Summary of My 9D8N Taipei & Taichung, Taiwan (2015) Travelogues & Travel Expenses

Here is the compilation for all the posts relating to my trip to Taiwan for the third time where I managed to cover few popular cities like Taipei, Kaohsiung, Kenting and Taichung within 9 days and 8 nights I went back in 2015. By end of this post, I also share how much I spent throughout my trip. Did I spend more or less compare to my previous two trips? Read until the end to find out. 

Day 1: 7th March 2015

Arrived Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and took Kuo-Kang bus #1819 to Taipei Main Station. From there, we took taxi to Sato Castle Motel where we stayed for a night.

Hotel Review: Sato Castle Motel, Taipei


Day 2: 8th March 2015

On the next day, we travel on Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) for getting to Kaohsiung from Taipei. 

Although the cost of travelling via HSR is higher than taking the bus, but the journey takes just 90 minutes than 4 to 5 hours under the bus ride. Through the online booking, you can get an early bird discount up to 35% from the normal ticket fare. Normally this online booking is available up to 28 days from the departure date. Please take note the HSR station for Kaohsiung is Zuoying (左營).

Stay: Jia's Inn Liuhe

Direction: 6-minute walk from MRT City Council Station or 10-minute walk from MRT Formosa Boulevard Station. 

Dome of Light

Direction: Take the red line of Kaohsiung MRT and alight at Kaohsiung Arena Station. Proceed to B1 level and you will instantly see this beautiful art glass installation.

Ruifeng Night Market

Direction: Take the red line of Kaohsiung MRT and alight at Kaohsiung Arena Station. Get off from Exit 1 and walk for about 5 minutes.

Opening Hours: 6 pm to 12 am daily

Liuhe Night Market

Direction: Take either the red line or orange line of Kaohsiung MRT and alight at Formosa Boulevard Station. Get out from Exit 11.

Opening Hours: 6 pm to 11 pm daily

Day 3: 9th March 2015

Cijin Island

From Sizihwan Station under the orange line of Kaohsiung MRT, head over to Gushan Ferry Terminal. Get out from Exit 1, then turn left and walk to the end of the street. After that, turn right and you will see the ferry pier. One way ferry ride cost NT$15 and it's free seating. Once we reach Cijin Island, we decided to rent electric bike to explore the island itself cause it is unexpectedly consider to be huge in size. We're totally underestimated this island.

So, what to discover in Cijin Island?

1. Cihou Fort
2. Cihou Lighthouse - Opens 9 am to 5pm. Closed on every Monday 
3. Cijin Star Tunnel
4. Cijin Windmill Park 
5. Sea Shell Museum - Opens 9 am to 5pm. Closed on every Monday

Love River

Direction: Take the orange line of Kaohsiung MRT and alight at Yanchengpu Station. Take the exit for Wufu road and walk east up Wufu Road toward Love River.

READ HERE: 3D2N Itinerary in Kaohsiung

Day 4: 10th March 2015

A Relaxed and Laid-Back Trip In Kaohsiung
In order to get to Kenting, take a ride on Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) to Zuoying Station first if you are travelling from Taoyuan or Taipei. From there, take Kuo Kang or Kenting Express bus heading to Kenting. The journey takes approximately of 2 hours for the price of NT$407 for a single trip and NT$600 for roundtrip.

Another second option is by sharing cab, like what we did. If you are traveling in a group of 4, probably this option is cheaper than taking the bus. 

It is possible to do day trip to Kenting from Kaohsiung but for me, I prefer to stay for a night just to experience the night market there. 

Stay: Sunhow Inn
Things To Do: Visit night market and Kenting Beach

Day 5: 11th March 2015
A Quick One In Taichung & Garden Stay Fengjia

From Kenting, my friend and I shared a cab to Kaohsiung and we requested to stop at HSR Zouying Station. From there, we took the High Speed Rail straight to Taichung. 

Alternatively, you can opt for bus from Kaohsiung to Taichung but being me, train is always my ultimate choice if the price is not hurting my bank account badly. 

