Taipei to Taichung

It wasn’t hot enough in Taipei, so we decided to go to Taichung for a few days. There are a few stationery shops there, and it’s relatively cheap and easy to get there from Taipei, so if you have the time, you could consider adding it to your itinerary.

We took the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Taipei Main Station, and it took 50 minutes. The trains are ON TIME, air-conditioned, and clean. An adult fare one way was about $30 CAD. The standard Taiwan Rail trains cost half as much and take twice as long, but are another comfortable option that I wouldn’t hesitate to take, especially if we didn’t have kids along for the ride.

I love trains, and actually they may be my favourite way to travel. When Caleb was 2, we took the Viarail train from Toronto to Vancouver over four days, and I loved it—although it was quite expensive, since we got a sleeper cabin. Trains in general in Canada are expensive (what isn’t, in Canada, these days?). Taiwan has an efficient and inexpensive subway system in Taipei and rail system throughout the island, and it’s been easy to travel around, even with our family and stroller. They even have carts of snacks and bottled drinks coming down the aisle in case you’ve come unprepared.

We made it to Taichung! More to come.