Since this is going to be a two week trip, I should document this trip as I go since I probably will forget details as I go. LOL.
Unlike our trip last year, it was pretty tamed this time around. No delays, no running around from one airport to another or bribbing my brother to bring us to JFK, no forgetting the JR pass. LOL. Other than forgetting to bring my charger, it was oddly nice to get to the same airport and gate as we did last year and not have a panic attack. The boyfriend and I chilled at the Air France preminum lounge until our flight which was a straight 15 hr flight to Taipei. I watched a couple movies and slept a bit. EVA air was pretty good with all the snacks and food lol. Once we arrived, it was lightly raining. After picking up our bags and figuring where to go, we headed towards Taipei Main Station. It was pretty dead since it was like 7AM in the morning just arriving to the station. Since it was too early for any of the activities we wanted to do and to check in to our airbnb, we walked around the area, ate some snacks from 7 Eleven, and validated our train passes. Once it was like 9AM, we decided to put our luggage in lockers and head to the Taiwan National Museum since that opens at 9:30am. We spent some time walking around the Peace Memorial Park which is in the same area as the museum just to kill time. Once we were able to go in, we went around the museum for about an hour since there wasn't that much in it and we needed to pick up our luggages to drop off at the airbnb. Once we got our luggages, we went to figure out the tickets and time scheduling with the Tarako trip. Once we picked a time and got our tickets, we headed back to the airbnb and left our luggages there until 3PM, where we can check in. We went to check out the Hello Kitty cafe/restaurant but we were not appealed by the food or the ratings. So, we went back to the Taipei station and went to the mall. After a loop around the food court, we decided on a curry place since there wasn't much seating elsewhere. After eating, the boyfriend checked with our host to see if we can check in now. After confirming we can, we headed back to shower and rest a bit. The plan was to shower and rest for an hour. But we were too jet lagged, so we ended up just sleeping the rest of the day. LOL.
Day two: Taiwan, Tarako Gorge
The day starts around 4:30am, where we both wake up before our alarm. Today we planned to go to Tarako Gorge and do Elephant Mountain after since we were too tired to do it the first night. We decided to get breakfast at this place that is highly rated for their Taiwanese breakfast and they open at 5:30am. So we dress and head over there only to find a long line. We were in line for about 30-40 min before we got our food. Rather than eat and waste time, we took it to go and ate our breakfast at the station. With 10 mins to spare, we ate without being rushed. Since there wasn't much people in the train, we made our way in and sat where ever. It was about 2-3 hrs before we got there. After figuring the bus, we hopped on and got off too early, so we walked a bit to the visitor center. We found out that there's shuttles going around to different stops since there are not many hiking trails going to the places we want. The first stop we go to is the Swallow Grotto. We take some pics and walked a bit before getting some snacks at the break point. We decide to move on to the next check point, which took some time to get there since the break point did not have a bus stop. So, we headed up until we got to Cimu bridge and waited for the next bus back to the train station since it was already 2PM. We caught the express train but it was only standing room, so the boyfriend and I stood up for 2-3 hrs until we got to the main station. We were hungry so we went straight to the food court to eat. After resting a bit and eating, we head towards Elephant Mountain. We basically burned off everything from that incline climb lol. Once we got to the top, we took some time to take some pictures and enjoy the view before heading down and back to the airbnb. We were exhausted so we opt out of the Taipei 101 since we had a good view from the mountain. And now we rest until the next venture to a new city in the morning.
