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People wait on the floor at Taipei train station. A beautiful
food court surrounds the waiting area.
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We traveled by train
from Taipei south about 250 miles along the west coast to the city of Taichung. Along the way I saw what seemed like endless urbanization and
industry. Taiwan's population is crowded along the coast since it gets quite mountainous as
soon as one turns inland. There is great evidence of farming, though
plots are generally much smaller than we're used to seeing and rice
paddies are right there in the cities and towns.
At any rate, I think that Taichung is what Taipei was just a few years back. It's a crowded city dominated by scooters travelling everywhere and no sidewalks to speak of. Every family seems to have a small business attached to the front of their house so there are endless storefronts selling a multitude of products, with food being a dominant business. There are plenty of places to eat, especially if you enjoy dining al fresco since outdoor carts are plentiful. Taichung is a lively and exciting place.
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| Dinner awaits! |
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| Busy Taichung |
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| Taichung night market |
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| The streets can be narrow |
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| Another great meal! |
Here is the hot sauce. They put a small bowl of this on the table in case diners like spicy. This is the bowl in the back that serves as the source for all the tables. There is enough heat in this bowl to paralyze a small American city.
We had a nice
overnight stay in Taichung and boarded a bus the next day to take us
to Sun Moon Lake in the mountains to the east. This is where we got
to experience the comfort and cleanliness of the tour buses. Really, the tour buses have to be seen to be believed. Impeccably clean and comfortable beyond any bus I've been on (and I've been on a lot!)
Next time: the beautiful Sun Moon Lake.
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