Taiwan January 2013 (Part 1)

This is my first travel post! It will be about our free and easy trip to Taiwan from January 23rd to 29th 2013. This trip was supposed to be our graduation trip and because we went on an off-peak period we were able to enjoy cheaper tickets. For this trip, I only brought my film cameras and the photos posted here were by my Canon-A1. It will be my second time to Taiwan and I might post some of the highlights from my first trip too.

We reached Taoyuan Airport in the wee morning and had breakfast at the airport itself. After some transfers, we made our way to Taoyuan HSR station and then took a 90 minutes train ride to Zuoying HSR station to get to Kaohsiung.

Most of the passengers slept or played with their gizmos throughout the ride

Lobster Salad Onigiri and Bottled Milk Tea from 7-11.

We grabbed some snacks before the journey at 7-11, what I like about Taiwan's 7-11 is their variety of food - both cooked and instant. They have a wide selection of fresh sushi, salad and oden that are surprisingly tasty and really affordable.

After more MRT transfers, we finally made it to Central Park MRT station and checked into our hotel for the next two nights, Mirador Hotel. Even though Mirador Hotel was a distance away from the station and we had some difficulties locating it at first, the interior design and coziness of the hotel was worth all the trouble. The hotel is designed in an European style, with Greek statues and fountains decorating the lounge area and sky garden.

This is what greeted us when we first stepped into Mirador Hotel.

We then explored the area around our hotel for a place to grab lunch and rest our weary shoulders and feet.

Rustic buildings at Kaohsiung.

We had lunch at a western cafe nearby and while the food wasn't anything extraordinary, we were blown away by their hospitality. They knew that we were tourists and started chatting with us, giving us valuable tips and advice on where we should visit and how to get there. They even took out their guide books and googled directions for us. I think we were very lucky to be greeted by such warmth and hospitality the first day we stepped there.

The cafe is packed with students.

Very cozy and homely.

We spent our evening wandering around Kaohsiung Harbour and just taking in the sights of places like Pier 2 Art District and Love River.

Residential homes and shops right next to the tourist spots.

Kaohsiung Museum of Labour located in one of the warehouses at Pier 2 Art District.

Retired Trains at Takao Railway Museum.

For our second day in Kaohsiung, we took a train to the nearest station and rented a bicycle and cycled all the way to Cijin Island.  Since there were 3 of us, Xl and Gel shared a twin bike and I cycled alone. What a ride that was! It was our first time cycling on the roads and alongside all the traffic. I do not know what possessed us to be so daring and adventurous. We cycled along the main roads and back alleys and we weren't even sure of the directions, relying only on what the storekeeper told us and a flimsy piece of map. I think that at one point we almost cycled right into the expressway. 

In order to get to Cijin Island, we have to take a short ferry ride. Together with other cyclists and motor-bikers, we occupied the lower deck of the ferry, while the other passengers sat comfortably on the upper deck.

We spent the afternoon cycling and exploring the island. Since we were cycling most of the time, I didn't take much photos.

The rented bicycle that took us on the adventure in Cijin Island.

Chinese lanterns at the temple.

Before we ended the night, we visited Liuhe night market. A must try there is their seafood and the famous papaya milk!