Friday, April 12, 2024

Taiwan (Post Covid-19 Overseas Visit No 8 - My 20 days Free & Easy Visit to Taiwan) March 7 > 26 2024

" Travel is seen as an extension of the journey of LIFE. The journey is perceived as more important than the destination " 

Its Spring time in Taiwan, the weather in Taipei was around 13c in early March & in smaller village towns up north the weather was much colder (10c) especially at night. Coming from a tropical country ie Malaysia, our group has to adapt to this weather changes so a thick blanket is needed to keep our body shields from the cold spell while sleeping ! 

Why Taiwan ? Here are some of our reasons for visiting this island country in East Asia surrounded by East & South China Seas & northwestern Pacific Ocean. 

  • My last visit to Taiwan (package tour) with my wife was in Nov 2004, 20 years ago !
  • My travel buddy, Thompson & his wife's first time visit to Taiwan
  • Focusing our visit on the north & west coast of Taiwan (Taipei, Ruifang, Houtong, Shifen, Pingxi, Jiufen, Keelung, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan & Kaohsiung) 
  • Travel plan to include the top rated sights of Taiwan ie Yehliu Geopark, Yangmingshan National Park, Sun Moon Lake, Alishan Forest Railway, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, Jiufen, Shifen, Pingxi & Houtong
  • Pick the month of early March to travel due to cool weather & the Sakura season
  • Savouring the local Taiwanese food especially the xiaolongbao, white carrot pork rib soup, braised pork rice, meat broth noodle soup, soya drink, carrot cakes, sugarcane smoked chicken, yam bread &  pastries, Taro balls red bean dessert, bubble tea black jelly iced dessert etc  

Lady luck was with us as our group was able to view cherry blossoms in Yangmingshan National Park & the Japanese Cherry Garden in Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Square !  

In addition, my wife was particularly pleased with the outcome of our group's visit to Yeliu Geopark & Thermal Valley in Beitou, Taipei. 

After our group's return to Kuala Lumpur on March 26 2024, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 (strongest in 25 years) hit the coast of rural, mountainous Hualien County (including Taroko Gorge) on Wednesday April 3 2024, injuring more than 1,000 people & a reported death of 17 people to-date & over 100 buildings have been damaged ! Every efforts are now being made to rescue as many people (stranded or trapped) as possible affected by this strong earthquake. Let's hope that tourism activities in Hualien County will be back to normal soon ! I am sorry for those whose families lost their loved ones in this natural disaster & unfortunate incident ! 


For this 20 days free & easy Taiwan trip, there was no "People Mountain People Sea" phenomenon in major tour sites our group visited. Everything seemed to be working well & in order, people are friendly & approachable, pedestrian friendly in zebra crossings, trains were on time, no major communication issue as all our group member could converse in Mandarin reasonably well & as for me in Hokkien dialect as well. There were no major traffic jam in highways & unusually long queue in ticketing counters & entrance sites, public transport is equally efficient, use of EasyCard (smart card) to pay for nation-wide public transport rides especially metro, trains & buses ! What a stress free Taiwan visit for us ! Using public transport ie train, Metro, bus & at times Uber cab, we were able to show up in all the touristy places & return. By the time we completed our Taiwan visit, it is heartening to note that our group was able to fulfil our dreams of seeing the top notch tourist attractions in Taiwan as planned. Simply said, if our group desires to visit a mountain scenic area, we "got mountain" to view eg Yangmingshan, Alishan & Fo Guang Shan, as for scenic lake & waterfront area, we "got water or deep blue sea" eg Sun Moon Lake, Yehliu Fishing Port & Tamsui, not to forget the Dome of Light in Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung & the tall Taipei 101, both "got light & height" to boast about ! As soon as our group landed in Taipei, we "got xiaolongbao", steaming hot to eat as a snack or simple lunch so happy eating & happy sightseeing, KM ! What else, KM ? What about "Got Old Streets", "Got Morning Markets", "Got Night Markets", "Got Sky Lanterns". "Got Old Chinese Temples" & last but not the least, "Got Cats" to play friend ! 

In summary, my 20 days Sakura season visit in Taiwan, a small island country "Got Mountain Got Water" once upon a time called Formosa was a fruitful one, there was no "People Mountain People Sea" in major tourist sites I visited so sleep well & enjoy your stay in Taiwan !  Here goes my story of this beautiful Formosa island called Taiwan "Got Mountain & Got Water", a great country for a short holiday especially for oldies !      

