Field Trip Itinerary
Waffle House
Center of Campus
Library
Koi Pond
Dining Hall 1
Lake
Dining Hall 2
Field Trip Schedule
NCTU Trip We started our half-day trip at 10 am at Shine Mood (“Waffle House”) in the center of NCTU’ s campus. The outdoor restaurant serves waffles, coffee and tea, with a 5 NT dollar discount for students. There are two accessible ramps at the entrance of the restaurant, both are wide with a very gentle slope and easy for wheelchair users to use. All seating is outdoor, under the shade of large trees. The chairs can be moved and the table is high enough for a wheelchair to fit under. There is not a bathroom at the restaurant, and the closest accessible one is in the IT building next door. We ordered Taiwanese bubble tea and waffles and sat and chatted about school and our plans for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival vacation.
After finishing our food, we walked to the center of campus nearby to take pictures and get a little sunshine. The center of campus has beautiful abstract sculptures, green grass and open space. On the weekend, you can see many families bring their children to play in the grass and eat lunch. Although there are many steps, on one side, there is a large accessible ramp to reach the top.
The day was perfect to be outdoors with the sun shining brightly, even though it was a little hot. After we took some pictures, we decided to go the library, just beside the center of campus. The library has nine floors, including a basement. Students can use their student IDs to enter and guests need to check in at the front desk. The front doors are automatic and wide. After entering, on the left, there are several art displays which we looked at for a short time. The art is changed regularly. Xiaozhi told us she rarely goes into the library because she is afraid of disturbing others when her wheelchair beeps backing up. The elevator to the basement floor is very narrow, only allowing one wheelchair and one other person to fit at a time.
After taking the elevator to the basement floor, there is an accessible bathroom. There is also a small cafe, called Minerva. There are steps leading down into the cafe and a small ramp on one side. Xiaozhi said the ramp was too narrow and difficult for her to use so we did not go into Minerva as we originally planned. The basement exit of the library has an automatic door on the outside, but the interior door is not automatic. It seems like poor design.
Beside the large column outside the library, there is an accessible ramp. Next, we headed to the Koi Pond beside Dining Hall 1. There are two ramps, one steeper than the other. Xiaozhi said she could handle the steep one and drove up it faster than we could walk. Non-automatic wheelchairs or walkers may have a more difficult time using that ramp.
The koi pond is a great place to relaxand sit with friends. You can feed thefish or ducks. The walkway beside thepond is relatively flat and Xiaozhi hadno problem driving along it. We hadplanned to use the front entrance to getinto Dining Hall one, but found that thewalkway was too narrow and steep.Nola’s kitchen, one of the most famousrestaurants on campus, also does nothave an accessible entrance orbathroom. There is a step going intothe front door. Instead, we took thepath around the koi pond and throughthe back entrance. There, there is anaccessible ramp with handrails.
Dining Hall 1 has only a handful of restaurants and a HiLife convenience store. Xiaozhi thinks it is the worst dining hall on campus. After she showed us the convenience of sitting at the tables there, we decided to go straight to the lake. Instead of eating there, we went to Dining Hall 2 and ate at Xiaozhi’s favorite restaurant Duo Duo. The path down to the lake is along an even, accessible sidewalk.The walkway is mostly covered by trees and is often littered with leaves, meaning it can be slippery after it rains.
After we reached the lake, Xiaozhi pointed out the “accessible ramp”. However, the odd angle and low fence made the ramp very dangerous to use. We had to stay on the sidewalk as there was no other accessible entrance.
Leaving the lake and heading towards Dining Hall 2, Xiaozhi had to drive along the road. Sometimes, cars drive by too fast and it can be dangerous. Once we reached the dining hall, we entered through the front door. The back door has steps and is inaccessible. The bathrooms there are very small with a slight step to get in. The elevator is also very narrow. We ended the day eating at Duo Duo on the second floor. The international food is fresh and inexpensive. It was the perfect end to a great day spent among friends!
NTHU Trip
We met at 10am by the NCTU swimming pool. There is a small footpath leading to NTHU behind the pool. There is a metal block to prevent scooters from taking the path, but it can also prevent wheelchairs from passing. However, Xiaozhi has a special remote that drops the metal block to allow her to pass. She has one class every week in NTHU, so she must use this every time she goes.
After travelling along the path for about 10 minutes, we arrived in NTHU. Part of the way, we had to travel along the road. Xiaozhi said cars are usually not too fast along the road, but it is still a bit dangerous.
We first visited the art center in the center of NTHU’s campus. There are two accessible ramps leading to the main entrance. One is very steep, but the other has a more gradual slope and handrails. The doors are automatic and wide. There was an exhibition on the first floor hall which was very crowded. We checked out a few exhibits and then left to see the library. Behind the art center, there is a wide open space with several sculptures. There are several accessible ramps and an even walkway.
Next, we visited the library. There are a few cafes (one with a very large and cute teddy bear you can take pictures with) and art centers that were not open when we visited. On the way to the library we had to cross the road, but most of the path was along sidewalks. The front and back doors are automatic and easy to enter. However, the elevator is too small. Xiaozhi said she could not get in with her wheelchair. There was a blackboard in the center of the walkway. We took some time drawing and chatting. Check out Cedric’s unicorn!
After leaving the library, we traveled to the lake and outdoor waffle house nearby. Most of the path is along the road, with very narrow and rocky sidewalks.
The waffle house was closed the morning we visited, so we did not get to buy any tea. Right behind the waffle house is the lake. There are blocks that make it very difficult for wheelchairs to access. Xiaozhi had to try several times before we could get close to the lake. The boardwalk is also not even. We spent a few minutes walking around the lake and taking pictures. Most of the area is covered with trees and very comfortable even in the hot weather.
After a few hours of walking, we were both hungry and thirsty. Our last stop was to the dining hall behind the lake. We had to get back onto the main road to reach the dining hall. The campus is less accessible than NCTU with most walkways made of rough stone. Doorways and elevators are smaller than most of the ones at NCTU. The campus is also larger. Xiaozhi had a more difficult time getting around.
We ended the day on the third floor of the dining hall, eating “Zhou” and onion pancakes. There are several restaurants options, all very affordable. We took the same path back to NCTU after we finished eating. We would like to thank Xiaozhi for taking time to show us around both campuses and helping us understand how different life can be for disabled. She highlighted several areas that needed improvement on both campuses.
Transportation - How to get there
1. 一般公車及低底盤公車/火車 (by Buses and Train, including low-floor buses)
- Railway: Western Line → Hsinchu Station, then take Bus #2 to National Chiao Tung University (busdrives to center of campus)
- High Speed Rail: THRS → Zhubei Station, then take Yellow #1782 to National Chiao Tung University
(bus stop is 10 minute walk from campus, better to take a taxi from bus stop)
2. 開車 (by Car)
- From north, heading south towards Hsinchu (Taipei, Taoyuan)
Take Sun Yat-sen Freeway (國道1) →Take exit 95A-新竹 → Keep left towards Guangfu Rd → Makea slight left onto (University Road) 大學路
- From south, heading north to Hsinchu (Taichung, Miaoli)
Take Sun Yat-sen Freeway (國道1) →Take exit 95B-新竹 toward Science Park → Keep left at thefork, follow signs for N.T.H.U/N.C.T.U → Use the left lane to continue on Exit 新竹交流道(科學園區) →Turn left at the 1st cross street onto 新安路 → Turn right into NCTU campusd -> Gongyuan Road
