Surviving Taiwan: tips, costs and everything else

The route:
Flew in and out of Taoyuan
- Bus ride to Zhongli (1 day,1 night)
- Car ride to Taichung (1 day, 1 night)
- Taxi ride to Sun Moon Lake (2 days, 1 night)
- Bus ride to Cingjing (2 days, 2 nights)
- Bus ride to Taichung (1 day, 1 night)
- Train ride to Tainan (2 days, 2 nights)
- Train ride to Kaohsiung (2 days, 2 nights)
- Train ride to Hualien (3 days, 2 nights)
- Train ride to Taipei (5 days, 5 nights)

Total number of days: 18
P.S. the number of days don't really add up because sometimes we spent half a day in one city and the other half in another.
P.P.S. doesn't Taiwan look like a sweet potato?


Costs:

Transport	Accommodation	Food	Activities	Misc.	Total	Average/day
NT4200	NT3200	NT5400	NT2000	NT3700	NT18,500	NT1028
SGD180	SGD135	SGD230	SGD85	SGD160	SGD790	SGD44
USD145	USD110	USD185	USD70	USD125	USD635	USD35

P.S. The figures are rounded up.


Getting around Taiwan:
1. Trains are the fastest and most convenient way of traveling around Taiwan. It's clean, air-conditioned, pocket friendly and train timings and prices are all available online.




2. Buses are available right outside Taoyuan Airport to take you to Taipei or Zhongli in our case. So no worries about getting stranded. The first bus begins operation at around 7.30am. You can pay by cash but please get your coins ready because no change will be given.

Bus companies such as Nantou Bus (南投客運) have buses for shorter distance travel, such as from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake and Cingjing. You have to do a transfer at Puli (埔里) though. So our journey was like this: Taichung -> Puli -> SML -> Puli -> Cingjing -> Taichung. But we ended up sharing a cab with two other travelers from Taichung to SML straight because the cab driver gave us a discount and we reached SML waaaay earlier than planned.

Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (Taiwan Hao Xing/台灣好行) is another bus company that brings you to most of the tourist attractions. This bus is the only form of transport in places like Hualien where there are no public transport (I think) to bring you to Taroko Gorge. We also took this bus service in Zhongli to get to Ci hu.

3. Public buses are available for intracity travel but most locals are clueless about bus routes because everyone gets around on motorbikes. In Taichung, you get to travel for free if your journey is less than 8km! Again, get your coins ready.

4. Metro/MRT is only available in Kaohsiung and Taipei. You can buy a token to tap in and out from the machines at Kaohsiung MRT stations. I think it's the same in Taipei but we had the EasyCard so we didn't have to get the single trip tokens. Read more about the EasyCard in Useful tips #4.



Useful Tips:
#1. If you're between 19 to 30, you can apply for a free Youth Travel Card at the Tourist Information Counter at the airport. The counter opens at 7am and you just need to show them your passport. With this card, you can get discounts at various attractions and even offers for some accomodation, like our minsu in Cingjing.


#2. You might want to consider getting a local SIM card if you're going to be in Taiwan for a prolonged period of time. There are three telecom companies competing for your attention at the airport, the counters open at 8am. I don't know which is the best but we got ours from Taiwan Mobile (which is the biggest local telecom company), a non-3G SIM card with NT345 credit. 3G SIM cards are of course available but you can easily get free WiFi at hostels/Starbucks.


#3. If you're a student and planning to travel around Taiwan mainly by train, get the TR-PASS. You can get it at most train stations but remember to bring your student card! The TR-PASS holder has unlimited access to the Chukuang Express, the Fuxing Express and commuter trains before the expiration date of the pass. However, the holder is not allowed to travel by No.1, 2, 51and 52 Tourist Trains, No. 71, 74, 73and 72 Groups Trains, special passenger trains, Cruise-Type Trains, and other trains that are specified by TRA. Yes, that can be confusing but the Chukuang express pretty much gets you everywhere so no worries. If you're not sure, just ask the ticket office which train you can take with the TR-PASS.

Options available:
(1) 5-day pass/NTD 599.
(2) 7-day pass/NTD 799. (We got this one)
(3) 10-day pass/NTD 1098.


#4. Taiwan Easycard can be used for MRT rides in Taipei, buses trips in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, and Taichung and some but quite limited train journeys. You can get one and also do top-ups at all Taipei MRT stations and convenient stores. Adult and Student card cost NT$500, consisting of a NT$400 disposable amount and a NT$100 deposit.

