Entree Kibbles: 11 Days 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南)

Ever since I returned from my second trip to Taiwan, via Chan Brothers' See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package at the end of 2023, I told myself I would be back very soon! It didn't happen quick enough though as I only went back in January 2025!

Yes, five months ago and it took me only now to generate this posting! Please do excuse me as my backlog is incredible and I am still blogging about my Da Nang trip which I made in March 2024. My only saving grace is "late is better than never".

For this third trip to Taiwan, however, it wasn't just free and easy! It was my longest overseas trip at 11 days long, and we even decided to rent a car to navigate from one city to another. Driving isn't hard but the fact that it was left-hand drive reminded me of the accident I had in Jeju!

Day One

The Eyes In The Sky @ Taiwan

E-gates at Taoyuan International Airport

Mega Hotel (鉅陞嘉義亮點旅店)

Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路觀光夜市)

Pin An Tofu Pudding (品安豆漿豆花)

Stinky Tofu (花莲玉里臭豆腐)

Day Two

Bus No 7322 to Alishan

Dafeng Villa (大峯山莊)

Alishan Walking Trail

Li Lai Fried Food (協力旺炸雞)

Day Three

Train from Aishan to Fengqihu

Fenchihu Hotel (奮起湖大飯店)

Yahu Ekiben (雅湖鐵路便當)

Mochi (奮起湖明芳商店(515茶業)

3.00pm Complimentary Guided Tour

Fenqihu 1912 Loco Shed (1912奮起湖機關車庫)

Fenqihu Old Lower Street

Relaxation at Fenqihu Train Station

Dinner at 奮起湖樂樂花園餐飲

Day Four

8.30am Complimentary Guided Tour

Renting Car in Taiwan

Chateau de Chine Hotel (高雄翰品酒店)

Dome of Light (光之穹頂)

Liuhe Night Market (六合觀光夜市)

Day Five

Virgin Experience of Earthquake

Good Morning 早安美芝城

Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區)

Smille by Sunny Hills

Sunny Hills Kaohsiung Store

Hamasen Railway Cultural Park (哈瑪星鐵道園區)

Rice Cakes City (米糕城)

Weiwuying Metropolitan Park

Ruifeng Night Market (瑞豐夜市)

Day Six

Breakfast at 55年老店豬血湯

Wo Long Breakfast (臥龍手作早餐)

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (佛光山佛陀紀念館)

Ferry to Cijin Island

Raw Tomato with Sauce

Cijin Island (旗津岛)

Dinner at 阿榮虱目魚肉燥飯

Cijin Tianhou Temple (旗津天后宮)

Ziqiang Night Market (自強夜市)

Rehearsal for Light Show at Love River Bay

Day Seven

Turtle Mountain for the View

Dragon and Tiger Pagodas (龍虎塔)

Chiji Temple (左營城邑慈濟宮)

Spring and Autumn Pavilions (春秋閣)

Brunch at 芙蓉食堂

Preserved Fruits from 正合興蜜餞行

Anping Old Street (安平老街)

Princess & Elephant Hotel (郡象商旅)

Shennong Street (神農街)

Sweet Potato Balls from 金華特許加盟店

The Spring (河樂廣場)

Scholar Cakes (王家庄狀元粿)

Hayashi Department Store (台南林百貨)

Fucian Stinky Tofu from 初味麵館

Tainan Garden Night Market (臺南市花園夜市)

Day Eight

Jog along Tainan Canal

Breakfast at 阿鳳浮水虱目魚羹

Ping Huang Coffee (品皇咖啡觀光工廠)

Chiayi Turkey Rice from 佳佳火雞肉飯

Arwin Therapy Garden (雅聞湖濱療癒森林)
Visit to the Home of a Taiwanese Friend

Minxiong Haunted House (民雄鬼屋)

Minxiong Haunted House Coffee (民雄鬼屋咖啡)

Lamungan Rest Station

Tea Way Hotel (葉綠宿.茶覺旅)

