Good evening everyone.
I recently took some time off and went on a trip to Taiwan.
The last time I went was last July.
The purpose was to meet with local friends & stock up, but this time, in addition to that, I visited a museum that I have always wanted to visit.
Today, I would like to introduce the city.
The name of the city is Chiayi.
It is located between Tainan and Taichung, where the HSR (High Speed Rail) stops.
After arriving at the airport and completing the necessary formalities, I was ready to go.
Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 Station
↓MRT (subway)
HSR Taoyuan Station
↓HSR
HSR Chiayi Station
↓BRT (bus)
Chiayi Railway Station
*The MRT is convenient to have a Taiwanese transportation IC card.
HSR made reservations online in advance and only issued tickets locally.
Discounts are available for foreign tourists.
BRT is free of charge if you show your Shinkansen ticket.
I headed to the hotel and took a rest.
It is now evening, so we go out for a little early dinner and a walk around the city.
A rotary intersection in the city.
A long time ago, a high school from Chiayi participated in Koshien, and the story was made into a movie.
The statue in the middle is the ace pitcher of the time.
According to the information I had gathered beforehand, Chiayi is famous for its gi-lohan (turkey rice).
I found a restaurant that caught my attention and went there.
Here is what I ordered.
The gi-lohan and stewed vegetables.
The gi-lohan was delicious with sweet and sour sauce and meat.
I changed the taste by adding hot sauce in the middle of the rice.
The stew is similar to the Japanese dish, but has a unique Taiwanese spice flavor.
You can choose what you want to eat and hand it to the waiter, who will cut it into bite-size pieces for you.
There were some items I was interested in, such as meat, but I was put off by the shape, which I had never seen in Japan, so I decided to go with cabbage and thick fried bean curd.
I liked it, but it is a taste that may differ from your taste.
This is the drink I purchased on the way home.
I chose the papaya milk, which is very tropical.
It is a style of drink made by mixer after ordering.
There was quite a bit left over after pouring it into a cup, but we were allowed to drink the extra portion on the spot.
We were given so much that we thought this was not an extra amount....
He is very generous!
When you come to Taiwan, you want to get a massage, so we went to a massage parlor nearby.
In the park right outside the hotel, a kind of loud karaoke contest was being held on a small but glaring stage.
If it were in Japan, it would probably be a noise problem....
As for the massage, the brother who was in charge of me was very attentive, even though we did not speak each other's language.
Whenever I go abroad, I bring individually wrapped snacks and share them with those who are kind to me.
I gave some to this brother as well, and to my surprise, he was so happy that I was also happy.
And the park I mentioned earlier is now a social dance with everyone.
How free and fun they seemed to be!
Witnessing the cultural differences, I returned to the hotel and went to bed early.
The second day will come later.