Stay: Garden Stay, Fengjia
Things To Do: Visit Fengjia Night Market

Day 6: 12th March 2015

Right after our trip to Taichung, we travel back to Taipei again before leaving the nation. As usual, we took High Speed Rail from Taichung to Taipei instead of the long distance bus. For this round, I didn't book my ticket in advanced, we just went to the counter and bought on the spot. Because the HSR journey between Taichung and Taipei is relatively short, like approximately less than 40 minutes, therefore the trains are quite frequent. Well of course if you book through online earlier, you can get an early bird discount up to 35% from the normal fare. 

READ HERE: Taipei's Itinerary for Three Days

Taipei Zoo
Direction: Take MRT Brown Line to the southern terminus Taipei Zoo
Opening Hours: 9 am to 5pm
Admission Fee: NT$60 for adult and NT$30 for children (You can pay using Easy Card too)


Ximending Hot Pot
Address: 108, Wanhua District, Xining Rd, 157 號, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Opening Hours: 11.30 am to 2 am
Price: NT$498 for lunch; NT$598 for dinner


Day 7: 13th March 2015
Yangmingshan National Park

Direction: From MRT Jiantan Station, take Exit 1. And walk to the left-side bus station, buses heading to the north. Take either city bus R5 or small bus S15 or S17 to Yangmingshan station. 

You can also take bus 260 from Taipei Main Station.


Wufenpu Fashion Area

Direction: Take MRT Green Line 3 to the Songshan Station - Exit 3. Once get out from the exit, walk straight and continue walking until cross Songlong Road. The shopping district is located within the maze of alleys and lanes to your front and left. 

Opening Hours: Hours of operation for various shops are usually vary, generally opening after noon and staying open until there are no customers left, most commonly around 10pm to midnight.


Raohe Night Market

Direction: Take MRT Green Line 3 to the Songshan Station - Exit 5

Opening Hours: 5pm to 12am daily

Day 8: 14th March 2015
Yehliu Geopark

Direction: Take Kuo Kang 1815 bus from Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A - Exit Z3 (located at Taipei Main Station). Remember to purchase the bus ticket at Kuo Kang counter before boarding. The journey takes approximately 90 minutes, and the bus will drop you on the main road just outside the park entrance. Walk down the lane on the left side to enter. A single ride costs NT$96. 

Opening Hours: 8am to 5pm

Admission Fee: NT$80 for adult and NT$40 for children

Pingxi Station

Direction: Upon reaching Taipei station, make way to Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to purchase northbound train ticket to Ruifang Station (瑞芳) for NT$49 each. Then from Ruifang Station, purchase One Day Pass at NT$54 for unlimited rides along the Pingxi Branch Line or a single trip at NT$20.

Day 9: 15th March 2015
Good9 Stay Inn Ximending & Last Day in Taiwan

Stay: Good9 Stay Inn Ximending

Travel Expenses

And the following are the details of travel expenses breakdown which I spent throughout 9 days and 8 nights in Taiwan: 

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	NT$	RM
Air Fares Malaysia Airlines KK – Taipei - KK Add: Upgraded to Business Class Accommodations Taipei – Sato Castle Motel (1 night) Kaohsiung – Jia’s Inn Liuhe ( 2 nights) Kenting – Sunhow Inn (1 night) Taichung – Garden Stay Fengjia (1 night) Taipei – Good9 Stay Inn (3 nights) Transportation Admission Fee Taipei Zoo Yehliu Geopark Food and drinks Others 8 Days Travel Prepaid Sim Card Movie & Popcorn Souvenirs, snacks, postcards, stamps, etc.	- - - - - 980 5,100 3,098 60 80 2,239 450 245 4,392	650 300 51 193 100 58 301 366 7 9 264 53 29 518
	TOTAL	2,899

(The exchange rate by the time I changed NT$100 = RM11.30)

Like I mentioned earlier cause this is my third visit to Taiwan, hence I tend to spend lesser on my personal spending especially for souvenirs. For my previous two trips, I spent roughly RM1,000 for each trip just to buy souvenirs and snacks. Plus, I already know what I want to buy and spend and this prevent myself from buying those unnecessary items and products.


