Four Days in Tainan and Taichung: Planning + Day 1

Why did I suddenly decide to take a four-day, three-night trip to Taichung and Tainan?

Mainly because my decade-plus stretch of working at a cram school every weekend officially came to an end in mid-May.

That’s right: I finally saw my last class of twelfth-graders through graduation. I first resigned when the pandemic began, and now that it had gradually eased from its worst point, I had finally finished teaching every student still in my care.

It took two whole years for me to actually leave!!!

After finishing the national exam last year, starting a business, and applying to IQVIA, I ended up juggling a full-time job and several ventures. I worked on weekdays and weekends alike, with basically no chance to take a break Orz.

My daily to-do list usually held well over ten items and sometimes nearly twenty. I would start clearing tasks as soon as I woke up and keep going until bedtime Orz.

Honestly, my mind, body, and spirit were all starting to run out of steam.

And, well, it had been approximately several centuries since I had seen either my long-distance boyfriend or my bestie in Tainan. If I still refused to appear in person, that would be getting hard to justify XDDDD.

So I finally committed. Before the company assigned me to a project, I asked for Friday and Monday off and created my own four-day weekend for a proper trip.

Since I was going out anyway, I figured I might as well casually record this little journey.

Getting into the Right Headspace

Huh? What do you mean by “getting into the right headspace”?

Here’s the thing: I have never really liked going out with other people XD.

I have a certain degree of social anxiety, and I easily start worrying about what to do if we run out of things to say.

Traveling with someone means riding together, eating together, and visiting every place together.

Then I start worrying, “What if neither of us says anything?” I feel that I have to keep searching for topics, and in the end I cannot relax at all.

My own itineraries are also pretty spontaneous. Even when I have a plan, I may suddenly want to go somewhere else that day—or stay longer just to look at the scenery—and change everything on the spot.

With a travel companion, though, I cannot be quite that selfishly flexible. I naturally have to make room for the places they want to visit and the food they want to eat.

For those two reasons, I did a lot of mental preparation for this trip. I even prepared myself for the possibility of losing a friendship that had lasted for years XD.

The PTSD was honestly a little intense.

The Taichung part was with my boyfriend, and since we had traveled together before, that was fine. But although I had known my bestie for years, this was our first actual trip together. We had attended high school together, and after graduation we had only ever met for meals.

Fortunately, everything turned out extremely well XDDDDD.

Before the Trip

When I travel alone, I usually research every attraction and food stop I want to visit, then pack the itinerary as full as possible.

Even when I simply wander around on a normal day off, that is more or less how I do it: fit as many things as possible into the shortest time XDDDD.

When I travel with other people, however, I have to consider their energy and condition. I keep the schedule very loose—or simply let my companions decide where they want to go.

It is not as if Taichung and Tainan are places I will never visit again XDDD. Anything I miss this time can wait until the next trip.

Besides, the places my friends choose may surprise me even more.

This time, one companion was from Taichung and another from Tainan, so it felt perfectly natural to leave the itinerary entirely in their hands XD.

The plan was therefore simple: two days in Taichung, followed by two days in Tainan.

My preparation went no further than checking travel times: the coach schedule to Taichung, the high-speed rail from Taichung to Tainan, and the local-train schedule from Tainan HSR Station into the city.

The only other thing I checked was the high-speed rail schedule from Tainan back to Taipei.

For three nights of accommodation, I booked only the hotel for the first night. On nights two and three, I planned to freeload at my bestie’s place as thoroughly as possible XDDDD.

Taking the Coach from Taipei to Taichung

I really like taking the coach from Taipei to Taichung. My first stop there is usually barbecue, and the coach drops me at Chaoma, which connects perfectly to Chaliu’s Chaoma branch. Excellent.

The coach ride is not actually that long, and it saves the hassle of transfers. Once you add everything up, it does not take dramatically longer than the high-speed rail plus the metro or a shuttle into town, so I am very much a coach person.

Among the available coaches, I usually take Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport’s Kuo-Kuang service. To make a lunchtime barbecue reservation, I aim for the 8:30 coach; it arrives early enough for a little wandering and a leisurely walk to the restaurant.

I usually book online first, then collect the ticket from the ibon kiosk at 7-Eleven. That is the most convenient option for me.

I travel alone most of the time, and coach rides are usually long, so I choose services with single seats whenever possible. It makes the whole journey much more comfortable.

On Kuo-Kuang’s route to Chaoma, only the Kuo-Kuang service has single seats; the Chung-Hsing service does not. That is why I almost always choose the 8:30 Kuo-Kuang coach as the opening act of a Taichung trip.

To catch the 8:30 coach, I usually take the metro to Taipei Main Station at around 7:30 and walk to Taipei Bus Station. That leaves plenty of time for breakfast before boarding.