Day Three: Taiwan, Taichung
We started the day packing our stuff since we needed to check out. We were heading south today to Kaohsiung. After getting our stuff packed and dressing up, we try to get breakfast before we check out since we have some time. The first place we wanted to go for breakfast was the same place we went yesterday. We wanted to eat and enjoy our food this time. But we found out it was closed on Monday's. So, we went to another breakfast place, but we couldn't find it so we tried other places in the area....but they weren't open yet. Even though it's easy to get food in places like convenience stores or street food, regular businesses are a pain in the ass to get food in the morning. So we ended up going to 7 Eleven to get some snacks to eat before going back to our airbnb and grabbing our stuff. We head to the train station to take the train down south. It took some time to figure out since we had to go local. Our train pass gives us unlimited travel with local trains, but we only get two high speed trains in these 5 days. One was used for Tarako and the second one we planned to use going back to Taipei to fly out to SK. So, we took the local train which was about a 3 hr trip to Rainbow Village. We wanted to pass by there since it was along the way. After getting to the area, we had lunch since we were hungry. Then we took the bus over to Rainbow Village. We stayed for less than 20 mins since it is pretty small. Once we did a loop around and took some pictures, we headed back to the station and took the train down to Kaohsiung to check in our airbnb. It was another 2 hr-ish ride down and again we didn't have much seating, so my poor boyfriend had to stand most of the time. 😭 Once we got to the area, we dropped off our bags and went out to the market village to eat a bit. We ate some oyster pancakes and walked around a bit because I wanted to venture around the area. It seemed pretty urban and vibrant than Taipei in my observation. There were much more American brand stores with a lot of American music playing in this area than in Taipei from what I noticed. I wanted to explore more, but we had to sleep early since we have to head to the next place tomorrow and the boyfriend needed to rest his feet.
Day four: Taiwan, Kaohisung/Tanian
The day started by getting up around 6:30am. We were to go to see the Big Buddah statue in Kaohsiung before going to Tainan. We checked out before 8am just so we could catch the 8:35 train. Once we got the station, we were about to put our bags in lockers but we didn't have enough coins. So the boyfriend went to get some breakfast to break the bigger bills in 7 Eleven while I watched the bags. I was checking the time for our train just to confirm, but I wasn't sure the address so I looked up the Big Buddha statutes' address. I then saw that it was closed on Tuesdays. After confirming with the boyfriend, we sat down to figure out plans since we can't go today. We decided to go tomorrow early in the morning and spend an hour there before heading back to Taipei for our flight to South Korea. Once we figured out the logistics on the timing of things, we ate and put away our bags so we can explore around Kaohsiung. We walked around the Lotus Pond to see some of the attractions in the area. After taking pictures, we headed back to the station to get our bags so we can head to Tainan. After our next airbnb host confirmed that we can check in early, we head there first. We had some trouble locating the place but we eventually found the place. After resting a bit, we go searching for food only to be disappointed that things were closed so we had to find alternatives. Even our alternatives were hard to find since we needed places with a menu to order from since the boyfriend and I can't read in characters. Eventually we found a noodle place for food and ate. After eating, we headed out to explore a bit. We saw the Confusious temple for a bit, we walked around stores and the Hayashi department store. We eventually get tired and start walking back the airbnb. We need to leave early tomorrow so we ended to the day at a reasonable just so we can leave early.
Day five: Taiwan, Kaohsiung
We began the day packing up our luggage because we have to fly to South Korea later in the day. Once we were packed, we checked out of our airbnb and headed towards the station and transfered to the station we needed to take when we head back to Taipei. We put our luggage into lockers before taking an uber to the big Buddha since that's faster than taking a train and a bus. It took about half an hour before opening. We went around the temple taking pictures and doing a short self tour around for about an half and half. We decided to take another uber back since the bus we were planning to take was going to take like 3 hrs, which would have made us late for our train to Taipei. So, we got some snacks before catching an uber back to the station. We had about an hour before our train, so we got some lunch for the train ride and killed some time by playing Pokemon. Once it was time, we headed to our train and it was like a 2 hr ride to Taipei. Upon arriving, we headed over to the metro and took the express subway to the airport which took less than an hour this time. We checked into our flight and killed time at the premium lounge there before boarding our plane. The flight was short - about 2 and half hrs. We got to Seoul around 9, but it took us some time getting to the airbnb because we couldn't find a direct line via bus or subway to get there. So we took the bus to the closest area to the airbnb and then walked over. We got there past 1am and just knocked out.