Just tap in and out and the fare will be deducted based on distance traveled. The confusing/interesting thing happens when you use this card on buses. You do not tap in and out all the time! Some buses you just tap in, others you just tap out. There will be a neon sign when you board the bus which states whether this bus operates on a tap-in-tap-out (上下车收费) or tap-in only (上车收费) or tap-out only (下车收费) system. I can almost see the blank expressions going around hahaha.



Couchsurfing experience:
We couchsurfed across Taiwan except for Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing and Hualien. This was the first time for us (though we didn't really sleep on couches, we slept on tatamis, beds and mattresses) so we were half expectant, half worried. Luckily, we were blessed with wonderful hosts. All of them were extremely welcoming and made time to bring us around. They showed us hidden gems, good local good and treated us like good old friends.But as much as I enjoyed my CS experience, I was quite glad to take a break from CS in SML, Cingjing and Hualien because I need my own time/space/freedom.

If you decide to couchsurf, please comb through your potential hosts' CS profiles thoroughly, read all their references and you can even message people who have surfed with them previously. Like I've got an email recently asking about my stay with one of the hosts. Go with an open mind but be alert.

Taiwan: Taipei (part 2)

After a good breakfast, we headed off to Yang Ming Shan (陽明山) via a mini van from exit 1 of Shilin MRT station. I had a hard time deciding between this and Yeh Liu Geopark (野柳地質公園). It was really nice to be with nature again. Our first stop was Leng Shui Keng (冷水坑) where it contains Taiwan's sole bed of precipitated sulfur. Sulfurous fumes vented in the bed of this marshy lake turn the water murky. After gradually precipitating, the sulfur forms whitish-yellow or pale gray layers in the lake bed. Popularly known as Milk Lake (牛奶湖), the lake is only approximately 40°C (104°F) in temperature, and not the 90°C (194°F) or more found in some hot springs (Taken from Wiki). There's a hot spring right across from the Milk Lake and a free foot-soak pool outside. It was such a treat for our feet after completing one of the walking trails.

Then we went to Xiao Yu Keng (小油坑) which is located at an elevation of 800 meters (2,624 ft) and contains a host of volcanically-created fumaroles, sulfur crystals, hot springs, and landslides. Sulfur vents noisily spew forth gases, and hot springs discharge endless streams of boiling water (again, from Wiki). The smell of sulphur was overwhelming but it was quite fascinating at the same time. Mother nature never cease to amaze me.

After dinner we headed to enjoy the night view of Taipei from Chinese Culture University (文化大學) which is just a few stops away from Yang Ming Shan. It must be quite a famous place for night view of Taipei because it was quite crowded! The wind was super strong though and I couldn't get a good night shot because my hand kept shaking due to the wind. Then this really nice student(?) from the university offered me his tripod because I was trying to balance my camera dangerously on a rock. So I managed to get a good shot of nightview. So touched :')
























Pingxi line (平溪線) runs through the Ruifang and Pingxi Districts and was originally built to transport coal. There are several stations along the line Sandiaoling (三貂嶺), Dahua (大華), Shifen (十分), Wanggu (望古), Lingjiao (嶺腳), Pingxi (平溪) and Jingtong (菁桐). Some of the stations are mainly residential, the ones that tourists frequent are Shifen, Pingxi and Jingtong. We took a train to Ruifang and bought an unlimited Pingxi train pass for NT52. Our first stop was Shifen and we headed straight for the waterfall which is 15 minutes walk away. The entrance fee was NT70 for students. I thought you could wade in the pool below the waterfall and er swim or something but nah. It's all fenced up. But it was a good thing we arrived before the flock of tourist buses so we managed to take photos of the unblocked waterfall. We also went to Pingxi and Jingtong stations. By now, all the old streets start looking identical. We decided to do the one thing most people come to Pingxi to do - release a sky lantern! I wish we could have gathered all the tourists there and release the sky lanterns together. It would be such a sight to see the night sky sparkling with them.

Taiwan: Taipei (part 1)

Oh wow. I thought I'd never finish writing about Taiwan. So yes, finally, the last stop of the trip - Taipei.