I used to get breakfast from MOS Burger. Then, one day, I walked past Shun Chen Bakery and smelled its wonderfully fragrant braised snacks. Ever since, coach-day breakfast has meant braised daikon, enoki mushrooms, or something similar, plus a cup of MOS black tea.

It is actually just the right amount. I can still eat aggressively at Chaliu once I reach Taichung, so there is no problem XD. I highly recommend getting a few braised snacks before boarding.

Compared with waiting outdoors, Taipei Bus Station has the great advantage of air conditioning. Many coach services also depart from inside the building, so it is quite convenient.

Typhoon Mawar happened to be forming when I left. I thought I might run into strong wind and heavy rain, but the day turned out completely clear.

With no wind, rain, or even clouds, however, it was sooooo hot.

Taichung’s Maple Garden and Chaliu Chaoma

After getting off at Chaoma, Maple Garden is right next door. You can walk around a little before barbecue so that you can eat more afterward (wrong).

We arrived at around 10:30, with plenty of time before our 11:45 reservation, so we wandered around Maple Garden first.

Because it was still early, none of the facilities inside were open. We simply walked around, watched a few little creatures, and observed people exercising there.

After a short walk, we rode over to Chaliu. Our reservation was for 11:45, but we could actually enter early.

Almost every restaurant in Taichung seems to occupy its own building. The spaces are large and impressive—very different from how tightly packed everything feels in Taipei XD.

That is one reason I like Taichung so much. The roads are wide, people do not walk as quickly, and the environment does not feel so crowded.

It is a very good place to relax when you want to step away from work for a while.

Chaliu uses set menus. The main differences are the cuts of meat and a few pairings; although you can choose among the sides, those options are broadly similar.

We ordered the NT$1,980 set for two, with beef as the main attraction. For everything included, a similar meal in Taipei might easily cost around NT$3,000. I thought it was relatively affordable and excellent value.

Among Taichung’s many barbecue restaurants, I have tried Uma, Chaliu, and Mori Mori. I once managed to book Kazama, but I had eaten so much earlier that I probably could not have survived another large meal, so I had to give it up.

The reason I prefer Chaliu to Uma is the salmon miso soup included with the meal. It is genuinely delicious XDDD. I probably drink more than five bowls every time.

The salad is genuinely good. Even if you avoid raw vegetables because you dislike the grassy taste, I recommend giving this one a try!

This time, I remembered the salad being enormous in the past, but its current size felt just right. It was not so heavy that I became too full for everything that followed.

Chaliu’s meat is genuinely delicious. If you are unsure how to grill it, staff members who notice you struggling may step in and help.

The staff took the mackerel away to grill it for us. They also returned after the shrimp were cooked and prepared them so they were ready to eat. If you are worried about your grilling skills, you can ask for help with those parts—but please do not ask the staff to cook everything; they are genuinely busy Orz.

From appetizers and the main course to meat, seafood, drinks, dessert, and soup, the whole set leaves you unbelievably full.

LaLaport and the Nintendo Flagship Store

After the meal, we first stopped at our accommodation to leave our luggage, then headed to the newly opened LaLaport Taichung.

The exterior is quite distinctive. It is within walking distance of the railway station, and inside you will find shop after shop from every imaginable brand XD.

The South and North Buildings together are extremely easy to spend time in. You could wander for an entire afternoon; clothes, bags, household goods, toys, and almost anything else you can imagine are all there.

There is also a fabric shop and a variety of play areas for children. It is a good place to let kids burn off some energy on a day off.

As a game fan, however, my main reason for visiting was the Nintendo flagship store inside one of the buildings.

Taipei’s Syntrend also has a Nintendo flagship store, but it mainly sells consoles and games, with relatively little merchandise.

That made me especially excited about the Nintendo store in this new Taichung complex!

We were very lucky: the store’s theme at the time was Kirby, so there was a huge amount of Kirby merchandise, including piles of plushies and cushions alongside the games.

That made this Kirby fan extremely happy XDDDD. If you are not particularly interested in Kirby, though, the selection may feel a little limited.

There was still some Mario merchandise as well.

I was completely stunned. Tears of the Kingdom really was Nintendo’s latest masterpiece, but seeing an entire shelf filled like this still made me think, “Old Nintendo, is this the only game you have left?” XDDD.

Before leaving, I still ended up buying a plush of Kirby and his friend 海恩. At checkout, the clerk said, “It’s 海恩! Kirby’s cutest friend!”

My companion quietly commented afterward, “Does that clerk call every Kirby friend the cutest one whenever a customer brings it to the counter?” XDDD.

