iEARN Youth Summit 2011 Diary V

July 20, 2011

One Day Tour, One Day Try

              Today, there was special activity called ‘One Day Tour’. It was the day of travelling, there were five choices for you, five different routes, five different experiences and five different prices.

ROUTE I. Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village Tour:
Visit Taiwan’s aboriginal theme park and enjoy a panoramic view of Sun Moon Lake and its surrounding hills.

 Price: NTD.1700 (A minimum of 35 passengers is needed for each bus.)

ROUTE II. Tainan Heritage Tour:
Wander in Taiwan’s ancient capital and have a taste of the most well-known local specialties.

Price: NTD.1300 (A minimum of 35 passengers is needed for each bus.)

ROUTE III. Hakka Culture Tour:
Experience Taiwan’s original Hakka culture hands-on by making traditional paper umbrella paintings and Hakka pounded tea.

Price: NTD. 1300 (A minimum of 35 passengers is needed for each bus.)

ROUTE IV.  Lugang Township Tour:
A diverse tour combining visits to Taiwan’s heritage buildings, traditional culture, natural landscape and creative industry.

Price: NTD.1600 (A minimum of 35 passengers is needed for each bus.)

ROUTE V.  Taipei Chinese Culture Tour:
Take the High Speed Rail to Taipei and experience the prosperous and cultural side of the capital city

Price: NTD.4500 (A minimum of 35 passengers is needed for each bus.)

from:  http://www.iearn2011.org/

            Unfortunately, I didn’t follow any of them because of transferring money problem. No matter I could travel in One Day Tour or not, I was in Taiwan I could travel around this city, Kaohsiung. That would gave another experience to me. I was very lucky because I have met new Taiwanese friend at the museum. We are the Team 11 and she didn’t join in One Day Tour, too.  So, we went out together this day. I felt safer because I travel in Taiwan with Taiwanese. : -) In the morning, we had breakfast together and chose somewhere to go. Then we went out at 9’o clock. The destination was the department store called ‘Hanshin Department Store’.  We took the bus number 301 to the department store. You know, I’m seldom take the bus in Thailand but this time I had the chance to take Taiwan’s bus!!!  That was so cool!!! The fare was 12 NTD (14 Baht).You have to drop the coin in the box near the bus driver and then you can take a seat. 

           We arrived at 9.15 a.m. There was shower rain and strange thing there. The department store was big but it was too quiet for me.

            No crowed people?

            It was not strange anymore when we saw the letters on the department store’s door “open 11:00 a.m- 23:00 p.m.”:-O

            Was I too eager for travelling?

            There was strong rain that time and we had to wait more than one and half hours if we want to enter the department store, so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest. Than we took the bus back to Garden Villa Hotel by the bus number 301(again). This turn we paid 25 NTD (29 Baht) for 2 persons. It was quite bad because of Typhoon which caused the strong rain there. The rain made my shoes and my jeans wet. When I arrived at my room, I dried them with dryer. It took much time and my shoes didn’t dry well. :-(

            Although we weren’t lucky, we didn’t give up. We went out again before lunch. The rain was stop, this time our destination was Confucius Temple. I wanted to go there because I thought it must be beautiful with Chinese Temple’s style. First, we walked to the big footbridge not far from Garden Villa. Then we took it. I was very impressed in Kaohsiung’s footbridge, I was sure that it’s bigger and more beautiful than any footbridge which I have ever seen in my province. 

                     It led us to the park (I didn’t know the name). We walked around to seek the way to the temple. Suddenly, It rained strongly again. That made us stop walking and went for the nearest shelter. We caught in the rain for a long time, maybe thirty minutes. We expected the rain would stop or was lighter but it didn’t so, we had to walk through the strong rain. Fortunately, Peggy and I both had umbrella. 

                  We were wet and tired so, we decided to take the taxi. Then we went to the nearest department store called ‘Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’. It was luxury, very luxury maybe too luxury for me and my money in my pocket. Then we had lunch, I tried the Taiwanese food called ‘Luwei’, I thought it was like noodle but my Taiwanese friend said it was not. It’s really easy to eat. These were the steps to eat it:

1. Choose what do you want to eat, there are many things for choosing like fish ball, vegetable, and Taiwanese food which made from rice and chicken blood. Then put them in the dish.

2. Go to cashier and pay for what you’ve chosen

3. Take your dish to the cook, she will flavor and then pour the hot soup for your Luwei.

Then it’s ready to eat.

          

                  After lunch, I bought something for dinner and then my friend and I took taxi back to the hotel.

           

                 Today I tried many things. I thought I like to walk although it’s rain, I like to try although I was tired. So I could say that I selected the route number 6. My own one day tour called One Day Tour, One Day Try.

In the late afternoon, I saw my first blue sky in Kaohsiung :-D

Monthita Chuaythong