddhist Tzu Ji University that do language courses, and you also can volenteer and go with the organization, http://eng.tcu.edu.tw/detail.php?recordID=3. its not expensive and of high repute. In Taipei for language courses, you can more easily get into a course at Shi-Da, not the Tai-da (NTU), which is a more formal semester year. Anyway, most foreigners get sucked into Taipei for the women and the excitement and the English teaching jobs and more expats to hang with. I guess the Bagua is worth it. But I dont really spend much time in Taipei anymore because of the pollution, and by May I will flee altogether from the heat. Anyway, Hualien is beautiful and fresh air, lots of bike paths and walks, zen monks all around. Heres the link to the language school: http://www.language.tcu.edu.tw/detail.php?recordID=3 and some pics: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1149&bih=565&q=hualien+taiwan&gbv=2&aq=1&aqi=g6g-m1&aql=&oq=hualienMy link Edited February 21, 2011 by de_paradise Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gerard Posted February 21, 2011 ...I guess the Bagua is worth it. Of course it is, to the point that HJH has a student travelling back and forth between the capital and the countryside just for Bagua reasons. That's what I call commitment since travelling around Taiwan is not the easiest thing to do due to its heavy population and poor infrastructure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sean Posted March 2, 2011 de_paradise, awesome, thanks for the tips. still in research mode, figuring out where i'm going next. but if i come over your way it would be great to meetup. best, sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
de_paradise Posted March 3, 2011 de_paradise, awesome, thanks for the tips. still in research mode, figuring out where i'm going next. but if i come over your way it would be great to meetup. best, sean Sure man, would be cool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YZBG Posted March 18, 2011 Hello, You can find up-to-date information on Luo Dexiu here : http://www.yizong.org/ You can contact him by email : [email protected] Regards, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
