Taiwan Trip 2010 (Day 8/Summary)

Day 8

Taichung -> Hong Kong

   Day 8 was very short, since we had to catch a flight in the morning. We got up early in the morning, packed our bags, and walked around to look for a veggie breakfast. Then, we bought several packages of suncake (太陽餅) near the Taichung Central Station as souvenir. We chatted with one of the shopkeepers and she noticed there were an increase of tourists from Mainland China and we chatted what ECFA (a joint agreement of free trade between China and Taiwan) would affect the economy of Taiwan in the future.We walked through some alleys including a street market and had a quick breakfast before heading to the bus station for the bus en route to Taichung Airport.

Morning street market

Waiting in the bus station

Finally, a nice morning after 3 days of rain in Taichung, @ Taichung Central Station

Humid morning

Flying home over Tsing Yi, Hong Kong

   The flight took 90 minutes. We went our separate ways after getting off the plane at Hong Kong International Airport. I was glad that I did not fight with Ben and Kevin during the trip, although I was accused of exploring areas on my own without notifying them and they were a little bit upset about it.

   The trip was slightly different from what I had originally planned. I was very ambitious by planning to go to Alishan and Guanziling, in addition to Taichung, Fengyuan but Ben said there would be too little time to do so. I also avoided Taipei and Kaohsiung (the two largest cities in Taiwan) because we wanted to see the more 'local' side of Taiwan. 

   I had a very good impression of Taiwan. First, Taiwan is a beautiful country with amazing scenery from the Pacific coast to snow-covered mountains that stand over 3500 meters above the sea level. Most people I came across during the Taiwan trip (albeit it took me a while to understand how car traffic works) were very friendly and helpful. Taiwanese food is to die for (a combination of Minnan, Hakka, Eastern Chinese, and Japanese cuisine) and we were lucky to find many good eateries during the trip. It is also one of the most vegetarian friendly countries in the world (among with India), due to the number of Buddhists. The pace is certainly much slower than Hong Kong and they are much more cheerful and laid-back (or at least they show) than Hong Kongers. I would like to visit there again (Kelvin already cycled around Taiwan in 2013!), as there are many places that I have not been to yet, and I have made some Taiwanese friends as well.

   In the future, I would love to experience more on the little island which is known as the true successor of the Chinese culture (sorry PRC, but Cultural Revolution destroyed many things irreversibly, including the soul and root of Chinese culture). I would also recommend people who wants to experience the Chinese culture to pay a visit to Taiwan. It might not have the stunning scenery that can be found in Mainland China, but it is easier to travel and get around, and infrastructures in Taiwan are tend to be better than China.

   Thanks for those who are willing to read my blog. I hope you enjoy the read and get to learn and understand more about this sub-tropical little island on the West Pacific. Also, many thanks to Ben and Kelvin for putting up with my during the trip, as well as their permission for using their photographs on the blog.