I ended my last post saying I was going to Taichung, but after seeing that there wasn’t much to do I switched my ticket to head on to Taipei. It ended up being a great choice because it was the last day during my time here without forecasted rain.
The train ride was quick and easy- taking just under an hour and fourty-five minutes from Kaohsiung. I stared out the window and watched endless rice paddies fly by.
After arriving I checked into my hostel which has to be the nicest one I’ve ever stayed in. I charged my phone a bit, then went for a walk through the 228 Peace Park. After walking around and stumbling upon a Taiwanese choir, I decided to go in the National Museum which was just in front of the park. It wasn’t anything too special but it was air conditioned so I call that a win!
After waiting 15 minutes at the wrong bus stop I decided to take a taxi to a different historical area. When I got out, I realized I had left my tripod in the car. I got a bubble tea to ease my grumpiness and kept marching on. I stumbled upon the beautiful Langsung Temple . I walked through, but it was very crowded. I felt like an intruder among the many Buddhists there to pray and set out their offerings, so I exited quickly.
Next, I headed back to the main station near my hostel where they have an underground mall. Luckily, I found another tripod so my mood improved. I rested my feet for a few hours before heading to Elephant Mountain. It was still well over 90 degrees at 5 pm when I started this “hike”. I say “hike” in quotations because it’s literally just a never ending staircase of doom and death. I have never sweat so much in my life, but I did feel accomplished at the top. Also, I made a friend who gave me a cold beer which definitely improved the situation. You can clearly see the Taipei 101 which was the world’s tallest building (from 2004-2010) until the Burj Khalifa came along. Now, it’s the 10th tallest in the world!
After the grueling climb, I was starving and headed for my DVB (Daily Vegan Burger). This one was at a place called Miss Green which was a little more expensive but definitely worth it. The burger itself was bean based which was a contrast to the other two soy based burgers I had eaten previously.
After that I went back to my hostel, barely able to pick up my feet after the twenty-four thousand steps of the day. I think this calls for a foot massage.
- Anna Goes Adventuring - 