First I went on the train. Talk about a smooth ride. Before I had sat down I didn't even notice that the train had already began to move (we started out underground, so you couldn't tell from the outside). It didn't feel like we were going very fast, and even staring out the window it didn't seem like we were going the speed the info screen was telling me. The fastest we traveled was 277 kph or 172 mph. It got me from the north of Taiwan to the south in just under 2 hours. We made a few stops along the way. I imagine if I had gotten a train that was nonstop I would make it there in an hour and a half.When I arrived I was ready to hit the road walking! My hostel was only a 15-20 minute walk away and I packed just a backpack. Easy peasy. However...my snag in my trip happened when I opened up Google Maps (which btw, works amazing out here), it told me the walking time to my hostel was 3.5 hours away. Um. What. Turns out the train station I was looking at this whole time is only for Taiwan Rail trains and not for the big bad HSR (high speed rail) trains. Crap. I could take another train to the station I was thinking of, but that would take more time and I just wanted to get to the hostel and rest and charge my phone now. So I splurged and took a taxi. After some language barrier fun he got me to where I needed to be. Looking back now I wish I could have just chilled out and figured out a cheaper way (btw there was a free way, but we'll get there), but what can you do. Taxis here are cheap.
I got to the hostel, named Fuqi (fu-chi) Hostel or Yuan Qi Hostel (cant figure out which is correct really), and it was so awesome! I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but there are photos in the link I posted above. I got slippers to use and shown around. There were a few places for people just to hang out and eat. There was a kitchen to use, and even an indoor koi pond. My room was on the 3rd floor with an electronic lock on the door with a PIN to open. My bed was a bunk but very private with heavy curtains for privacy. It had a shelf, outlet, and a reading light. I loved it! There was even a lock box for my backpack if I needed it, but if someone was really going to steal it while I was away all they would be getting is clothes and deodorant. Since Taiwan is a really safe country I didn't feel the need to use it (spoiler alert: nothing got stolen).
After charging my phone I only wanted to do one thing...find a night market! The biggest outdoor night market (supposedly), and the most famous one is called the Garden Night Market. The fastest I could get there was on foot. 30 minutes. I could have taken a bus, but it would not have been any better time wise, so off I went. My phone was charged, so I was good. By the time I got there I was definitely happy to be there and done with walking. I (literally) pushed my way into the night market and I was ready to get some food. Holy balls, guys. I've never been in a more crowded situation in my life! I went down two rows of stands and it took me an hour. It took a lot of effort not to totally lose it. I managed to get a sandwich (decent) and deep fried milk (so good). Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated I left and started heading back to the hostel. On the way back I found a Mexican restaurant and had a Quesadilla. It was pretty good. Best Mexican I've had here, but doesn't touch some of the stuff I've had back home. I also passed by a pet store with a French Bulldog puppy in the window. Did I think about buying a puppy just then? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Do I still think about that puppy? Yes....Moving on! I met a guy who worked at the hostel named Kevin. He was from the Chicago area, so it was nice to chat with another American.
I started off going to a coffee shop and ordered a cold brew. I got an iced latte guys, let's be real. Most coffee just comes with milk unless you order an americano or espresso. Just gotta deal and move on. The first thing I went to see was the Hayashi Department Store, which is a famous store in Tainan. The building was so beautiful inside and out, and each floor sold different sort of goods. I ended up buying a very cute embroidered coaster. However I was very tempted to buy some handmade soaps (if you guys knew how much soap my deal uncle brought fro me, you'd know why I did not buy any this time haha). They also sold fashion items, candies, snacks, bags, bowls...so many different things. If I had all the money I would go crazy. They also have a cafe and restaurant near the top of the store. It was really nice so I am glad I stopped by.Afterwards I set off to a place that was recommended by a friend called the Chihkan Tower, and it was definitely worth going to. It was a beautiful structure you can walk up in and all around it looking at the restored architecture. There was a little shrine inside where people were praying so it was a very interesting sight indeed. Since it was so sunny and hot I decided to get some of the ice cream they were selling. Salted plum ice cream! It was so good and such a unique flavor. Needless to say it pretty much instamelted and I had to eat it up pretty quick but managed to get a photo of it before I destroyed it with my face.