Tamsui district (淡水區) was quite a disappointment for me. There wasn't really much to see/do. However, it turned out to be one of the most memorable days because we rented electric scooters and rode along the water until Fisherman's Wharf (渔人码头). We were so eye catching in our bright pink and yellow scooters, complete with matching helmets and colourful dresses that everyone stared when we zoomed past, some even took photos of us. We didn't go up the bridge at Fisherman's Wharf because it was going to rain, so we hurried back to the central. The scooter ride was extremely fun though I fell and scraped my knee. My poor knees! They are forever getting scraped or bruised, even now they are both bruised from I-don't-know-what. I love you, knees! Will show you more love and care from now on. *pats* The nice uncle who gave us lots of advice about riding the scooter was so worried that he sent the owner of the scooter rental shop off to buy some ointments for me. He waved us off after giving us a lunch place recommendation, d'aww. Ok fine, Tamsui district isn't all that bad. There are rows of shops selling local products and street food but I've had enough of those. And the Fisherman's Wharf is beautifully lit up at night from the photos that I've seen. You can get to Tamsui district easily by subway.
















Jiufen old street (九份) is another must-go place in Taipei. You have to hop on a train to Ruifang (瑞芳) which takes about 45 minutes then change to a bus to Jiufen from the bus stop right outside the train station. There will probably be a lot of people crowded there. I don't know what bus we took because as soon as the bus came, the bus driver shouted 'Jiufen! Jiufen!' so we just followed the crowd and got on. Jiufen old street also has lots of souvenirs, local goods and street snacks on sale. I don't see why this is called an 'old street' but I do like the wooden architecture and narrow walkways. The view from Jiufen was pretty lovely though since it's located up a mountain/hill (I can't tell). Oh and the whole area has free WiFi, not that it was particularly important to me but fyi. We took a bus down to the Gold Ecological Park but it was quite boring. You can touch a piece of gold block there, if you're keen. We waited quite a while for the bus down to Huang Jing Pu Bu (Gold Waterfall/黄金瀑布) and while waiting, we were preyed upon by a dozen taxi drivers who tried their best to convince us that we would be better off taking a cab down. The waterfall was quite a sight! It wasn't very big but quite spectacular - being golden/copper and everything. The gold was carried down the river by the current and the villages traced the river upstream and viola! It led to the start of the gold mining craze. We had an hour to kill before the last bus back to Jiufen so we walked further down and reached an expressway beside the sea. This scene felt so music video-ish (S.H.E.'s 沿海公路的出口 comes to mind) so we took lots of photos here - yes, RIGHT BESIDE THE EXPRESSWAY. Dangerous much. Luck was with us because we spotted a mini bus heading straight for Ruifang! Anddd it drove down the expressway so we got to enjoy the view.

Taiwan: Hualien

We didn't manage to Couchsurf in Hualien so we stayed in a hostel (Sleeping Boot). It took us around 15 minutes from the train station to get there but the hostel was really nice and clean. The staff who greeted us was extremely friendly, told us where we could go, what we could eat, etc.












At first glance, Hualien doesn't feel that different from the other cities but the roads were definitely a lot less busy. We walked around the small city center in the evening and went for a free traditional dance performance at the Shi Yi Street (石艺大街). I was invited (dragged?) upstage to dance with the performers. It was quite fun even though I was just waving my arms around. Hualien doesn't have much night life, though I heard from the people in the hostel that there are a few bars, not many but still present.








We set off early the next morning, caught the bus to Taroko Gorge (太鲁阁) and hiked up the mountain for THIS VIEW (picture above). The hike was no joke, you're basically going around the mountain, the steps are really steep and you have to watch your head. We were gasping for breath and sweating buckets at the end, but it was all worth it.










We almost missed this! Thank goodness we met the Japanese lady from our dorm and she told us that this place is really beautiful so we got off the bus and walked along the Shakadang trail (沙卡礑步道). The water is so crystal clear and blue! Love it. It was a really pleasant and tranquil walk, the walkway is fenced up but as you walked further in, the fence disappears and you can actually walk riiight next to the stream. I'm really glad we came without a tour because I heard one of the tour guide going 'you have 45 minutes to walk around, so you can only walk in for about 20 minutes and have to turn back.' We spent about an hour going in? So the whole trail actually took us about 2 hours.






Qi Xing Tan (七星潭) is a pebble beach and it is the first pebble beach I've ever seen. I thought it was just amazing. We had lots of fun picking pebbles, writing messages on them and leaving them around the beach. (I hope that's not considered as pollution oops). And it was just a really great place to sit down and enjoy the breeze and the sound of the crashing waves, albeit your butt will ache a little.

I wish we had more time in Hualien because it's my favourite city in Taiwan. A lot of people had told me that the East coast is more beautiful than the West since more people live on the West bank but we've already planned our trip centered around the West coast because it is more accessible (which makes sense since there are more people there). And it was a pity that part of Taroko National Park was closed due to thunderstorms and we didn't manage to cycle around Qi Xing Tan because my friend fell sick. I'd recommend staying at least three full days in Hualien to enjoy everything it offers.