My entries will be long and detailed, which is why some days are divided to more parts than others.
Do bear with me, please.
I haven't been writing for a long time so I'm still a little rusty.
For the time being, I am trying to upload a new post every week if time permits, so do come back from time to time for new entries.
Also, I am thinking of translating my entries to Chinese. Those may come later because my grasp in the language is far from perfect so it will take more time to complete.
I apologize in advance for any incorrect information.
Do feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions =)
*ps: Please excuse the watermarks, I've got my pictures stolen before.
XOXO
Jenn
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Woke up at 3.15am even though my bags were packed, batteries charged, and the bus station was less than 20 minutes drive away because I was anxious not to miss the 5am bus to the airport.
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| Less than 7KG of clothes, personal hygiene, electronics & other essentials for 15days. |
It has been a while since I last took a flight on my own, even though I've done this before, I still get pre-flight apprehension and anxiety, which usually only goes away once I am on board the aircraft and have the seat-belt fastened.
The AirAsia Skybus pulled up at 1 Utama around 5.10am. Since there isn't exactly a proper line for passengers to queue and the seats are first-come-first-serve basis, you can imagine the minor chaos that ensued because nobody wants to be left behind on that platform until the next bus arrives in another hour.
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| 1 Utama bus station. 4.57am |
The ride to KLIA2 was relatively uneventful, we arrived at the airport a little past 6am, so despite the late departure, we still managed to arrive earlier than expected. Okay, time for breakfast.
I did not place any orders for on-board meals, simply because I am tired of the breakfast selection, one can only eat that many times of
So I decided to spend that money on McD's instead. They give free coffee/tea re-fills.
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| RM12.50 Fish Burger + Hash Brown + Bottomless Tea. |
Went to AirAsia's service counter after breakfast to check with them if they can cancelled the 20kg luggage that I did not want to purchase. Well, the backstory goes like this:
I purchased my flight ticket to Kaohsiung via AirAsia Malaysia's website, but bought the return ticket from AirAsia Taiwan's website because they happened to be on sale and ended up being cheaper than if I purchase a return ticket from AirAsia Malaysia. Then, came the time to decide on purchasing luggage weight for the trip home. I clicked on the selection from the Taiwanese website, keyed-in my credit card details, and found out that the price from the Taiwanese website to be around RM40 higher than Malaysia's. I then cancelled the transaction, thinking that the system will cancel my selection, and paid my friend to purchase the luggage weight under her booking with AirAsia Malaysia.
Wrong move.
AirAsia's customer reps insists that, because I have gone as far as keying in my credit card details, the system WILL NOT deselect the option, as far as they are concerned, I will not be able to check-in until I make the payment. Which means, I HAVE to spend another TWD888, for another 20kg luggage that I don't need. I didn't even check-in any luggage because I intended to travel light for the next 14 days!
Well done, Jenn. Well done.
I guess I will now have to make full use of the 40kg. *cough cough*
*Note: I must also inform you that the customer rep I encountered wasn't the most pleasant. Customer service should be, in the least, courteous, no matter who your customer is, or how much they paid for your service.
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| Just doing her job, I suppose. |
1) I'm up against a computer system, and
2) the customer rep obviously has no intention to help me.
By then it was time to go through immigration and it is best to give myself a bigger time allowance for that because you'd never know how long the queue might be. (Our KLIA & KLIA2 requires passengers to go through 2 separate bag scans) Also, the airport is designed to have insufficient number of seats at the boarding gate, so, again, first-come-first-served.
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| Waiting to board AK170 |
8.20am. I was seated at the window next to an older lady who has the center seat and the seat next to her was empty. Instead of scooting over, she decided to spend the next 3 to 4 hours drifting in and out of sleep right next to me, and spending most of her waking hours talking to me. Even when I had my earphones on and was obviously watching something on my phone. So yes, I had to pretend to be asleep. Please don't misunderstand, it wasn't like I didn't want to talk to strangers, talking to strangers is one of the most interesting parts when travelling alone, it was just how she was being a typical Asian humble-brag parent, telling me how her daughter is in Kaohsiung on scholarship and was still able to work and pay for her holiday and how her other daughter achieved this and her son achieved that and so on. And on. And on.
Parents, it is absolutely okay to be proud of your kids. It is totally fine to want to share your happiness, in fact, I am happy for you that your children have such capabilities...but when your listener compliments them, just take the compliment!! Honestly, do you think compliments come easy from strangers? JUST TAKE IT!!!
Despite the bad weather and bumpy flight, we landed in Kaohsiung 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I made a break for the immigration gate (I try not use the bathrooms until I reached the luggage carousel, otherwise there will be a long line at the immigration gate... unless it's Heathrow, then yes, find a bathroom first because there is almost never a short line at Heathrow)
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| Welcomed by the rain |
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| Kaohsiung International Terminal Baggage Pick-up Hall |
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| There are several Telco booths at the arrival hall. When in doubt, go with the crowd. |
Next, I walked to the Domestic terminal which was just a few minutes away to apply for the Youth Travel Card (which I have successfully misplaced at the time of writing), which offers travelers a long list of discounts for food, recreation etc all over Taiwan. Since it's free, why not?