Got Mountain 

  • Yangmingshan National Park, New Taipei City 
  • Yehliu Geopark, Wanli, New Taipei City
  • Qingjing Farm, Nantou County
  • Alishan National Scenic Area, Chiayi County
  • Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum & Monastery, Kaohsiung
Alishan National Scenic Area

Got Water
  • Golden Anchor Walkway of Tamsui River, New Taipei City
  • Thermal Valley, Beitou, Taipei 
  • Shifen Waterfalls, New Taipei City
  • Yehliu Fishing Port
  • Sun Moon Lake, Nantou County
  • Anping Canal Park, Tainan
  • Anping Recreational Wharf, Tainan
  • Taijiang National Park, Tainan
  • Maritime Plaza, Keelung City 
  • Love River Water Park, Kaohsiung
Yehliu Fishing Port

Got Height 

  • 101 Taipei, Taipei City

Got Light 

  • Dome of Light, Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung

Got Cats 

  • Houtong Cat Village, New Taipei City 

Got Sky Lanterns
  • Pingxi, New Taipei City
  • Shifen, New Taipei City  

Got Old Streets 

  • Bopiliao Historical Street, Taipei City
  • Tamsui Old Street, New Taipei City 
  • Ruifang Old Street, New Taipei City
  • Shifen Old Street, New Taipei City
  • Pingxi Old Street, New Taipei City
  • Jiufen Old Street, New Taipei City
  • Jiguang Street, Taichung
  • Fengqihu Old Street, Chiayi County
  • Mi Street, Tainan
  • Anping Old Street, Tainan
  • Shennong Street, Tainan 
Shifen Old Street

Got Night Markets
  • Ximending Night Market, Taipei 
  • Shilin Night Market, Taipei
  • Miaokuo Night Market, Keelung 
  • Flowers Garden Night Market, Tainan
  • Liuhe Tourist Night Market, Kaohsiung

Got Morning Markets:
  • Shuanglian Market, Taipei City
  • Ren'ai Market, Keelung City
  • Taichung Second Market, Taichung City
  • Shuixian Gong Market, Tainan City
Taichung Second Market, Taichung City

Got Old Chinese Temples:
  • Bagan Longshan Temple, Taipei City
  • Confucius Temple, Taipei City
  • Chenghuang Temple, Keelung
  • Dianji Temple, Keelung
  • Bao'an temple, Yehliu
  • War of God Temple, Tainan
  • Tiantan (Tiangong) Temple, Tainan
  • Tianhou (Mazu) Temple, Anping, Tainan
  • Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) Temple, Tainan
  • Zheng Cheng Gong Ancestral temple, Tainan
  • Confucius Temple, Tainan
  • Sanfeng Temple, Kaohsiung
  • Feng Yi Jade Emperor (Tiangong) Temple, Kaohsiung
  • Donglong Temple, Kaohsiung
War of God temple, Tainan

Got Xiaolongbao
  • Ximending Night Market, Taipei
  • Kunming Street, Taipei
  • Downtown Chiayi

Travel Itinerary: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) > Taoyuan (Taiwan) > Taipei > Ruifang > Keelung > Taipei > Taichung > Chiayi > Tainan > Kaohsiung > Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur > Taoyuan (Taiwan)
approx 3,246km

Taoyuan > Taipei > Ruifang > Cheelung 
> Taipei > Taichung > Chiayi > Tainan
> Kaohsiung (approx 500km)

Total expenses (20 days): Rm3,973 (US$836) per pax

  • Airfare (KL > Taoyuan Rm, Kaohsiung > KL): Rm470 + Rm580 = Rm1,050 inclusive of a 25kg luggage fee
  • Hotel (19 nights): Rm1,445 (twin sharing)
  • Sim Card: Rm52
  • Travel Insurance: Rm112
  • Food & groceries: NT$4,225 (Rm634)
  • EasyCard (Train, Metro & Bus): NT$2,500 (Rm375)
  • Alishan Forest Railway: NT$768 (Rm115)
  • Uber: NT$544 (Rm82) 
  • Boat: NT$200 (Rm30)
  • Entrance fee: NT$220 (Rm33)
  • Sundries: NT$300 (Rm45)

Currency exchange: US$1 = Rm4.75, NT (New Taiwan Dollar)$10 = Rm1.50, Rm10 = NT$66.70


Weather in Taipei in early March 2024 was around 13c, slightly colder in village towns of Ruifang, Shifen & Jiufen especially at night ! Drizzling in port city of Keelung & experiencing a warmer weather of around 26c in Kaohsiung (late March) !  

Ximending, Taipei City

My travel buddies: my wife & Thompson Tham & Mrs Tham.  