Yizhong Street Night Market (一中街夜市)

Day Nine

National Taiwan Museum of Comics (國家漫畫博物館)

Taiwan Connection 1908

Lunch at 新社頭嵙山香菇

Lavender Forest (薰衣草森林台中新社店)

Kylin Peak Hot Spring (麒麟峰溫泉)

Shin Sei Green Waterway (新盛綠川水岸廊道)

Miyahara Eye Clinic (宮原眼科)

Fourth Credit Union (台中市第四信用合作社)

Ye House Milkfish (葉家虱目魚)

Hanxi Night Market (旱溪觀光夜市)

Day Ten

Yongquan Park (湧泉公園)

Jiu Jianguo Traditional Market (舊建國市場)

Mitsui Outlet Park Taichung Port

Taichung Port Wind Farm (臺中港風力發電站)

Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地)

Taichung Civic Square (臺中市民廣場)

Jiguang Stinky Tofu (繼光臭豆腐)

Day Eleven

Breakfast at Morni莫尼美村店

Ramen Ippudo

Smart Green Energy Themed Waiting Room

Pili Puppet Legend Themed Waiting Room

Day One (17 January 2025)

Singapore - Taoyuan - Chiayi

Arrival at Terminal 3 of Changi International Airport - I can't even remember when was my last time taking a plane from the terminal although one thing for sure; Terminal 2 was much more impressive with the likes of The Wonderfall and Dreamscape, just to name a few.

A few hours later and we were flying above Taiwan, where my breath was taken away by the impressive sight right below; peering out from the clouds were the peaks of the Central Mountain Range! More photographs to be shared under the label "the eyes in the sky".

After registering for e-gates via the counter at Taoyuan International Airport, it's a quick clearance where we picked up our luggage and proceeded out of the arrival hall.

Without wasting any time, we lugged our luggage to the MRT station which connected us to the HSR station. I didn't pre-purchase the tickets beforehand since I am unsure if there would be any delay to the flight.

A taxi ride from Chiayi HSR station finally brought us to our very first hotel in Taiwan for the trip; Mega Hotel (鉅陞嘉義亮點旅店), selected due to its close proximity to the Chiayi railway station.

Hunger beckoned and with the advice from the hotel staff, we made our way, on foot, to Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路觀光夜市)! With a nice temperature of just about 15 degrees celcius, it was a great, cooling walk! Got some guavas and beef cubes to ease the hunger.

I love beancurd and decided to check out Pin An Tofu Pudding (品安豆漿豆花), which wasn't part of the night market. Oh well, these were not bad although I still prefer the ones we have in Singapore, where it's simply beancurd with fragrant sugar syrup.

How to resist stinky tofu from a true-blue fan?! There's no English name to the stall but 花莲玉里臭豆腐 literally translated to the stinky tofu from Yuli in Hualien. Maybe because this was my first stinky tofu in a long time, it was just perfect bliss for Alex and I!

Time to sleep. p.s. photograph taken in front of Chiayi Railway Station.

Day Two (18 January 2025)

Chiayi - Alishan

Woke up to sun rays peering through the clouds, as if some celestial beings would appear shortly after! Breakfast was provided by the hotel and I was gunning to go off to our next destination! First thing - store our two pieces of large luggage with Mega Hotel and bring along the smaller, cabin-sized luggage instead.

Pity, the forest train tickets from Chiayi to Alishan were still fully sold out. :( Plan B - I had already purchased the bus tickets. p.s. was willing to sacrifice the bus tickets should there be train tickets available. Hence, let's board bus no 7322!

After a ride of about 2.5 hours, with a toilet break of about 10 minutes, we arrived at Alishan National Forest - Entrance Ticket Office, where we paid NT$150 per adult! It was drizzling, the temperature was 10 degrees celcius, and I kid you not; sipping hot soup from cup noodles and oden, purchased from 7-11, was so liberating!