Switchboard wall stickers and handphone cover bought in Kaohsiung.


Masking tapes


Top and handphone covers bought in Fengjia Night Market


Creative postcards designed and printed on woods, fabrics and even metal license plate.

And that's the end of my 2015 Taiwan travelogue. Hip hip hurray! *Jumping of happiness mode*
I know it's way too late for me to update about this, maybe some of the info might be outdated but don't worry, I did my research earlier while blogging by sharing the latest update information at least.

So now here comes another question - what's next? Which one should I blog first - New Zealand, Sri Lanka or Northern Light Hunting in Sweden and Norway? Find out soon on the next upcoming post. 

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Taiwan (2015): A Quick One in Taichung & Garden Stay

From Kenting, we travelled to Taichung. Taichung is no longer a strange land for me cause for my record, I've been there three times. Why I keep going back Taichung? All because of Fengjia Night Market - one of my most favourite night markets in Taiwan. 

Like I shared before on my Kenting post, my friend and I shared a cab to Kaohsiung and we requested to stop at HSR Zouying Station. From there, we took the High Speed Rail straight to Taichung. Just when we're about to have a nap, little did we realise we had finally arrived Taichung as the ride took less than an hour only. Alternatively, you can opt for bus from Kaohsiung to Taichung but being me, train is always my ultimate choice if the price is not hurting my bank account badly. 

#1: High Speed Rail from Zouying Station (Kaohsiung) to Taichung.


#2: Hearty Taiwanese Railway bento box - Bought in Zouying Station before boarding

From Taichung Station to Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)

There are few available mode of transportation to reach this biggest night market in Taichung but we chosen to take taxi which charge roughly around NT$250-350 depending on the meter.

Alternatively, you can take free shuttle bus 160 towards Overseas Chinese University and stop at Feng Jia University if you are travelling with HSR train. Therefore, remember to keep the HSR train tickets for this exclusive privilege.


#3: Splendid and bustling Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)


#4: My shopping haul from the night market. 

My Stay in Taichung

There are two areas which are highly recommended when comes to choosing accommodation in Taichung. First one would be nearby Taichung TRA Station. The second area would be Fengjia Night Market and this is always my favourite pick to stay. There are abundant minsu/homestay dotted along Fengjia street. So whenever I went Taichung, I stayed in different minsu instead of returning to the one I stayed previously. Majority of the minsu are relatively cheap - you can find as low as NT1,000 per night for a double bed room attached with private bathroom and some rooms even decorated with pretty and amazing themes. 

Unfortunately, two of the minsu I booked no longer operating. I found these two through Facebook page. But still, I wanna share here for keepsake.

#5:


#6:


#7:


#8:


#9:

That's all for my trip to Taichung - short, brief and quick. If you ask me would I be back to Taichung again, yes for sure. Why not? After all, there are still many things to do and see which I have yet discover. Like the colourful Rainbow Village, picturesque Cingjing Farm, and more. Looks like one need to spend at least three days, or even more when planning to visit Taichung.  

Previous Posts on My 2015 Taiwan Trip

• Day 1: Sato Castle Motel, Taipei
• Day 2 & 3: 3D2N Itinerary in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
• Day 4: Relaxed and Laid-Back Trip in Kenting

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Taiwan (2013) Day 3: To Shifen (十分) From Taichung

Date Visited: 28th November 2013

After spending three days two nights in Taichung, it's time to say goodbye and move forward to another destination, Shifen (十分) in Pingxi District. From Fengjia Business District, we took taxi to HSR Taichung Station and from there onwards, we took HSR train back to Taipei. Because we purchased the ticket directly from the counter instead of pre-booking, thus we unable to enjoy the early bird discount. The normal fare for a trip cost NT$765 and it takes less than an hour to reach Taipei station. 

