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FOLDING bike

Some photos from Taipei in February.

good info

Some new photos of Kaohsiung.

My friend Nick took me to some amazing local foods in the Kaohsiung area. We went to the harbor, Monkey mountain, and rode a bicycle around the city. Which country offers free tea on top of the mountain? I think Taiwan might be the only one I can think of.

For the first time, I saw 3 convenient stores literally one block away from each other.

Cheapest way to travel between TAIPEI <=> KAOHSIUNG 台北《＝》高雄

Off peak bus hours = Monday - Thursday fares

BUS

Taipei to Kaohsiung 399 NT

Taipei to Tainan 220 NT. Switch to local train in Tainan 56 NT to Xin Zuoying. Total cost 276 NT. Less than 300 NT!!! *About 5-6 hours.

High speed train cost 1490 NT. 1.5 - 2 hours.

Other off peak fares

Tainan to Taoyuan airport 300 NT (switch once near the airport)

Kaohsiung to Taoyuan airport 420 NT (never took it, but probably need to switch)

TRAIN

Kaohsiung to Taoyuan City 777 NT fast train

Kaohsiung to Taoyuan City 599 NT slow train

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila

RCBC Plaza 41st floor, Tower 1.

6819 Ayala Ave, Makati City, Metro Manila

63-2-887-6688

This is the cheapest way to get your Taiwan visa and such because you can fly Cebu Pacific for cheap... However, DO NOT go to this office unless you have all the paperwork. They WILL NOT grant ANYONE a 60 days tourists visa in this office. They are VERY strict and PACKED. Airfare from TPE to Manila cost about $4300NT including all taxes.

If you do want to choose this route, do not take the yellow taxis on the 1st (ground floor), go to the 3rd floor to take the white cab. They're a lot cheaper!

#manila #taipei economic and cultural office

Travel personal check list

Documents

Tickets

Passport

Visa

Vaccination

Wallet

Travelers checks (if you're old school)

Cash

iTinerary

Phone numbers

Address (they always make you fill out an arrive card and ask for address)

Insurance card

HER checklist

Belts

Blouses

Cosmetics

Dresses

Gloves

Handbag

Hats

Sweaters

Nightgown

Pantyhose

Scarf

Jewelry

Lingerie

Raincoat

Robe

Shoes

Shower Cap

Swimsuit

Skirts

Shorts

Feminine Hygiene Items

Hairdryer / Curling Iron

Sewing kit

HIS checklist

Bathing suit

Raincoat

1 pair of super light North Face trousers (able to convert to shorts)

3 or 4 shirts (wear your shirts and boxers for 2 days)

Flip flop

Shoes

Socks

Boxers / underwear

Coat / jacket (polyester material is the very light and warmest)

1 Under Armor turtle neck (if traveling to mountains)

1 dress shirt with collar

Hat / bandanna (trust me on this)

Sarong (for sleeping)

Shaver

General list

Raincoat / umbrella

Pen / small notebook

Super small First Aid box

Medication / Vitamins

Plastic Bag (for dirty clothes)

Camera

Computer (netbook, preferably under 1kg)

Toiletries (everything under 100ml)

Flashlight

Sunglass

1 Travel Book / magazine (books are heavy)

Insect repellant

Granola bars (to avoid buying food when flying budget airlines)

Deodorant

Sunblock (can buy at the destination)

Headphone (small)

Electric converter / adapter

Travel towel (thin and lightweight)

1 Liter reusable BPA free water bottle (this will save you a lot of money)

Hooks

**If you're going to camping or trying on save $$ on accommodation, also bring sleeping bag, tent, and a small/thin (2.5in is enough) air mattress. Trust me on the thin and portable air mattress.

**try to keep packing under 12kgs.

**Bring laundry powder if going to the mountains and/or camping.

#personal check list

Clarification of the difference between these passports when traveling to Taiwan

BNO British Passport(British National Overseas)

You DO NOT get a 90 days visa exempt. Everyone will give you a different answer, but I went to the immigration at the airport and asked several people. They confirmed with me that they'll treat this passport the same as the HKSAR passport. You'll have to pay $300NT visa fee upon arrival in Taiwan. You will only have 30 days.

The BNO passport basically classify you as a second class citizen in the UK and HK.

Hong Kong SAR

Only 30 days.

USA Passport

Only 30 days.

#BNO #Hong Kong SAR passport

Adventure from Hualien to Kaohsiung 花蓮到高雄

Hualien to Kaohsiung 花蓮到高雄

Fast train 745 NT

Slow train 545 NT

Hualien to Taitung 266 NT

Taitung to Kaohsiung 279 NT

Bus from Hualien to Taitung 514 NT

Hitchhike from Hualien to Kaohsiung 80 NT + lots of fun.