The drizzle never stopped and we had to pull along our luggage, with no shelter, to our accomodation in Alishan! Brrrrrrrr. Ecstatic to finally checked in to Dafeng Villa (大峯山莊); thanks to the friendly staff who allowed early check in!

Since I had been to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area before, I couldn't wait to pull Alex out of the villa once the drizzle stopped! Given my great directional skills, we managed to hike to Chaoping train station and past Alishan Gou Hotel, where I stayed in 2024.

Destination: the Tashan Trail. This trail was the main reason why I decided to return with Alex, who loves trees! Back in 2024, I was in awe of the walk in the midst of towering cypress trees! And I am glad Alex shared the same sentiment; to the extent he hopes to come again!

Unfortunately, we didn't manage to complete the entire trail as the sun was setting soon and it seemed like the drizzle would be upon us again. It's okay; we still have the next morning to do so.

Li Lai Fried Food (協力旺炸雞) - deep fried stuff would be another comfort food in the cold weather and this particular stall had pretty good reviews on Google Maps! The Taiwanese chicken cutlet with plum powder was delish!

This particular 7-ll convenience store at Alishan was said to be located at the highest altitude in the world, at 2,200 meters! Photo companion, complimentary from the feline.

Day Three (19 January 2025)

Alishan - Fengqihu

Like my visit to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in 2024, the weather wasn't too kind. The whole place was enveloped in mist and it started drizzling again halfway through our hike. Maybe I was the jinx even though this was a poor excuse for me to start planning for a revisit to Alishan in the future!

We managed to secure the train tickets from Alishan to the old railway town of Fengqihu at NT$225 a person (about S$10)! Everything was sold out online and I had already contemplated paying about S$100 for a taxi ride instead.

Waving to the friendly visitors and residents at Shitzulu (十字路) railway station. Do you know that the section from Shitzulu to Alishan was previously closed due to Typhoon Morakot in 2009, and was only reopened in 2024?

Marveling at the natural sights as the train trudged towards our destination. Journey was slow and bumpy compared to a car but I can understand why some people would prefer the rail instead of the road.

Old Street at Fengqihu Railway Town! It's so good to be back and I can't wait to snack on the delicacies I had at the end of 2023! First thing first; check in to the hotel.

Hotels at Fengqihu were cheaper than Alishan, and we opted for Fenchihu Hotel (奮起湖大飯店), which was no stranger to me since I had their signature railway bento lunch at the same hotel in 2023.

Things didn't appear to have changed over the past one year at the old street. I managed to indulge in the aiyu jelly beverage from the same stall and the ginger cat from another shop was still there; it lost some weight though.

Railway bento lunch at Yahu Ekiben (雅湖鐵路便當) which was not bad, but why did they put bamboo shoots?! Anyway, mouth was still itchy so we also had egg-sized handmade mochi from the above shop (奮起湖明芳商店)!

Fenchihu Hotel provided complimentary guided tours for guests and we made it in time for the one at 3pm! Hosted by Shujuan, it was an exclusive tour for just Alex and I since we were the only two guests present. Informative and fun, we were also brought up to a vantage spot that commanded a great view of Fengqihu Railway Town.

Fenqihu 1912 Loco Shed (1912奮起湖機關車庫) - a museum refurbished from a train repair shed that housed some old trains, equipment, with displays of information on the history and development of the railway town.

There's also a shop cum cafe that sold a most refreshing wasabi ice cream! Priced at a not-cheap NT$150 (two for NT$200), you can also opt for oolong tea or even sakura flavours (latter tasted more like bandung).

One of the snacks I missed a lot was the above.

It also has the longest queue in Fengqihu!

The donuts from 百年檜木甜甜圈; not sure if it's my taste buds or the recipe has changed; the taste wasn't as great, lacking the wow factor that I encountered back in 2023. Well, I can thank my lucky stars that I only got one piece this time.

Do you know that the old street wasn't that old? There's an old old section by the name of Fenqihu Old Lower Street that we checked out. Given its location though, the place was pretty much deserted. On second thought, maybe it was because we went pretty late at about 5pm.