Yangmingshan National Park
New Taipei City 
Yehliu Fishing Port, Wanli District
Taiwan
Houtong Cat Village, New Taipei City
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum
Dashu, Kaohsiung

Travel Highlights (20 days): 

1) Taipei (5 nights)

Ximending Night Market
Hanzhong Street, Taipei City
Ximen Red House, Chengdu Road
Taipei City
Nishi Honganji Bell Tower
 Zhonghua Road, Taipei City
Liberty Square, Zhongshan South Road
Taipei City 
National Theater, Zhongshan South Road
Taipei City 
National Concert Hall
 Zhongshan South Road, Taipei City 
Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall
  Zhongzhen District, Taipei City 
Changing of Honor Guards
Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall
Zhongzhen District, Taipei City
Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Bade Road, Taipei City
Taipei 101, City Hall Road
Taipei City 
Taipei World Trade Center
Xinyi Road, Taipei City
National Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
Ren'ai Road, Taipei City 
Bagan Longshan Temple
Guangzhou Street, Taipei City
Bopiliao Historic Street
Kanding Road, Taipei City
Taipei Main Station
Beiping West Road, Taipei City
Tamsui, Zhongzheng Road
Tamsui, New Taipei City
Shilin Night Market, Jihe Road
Taipei City
Yangmingshan National Park
New Taipei City 
Beitou Hot Spring Museum
Zhongshan Road, Beitou, Taipei City
National Taiwan Museum
Xiangyang Road, Taipei City
228 Peace Memorial Park
Ketagatan Boulevard, Taipei City
Presidential Office Building, Taipei
Chongqing South Road, Taipei City
Taipei Confucius Temple 
Dalong Street, Taipei City
National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine
Belan Road, Taipei City
Thermal Valley, Beitou
Taipei City 

2) Ruifang (2 nights)

Ruifang Train Station
Mingdeng Road, 
New Taipei City

3) Houtong

Houtong Cat Village
Ruifang District, New Taipei City

4) Shifen

Shifen Waterfall, Pingxi District
New Taipei City

5) Pingxi 

Pingxi Sky Lanterns
Pingxi District, New Taipei City

6) Jiufen

Jiufen Old Street, Ruifang District
New Taipei City 

7) Keelung (2 nights)

Maritime Plaza, Keelung
Yehliu Fishing Port
Wanli District, Keelung
Bao'an Temple, Wanli District, Keelung
Yehliu Geopark, Wanli District
Keelung

Grand Buddha, Zhongshan Park
Keelung

8) Tai Chung (3 nights) 

Taichung Train Station
Taichung Old Station (1917)
Taiwan Boulevard, Central District
Taichung
Jiguang Shopping Street
Central District, Taichung
Taroko Mall, Fuxing Road
Taichung 
Taichung Park, Shuangshi Road
North District, Taichung
Taichung Mayoral Residence
Shuangshi Road, North District
Taichung
Taichung Heritage Park, Fuxing Road
South District, Taichung
Taichung 2nd Market, Sanmin Road
Central District, Taichung
Painted Animated Lane, Linsen Road
West District, Taichung

9) Nantou County

Puli, Nantou County
Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi, Nantou County
Qingjing Farm, Nantou County

10) Chiayi (2 nights) 

Alishan Forest Railway Train, Chiayi
Alishan National Scenic Area
Chiayi County

Fengqihu Station, Zhuqi Township
Chiayi County
Fengqihu Old Street, Chiayi County

11) Tainan (3 nights)

Chihkan Tower, Minzu Road
West Central District, Tainan 
God of War Temple, Yongfu Road
Central West Central District,  Tainan 
National Museum of Taiwan Literature
Tang Dezhang Boulevard
West Central District, Tainan 
Flower Garden Tourist Night Market
Hai'an Road, North District, Taichung
Anping Canal Park, Anping District
Tainan
Former Tait & Co Merchant House
Gubao Street, Anping District, Tainan
Old Julius Mannich Merchant House
Anbei Road, Anping District, Tainan
Anping Old Fort, Guosheng Road
Anping District, Tainan
 
Tiantan Tiankong Temple
Zhongyi Road,
 West Central District, Tainan 
Tainan Confucius Temple
Nanmen Road
West Central District, Tainan
Tainan Art Museum, Zhongyi Road
West Central District, Tainan 

Navy Destroyer Museum, Anping District
Tainan
Zheng Cheng Gong Ancestor Temple
Tainan City
Shennong Street, Tainan City
Tainan Park, Gongyuan South Road
North District, Tainan City

Snail Alley, Yongfu Rd
West Central District, Tainan City
Taijiang National Park HQ
Sicao Boulevard 
Annan District, Tainan
Taijiang National Park Boat Ride, Tainan 

12) Kaohsiung (2 nights) 

Central Park, Qianjin District
Kaohsiung City 
Sanfeng Temple, Hebei 2nd Road
Kaohsiung City 
Liouhe Tourist Night Market
Liuhe 2nd Road, Xinxing District
Kaohsiung City
Love Logo, Love River Water Park
Kaohsiung City 
Dome of Light
 Formosa Boulevard Station
Kaohsiung City
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum
Tongling Road, Dashu District 
Kaohsiung City 
Fo Guang Shan Monastery
Dashu District, Kaohsiung 
Dream Mall, Zhonghua 5th Road
Cianjhen, Kaohsiung City