22 March 2014
Trains are awesome
Today I went to Taipei by local train, connecting to high speed train, connecting to subway, transferring to subway.
To demonstrate how vastly superior trains are than buses, the time taken to travel half the distance of Taiwan was roughly the same as to travel across Taichung by bus, 75 minutes including the transfers.
Also there was 0 chance I would get on a train that would just go off in the wrong direction for no good reason.
So now I am back in Taipei, where I have been a few times before, I am even in the same hotel I have stayed in before because it is excellent, the Dong Wu Hotel.
They remember me, its the same girls on reception for at least 4 years now.
I dont think I have stayed on this side of the hotel before, or perhaps its not been this clear, but I can see the mountains, they are calling me....
The view from the high speed rail station, nothing much interestng to see.
99.56% of the more than 4000 bullet trains ran to within 5 minutes of schedule in February 2014.
This place is called carton king, I believe its a Taichung invention and much loved icon. Everything including the store is made of cardboard.
You can buy those funky cardboard handbags in there, as well as hats and clothes. They even have a large restaurant where you sit on tables and chairs made entirely of cardboard.
I presume they serve mcdonalds, since thats also made of cardboard.
Cardboard drinks machine.
Damn it, I have missed the chilled steak fair!
Also picture number 400, will we make it to 500?
The view from my hotel room window in Taipei. I have been lost up those mountains before in a dense fog which rolled in suddenly.
My hotel room so my mother doesnt have to ask.
It is huge, and very Chinese. Also cheap, and with a great breakfast (assuming it hasnt changed since my last stay).
Hotel room bathroom with full bath.