Day 6: South Korea, Seoul
The day starts with us getting ready to explore Seoul. We had breakfast at a Ginseng Chicken Soup place which was delicious. After breakfast, we went around heading towards the palace area. We went around the square area before trying to find a hanbok shop. Since we wanted to get into the palace for free, so we rented hanboks for 2 hrs and explored the palace. Once our 2 hrs were up, we returned our hanboks and got some ice cream while we headed towards the Bukchon Hanok Village. We explored around that area a bit before heading towards the next palace. Since we had enough palaces for the day, we just took a picture of the front LOL. We opted out of the Naksan park for the day and went to eat. We had some really good Toppeki. We got some coffee after dinner and just walked around some more. We went around Insadong and other areas by it before we got tired and headed back to the airbnb to sleep.
Day 7: South Korea, Seoul
The day begins with us getting ready to go hiking in two parks. We had Naksan and Namsan to do before going around in the shopping area and meeting my cousin that lives here. We head to Insadong with the intention to eat at Myeongdong, but we passed by a cafe and I wanted to eat their pancakes so we ate there instead. After eating, we headed over to Naksan park, where we ventured around the Ihwa Mural Village for a bit. We went around the park for a couple hours before heading to Namsan. There was a lot of people hiking up the mountain, along with a cable car that goes up to the Namsan tower. We hiked up there and spend some time doing the love locks that they have there where you can buy locks and lock it around there. There's also some entertainment where people were performing in traditional garb and with weapons. We got some ice cream and Churros to eat as a snack since we were planning to eat with my cousin later. After going around, we headed back down taking the cable car. We headed towards Myeongdong to explore and shop. We stopped by the cartoon street where the area was decorate in cartoon art. Since there was not much to do there, we found our way to Myeongdong. But we didn't know what we wanted, so we were just looking around at what they had until quarter to 7 where we then went to Dongdaemun Design Plaza to meet with my cousin and her daughter. We were looking at some of the art installations and shops, along with listening to a guy play DJ okawari songs on the piano before my cousin met with us. We then went to see the LED Rose Garden which this place was known for. It was pretty cool to see at night. We then went around trying to find food, before we just picked a place to eat because we didn't know what to eat. We were eating and talking when two drunk old guys got into an argument, which then turned into a fight. :| The police had to be called because it was getting rowdy. After dinner, we split ways with my cousin. She was nice to give us some snack goodies as gifts. We headed to Banpo Bridge to see the lights that illuminated on the bridge, but it seemed to be for a show which we missed. It took us some time to figure out how to get there without getting running across the highway. We eventually find out the underpass to it, after going through residential backyards. Finding our way back was a bit tricky as well since we didn't know where to go rather than go back the way we came. Again, we eventually found our way after finding some bikers and following the bike lane. We got back to our airbnb around 11ish and knocked out lol. So much walking...
Day 8: South Korea, Seoul/Busan
Today we are leaving Seoul and going to Busan. We were supposed to go hiking today at a national park, but it's raining. So we opted out and just relaxed this morning. Once we checked out of our Airbnb, we went to Myeongdong to eat soondubu for breakfast. We had enough time to eat that and the 32 cm ice cream before we headed to Seoul Station to transfer and catch the train to Busan. It was a fast train as it only took a couple hours before we got to Busan. We checked into our Airbnb there before going back out to explore Busan. We went to check out BIFF Square which was full of shops and street food. We were supposed to do the Trick Eye Museum but it just closed so we had to postpone that for the next day. So, we went around and went to the Yongdusan Park to see the Busan Tower. After going around there, we went searching for Galibi. It took us some time, but we found a spot and got a bunch of meats and a bottle of soju to drink. After dinner, I wanted to do masks since we're in Korea, so we bought a mask to do from one of the cosmetic shops and went back to the airbnb. We did the masks before going to bed which was a fun experience for us.
