✧ Series Note – Once Again, Taiwan ✧
Feels like coming home. Feels like a chapter you’ve reopened with fresh eyes.
Here’s to solo travel, fourth times, and stories that keep unfolding. ✨🇹🇼
📅 Travel Dates: August 10–13, 2023

In August 2023, I returned to Taiwan for the fourth time—this time, solo. I wasn’t chasing Taipei’s neon buzz or night market nostalgia. I was chasing something quieter, something new. Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s southern port city, was calling. And I answered—with a backpack, a bucket list, and a heart wide open.

Why Taiwan again? It’s close—just under two hours from Manila. It’s easy to navigate. The night markets? Always a win. And there were still unchecked boxes on my Taiwan bucket list—like the Dome of Light in Kaohsiung.

🚀 Getting There: Red-Eye Realities and THSR Daydreams

August 9, 2023. Post-shift, I raced home for a quick shower and headed straight to the airport in a Grab. Travel tax? Paid. Bag drop? Smooth. After immigration, I grabbed some French toast and coffee (ritual), exchanged ₱2,070 to NTD, and braced for the red-eye.

✈️ Departure from Manila: 11:15 PM via AirAsia. My ideal plan was to land in Kaohsiung directly, but flight schedules had other ideas—so Taoyuan it was. Flexibility is the unofficial currency of budget travel.

☕ Touchdown Taiwan: Hello, Nostalgia!

August 10, 2023. Hello again, Taoyuan International Airport. Being back hit me with a surreal wave—I knew this terminal like a regular. After swift immigration and baggage pickup, I retrieved my pre-booked SIM card from Unite Traveler. Bonus points for being open from 4:30 AM to 11 PM.

With three hours until the high-speed rail kicked off, I did what many red-eye warriors do: took a nap at the airport. Budget traveler rules, right?

🚄 Bullet Train to Kaohsiung: Rain and Realizations

By 6 AM, I refueled at 7-Eleven and hopped on the Taoyuan Airport MRT. At Taoyuan HSR Station, I got a non-reserved ticket for NTD 1,290. The 7:15 AM train was smooth, the landscape soothing. I claimed an empty seat after Taichung and rode all the way to Zuoying—Kaohsiung’s terminal station—just in time for the skies to open.

☔ Arrival: 10:15 AM and a downpour like no other.

🏨 Where I Stayed: A Budget Room with Realness Included

After arriving at Zuoying Station, I rode the Kaohsiung MRT (Red Line) straight to Formosa Boulevard. My hotel, Centre Hotel, was tucked in the Sinsing District—a stone’s throw from Exit 1 and Liuhe Night Market. Agoda helped me find this gem: NTD 580 for a clean single room, private toilet, and free Wi-Fi.

Not bad, right?

Well… mostly.

No kettle. No soundproofing. And a front desk encounter that relied heavily on Google Translate. The signage had me second-guessing if I’d walked into a different hotel altogether. Welcome to the real side of budget travel. 😅 Still, the essentials were there: toiletries, slippers, and a bottle of water that felt like a luxury after the rainy trek from the station.

🌧️ Kaohsiung’s Warm Welcome: Rain, Canceled Plans & Railway Bentos

I had plans. Big ones. I wanted to visit the Lotus Pond and Fu Guang Monastery. But the rain had its own script. Kaohsiung greeted me with sheets of water and grey skies.

So instead of temples and ponds, I found shelter back at Zuoying Station—where I comforted myself with a railway bento, hot 7-Eleven coffee, and the simple joy of stamping train passes like a kid on a treasure hunt.

I realized: sometimes, travel isn’t about ticking bucket lists. It’s about showing up—even when the weather doesn’t. Disappointed? Yes. Defeated? Not quite. That little lunchbox of rice and chicken somehow tasted like resilience.

☔ Change of Plans: The Rain Rewrites My Itinerary

My grand plan to explore the Lotus Pond and Fu Guang Monastery was washed out by the relentless downpour. I reminded myself that even rainy days can leave bright impressions.

✨ Stained Glass & Stillness: My Encounter with the Dome of Light

One of Kaohsiung’s most mesmerizing landmarks, the Dome of Light crowns the Formosa Boulevard MRT Station with a kaleidoscope of color and meaning. This breathtaking installation—the largest in the world made entirely of individual colored glass pieces—tells the story of human life through four elemental themes: water, earth, light, and fire.

Since its unveiling in 2018, it has captivated travelers from around the world, transforming a transit hub into a portal of art and reflection.

🚢 Missed Boats and Maybe Next Times: Gushan Pier & Cijin Island

Another plan that didn’t sail—literally. Gushan Pier, the launch point to Cijin Island, was within reach. But the rough seas and relentless rain turned my ferry dreams into foggy daydreams. I never made it across. And yet, I still want you to know about it.

Cijin Island is famous for its seafood stalls, beach scenes, and chill island vibes. I didn’t go—but I will next time. Because unfinished plans make for future adventures.

🚂 For the Love of Railways: Takao Railway Museum

Despite the downpour, I wasn’t about to skip this one. As someone with a soft spot for trains, the Takao Railway Museum hit the mark. Once known as Kaohsiung Harbor Station, it’s now home to weathered locomotives and vintage sleeper cars.

Stepping inside was like traveling through Taiwan’s transportation history—with creaking floors and that faint scent of metal and nostalgia. It’s near the Shiziwan MRT and Hamasen LRT stations, nestled in the old harbor district.

This museum brought Taiwan’s railway history to life with old locomotives and vintage charm. It’s an easy walk from Shiziwan MRT and Hamasen LRT stations—especially if your heart beats faster at the sound of train whistles like mine does.

🎨 Dayi Pier and Pier-2 Art Center: Creativity on the Coast

Kaohsiung doesn’t just run on wheels—it pulses with creativity. At Dayi Pier near the Pier-2 Art Center, industrial warehouses have been transformed into hubs of color and inspiration. From murals to artisan coffee shops, this district is equal parts art gallery and urban playground.

I wandered through rain-slicked paths and saw families, skaters, and photographers all soaking in the scene—umbrellas in one hand, bubble tea in the other. I took the LRT Circular Line from Dayi to Hamasen Station and felt like I’d stepped into a storyboard.

🌙 Liuhe Night Market: A Stomach-Led Pilgrimage

No storm could keep me from the night market. Liuhe Night Market is one of the oldest, most iconic food havens in the south. Located just steps from my hotel, it buzzed with life even in the drizzle.

Steam rose from grilled squid, stinky tofu wafted past smiling vendors, and fruit juice stalls shone like rainbow beacons. I tried a little of everything—because isn’t that what travel is about?

🎒 The Bittersweet Goodbye

Not everything went according to plan. But travel rarely does. The rain changed my schedule, blurred my itinerary, and forced me into slower moments. And honestly? I’m thankful for that.

Sometimes, the missed ferries and fogged-up windows offer a better story than the picture-perfect postcard moments. Kaohsiung left me soaked, yes—but also full: with memories, lessons, and longing. I’ll be back. ☕✍️🌿

*** I went to Taiwan alone from August 10–13, 2023. I visited Kaohsiung City, Taipei City, and New Taipei City. This blog was first drafted on August 10, 2023, at the Center Hotel, Sinsing District, Kaohsiung City Center. ***