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| For more info about the YTC, click here |
After that, I walked towards the MRT station right outside the Domestic terminal and got myself Kaohsiong's iPass (It's a prepaid card that can be used for MRT, public bicycle rentals, even 7-11 purchases and parking. Apparently the popular Easycard is accepted nationwide except Kaohsiung).
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| I'm too old for cute stuff like this card, but the alternative is Hello Kitty design. |
It was interesting to hear the train announcements in 4 languages, I'm not too sure about the third one but I think it was in Mandarin, Hakka, Japanese and English.
I stepped off at Central Park to find the rain hasn't stopped. I had my parka but still, it's not ideal to navigate Google Maps on your phone while it is raining, more so when you have backpacks in front and behind you. Points to take note of: majority of the MRT/ Train stations in Taiwan has several exits so that you can cross the street via its underground pass... I found out later that there was another exit nearer to the hostel, which meant I could have avoided the rain for another 5 minutes.
The MRT from Kaohsiung International Airport to Central Park costs NTD26 with the iPass (NTD30 if you purchase single journey ticket). Check for fare prices here.
I did manage to find Kaohsiung Backpacker's Inn eventually, walked in and had rain water dripping over their pristine rubber-wood panel. Sorry, guys. It was still too early to check in so I left my backpack at the luggage area and off I went to go looking for the Lotus Pond... and got distracted by the shopping mall at the MRT entrance.
It is a mystery why I gravitate towards any Daiso sign I see.
Then there was a supermarket below the mall that has just about anything.
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| Everything is at TWD39 except for F&B which is TWD49 |
By the time I exited Ecological District station, it was close to 4pm and most of the F&B shops on the way to the pond were either closed, or not opened yet. I came across this particular shop and since there were some people dining within its premise and also patrons waiting to takeaway so I thought, why not?
The MRT from Central Park to Ecological District costs NTD22 with the iPass (NTD25 if you purchase single journey ticket)
Apparently it was a franchise from Lugang.
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| Place your order and pay at the counter, the employees will bring you your Mee Sua when it is ready |
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| NTD45 for this bowl of Mee Sua |
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| The ingredients |
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...And it was back to searching for the Lotus Pond.
It wasn't easy to navigate in the rain... which is a good reason why I should get a waterproof phone =1
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It wasn't like I intended to walk that far.. I just couldn't locate the bus stand!
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| Finally! (After what seems to be another 30 minutes of walking) |
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| Still a distance from the Dragon & Tiger pagodas |
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| I was getting tired of the rain at this point |
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| Parka for the rain, Hoodie for the cold, Smile for the camera |
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| Translate: Enter from the Dragon's throat, exit from the Tiger's mouth |
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| Admission by donation |
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| View of the twin Pagoda, the 5-Mile Pavilion and the statue of the God of War (I think) |
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| View of the 慈濟宮 Temple across the street from the 6th floor |
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| Yes, I DID climb all those stairs! |
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| Just an old school water dispenser that caught my eye |
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| Details |
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| As I was leaving, I saw a group of Japanese tourists touching this statue. I guess it brings good fortune and wealth? Of course I had to |
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| On to the Spring & Autumn Pavilion! |
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| The Spring & Autumn Pavilion |
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| A 'fortune telling' machine awaits you at the entrance |
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| The 5-Mile Pavilion Check out he beautiful marbled walkway |
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| This uncle was doing sit ups on the edge of this bench. Like a boss. |
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| View of the Sping & Autumn Pavilion from the 2nd floor of the 5-Mile Pavilion |
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| One last look of the Dragon & Tiger Pagodas before I leave.... and they switched on the lights right after I turned to walk away! |
I decided not to wait for dark to photograph the night views of both the Pagodas and Pavilions since there aren't many people around by this time... you can google for them though, there are many professionally taken/edited photos and they really do look beautiful.
Off to Rui Feng Night Market I go... on foot... because it is about the same distance as walking back to Ecological District station.
