31 Dec 2025 - TCH Day 11: Taichung to Taoyuan Airport for flight home

After checking out of our hotel, we took TRA train from Taichung station to Xinwuri station where HSR is located. As we were early for boarding, we decided to have our lunch at one of the restaurants in the station. 

The Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) is the gold standard for efficiency. In just about 30 to 45 minutes, we covered the distance that would take nearly two hours by car.

After arriving at Taoyuan HSR station, we took a short MRT ride to the airport.

While waiting for our flight to depart, we had our last meal of the trip.

It always feels good to be back to our homeland.

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31 Dec 2025 - TCH Day 11: Miyahara Ice Cream

Though our hotel was right next to the famous Miyahara Ice Cream, we had not tried it for the past 2 days due to the long queue.  We decided to try it this morning by queueing at the shop 10 minutes before it opened. There were 3-4 groups in front of us.

There were many ice cream flavours and toppings available. First step is to choose flavours, second step is to choose toppings and finally, choose cone or cup.

We managed to get ours within 10 minutes. Time to head back to our hotel room and enjoy the ice cream!  :-)

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30 Dec 2025 - TCH Day 10: Fengchia Night Market (逢甲夜市)

Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市), located right next to Feng Chia University, isn't an average street food crawl.  It’s a neon-soaked, student-fueled laboratory for Taiwan's next big food trends. Because of the nearby university, prices are generally affordable, and styles are youthful and trendy.

Fengjia is famous not just for its food but for its creativity. It is famous for being the birthplace of snacks that eventually go viral across the island. While the street carts are the stars, Fengjia has evolved into a multi-layered experience with permanent "mini restaurants" tucked into its side alleys.

We had our dinner at one of these alleys within the night market.

We then bought some popular local snacks before taking a Uber ride back to our hotel.

After we were back in our hotel room, we had more or less digested our dinner and ready for a second round. :-)

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30 Dec 2025 - TCH Day 10: Gaomei Wetland (高美湿地) with Beautiful Sunset

We finally arrived at Gaomei Wetland after a long drive from Taichung downtown. Gaomei Wetlands is one of Taiwan’s most captivating natural landscapes, especially at sunset.

Visiting Gaomei was more than just seeing a sunset. It’s about being in a living ecosystem, sensing tidal rhythms, and discovering creatures great and small. As we stepped onto the boardwalk over the shallow flats, we could see little crabs scuttling across the flats.

The signature wooden boardwalk is Gaomei’s most famous feature. It snaked gently from the parking area out over the mudflats, inviting us to take our time and absorb the surroundings.

As the tide receded, thin layers of water remained on the mud, creating natural reflecting pools that mirrored the sky like glass. This made every color more intense with fiery clouds appeared double, above and below our feet. The wind was so strong here that even sandpipers and plovers could not stay stationary along the shoreline.

Wide fields of towering wind turbines stretched across the horizon. At sunset, their silent blades turned slowly against the colorful sky, creating one of the most iconic scenes in central Taiwan.

When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, the boardwalk became softer in tone, the wind felt cooler, and reflections slowly faded but the sense of calm lingers.

We then slowly strolled back to our tour bus via the boardwalk.

Somewhere near the car park, we took a walk in a small garden.

From Gaomei Wetland, our next destination was Fengjia Night Market

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