#1: Breakfast at our favourite 24 hours convenience store, none other than 7-Eleven

Summary of How To Get To Shifen From Taichung

1. Take HSR from HSR Taichung Station to Taipei Station (Normal fare NT$765; less than an hour journey)

2. Upon reaching Taipei station, make way to Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to purchase  northbound train ticket to Ruifang Station (瑞芳) for NT$49 each.

3. Then from Ruifang Station, purchase One Day Pass at NT$54 for unlimited rides along the Pingxi Branch Line or a single trip at NT$20. 

Pingxi Railway Route: Sandiaoling >>> Dahua >>> Shifen >>> Wanggu >>> Lingjiao >>> Pingxi >>> Jingtong. 

#2: Shifen Station 

Shifen is a quaint little town but rich in both culture and history. Besides being well-known for lighting up the sky lanterns, this old street is manicured with souvenir shops, grocery stores and restaurant on the both sides of the railway. It's my first ever trip here and I glad to make this trip far along together with my Boyfie to enjoy its nostalgic and relaxing ambiance. By travel independently, definitely both of us able to enjoy all these precious moment without any rush and hurry. 

So basically what did Boyfie and I do in Shifen  (十分) ?

1) Shifen Waterfall 

From Shifen Old Street, both of us walked for 15-20 minutes to Taiwan's broadest waterfall, Shifen Waterfall. It took us more than an hour for this visit, hence it is advisable to plan your trip well and check-out the next boarding train from the platform. 

Admission Fee: NT$100 for adult 

#3: Shifen Scenic Area

#4: The waterfall behind me

#5: The magnificent Shifen Waterfall with a total height of 20 meters and 40 meters in width

2) Walking on the railway track

It's illegal to walk on the railway track but not here along the Pingxi Railway Branch as the train only operates every hour. Therefore, grab this chance, ready your camera and take as many shots as you want. 

#6: Walking on the railway track 

#7: Random bridge we stumbled upon and I love this photo

3) Writing our wishing lists on the sky lantern and set into the sky 

Regardless whichever stores, these huge lanterns are selling at the standard cost; NT$150 for two colours and NT$250 for four different colours. Each colour symbolise different meaning; pink represents love and relationship, yellow represents study, white represents health and so on. Once we done with writing down our wishlists (I guess I was the only one writing in English), the seller helped us to lighten up the sky lantern and released up into the sky. Is it our wishes come true? Maybe some of you may not believe this but both Boyfie and I passed our professional paper with flying colours. 

#8: Write the wishlists and release it into the sky. The higher, the better

#9: Grab some of these cute miniature sky lanterns for souvenirs

4) Experience Jingan Suspension Bridge

Located right behind the Shifen Station, this famous Jingan Suspension Bridge connects Shifen and Nanshan Village. One fun fact about Nanshan Village is most of the houses include windows, doors and exterior walls are painted in blue colour. 

#10: Embrace yourself walking throught Jingan Suspension Bridge 

5) Enjoy the local snacks 

Although we couldn't found any restaurants to settle down for our dinner, we glad that these local snacks managed to satisfy our taste buds. It's not only cheap but scrumptious and delicious, especially the crispy and huge fried squids. I never been a fan of seafood but for this, I went back and bought for second time. 

#11: Cheap and delicious street food in Shifen 

My OOTD:
Blue bowler hat from Kyoto, Japan (RM9)
Red winter coat from Fengjia Night Market (RM90)
Pink sweater from Fengjia Night Market (RM20)
Blue jean from Uniqlo, Japan (RM30)

We spent almost three hours wandering around Shifen Old Street and I think this is the best ideal of time to enjoy all the above things we experienced through. From Shifen Station, we took train back and alighted at Ruifang Station. Instead of taking bus, we grab a taxi to Jiufen as we chosen to overnight there earlier. One single trip cost NT180. So, my next post is about Jiufen, once a prosperous gold mining town. 