With the sun setting and the town getting quieter with the day visitors leaving, Alex and I just relaxed near the train station, enjoying the cool climate and the blue, cloudy sky above us. With the brain always working so furiously at work; it's beneficial to give it a rest by emptying all thoughts.

Intention was to have dinner at a reputable restaurant but it was closed. So we went to its next door neighbour, 樂樂花園餐飲, which also had a pretty good review score of 4.5 on Google Maps. Loving the stomach warming chicken soup and the addictive bitter tea oil chicken!

Soaking in the peaceful night.

Day Four (20 January 2025)

Fengqihu - Chiayi - Kaohsiung

Relying on the compass app on the iPhone, I gathered that this spot would be a great place for us to have our breakfast (purchased using 7-11 vouchers from Fenchihu Hotel); Crisp, cool air, coupled with the beautiful sunrise.

Attended another free guided tour by Fenchihu Hotel; hosted by Shujuan once again, we were brought on another trai; one that contained bamboos that looked round yet felt interestingly squarish! You have to touch it in order to confirm!

Rekindling my memory of the ang ku kueh lookalike from 街仔尾阿嬤草仔粿! Similar to my review of the donut, it tasted not as wonderful as I remember, less savory and the dough was thicker too.

After indulging in the signature railway bento lunch from Fenchihu Hotel (奮起湖大飯店), it's time for us to board the private transport arranged with the hotel, that would send us back to Chiayi City. Cost - NT$1800 about $77).

Instead of sending us to Mega Hotel, we decided to stop at the car rental company first and picked up our Toyota Vios, which we had reserved via Klook.com. Now that I am more acquainted, I shall book direct next time, via https://www.easyrent.com.tw/ (in Chinese)!

Picked up our luggage stored with Mega Hotel and it shall be an almost three-hour ride southwards, with a stopover at Guanmiao Service Area along No 3 National Highway, to Taiwan's third largest city, Kaohsiung!

Checked in to Chateau de Chine Hotel (高雄翰品酒店) while Alex, designated driver for the rental car as I was deemed too dangerous, proceeded to the car park right across the hotel.

Following a short rest, it's time to take the train from Yanchengpu station (near hotel) to Formosa Boulevard station, where the Dome of Light art installation impressed us!

Highly controversial night market in Kaohsiung, Liuhe Night Market (六合觀光夜市), which was said to be more for tourists than locals. Oh well, I am a tourist and I decided to check it out simply because it's just two MRT stations away from Chateau de Chine Hotel.

Aside from oden, grilled cuttlefish, beer and Taiwanese wild boar sausage from this touristy night market, we also had stinky tofu, which didn't have that strong stench and tasted quite bland.

Day Five (21 January 2025)

Kaohsiung

An otherwise pretty good sleep was suddenly disrupted when Alex shook me awake; there was an earthquake, reaching the Richter scale of 6.4 at its epicentre at Chiayi, about 100 kilometers away! Shock aside (since it was my first earthquake), I was literally pulled by Alex to get out of the shaking building! Shouldn't we take cover in the hotel instead?!

Breakfast at Good Morning 早安美芝城 as the eatery I wanted to check out had too long a queue; turned out 早安美芝城 was a chain eatery with more than a thousand branches in Taiwan!

Strolling over to Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區); more a district with numerous buildings, sculptures, arts installations, wall murals. Given the low temperature and breeze, it was a terribly relaxing walk.

I love Taiwanese pineapple cakes and there was a Sunny Hills at Pier 2! However, there was a line of customers and we decided to rest our legs at the Smille cafe next door, which was a sister brand of Sunny Hills that served mille-feuille pastries.

Queue for Sunny Hills Kaohsiung Store had cleared by the time we excited Smille! So we happily stepped into the cafe and ordered from the very limited menu. It was limited for a reason; the pineapple cake and tea / coffee were totally free!

