Our next stop was Alishan National Park. It was a long travel day to get there, involving a bullet train and a local bus winding its way through the mountains. The scenery was beautiful, but the road hugged the edge of the cliffs at times, which made for a nerve-wracking ride.
We eventually arrived in one piece and made our way to our hotel. When we checked in, we were told there would be an evening firefly walk, so we put our names down for it. But first, we headed out to find some dinner. Unfortunately, it turned out to be pretty disappointing and not even what we had ordered. We’d picked three dishes—noodles, rice, and mixed vegetables (according to their English-translated menu)—but somehow only ended up with two: noodles and some beef with bamboo. Neither was particularly nice.
After dinner, we joined the firefly walk and were led along some disused railway tracks into a patch of forest that was absolutely glowing with fireflies. It was magical—they weren’t just in the trees, but floating all around us. I tried to get some photos and videos, but aside from the very brightest ones, they didn’t show up. Still, it was an incredible experience.
The next day, we got up early to catch a bus to the visitor centre so we could explore the national park. What we hadn’t realised was that it was a bank holiday weekend. The bus was an hour late and completely packed—we had to stand for the entire 40-minute journey. The driver was racing along the winding mountain roads, and the motion started to make us all feel sick. Grace had to sit down in the aisle because she felt like she might either throw up or faint. Thankfully, we arrived without either of those things happening and were very relieved to be on solid ground again.
The park was heaving with people, but we eventually managed to get away from the crowds and spent a few hours walking among the towering trees and visiting old temples. It was really peaceful once we got off the main paths.
Eventually, we headed back to town for dinner, but again, it was super disappointing—overcooked pork cutlet and some tasteless vegetables. We gave up halfway through and opted for instant noodles from 7/11 to eat in our room instead!
We were supposed to head to Sun Moon Lake the following morning, our final stop in Taiwan. But when we went to book our train tickets, we discovered everything was fully booked until Monday because of the holiday. To make matters worse, we couldn’t extend our stay at the hotel either, as they were also fully booked. After a stressful evening of planning, panicking, and rechecking our options, we had to accept that getting to Sun Moon Lake and back in time for our flight wasn’t going to happen. Instead, we booked a night in a town about two hours away called Chiayi, where we could get a train to Taipei on Monday morning. We made sure to book our tickets to Chiayi and from Chiayi to Taipei in advance this time.
Our train to Chiayi wasn’t until 1:30 p.m. the next day, so we used our free morning to go for another walk around town. It had been cold the whole time we were there, so we finally gave in and wore jeans. Naturally, that was the day the sun came out in full force. We spent most of the walk sweating and climbing hills in the heat. When we finally got back to the hotel, the lovely owner saw our red faces and immediately sat us down with a fan pointed right at us.
Once we’d cooled off, we grabbed another 7/11 meal—this time some sushi and a banana— as well as a coffee and a chocolate milk for me, which came in cool takeout pouches, before catching our train to Chiayi.
The train ride was lovely, winding through forested areas, and everyone we passed waved to us. And I mean everyone—kids, adults, men in business suits and staff on the platforms. It was like we were celebrities. It felt like seeing a train was a rare event, even though there are at least three a day on this route. I guess people were just love a good train here.
After checking in at our hotel in Chiayi, our first stop was to find some food that hadn’t come from 7/11. We ended up at an American BBQ place and had some delicious brisket buns and chips. Finally, an tasty qmeal! After that, we headed out to the launderette.
The next morning, we finally caught a train back to Taipei. The bullet trains were all booked out, so we had to take the slower option—a five-hour train ride! We arrived in the late afternoon and decided to try a noodle place that had been recommended to us on the walking tour during our last visit to Taipei. There was a queue outside, which is usually a good sign, and we ended up waiting for about an hour before finally being seated in little one-person cubbies.
The menu wasn’t in English, and our phone translation app wasn’t much help either, so it turned into another point-and-guess meal. We both ended up with beef noodles, but I had apparently ordered a set that came with side dishes of what I think were tofu, pig’s skin, and blood cubes. I tried all of them—they tasted fine—but they weren’t really to my liking. I think I’m just not used to slimy, chewy textures. A bit of an underwhelming last meal.
After dinner, we headed back to our hostel, and while we’d been out, there had apparently been an earthquake in Hualien—the place we visited a few stops ago. We hadn’t noticed a thing, but some people felt slight tremors. An eventful end to our time in Taiwan!
Tomorrow we fly to Japan. I’ll tell you all about it soon!
Love, Alice x