#花蓮到高雄

My first hitchhike in Taiwan

Many people had told me that they hitchhiked in Taiwan before, including the conservative Taiwanese locals. I figured I ought to give it a try. I wanted to travel to Kaohsiung (高雄) but I wanted to find an alternative adventure. I thought taking a bus or train was just too easy, plus I can save some money hitchhiking. I attempted to walk to highway 11 (Taiwan's East Coast route from North to South) so I can flag down a car. Failed. The freeway was too far from Hualien City, so I took the bus and got off at the first stop on Highway 11. I was prepared. A tent, water, and food was attached to me in case I needed to walk the whole day. The moment I got off the bus, I started walking immediately. To my left side was the bright blue, mysteries Pacific Ocean. As I was strolling along the highway walking toward Taitung, I stuck out my left thumb and started waving. I literally started laughing at myself. "What the fuck am I doing? I'm crazy!" I thought. At first I wasn't facing the cars when I waved, but I started to realize that it is necessary to "look back." I kept walking and waving with my thumb up for the next 10 minutes or so.. Then I saw these two gigantic trucks and I waved with more enthusiasm, thinking they may pick me up. No luck. They pretended that they didn't even see me. Just behind these two trucks came a brown and shiny Volkswagen van that completely stopped in the middle of the freeway trying to pull over in front of my path. I ran up to the brown van with joy. There was a mom, dad, and a daughter smiling at me. The man asked me, "Where are you going?" with a warm smile. I said, "Well, I'm going to Kaohsiung, but I'll get off anywhere if you're heading South!" He smiled and said, "We're from Kaohsiung and we're heading there tonight. However, before we start the drive, we're going to have lunch and drop off my daughter back in Hualien City. I'll even treat you to lunch. Is that okay with you?" 當然！

We had lobster and steamed fish for lunch next to the Pacific Ocean. I later learned that he promised his daughter for a lobster lunch. She works in Hualien and both parents were visiting her. It was a pretty long drive so we took a few 7-11 breaks and stopped by his friend's work for some cappuccino near Taitung. They lived about an hour away from Kaohsiung city so I was dropped off at their local train station. Trust me, I had to convince them NOT to drop me off in Kaohsiung city. I said about 20,000 謝謝 s and no thank you at the train station. I said to myself, "Damn, I got here with ONE ride, this can't be that easy." I expected to switch rides along the way. Damn, Taiwanese are so nice! Here they are!

#hitchhike taiwan

Classes of trains in Taiwan

Do you want to travel for cheap?

自強 ziqiang Fastest, most comfortable, but cost the most.

莒光 juguang Slower, but cheaper.

Both go around the island.

復興 fuxing and 區間 qujian No assigned seats, local destinations. Cheapest

Taipei to Hualien on 莒光 $340NT. 3.5 hours.

#travel cheap #taiwan

Environmental factors. It's simple. Taipei is one of the most developed cities in Asia. Why are still sooo many scooters on the street. Think of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijng. Do they have lots of scooters roaming around the road?? Not nearly as much as Taipei. I travelled to all of them-not even close. Scooters and old buses cause tons of air pollution. There are so many OLD buses in Taipei. There are so many scooters that spits out black smoke. Minor changes can solve the air pollution problems. Discourage and impose tax on scooters so there will be less on the road. Will the new MRT lines opening soon, people should take the MRT more often. Change all the old buses that do not pass a smog test. Encourage citizens to ride a bicycle.. These are very simple steps the government can ignite. Taiwan is a beautiful country, let's keep the air fresh and let's not destroy our environment.

Work thoughts

Why? I don't understand... It was only 7,500 NT and the boss refused to pay me for a week. It's not 75,000 NT, it was ONLY 7,500 NT. Well, that was the amount they owe me because I sub for another teacher. It took them a week to give me the money... plus, when I went to pick up the money at Immanuel Ren Ai campus, no one knew ANYTHING about it. I called the boss 4 times and the end result was not pretty. Why? for such a small amount, I will forever talk bad about the school. That's dumb.

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit of a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

Into the Wild

You can give everything, all your possessions, but if you don't give your love, you've given nothing.

Aussie slang

Train station = traino Umbrella - bralli Gas station - servo Quilt - comforter Cell phone - mobile phone I Recon - I think, agree Jumper jacket Sus it out - check it out Heaps - lots Consessions - discounts Boxon - let's go Keen - want to, good

The more I travel, the less I know.

Duncan Chui

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