After yesterday’s whirlwind tour of Taichung, I decided to continue moving south. Taichung train station looked different from when I arrived . Going to Chiayi was a stopover before heading for Alishan National Park, a place with stunning mountains. It was a popular tourist destination. In Chiayi, I was staying in a capsule hostel with … Continue reading / view photos Chaotic Chiayi
Author: Praful
A tour of Taichung
A work colleague of Helene’s knew someone who lived in Taichung. This colleague connected her Taiwanese friend and me on the off chance that I’d go to Taichung and we’d both be free to meet. Well, here I was in Taichung, a place I’d not heard off that long ago! The person who lived in … Continue reading / view photos A tour of Taichung
Taichung
I had more to see in Taipei but my hostel had no vacancies beyond the period I’d booked. I had a choice: find other accommodation in Taipei or go to another place. When I’d got to Taiwan, I was largely clueless about the country and what I would do. However, talking to other travellers and … Continue reading / view photos Taichung
Yangmingshan National Park
I found it alien that you could take a bus from central Taipei and, an hour later, be surrounded by mountains. Yangmingshan National Park has many trails and hikes for people of all abilities. Determining the bus to take was confusing since everything I read said get the “red 5 bus” to Yangmingshan bus terminal. … Continue reading / view photos Yangmingshan National Park
Taipei 101 observatory
I had a quiet second day in Taipei but continuing the theme from the first full day, I went to another popular site: the Taipei 101 observation deck. I bought a ticket online to bypass the huge queues on the day. I’ve been to a few observation decks, but this was impressive in so many … Continue reading / view photos Taipei 101 observatory
Getting a feel for Taipei
As strange as it may seem, I came to Taiwan because it was in East Asia, where I was travelling on this trip, and not because I’ve always wanted to come here. So, when I arrived, I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew two facts about Taiwan: But that knowledge was of no use … Continue reading / view photos Getting a feel for Taipei
Arriving in Taiwan
I’m not sure if it’s possible but I wasn’t able to get Taiwanese currency in Japan. On landing in Taipei my priority was to find an ATM machine. The airport authorities must be aware of this and there were plenty of cash machines, and they didn’t charge you commission. Like Japan, passengers were supposed to … Continue reading / view photos Arriving in Taiwan
Leaving Japan
Helene departed a day before I left for my next destination. My flight to Taiwan was at 6am. I booked a hostel close to the airport so that I could maximise sleep time and minimise travel time. Even with that I still had to wake at 3am. I arrived at the Tokyo hostel early. It … Continue reading / view photos Leaving Japan
Winding down in Tokyo
We had enjoyed staying near Ueno. It was close to a park and metro, and we were familiar with the area. However, holiday season was hotting up. More people were arriving. It was the first time since the pandemic that Japan was fully open in the uninhibited way it had been before. Cherry blossom season … Continue reading / view photos Winding down in Tokyo
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Our train to Tokyo was at lunch time. We had time to walk around central Hiroshima and visit some places on our list. After putting our luggage in the locker, we took a tourist bus to the Peace Memorial Museum. This was as poignant as it was harrowing. The Peace Memorial Park, in which the … Continue reading / view photos Hiroshima Peace Memorial