Continuing our exploration of Pier-2 Art Center, including the Great Harbor Bridge where we can also see Kaohsiung's tallest building; the 85 Sky Tower, at 378 meters tall.

In addition to the numerous warehouses that had been converted into retail and dining spaces, it was a nice surprise to chance upon a vast space that had displays of old trains, train tracks. Turned out it was the Hamasen Railway Cultural Park (哈瑪星鐵道園區)!

Late lunch at Rice Cakes City (米糕城); the rice cake was quite similar to the braised pork rice although the dish that was the star in Alex's opinion would be the braised fish belly.

Driving out to the Weiwuying Metropolitan Park, where I hoped to catch a good view of the impressively designed National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts.

Ruifeng Night Market (瑞豐夜市) - walking distance from Kaohsiung Arena MRT station, it's the preferred night market for the locals. Huge with many food and game stalls, and best of all, almost fully sheltered.

Despite being a sweet potato lover, I never quite see the need to pay for sweet potatoes in Singapore as they were so expensive. In Taiwan, however, it was priced at just NT$40 for 10 small balls, and boy were they addictively delicious! So much so that even Alex, a non sweet potato fan, was drawn to the balls!

Day Six (22 January 2025)

Kaohsiung

With no more earthquake disturbance, I had a great sleep and kickstarted the morning with breakfast at an eatery by the name of 55年老店豬血湯, which means 55 Years Old Shop Pig Blood Soup. My objective then was their braised pork rice though.

Still hungry, we visited Wo Long Breakfast (臥龍手作早餐) just a few shops away for its traditional Taiwanese omelette that was featured on its main pull up banner with a thumbs-up.

After which was an hour-long drive on our rental car to a popular destination on the outskirt of Kaohsiung City. p.s. almost visited the cemetery.

Destination - the amazing Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (佛光山佛陀紀念館) that captivated us with its serene peacefulness, the architectural layout and the 108 meters high Shakyamuni Buddha statue! Please note that it closes on Tuesdays!

We spent so much time at the museum; we didn't even manage to check out the monastery. Understood from the friendly Taiwanese folks that there was accommodation within the monastery and it's something I would do the next time I come!

Drove back to Kaohsiung City Centre, and after parking our rented car, it's a ferry ride to another Kaohsiung attraction, Cijin Island (旗津岛)! Interesting fact; those on motorbikes can take the ferry too!

While researching for things to do and eat in Cijin, I came upon this weird dish of raw tomato with sauce. Since I am not averse to eating raw tomatoes, I guess it would be worth a try. Even if Alex decides not to share, I am happy to finish up this healthy fruit all by myself.

Exploring Cijin Island (旗津岛); with the limited time we had, we covered very little. Just the old street and Cijin beach; latter of which was filled with black sand and said to be haunted!

Unwinding with the setting sun.

Time for dinner as we didn't really have a proper lunch earlier; milkfish dinner at 阿榮虱目魚肉燥飯! If my mom were with us, I guarantee you that she would have milkfish every day should she be in Kaohsiung.

Cijin Tianhou Temple (旗津天后宮) - don't belittle this small temple as it has a history going back to the 1600s and honored Mazu, Goddess of the Sea and Protector of Fishermen.

Back to hotel, rest a while and grabbed over to Ziqiang Night Market (自強夜市) as Alex doesn't like to drive at night! Turned out the night market wasn't too expectation although I did manage to find great gems; namely the original sugar rice cake and the boneless fried chicken with sour plum (豬豬大王)!

On our walk back to Chateau de Chine Hotel, we were lucky to catch some light rehearsals at the Love River Bay, which included the uniquely designed Kaohsiung Music Center.

Day Seven (23 January 2025)

Kaohsiung - Tainan

Deciding to make the most out of the day, where we would be staying only one night in Tainan, we checked out of Chateau de Chine Hotel before 9am, and visited the Turtle Mountain. The mountain, more a hill, wasn't part of the deal actually.