At the time, checking in at the Nintendo store and leaving a five-star Google review would get you a squishy Super Star stress toy!

Of course, LaLaport is not only for shopping. It also has a food court where you can eat, drink, sit down, and rest.

My boyfriend and I bought a hand-pounded salted-lemon green tea from BOBO Tea. “Hand-pounded” means the staff repeatedly smash the ice and ingredients with a wooden stick. Watching them made me feel that their job was terribly hard (and yet you still ordered it!).

We also queued for almost thirty minutes for a Beard Papa’s cream puff. The limited pudding flavor, available only through the end of May, was genuinely delicious!

Later, after I returned to Nangang MRT Station, I discovered that Taipei had the same cream-puff shop—with no line at all. But that is a story for another time XD.

If you like Studio Ghibli, LaLaport also has a Donguri Republic store to explore.

Overall, I think LaLaport can easily fill half a day or more. In the fierce summer heat, it has air conditioning, places to sit, drinks, and food. It is honestly a pretty good stop!

Accommodation

For our one night in Taichung, we stayed at the Fengjia branch of Green Hotel.

I usually keep an eye on recommendations and warning posts in Facebook groups. Whenever a useful accommodation list appears, I save it. The group I normally follow is linked below.

好想住飯店⭕好康.踩雷不藏私

I chose the Fengjia branch because, if I was staying in Taichung, I wanted a night market nearby. If I became hungry, I could simply run out for food. This hotel is within walking distance of Feng Chia Night Market, which is extremely convenient.

For more information about the room types or the hotel environment, you can visit its official website.

Green Hotel’s official website

Green Hotel Fengjia has an aviation theme. You will see clocks showing the time in different countries, and the elevators play recordings in several languages. It genuinely feels a little like boarding a flight overseas XD.

Wait a second—are you saying this is the nation of Taichung?!

The keycard sleeve can also be used as a bookmark, and different countries come with different themes. I thought it was a very clever design.

We stayed in a deluxe double room. Whether I travel alone or not, I usually book a double. Once I have decided to go away, I want to stay somewhere nicer—and a better room also feels safer when I am by myself.

Green Hotel centers its identity on abundant greenery, so different plants appear throughout the property. The guest-room area also contains a central, thirteen-meter-high living wall.

When I first researched reviews, I had heard that it was a low-carbon hotel with many plants. Seeing it in person was still surprising XD.

Being a low-carbon hotel does not mean the air conditioning is weak. In both the corridors and our room, the space felt comfortable without setting the temperature especially low, and the ventilation was excellent. There is no need to worry about that part.

There is another lovely detail: each guest can choose a succulent to bring back to the room for the night. Naturally, I selected a pleasantly chubby-looking one. It was tiny and adorable.

Overall, the experience of seeing and staying at Green Hotel matched the impression created by its website. It felt comfortable and pleasant, and the front-desk staff were kind and courteous.

After barbecue, we left our luggage there before visiting LaLaport, and it was stored and looked after very carefully.

The only minor disappointment was the soundproofing. We could faintly hear doors closing and voices from nearby rooms. Nothing was especially clear, though, and I did not feel that it seriously affected our rest.

The other issue was that the pillow was too soft and flat. I somehow woke up with a slightly stiff neck the next day XDDDD.

Other Little Stops

Before checking in, we also visited two well-known Taichung spots: Capoo House and Nai Pao Mao Café. At Capoo House, I bought daruma figures of Capoo and Dogdog. They felt beautifully made and are small items I would happily recommend.

I did not buy much other Capoo merchandise because I had already visited the Aotu pop-up at Huashan Creative Park and picked up a few things I liked there.

At Nai Pao Mao Café, we only browsed the Fandora shop briefly. We had already eaten snacks and had drinks at LaLaport, so we were still too full to order anything.

Isn’t everyone forced to stay open because life demands it? XDDDD.

In the evening, we foraged for food around Feng Chia Night Market. Staying close to a night market has so many advantages; we bought so much that we nearly could not finish it all Orz.

Conclusion

I had not originally planned to turn this trip into a travelogue. I had also visited some of the places several times before—Capoo House, for example—so I did not take many photos.

Now that I am writing it as a travel diary, not having more photos feels like a serious miscalculation Orz.

I had said this was the perfect time to travel before the company assigned me to a project. Naturally, one or two days before departure, I was assigned several projects at once!

Fortunately, none of the work had to run until Tuesday, after I returned. That scared me half to death—oh my god Orz.

Overall, I thought the first day’s itinerary was just right. Compared with the wildly overpacked days that followed, these places were reachable by public transport and did not require too much walking.

There are still three days of travel to write about. I hope I can finish them properly while I still remember everything XD. We will continue in the next post : D.