After a quick stop at the hostel to charge my phone and eat some leftover quesadilla, I went off to see the Tainan Art Museum. There are two buildings for it, and it had just opened on January 27th. Until May it is all free admission. So duh. You go. The first building had more contemporary art, but the second one was more my stile with more still life and fine art paintings. I am telling you guys, seeing this art really filled my soul. They were beautiful and I was so happy to just wander around the galleries looking at art. The building was also very beautiful. There were a lot of people there but people there were very polite and they were really enjoying looking at the art (for my experience going to the National Palace Museum, ask me about it).
After the museum I needed a place to chill for a bit, charge my phone (see the pattern here?), and rest my feet. I walked over to Daybreak 18 Teahouse and was so pleased that I went! The atmosphere was so chill and exactly what I needed. The man working there was definitely kept busy, but very friendly. I got some nice oolong tea and mochi, which ended up being coated in coconut (yum!). I didn't stay too long here. Enough to rest a bit before heading off to my next stop.
What ended up happening that evening was the most memorable of the whole trip. See, I had gotten advice from a local where a better night market was. Again it was 30 minutes away and I didn't know if I was really up for such a long walk again if it will only end up being another disappointment. I did however need to go back to the Mexican restaurant I was at the previous night because I had left something there. It was also in the opposite direction of the market, but what are you gonna do. After picking up the item I figured I would hit the temples in the area. I went to the Wind Temple, God of War Temple, and the Grand Mazu Temple. As I was walking in the direction to see 2/3 of the temples I mentioned, I saw a street full of lanterns. Since the lantern festival was still running they had closed off this street for people to go walk down, look at, and take pictures of the lanterns. I said hey. Why not. So I went down and took pictures of my own.
I decided I was going to walk to the end of the street just looking at all the different lanterns. They lead to the end of the street, but also into a temple. I don't know the name of this one, but I found it on Google Maps here! I walked in and immediately saw a sign to my right. Mini lanterns with a sign reading DIY $200nt for 1 $500nt for 3. I can paint my own lantern? Oh hell yes. I got my blank lantern and set off on my grand adventure! I couldn't really take a pencil to it because it is made of a thin paper, so everything I did I had to free style. I instantly knew what I wanted to paint, which is super rare for me. I wanted to paint something that made me think of my time in Tainan, so I decided to do a pair of koi on one side and a fat goldfish on the other (or as my sister would call it, a "wiggle wiggle squish squish"). The koi because my hostel has that koi pond and there were a crazy amount of koi at the tower earlier. The goldfish because the hostel also has 2 fat ass goldies. I got down to work on my painting and time flew by. It was so great because the sun had set and they turned the light on in all the lanterns above me, so all the light I had to work on my lantern was the swirling colored lights above me. Before I knew it I had been there for two hours. It didn't feel like it at all! I got many compliments and they also gave me a tassel for it, an LED to light it up, and a stick to hold the lantern with. It was such a great memory! Hopefully I will be able to take it back home to the States with me undamaged.
Afterwards I realized I was famished! I quickly saw the last two temples and found a place to eat. I ate laska for the first time, however I was told by a friend that it was no laska he had ever seen haha. It was noodles with shrimp, vegetables, and other rando things the Taiwanese deem necessary to put in everything. It also came with an egg roll, which I read as ya know...an egg roll. A fried thing, ya know? Turns out it was a literal roll of egg with some ham in it. It was still really good and a good end to my evening. I headed back to the hostel and turned in for the evening. I laid in bed and watched an episode of a show before falling asleep for the night.The next morning I packed everything up and stripped my bedding. I was sad to leave the hostel. I really loved it and it was a good first hostel experience for me. I would have liked to stay another night there, but couldn't really see myself staying another day in Tainan. It was a good trip and a good experience, but I was ready for Taipei again. I had found a shuttle to take me to the HSR station. Thank goodness! No taxi rides or other weird bus routes. I walked over to the stop and waited. I was unsure how to pay and I didn't have much on my easy card, but I had enough change to help me out. When in doubt, watch what everyone else does. Turns out it was a free shuttle, which was bomb. It took me straight to the station and earlier than expected. When I finally got on the train, I was given a window seat (unlike the aisle seat I had the first time), which was great! I got to have a great view on a really nice day. The trip only took about an hour and 40 minutes.
So that concludes my adventures in Tainan! If you got this far, congrats!