My intention was to have a viewpoint of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas (龍虎塔), which was featured in many travel videos and itineraries! It was with disappointment though since both pagodas were closed and I can't continue with the route to enter from the dragon's mouth and exit through the tiger's mouth.

Following a short visit to Chiji Temple (左營城邑慈濟宮), where our aim was the washrooms, we proceeded to Spring and Autumn Pavilions (春秋閣). This time, I managed to go in from the dragon's mouth and exit from its butt.

Returned to our parked rental car, and drove for an hour odd to Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan! First stop would be brunch at 芙蓉食堂! This was a highly anticipated meal since this eatery was featured on two separate food shows; and it was a 101% satisfaction!

蜜餞, preserved fruits, was said to be a specialty of Tainan and a Taiwanese friend had asked Alex to help him buy from 正合興蜜餞行. As my mom loves preserved fruits too, I bought a few packets for her. Regretted not buying more as she said it was the best she had so far in her life!

Limited time in Tainan means it's more efficient to check out the nearby Anping Old Street (安平老街), which had been in existence for more than 300 years! Fun fact: the actual street is now known as Yanping Street.

Checking in to Princess & Elephant Hotel (郡象商旅)! As we had a rental car, the priority when selecting a hotel would be the provision of free parking! Secondary factors include pricing, location and whether there is a gym.

Shennong Street (神農街) - used to be an entrance to a river port, it has now transformed into a narrow street similar to Haji Lane in Singapore. Maybe because I went in the late afternoon, it wasn't as crowded as Anping Old Street.

After having some sweet potato balls from 金華特許加盟店, we came upon an usual plaza known as The Spring (河樂廣場). At first look, I thought it was a half demolished building left to ruins!

Scholar Cakes from the Family of Wang (王家庄狀元粿) - this was one of the street snacks I had on my first trip to Taiwan (back in 2014). The boss claimed his would be the best. Well, one man's meat could be another man's poison.

Grand and elegant Hayashi Department Store (台南林百貨); opened to much fanfare in 1932, closed after world war two, and restored in 2014, shopaholics would enjoy the wide variety of distinctive products for sale whereas history buffs would immerse in the shinto shrine on the top floor, the antiquated lift and the holes in the wall sustained from bombings during the war.

Fucian Stinky Tofu from 初味麵館.

In my honest opinion, too much sauce!

Took Grab and ventured to Tainan Garden Night Market (臺南市花園夜市); big and crowded it was even though the chilly weather made the experience very bearable! Imagine if it is the same situation in Singapore.

Alex preferred the peace and quiet, and decided to seek refuge at Starbucks, with a cup of hot chocolate! Unlike him, I really don't see the point of spending my money, time and calories at a cafe I could easily find on our little red dot.

Day Eight (24 January 2025)

Tainan - Chiayi - Taichung

Princess & Elephant Hotel doesn't come with a gym but I am happy to jog outdoors, so long there isn't any rain! It's also an opportunity to explore the surroundings; in this case, running alongside the Tainan canal.

Milkfish seemed to be a specialty for the southern parts of Taiwan; hence, we picked 阿鳳浮水虱目魚羹 for breakfast, where we had milkfish thick soup! I was expecting slices of milkfish; turned out to be more like fishballs, albeit tastier than the fishballs I am accustomed to having in Singapore.

Before checking out the hotel, let me show you the mosquito bites on my legs! While they didn't develop into pus-filled cores, the itch was so unbearable; I had to seek help in a pharmacy and they don't sell the magical mobiko!

A 90-minute drive later, we reached Ping Huang Coffee – Tourism Factory (品皇咖啡觀光工廠), where we arranged to meet up with Alex's Taiwanese friend. So glad to be brought here as this factory is definitely not something I found online or from travel blogs / books.

After purchasing a ton of instant coffee from Ping Huang Coffee (sampling helped a lot), it's time to finally check out the turkey rice, a signature of Chiayi! Our original intended stall was closed and our Taiwanese friend directed us to 佳佳火雞肉飯 instead. p.s. not bad but chicken rice from Singapore better.

