Solo Trip - Taiwan (July 2023) - Welcome to Kaohsiung!

 

When I arrived in KaohSiung, everything looked so new! The train station was under renovation. I realise that summer season is not tourist season in Taiwan, and a lot of things were under renovation. It's probably because of the insane heat. I never did believe people when they say summer is hotter than the weather in Malaysia/Singapore. Now I knew better! Walking out of the station, the road towards the hotel I was staying at was kinda confusing. Nothing google map couldn't fix. I managed to locate the hotel in an alley. And just when I was about to check in, the receptionist told me that I was in the wrong hotel! Wow, first time that has happened to me! But he was kind enough to tell me how to get to my correct hotel. In my defence, both hotels have the same name SingleInn. Apparently the road name is different. Blind me!

Finally arriving at the correct place, checking in was a breeze. And then they show me the house rules. All in mandarin. I took a photo and said thanks. Do I even know how to read this???? Well apparently, I didn't bother, lol. 

Single Inn was the cheapest hotel in my solo trip. It was also the worst, not because of the hotel, but because of a super noise chinese lady staying on my floor who talked loudly and keep shouting. The hotel itself was lovely. They provided a complimentary drink which I can redeem anytime within my stay, and free daily breakfast. What a bargain!

Here's my super small room. I don't really mind the size. I love that it was a long window that lets in the natural light. The bed was super comfy. Toilet and bathroom was shared. I guess the one thing I didn't like about it was, the aircon was centralised. So I can't adjust it cooler. I stayed for 3 nights. 

After settling in and freshening up, I was off to explore. Above is the map of my hotel location. I was headed to Formosa Boulevard first, then to NanHua Night Market, and then to LiuHe Night Market. What? Two night markets on the same day? Why not? I think this was not the only time I visited two night markets on the same day on my stay in KaohSiung! Lol. 

Formosa Boulevard Station was famous for the above stained glass feature. When I saw it, it was huge! I had a hard time trying to capture everything into one photography. I wanted to just sit there and stared into the heavens. But it might have been weird doing that alone? I lingered around instead, looking at the shops and decoration nearby. 

I recognise the above blue cat from the telegram stickers that I love so much. Was it originated from here? I took a photo to show it to my husband for translation. Apparently there was going to be an event held. A few days later, I saw people queueing to buy the cat's merchandise too. Interesting.

More blue cats on the wall of the station. This place was super cute! Maybe that's why I choose Taiwan and Japan as my first 2 full solo trip. Everything is just super cute here! Makes me feel so safe! Lol.