Travel thoughts
Taiwan is gaining up on Thailand as the country I most often visit. I've come to the end of my 5th trip here, as I now await for my flight back home at Taoyuan international airport. The cafe I patronise is unusually packed today hence I had to take out my Americano and have it on the row of seats en route to the departure gate.
A 9-night stay isn't a short one. Thanks to my travelling companion BJ, I visited a ton (by my standard) of places. Had I been on my own, I probably would have only covered half (haha).
九份
金瓜石
高美湿地
一中街
日月潭
车城
集集火车站
逢甲夜市
921地震博物馆
溪头妖怪村
莺歌陶瓷老街
2 friends joined towards the tail-end of the trip and with that, I added EZ5, Abrazzo, GSTAR, and Jump to the list of first-time visits. EZ5 is a pub with 'live' performances featuring well-known Taiwan artistes and their younger peers; notably those who gained popularity following stints in singing competitions. I would have loved to catch 张心杰 but had to settle for 符瓊音, 黄嘉千, and 赖铭伟. They were very good though. As for Abrazzo, GSTAR, and Jump, they're the typical gay hangouts/clubs. Abrazzo is the equivalent of DYMK and the latter two Taboo. Clubs are the least of my interest because it comes at the expense of sleep which I find unnecessary, not to mention I'm no good with drinks.
Airbnb is a great alternative for group accommodation because it can be significantly cheaper after the cost is divided out. Not too much of a difference for single travelers though. My money would still be on hotels because I like my rooms made daily. Some Taiwan hotels provide free laundry services and that's a huge huge bonus! BJ is a good traveling companion because he's easy going, and is an excellent planner of the most efficient travel routes. I call him my vehicle commander. We get along great. I would probably just insist on 2 single beds henceforth because he enjoys clubbing and having that would minimise disturbances in the wee hours haha.
I suspect it won't be too long before I'd see Taiwan again. But for now give me a good night's sleep.