Arwin Therapy Garden (雅聞湖濱療癒森林) - funnily, we returned back to the boundary of Tainan to check out this new yet free attraction! Essentially a tourism factory with huge swathes of rose gardens that my dad would definitely soak in the beauty! Do check out the retail building for purchases of products like soaps, perfume etc.

How does a house in a Taiwanese rural area look like? We paid a short visit to the house of the Taiwanese friend and checked out the small plot of farmland his family owned!

I am a fan of paranormal and came upon this most haunted house in Taiwan; Minxiong Haunted House (民雄鬼屋). Since we had a rented car and it's at Chiayi, no reason why we can't drop it for a short while! There was a strange thing that happened! Shall share more in the detailed posting.

Car can be parked at the cafe next 'door', which was named Minxiong Haunted House Coffee (民雄鬼屋咖啡); definitely to bank on the "popularity" of the house. A purchase at the cafe was required in order to park our and we got approval to check out the haunted house first. History of the haunted house was explained in details within the cafe.

Driving northwords along No 3 National Highway! We were advised by the locals that no 1 and 3 national highways are almost parallel but no 3 has lesser traffic; hence, easier and less stressful to drive.

Stopping over at Lamungan Rest Station along as it was getting dark and Alex needed a rest. Guess what we had for dinner? Burger King; nothing beats comfortable fast food in Alex's opinion. For me, I love overseas rest stations / service areas as they often offered local products that sometimes can't be found elsewhere.

Last hotel for our 11-day trip; Tea Way Hotel (葉綠宿.茶覺旅) at Taichung! I chose this for its proximity to Taichung Railway station and there's a carpark within the hotel. Sadly, it was full and we were sent to another carpark around 300 meters away, where we waited more than 30 minutes for an empty lot!

Frustration aside, we walked over to the nearby Yizhong Street Night Market (一中街夜市) for supper, and ended the night with the indulgence of a most delicious stinky tofu from 迷你一口臭豆腐 and freshly fried chicken from 胖子雞丁雞排.

Day Nine (25 January 2025)

Taichung

No gym at Tea Way Hotel so a jog shall be the way to burn off the calories! I planned the route beforehand and jogged towards the National Taiwan Museum of Comics (國家漫畫博物館), which felt more like a Japanese village! Anyway, it was still closed as I was too early.

Taiwan Connection 1908 would not have been strange as a name for a cafe but this was a refurbished path that used to be a railway track! Similar to the Rail Corridor in Singapore although this was just about 1.6 kilometers long.

Driving to the Xinshe district, we stopped over at Tou Ke Shan Mushroom (新社頭嵙山香菇) for lunch, and the opportunity to purchase dried mushroom snacks, aside from fresh and dried mushrooms! Plenty of sampling and the pricing was reasonable.

After driving along the meandering, narrow mountain roads, we finally arrived at Lavender Forest (薰衣草森林台中新社店); an invigorating yet relaxed space that was therapeutic for the tired body and soul.

Taiwan is also well-known for its hot springs and since Kylin Peak Hot Spring (麒麟峰溫泉) was along the return way back to Taichung City; we decided to swing by! I forgot to bring along our swimwear for the outdoor pool and had to make do with the much smaller indoor hot spring bath instead.

On our way back to Tea Way Hotel, Alex insisted on going to Yizhong Street for the stinky tofu by 迷你一口臭豆腐! Oh well, why not since I am a huge fan of this pungent snack!

Alex took a nap in the hotel whereas hyperactive me chose to go walk-walk. Ventured to the nearby the Shin Sei Green Waterway (新盛綠川水岸廊道); an oasis in the midst of the concrete jungle. It felt like home as most visitors seemed to be from Southeast Asia, and I guess it had to do with the ASEAN Square next door.

