March 2020 Taiwan Trip - Day 1 (Kaohsiung - Fo Guang Shan)

Finally a trip that we had planned last year.. But what's different about this trip, is the unforeseen covid-19 situation. Given the circumstances, our plans had somewhat been affected and we had to make some amendments to our itinerary or rather a few were impromptu changes. We were lucky that our trip was in early March when the situation wasn't that bad. But nevertheless we had also taken some precautions such as wearing masks and bringing along hand sanitisers. 

JS and my luggage

Our flight was at 1am and by the time we arrived at Taoyuan Airport, it was around 6 plus in the morning. We then made our way to travel to Kaoshiung via HSR. We didn't book the flight to Kaoshiung airport directly since we had only decided going to Kaoshiung after we had booked our tickets, while we were doing research on places to go in Taiwan. 

From Taoyuan Airport, we took the Taoyuan Metro to Taoyuan HSR Station. That's the place where we will take the HSR to Kaoshiung. The journey from Taoyuan Airport to Taoyuan HSR station took around 15 - 20 mins and payment can be made using the Easycard (works like our ezlink card), which can be purchased from the Metro Station. 

The card itself cost NT100 which is non-refundable. Then it depends on how much you want to top up. If you want those with cute designs, you may also purchase the card from 7-11. You can choose the designs you want, and it also cost NT100.  

This is our cards! Cute much?
There's other designs available too!

When we arrived at Taoyuan HSR station, we proceeded to purchase the tickets to Kaoshiung (Zuoying station). The ticket cost NT1330 (around SGD $62) and it took about 1 hour and 50 mins. It's much faster than travelling by bus, and you sure have a seat assigned to you.

Even though it's not the first time I have travelled to Taiwan, it is definitely my first time going to Kaoshiung. We did not know where to stay, so we decided to stay near Kaoshiung Station since it seems to the central area to the places we wanted to visit. Furthermore, it is only one stop away from Zuoying HSR Station. 

We stayed at Papo'a Hotel which is just a short walk from Kaoshiung train station. Initially, we had problems finding the hotel, as Kaoshiung Station is currently undergoing some renovations.. So we had to walk one round (longer route). 

It's not those big big hotels, but then it's small and cosy looking! We were greeted by the cafe style ambience when we entered the hotel. Not bad! 

Picture taken from Agoda - Room pictures from Papo'a Hotel
Our room just looks exactly like this picture! I realised I had not taken a picture of the room or the exterior hotel just as I am posting this. OOPS. 

We then went on the search for some food. 

YUMMYYYYY

After putting down our stuff at the hotel and filling our stomach, we are ready for our next stop! 

Next stop: Fo Guang Shan

From Kaoshiung Main Station, we will need to take the train back to Zuoying Station (1 stop away). Exit the station via Exit 1, and you can take a public bus (E02) to Fo Guang Shan. The journey will take around 30 - 45 mins, and cost NT70 which you can pay using your EasyCard. 

As there's timings for bus arrival, we had around 30 mins before the next bus. Hence we decided to take a walk around the mall which was just beside. 

Some photos taken while at Fo Guang Shan: 

A scenic and peaceful place. You can spend some time walking around exploring and enjoying the peacefulness. 

And a photo of us to end our first day at Taiwan. We ended day 1 early (tabao some food back to hotel to eat) since we pretty much didn't have enough sleep on the plane. KO-ing much!