Taiwan Trip 2: Post Winter Summary

Trip Overview:

On this trip, I handled most of the pre-planning and bookings—location, accommodation, and a rough itinerary. I learned from the last trip that my siblings were basically there just to teman me (heard they were discussing about it among themselves), so this time I changed my mindset and took the lead in decision-making. 

Delegating the Task:

• For this trip, my sister handles navigation because my phone battery is tragically weak. But, I have this cool mini superpower—a remarkable visual memory. Once I go through a route, I pretty much lock it in. So after the first round, I’d often end up leading the way back or on the next day’s outings. Handy, right?

• For deciding where to go and what to do, I’d research, discuss, and finalize plans the night before. I stayed flexible since I had only two main goals: explore and nature walk. Everything else was based on what the place had to offer.

Itinerary:

• Day 1: Kaohsiung
  
• Day 2: Kaohsiung
• Day 3: Tainan
• Day 4: Kaohsiung
• Day 5: Taipei
• Day 6: Taichung
• Day 7: Kaohsiung > KL

Places worth mentioning during this trip:

• Shoushan Zoo, Kaohsiung
• Pier-2, Kaohsiung 
• Anping Tree House, Tainan
• From Impressionism to Modernism exhibition, Kaohsiung
• Animaga & Ghibli Exhibition, Taipei
• Deking hiking trails, Taichung

-

Weather:

Let’s talk weather—because wow, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. I went to Taiwan in winter three months ago, but this time it was post-winter. The temperature ranged from 17°C to 27°C. Some days I wished I had my winter jacket (especially up North when it rained), and other days I regretted not wearing a thinner shirt during a hike. Classic “layer and pray” weather.

-

Steps, Shoes, and Super Legs

I clocked about 60 km in 6 days—so roughly 10 km a day. I brought new Skechers walking shoes for this trip and they delivered. No leg pain, no backache, just solid walks.

Highlight: The Deking Trail 10–9.5 in Taichung. It was a solid huff-and-puff session—minimal chatting, maximum stair climbing. Thank goodness we came back via a different path; I can’t imagine descending Trail 10. Watching fellow hikers hustle up and down on a weekend was oddly inspiring. Nature really does something to the soul, huh?

-

Spending:

• Flight tix: RM 1,065 (I bought an easy cancel ticket, with an extra +7kg, breakfast and insurance)
• Airbnb + Hotel: RM 1080.50/2 = RM 540.25
• Internet: RM 50 for 7 days
• Cash + TnG: RM 1,000 (rough estimation) - this includes food, uber, shopping, tickets, high speed train etc

-

Not everything went perfectly, of course. There was the earthquake. The rainy, moody Taipei day. The canceled Alishan trip I was lowkey looking forward to. Kaohsiung didn’t quite hit the nature spot like I’d hoped. And don’t even get me started on the repeating Indo food lineup.

But you know what? We were safe, we made it back, and I had a lovely distraction during Eid. So, Alhamdulillah, I’m grateful for this trip. For the little wins, the new paths, and the chance to breathe somewhere else for a bit. 

Note: Lepas ni I malas nk bawak my siblings, they were just there to teman me anyway – I'll find group trip pulak.