10D9N Taiwan Travelogue – (Part 7): Day 7 @ 台中 Taichung and 高雄 Kaohsiung

It was a journey of scenery and food discovery at far flung Cingjing and Sun Moon Lake for the past 2 days. We woke up early today, all ready to make another long trip down. Remember we were at Taichung and our next destination was Kaohsiung.

Journey Out of Cingjing

It was time to bade farewell to Cingjing New Paradise Bed and Breakfast.

We made our way out and embarked on another few hours journey to Taichung to take the High Speed Rail.

A provision shop in Cingjing.

They have schools here as well.

Views of the beautiful mountains.

As our bus made its way to the main road, it began to accelerate and travel faster. I kept peering out of the bus window admiring the views of the mountains and at the same time, awaiting for an opportunity to take a real nice and beautiful shot of the mountains. It was a difficult task as we were travelling at fast speed. To take a clear picture its a bonus. We loved this picture very well. Here it is!

Padi fields…

Alright one last picture before all of us fell asleep in the bus.

High Speed Rail (HSR) 台中站 Taichung Station

We are taking Taiwan High Speed Rail (also known as THSR, HSR, or Gāotíe) from Taichung to Zuoying. Zuoying is a district in Kaohsiung City. This is not MRT. It is a high-speed rail line that is approximately 345KM in length running along the west coast of Taiwan from Taipei Main Station in the north to Kaohsiung in the south.

台中站 Taichung Station
No.8, Zhanqu 2nd Rd., Wuri Dist., Taichung City

To know the fare for taking HSR, click here.

It cost NTD $790 (SGD $36) for adult fare and NTD $430 (SGD $20) for child fare to travel from Taichung to Zuoying.

We checked it will take 3 stops to reach Zuoying from the Southbound platform.

Taiching –> Chiayi –> Tainan –> Zuoying

Look out for this electronic board to know the arrival time of the high speed rail.

This is the first time we are taking high speed rail. We heard it’s very fast and very comfortable. So we were really looking forward to enter the train.

This is how the high speed rail looks like.

The interior is clean, spacious and definitely comfortable. Families with young children would love to travel by HSR as the train moves in fast speed and yet you don’t really feel the ride is choppy.

There are occasional travellers who bring their pets on board as well.

Feeling hungry? You can buy lunch box (bian-dang) from staff pushing carts in the trains or either before boarding the train. Eating is allowed on all railway and HSR trains. If you are taking MRT, it is not allowed.

Views from HSR.

Big and Small M explored the cabin. They have vending machine as well.

The distance from Taichung to Zuoying is about 194km. Do you know it takes not more than 60 mins to reach? Amazing! 🙂

We were very impressed by Taiwan HSR. So we made a good choice not to engage personal driver throughout our journey. It was a different and enjoyable experience trying out Taiwan public transport. You should do that too!

Zuoying HSR station is connected with Zuoying MRT station.

This is Kaohsiung MRT map for easy reference. Zuoying station is R16. We would be staying at The Icon Hotel which is situated between Central Park Metro Station (R9) and Formosa Boulevard Metro Station (R10), making it just 6 or 7 MRT stops away.

This is Taiwan. We love taking Taiwan MRT rides and mingling with the locals 🙂

The Icon of Kaohsiung City – The Icon Hotel

This is The Icon Hotel which we blogged previously. This is a hotel with whimsical designs and it is definitely going to thrill every visitor who stay there. You can click here to read our review of The Icon Hotel.

Every room sports a different theme and be prepared to be blown away by them.

The rooms look cool and chic.

The Icon Hotel is set in Kaohsiung, less than 1 km from Liouhe Tourist Night Market and 1.8 km from Kaohsiung Museum of History. If you are a fanatic for Taiwan Night Markets, click here for a complete guide to Kaohsiung Night Markets.

All thanks to Travel Kaohsiung, this is a list of attractions you can visit in Kaohsiung when planning your itinerary:

• Banana Pier – Former Kaohsiung port for trading bananas
• Chengcing Lake – Largest Lake in Kaohsiung with Beautiful Panoramic Views
• Cijin Island – Freshest Seafood and Beach in Kaohsiung
• Former British Consulate at Dagou – Amazing Views over Kaohsiung
• Kaohsiung Harbour – A Wonderful Place to Relax and Explore
• Kaohsiung Tower – The Best View over Kaohsiung
• Lotus Pond – Mountains, Plants & the Famous Pond
• Shoushan Zoo –  Largest Zoo in Southern Taiwan
• Singuang Ferry Wharf – A Quiet Getaway
• Sizihwan Bay – Amazing Scenery
• Syongjhen North Gate – Historic Kaohsiung
• The KH Film Archives – Free Movies by the Love River
• The Love River – The Centre Piece of Kaohsiung