Miyahara Eye Clinic (宮原眼科) was already famous when I came to Taichung back in 2014; despite its name, the products for sale were edible, and perishables. Signature product would have to be its ice cream but it's mainly for takeaways since reservation was known to be super hard.

Grateful to the friendly staff who told me there's a sister branch that allowed customers to sit in - Fourth Credit Union (台中市第四信用合作社). Similar to Miyahara, the original facade was retained. We got a triple-scoop ice cream, with three free luxury toppings for NT$265. Pricey yet totally worth it!

Light dinner at Ye House Milkfish (葉家虱目魚); I am not very adventurous when it comes to food and in Taiwan, you could always count on me having stinky tofu, braised pork rice and milkfish on a very frequent basis.

Dinner was light for a reason as my aim was to head to Hanxi Night Market (旱溪觀光夜市). Super duped packed, I read that the visitor count averaged about 20,000-30,000! I had this candied diced sweet potatoes that were to die-for!

Day Ten (26 January 2025)

Taichung

Another morning, another jog. This time, I shall jog to Yongquan Park (湧泉公園), an ecological park that housed a former sugar refinery; the Teikoku Sugar Factory.

I noticed a traditional market from my room at Tea Way Hotel and it turned out to Jiu Jianguo Market (舊建國市場). As you can see from the photograph, motorbikes weaved in and out and it was packed at some segments! Maybe because it was very close to the lunar new year.

Cruising over to Mitsui Outlet Park Taichung Port using our rental car; the outlet shopping experience was below our expectation but I guess it had to do with the winter season. I did manage to purchase a piggy bank from Eslite Bookstore though.

My eventual goal to travel to this far west part of Taichung City was to check out the Taichung Port Wind Farm (臺中港風力發電站), which I didn't manage to visit when I was in Taichung in 2023! Majestic and gigantic the wind turbines were, and boy were they noisy!

Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地) was a place I have been to although I didn't manage to walk on the boardwalk that led out almost 800 meters into the wetlands! Luck was on our side this time and with the insanely strong wind blowing at us; it was an unforgettable experience.

A chanced visit to Taichung Civic Square (臺中市民廣場), where locals were just simply enjoying; from having picnics, to flying kites etc. What came to mind was two Chinese characters "惬意" , described as "a state of comfort and enjoyment".

Jiguang Stinky Tofu (繼光臭豆腐) - I am not shy to confirm that I had stinky tofu almost every day in Taiwan, except for the days I was at Alishan. Anyway, one thing I realized about stinky tofu in Taichung; it seemed to be the norm for them to have minced garlic paste poured into the middle of each tofu!

While Alex was resting in the hotel (driving took a physical toll on him), I carried on in exploring the surroundings, and spent quite a while at Kuangnan Wholesale Shop, eventually buying a few piggy banks on our last night in Taiwan...

Day Eleven (27 January 2025)

Taichung - Taoyuan - Singapore

A rainy morning that rendered a jog impossible. Therefore, let's pack up, check out of the hotel and drive to Morni莫尼美村店 for a typical Taiwanese breakfast, that failed to perk me up.

Returned the rented car at Taichung High Speed Rail station and while waiting for our departure via HSR (which I had booked in advance), I went for my first noodle meal in Taiwan; Ramen Ippudo!

HSR train towards Taoyuan International Airport! Standard seat was selected as journey would only take us less than 40 minutes. Business seat cost about double and I guess I am too poor to pay for that.

Our luggage back to Singapore! Remembering how I was 20 kilograms over the limit back in 2014, I thought it wouldn't happen this time. But it did, and I scrambled to squeeze in more things into our backpacks, in addition to having to hand-carry our cabin luggage, instead of checking in as I always do.

As a proud Singaporean, I always feel that Changi International Airport is indeed the best. However, one thing paled in comparison to Taoyuan International Airport; their 31 waiting rooms all have a theme! The ones I went to this time would be the Smart Green Energy Waiting Room and

Pili Puppet Legend Waiting Room!

Time to return to Singapore.