Today was just wake up, get myself organised, pack up, have breakfast and leave on time for the train. Called 55688 to get to the train station. First time taking a train in Taiwan!! Managed to find my way to the right platform, and got on. The normal seats don't have room for a luggage case, but I got told by a passenger I can leave it at the front. Oh cool. Just half an hour ride to Kaoshiung. Once there, I got off and went to the toilet, and then came back to the right platform to wait for the train.
Interesting, Tainan's platforms are open air, whilst Kaoshuing's station is underground, and the entrace has doors, so sealing it indoors.
Once on the Tze-chiang 3000, I found my seat - lucky! The single row window seat on the right side. This means I can see the coastline...! And lots of leg space, enough room to squish my suitcase on the side and use the tray table. Amazing. My CO2 monitor never went over 900, but I'm unsure what sort of filtration their system has. Nevertheless, for lunch I had to use the KF94 hold breathe, unmask, bite, mask and exhale method to eat. I'm glad I chose a vege bentou cause I got sick of eating meat recently. It was pretty tasty. I sipped my juice through my SIP mask slowly. So I got to see 2 coasts - the west and east.
I saw lots of I assume beetlenut tree farms, and fish? farms - huge ponds with aerator. After passing Fangshan 枋山 in Pintung, you can see the coastline. It's a little misty on this side. I saw some eggplants on a farm in actual Pingtung. Hehehe. And then after the tunnel, you can see the coastline - clear skies blue/green sea. It's beautiful. From Dawu 大武 onwards the coastline is blimmin' stunning. My ears kepy popping as we went in and out of the tunnel.
A lot of people got off at a stop before Taitung suprisingly.
I wrote my postcards, it was shaky on the train. Sorry friends. Went to the toilet, came back only 30 mins or so left. Once at Guanshan I got off, and the station is cute, but not as flavour as the Chishang ones I saw in the photo.
The proipetress was ok to pick me up - thanks so much. The homestay is close to the train station but it's just easier when you have a big luggage case. She drives an old silver Volkswagen. Very history. The homestay is so cute! A lot of stuff has Doraemon themed to it - the proipetress' name is 宜靜 which is the same as Shizuka in the original Mando dub of Doraemon, hence I guess why everything is Doraemon themed (and I guess the proipetress likes it too!).
After signing in, she got me to pick a room - as all the rooms were empty at the moment. Wow??? I felt like me using one of the large rooms was a waste - more for them to clean up?? But she said it was OK. So I picked the room that had 2 windows and could look out to the yard.
There's 3 beds in this room... hahahah. She removed the blankets of the other 2 beds but I can sleep in any of them as she said she has to clean them all anyway.
I sorted myself out and then was going to borrow onw of their bicycles for the post shop... but the 3 I tried all had squishy tyres??? and I couldn't figure out how to use the bike pump... Ah... oh well I will deal with this one and go to the post office first. On the way, the streets were quiet and kinda reminded me of my old neighbourhood in Shuinan. The way I remember it. As it's changed a lot now, it doesn't feel quiet the same there. But the atmosphere and various home-businessess around here remind me of it. This post shop doesn't have a machine to get a number for postal services... so I asked the counter directly. Bought some stamps and posted my postcards. Went back, tried to figure out the bike pump, sort of successful? Spent 30 mins trying to work it out to no avail. Had to do a quick poop, then off we go. And rode to the Water Park.
The Water Park is kinda sad. Like I feel it was once very popular, but a lot of the structures are in disrepair. It is quite big so you will need a bike. A lot of the water features are turned off right now, and only the minimal grass cutting and hedge trimming seems to be done. There's a lot of broken bits - the stage has broken canvas and a light hanging off by the wire, having fallen off its fixing. Lots of fallen leaves. Worn boards on platforms, and spider webs... the bird watching tunnels are dirty and lots of leaves. Lights switched off. I felt kinda sad cause probably because of funding? They can't maintain and repair as fast? Such a shame cause the park can be very good. I read on google reviews after that because of the typhoon, it might be why it's looking kinda sad. I started from 4pm and just managed to finish at 5:20pm ish, made it out before close. There's a lot of nature and it is also an ecological park, so the wildlife is pretty abundant.
The proipetress suggested 達谷梵祕境 Takufan but I didn't make it there. I only realised that it's further out from the Water Park after I got home.
After I got home, I parked the bike, and sorted out my laundry, put it on wash. Then head off to the nightmarket - everything looks so yummy here??? The night market is Thurs only, once a week so I lucked out! I did a round, and decided on ikayaki. The boss let me taste, and then asked if I wanted to try the chilli condiment - okay sure! Gave me a taste piece on a squid. Holy shit it's spicy!!! But very very tasty. A bit too spicy for me. Thanks boss. Asked me what flavour I wanted while he heated up my squid ($150 for the small, $170 for the large. I got small), I went for the signature lemon pepper. Yush. I asked boss if I could sit at the seating area a little further up - but seems like it's only for those two stalls. He offered me his stool - I said if that's OK??? If he doesn't mind, and he said if it's ok with me, as the stool is a little dirty and he wiped it off with some tissues. Aww thanks boss. He said I look sporty - I just I went for a bike ride earlier today. The squid is so yummy?? Like why isn't there more people? It's so good??
I really enjoyed my squid and made some convo with the boss whilst eating. Thanked the boss and reiterated that it's really good.
Went for 地瓜球 next, across the street. There's no crossing in front of the night market so it's kinda like *sweat* but we made it. It was $50 for 9 pieces of ball - 3 flavours. Kumara, taro, quinoa. Ohhh quinoa?? I got combo balls. They were all yummy. The balls are pretty big. The got me to QR code scan and like their FB page. No problem!
Balls were kinda filling. I watched the kids ride the tiny vehicles and bike - the motobike had the front wheel off the centre axis so it bounces up and down when you ride it. It's cute. The kids were having so much fun. I remember how much joy I got from that. When the music stopped and the time ran out the kids ran back to go for a second time, haha.
I could eat a little more, so I bought the steamed peanuts ($90, it was $150 for 1 jing 600g), I asked for half a jing but the lasy boss interpreted it as $100? Uhhh sure? She was scooping and I said it was too much... so ended up buying $90 worth of peanuts. Walked back to the homestay and hung my clothes up to dry. Then sat down and ate my peanuts in the seats outside. With the way the homestay is set up it has a country feel, and kinda nostalgic? It reminds me of Laolao's juanchun. I asked if the proipetress wanted peanuts but she got 糖炒栗子 chestnuts panfried in sugar?. So she didn't have any. Guess I'll save my peanuts for tomorrow? She also treated me to chamomile tea... very beautiful flavour and colour. Thank you... I sat there drinking the tea and eating my peanuts. And had a quick convo with some other guests staying in one of the rooms - an European guy who said hi, so I said hi back and asked him in English if he was going to the nightmarket. Lol. Guy probably wasn't expecting that. And then the other 2 ladies came out and I spoke to them in Mandarin. Hahaahaha. Asked me where I come fron, etc. The usual. Said everything is yummy there. And told them to have fun.
Didn't know where to leave the teapot and cup so I sentt proipetress a LINE message and said I left it out, it was very delicious, thank you.
Came back, took a shower, had some more tea, and now I am just blogging. Will do some homework for tomorrow and wake up early to go to Chishang tomorrow.
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