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| Notice the part where I had to cross over the railway... What happened was I had to take an elevator up from one side of the train station to cross the bridge to the other side |
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| Passed this park on the way, didn't explore because it was getting dark...and empty |
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| Most Bus stands and train stations provide USB outlets for the public to charge their phones / gadgets for free |
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| These shops I passed come in different shapes and sizes |
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| This one even extends to 5 or 6 storeys |
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| This motorcycle seems to be missing something ~~ |
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| Alright! Time for some of this Taiwan Street Food I've heard so much about!! There weren't many people at this night market though, maybe it was because of the rain, or, I was too early. |
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| The "Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang", literally translates "Big Intestines Wraps Small Intestines" Before you freak out, the "Big Intestine" is actually glutinous rice in the shape of a larger sausage and "Small Intestine" is a smaller Chinese sausage. Check out this post for its detailed description. NTD50 each at this night market. |
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| You can opt to add fresh milk to most beverages here, I chose to add it to a cup of yam milk It actually tasted quite bland. We Malaysians are used to rich flavors. |
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| Decided to give this a try even though it's a snack from Hong Kong, not Taiwan! |
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| Noticed this pedestrian crossing on my way to the MRT station. Good idea. |
The rain leveled up to downpour status by the time I got back to Central Park. Saw a lot of people carrying Daiso umbrellas so I went in there again but couldn't find one that I wanted so I braved the rain and ran as fast as I could (avoiding people and trying not to slip) back to the hostel.
The MRT from Kaohsiung Arena to Central Park costs NTD17 with the iPass (NTD20 if you purchase single journey ticket)
The MRT from Kaohsiung Arena to Central Park costs NTD17 with the iPass (NTD20 if you purchase single journey ticket)
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| Finally checked in. I desperately needed a hot shower. It was uncomfortable to walk around in wet socks all day. |
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| Level 3, Room G, Bed No. 4 |
I booked a single bed in an all-female dormitory. It doesn't have an en-suite so I had to carry my stuff to the shared bathroom. It was small but I was glad that even with the high traffic, it was clean. This hostel does not provide bedroom slippers though, you've got to bring your own or buy from them... so guess who went to the shower in her sneakers?
It was a conundrum: should I leave my sneakers in my room and walk around bare footed? Or should I leave them outside my shower and risk it being stolen?
Answer: I should have bought a pair from Daiso.
Anyways, I went up to the rooftop after my shower to use the washer and dryer because my clothes were pretty much soaked. Turns out they only have TWO washers and ONE dryer... for 9 floors of occupants. NTD50 per load in the washer (free powder detergent) and NTD30 for 30 minutes of dryer.
They do have a separate spinner you can use for free if you want to get as much water out of your clothes before putting them into the dryer or hanging them at a shared space on the rooftop (hangers are provided, good luck getting your hands on those).
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| Coin changer for your convenience |
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| Instructions in Chinese and English |
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| Dinner & Beer while waiting for my laundry |
Almost forgot to mention that I booked by accommodation via Agoda because I could get up to 5% rebate when I use ShopBack. Here's how it works, ShopBack is a platform that refers various promo deals from affiliated websites. When you click onto a merchant's website via ShopBack, they will track your purchase and give you cash rebate from their commission. I know it sounds too good to be true but this is for real. I've been using it for months.
Works on Groupon, Lazada, Hermo, Taobao, Zalora and many more.
If you're interested to sign up, can you please do me a favor and sign up from THIS LINK? It gives me a small referral, only if you spend a certain accumulated amount (the requirement keeps changing from time to time).
So, for my accommodation at Kaohsiung Backpackers' Inn, I paid Agoda RM61.50 (inclusive of booking fees and taxes), and received RM2.76 rebate from ShopBack. I believe it is cheaper than booking directly with BPIKS, which is NTD450/single-bed on weekdays and NTD550/single-bed on weekends.
I know there are many other accommodations available that is even cheaper than BPIKS but I made the decision to stay here because I prefer an establishment that is catered to backpackers instead of Home-stay, which I have read from some reviews, can be a challenging experience in terms of getting a hold of the owners or access into the building. Also, they you get curtains around your bunk AND your own power-point at your bunk.
I have never stayed in a more luxurious backpacker's.
One thing I noticed about hostels I stayed at in Taiwan is that there isn't an age limit for its guests. I've stayed in hostels from Kuranda to Goldcoast Australia and central London and they generally have an age cap of 30 to 35 years old. Here, I see middle aged travelers checking into hostels. I think it is great that they make it affordable for families. After all, most of us are either out all day or only stay long enough for a shower and a night's rest, thus not fully utilizing hotel facilities.
So, how much did I spend?
RM197.00 Flight ticket + Taxes (No seat selection. no meals)
RM13.90 Bus to KLIA2 (It's cheaper when you purchase it when you check-in your flight online)
RM12.50 Breakfast at McD
RM58.74 Accommodation
NTD700 15 Days of unlimited data + NTD100 talk time (Around NTD47/day or RM6.10/day)
NTD100 Non-refundable Deposit for iPass
NTD150 iPass reload (Spent NTD65)
NTD45 Lunch
NTD150 Dinner
NTD39 Scissors from Daiso
NTD319 Shopping (You didn't think I walked out of that supermarket empty-handed, did you?)
NTD80 Washer + Dryer
RM223.40 + NTD1583 (let's set the exchange rate at 0.13, although I paid 0.1265)
Total of about RM429.19, which isn't too bad, I think.
Next: The British Consulate, Cijin District/Island, and making my way to Tainan in a sardine carriage.
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