Day 9: South Korea, Busan
Today we started a bit later than usual. We got up around 9am and didn't leave until past 10. I wanted to try jajangmyeon so we found a place in BIFF Square to eat some. It's pretty good. We had some of that and some of the mandu. I was very fond of the condense milk bread pastry - I forgot what it's called. After breakfast, we went to do the Trick Eye Museum which was empty. So we took our time to go around taking pictures. We didn't finish until past 2, which we then headed towards the Gamcheon Culture Village, which is the Santorini of Korea with its colorful houses. After climbing its steep hills, I went shopping a bit for suveniors since the socks were pretty cheap and cute. Then we went exploring the village, taking pictures of the art. We stopped to have some honey toast bread and patbingsoo. Once we finished going around, we went back to BIFF Square to see the aquatic show that is the largest in the world in the Lotte Mall. We waited an hour before it started and it lasted for about 10 mins. After the show, we went to the skypark that's up in the rooftop of the Lotte Mall and took pictures of the pretty lights and artwork. For dinner, we went to have some seafood, which took us a while since it was mostly street food. We ended up having a hot pot of seafood and noodles. After that we called it in for the night.
Day 10: South Korea, Busan
Today we planned to go to Jinhae and the beach. We took a train and switched to catch a bus, which was like an hour ride. Once we arrived, we were bummed out because majority of the blossoms were dead. We came too late, so the cherry blossom festival and the blossoms were gone. So we didn't stay in the area for too long. We walked around and took pictures of the one cherry blossom tree that we found across our bus station. So it was not a total loss. We then headed to the Haeundae Beach, which is the most popular beach in Busan. It was too cold to go swimming, so we just took some pictures and went walking around the area. We ate some fish cakes before going to the APEC Naru Park to walk around and take pictures of the art work. We also went around the Shinsegae Department store since it was just across the street. We went back to the beach to see if the beach was lit up with lights, but was disappointed that they weren't. So, we just went to cafe to eat some honey toast bread and drink beverages. Since we weren't that hungry, we headed back to the airbnb and called it a night since we have to leave the next day.
Today we are heading to Japan. But not before we have some of that Korean Fried chicken. So, we check out of our airbnb and head to the station. We get to the transfer station and go to the underground mall because I wanted to do some souvenir shopping. I wanted a new bag and to get some goodies for the fam. I managed to buy a cheap backpack and some shot glasses because it was cheaper to buy for 3 for $8 than a keychain for $10... After shopping, we went to get some Korean Fried chicken for breakfast. We had to roam around a bit before we found a place nearby the station. It was pretty early, so we were the only ones in the restaurant. When it was almost 1PM, we headed out because we had to catch our 4PM flight. We took the shuttle train to Busan Airport and was still pretty early. We checked in some of our bags and ate some more in the Premium lounge there before our flight to Japan. It was only an hour flight before we got to Osaka. It took us some time getting from the airport to the terminal area to exchange our vouchers for our rail passes. Then from there take the train from the airport to the Dotonburi area. After about an hour, it’s about past 8 when we get to the hostel and drop off our bags. We immediately go out to get some food - grabbing some takoyaki, sushi, and other snacks along the way. We explored the Shinseibashi street since we didn’t get to do that last time. It was very long.... and most stores were closing/closed for the night. So, we just grabbed some desserts, passed by Round 1, and just went all the way down and back to our hostel to eat.
We start the day at 8:30AM because we need to leave to go to Kyoto. We wash up and head out catching an early train which was about half an hour. Once there, we put our luggage into locker since we are spending the day in Kyoto and then heading to Tokyo for the rest of the trip. We first go to visit the Arashiyama area - getting some snacks from Lawson because the restaurants are not open. We got some ice cream too before heading to Arashiyama Monkey Park since we missed out on that last time. We are clearly not prepared since we aren’t dressed for hiking and I wore heels. LOL. But we were still faster climbing up and down the mountain than the people there. We spent some time taking pictures and feeding the monkeys before heading back down and going to the Bamboo Forest. We got to stroll around and take our time since we weren’t dressed in kimonos that we have rented with only an hour to go around before returning it. It was nice to take our time, but it was annoying to have so many crowds and slow walkers. We left before it got really busy with the group tours and such. We went to Gion Corner where there were still geishas there. We went around and went to see Yayaoi Kusama’s artwork and two geishas perform which was nice - would have been better without people constantly taking pictures and obstructing people’s views... Anyway, we headed back to try to get the omurice that we tried to go to last year but it was booked at the time. It was the same for this time as well... since you have to book weeks in advance to get a spot. So we left and went to find sukiyaki. We ended up in a high quality sukiyaki... where you have your own dining room to eat. It was a pretty lax experience and very good wagyu sukiyaki. After dinner, we stopped by the Kyoto station to take some pictures of the Kyoto Tower before getting lost trying to find our lockers LOL. We ended up going around the building because it was so big. It took about 3 hrs from Kyoto to Tokyo, so we got to the hostel pretty late and called it a night.
