July 7-11, 2015

I traveled from Taipei to Kaohsiung to visit my friend, Johanna. A 4.5-hour train ride cost me NT$800 ($24.66 USD) but Taiwan High Speed Rail will get you there in half the time for twice the price.

As Taiwan’s second-largest city, there are a number of things to do, but it’s still a relatively quiet city. Here are a few things I did:

• Walked through Central Park. The park sits on top of the MRT station with the same name. It offers greenery amongst the shopping malls. 
• Kaohsiung’s night markets specialize in local and foreign dishes at low prices. I went to the Ruifeng night market (Yucheng Rd. in the Zuoying District), the Liuhe night market (Liùhé 2nd Rd. in the Xinxing District) and Guang Hua (Guanghua 2nd Rd. in the Lingya District).
  
• The Dome of Light showcases beautiful art work in the MRT Station at Formosa Boulevard.
  
• The Ai He (Love River) is beautiful to walk during the day and night. 

It also seems like taking the bus to the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Centre or ferry to Chichin/Cijin Island might be well-worth it. I’ve heard that a lot of travelers enjoy going from Kaohsiung to Kenting National Park, as it’s known for its white-sand beaches, caves, coral reefs, and mountains.