[Credit To: Guide To Taipei, Travelking] 

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Taiwan (2013) Day 2: Travel from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭)

Date Visited: 27th November 2013

Rise and shine from Taichung. Cause we stayed in cheap minshu with no breakfast provided, thus we went and looked in the immediate vicinity. There were only few food stalls available and majority occupied by the young students seeing that Fengjia University is just somewhere around the corner. We joined them by having quick and light meals such as sandwiches and milk tea before started to kick off the day. 

What To Do in Taichung?

Generally, there are plenty of things to do and see in Taichung. You can engage a local driver for a day tour with a standard charge of NT$3,000 (approx. to RM400) for a maximum of 4 people per vehicle. Most recommended places to visit are:

• Lavender Cottage (Admission Fee: NT$200)
• Rainbow Village 
• Carton King Creativity Park (Admission Fee: NT$200)
• Swiss Garden (Admission Fee: NT$120)
• Cingjing Farm

But then, we decided not to engage any local driver but travel by our own instead for a day trip to Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County. Sun Moon Lake is largest lake in Taiwan and became one of the most popular tourist attractions among both local and foreign visitors. The journey from Taichung Train Station to Sun Moon Lakes takes about two hours by taking Nan Tou Bus. Hence, plan your journey earlier.

#1: Taichung Railway Station from far away 

From Fengjia Business District of where we were staying, we took public bus to Taichung Railway Station. Honestly to say, I couldn't remember which bus I took cause I literally couldn't read any Chinese words. So with the help of Boyfie and his friend asking the local, we took the right bus and thanks to the the friendly bus driver too, for showing us the way to the station. Just when I thought we could purchase the Sun Moon Lake Day pass from the railway itself, they said we have to walk for another 10-15 minutes to the bus company's ticketing office. Only then to find out that the pass can be bought at HSR Taichung Station, not Taichung Railway station. There's a different, you see.  

#2: The bus company's ticketing office located at Section 1 Shungshi Road 

We bought the Sun Moon Lake Pass of NT$990 which include the return shuttle service, boat trip, ropeway round trip and entrance to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. Check out for more about Sun Moon Lake Pass here. 

Sun Moon Lake Shuttle Bus Timetable - here.

#3: After almost two hours of bus ride, we dropped of at Shuishe Visitor Center

#4: Luggage tags, fridge magnets, wooden postcards and fun stamping are available inside the Shuishe Visitor Center. 

#5: Using the Sun Moon Lake Day Pass, we took the boat ride to across to Ita Thao Pier 

#6: Enchanting red colour boat 

#7: Right after we arrived Ita Thao Lakeside, follow the signboard to the Ropeway Station  

#8: Ropeway or commonly known as Cable Car

#9: Right on time for performance at Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is one spot whereby you can observe the Taiwanese traditional tribal lifestyle and aboriginal traditions. It's not only serve as a culture village but it is also an amusement park. As we arrived late, we can only enjoyed ourselves in the culture village. 

#10: Some part of the aboriginal heritage and lifestyles of Taiwan's nine main tribes 

#11: Indian Totem Poles

It's getting late and we agreed to make a move. From Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, we took the ropeway back to Ita Thao Pier. But before we took the boat ride return to Shiushe Visitor Center, I stumbled upon plenty of shops selling fukurou. Fukurou means owl in Japanese and I heart them so much. I even bought few back for home decoration. 

#12: Fukurou in Japan means luck and good fortune 

#13: And more fukuruo

#14: Act silly once in a while 

It took us almost a whole day to travel back and forth between Taichung and Sun Moon Lake. We were indeed tiring and exhausting but our day didn't stop there cause we made another second visit to our favourite market, Fengjia Night Market right after we got back from Sun Moon Lake. Frankly speaking, spending 3D2N in Taichung is completely insufficient.

Or perhaps, you could also plan your trip for a visit to this Wen Wu Temple, the biggest temple on the northern side of the lake. 

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