Today we are going around Tokyo and just revisiting some spots. We went to Ueno Park hoping to see the cherry blossoms - but there was no more... Of course this time we go, we are too late. So, we went to Tsukji Market to get some good sushi again. It was pretty crowded at the time, so we headed for the same restaurant we went last year and had some of their yummy sushi. After breakfast we went to look for the Suga Shrine stairs from Your Name. It took some time because the road to it was blocked off from construction, so we had to go around. Once we found it, there were some fans taking pictures on it and some cosplayers. We took our pictures and headed to the next destination which was Akihabara and Harajuku. We got some CDS for our friends in Akihabara and I did some window shopping in Takeshita Street. I didn’t buy anything there since it seems to appeal more to tourist and they didn’t have any small sizes. So, we visited Beard Papa for some snacks and played with kitties in the Kitty Cafe again. They got so big... After that, we went off the street to more of the Harajuku area and browsed some more. My boyfriend treated me to an outfit at this cute store that I took an extreme liking to their skirts. <3 Afterwards, we headed to Palette Town, where we got to go around the area because it was closed the last time we tried going there last year. We went on the Ferris Wheel and went around the Venus Mall before passing by the Gundam Front and took pictures. We did not have enough time to pass by the arcade again because we had dinner reservations at Ginza Gomei again. So, we headed over to Ginza. There were more people dining this time, but they had earlier reservations, so we were the last people left after they finished dining. They, of course, did not disappoint with their delicious food. After dinner, we headed back because it was getting late.
So, we were supposed to go to Mt Fuji to explore the ice cave, go to Aokigahara Forest, and Hakone. But since it was going to take a lot of time just getting there and coming back - about 3 hrs each way - we ended up not going. We would have to get up at 5AM just to catch the 6:30AM train and head back by noon if we want to go other stuff. Considering we would be tired from hiking from the lack of sleep and that is a lot of wasted time for our last day in Japan, it would have been a waste. So, we took it easy and had fluffy pancakes that we had last year. It was nice to actually enjoy it this time and not scarf it down because you need to be somewhere in like ten mins. LOL. We ate some of that and then went to KFC because the boyfriend needed more food than that. Plus we wanted to try KFC’s in Japan. So we got their chicken and their crispy chicken is really good - it has a spicy kick to it. It was cute to use the finger wrappers that they give to eat the chicken and facial tissues. After KFC, we went around to shop some more. I tried going to Uniqlo for shirts but they weren’t great this year with their exclusive shirts in Shibuya. So, we shopped a bit in their Mega discount store and had some drinks in a cafe before going to Akihabara to shop some more. We got some more souvenirs and passed by some arcades before heading out and getting ramen for dinner. After ramen, we stayed up to pack and get ready for tomorrow for the trip back home.
Last Day of the Asia trip. :( We packed up at 7AM because we had to catch the 9AM express train to Narita. We managed to get reserved seats and catch the train on time, so we got to Narita Airport at 10AM. We went around getting some kit kats for my mom and breakfast. It was a 3 hr flight to Taiwan - where we had a four hour gap before our flight to NYC. We had enough time to go out through immigrations, grab our bags, go to Terminal 2 to check in our bags through EVA , go through baggage check and immigrations again, AND spend 1 hr just shopping for food snacks and spending whatever bills we had left in NTD. We spent $190 dollars and got a free bag for our goodies and a bunny thermostat lol. We should have stayed in Taiwan longer... all the free things. We then went to their Premium lounge to eat before we got on our flight. From there it was a 14-15 hr flight back to NYC. And this ends the trip log of my Asia Trip.
(Sorry for the delay... I tried writing this on my phone, but when I tried to save it, there was no WIFI connection so I lost my last entry which took over an hour to write. I was in no mood to write it again that day. -_- And now it is finished LOL)
