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I was a little bit reluctant to go to Taiwan because of the visa issues. Last time we went there, the country was visa-free for Russian citizens, but just before COVID, the russian government decided not to extend the visa-free agreement. Thus, I have to apply for a visa to visit Taiwan. Surprisingly, it was an extremely simple process. The visa officer didn’t really want to collect the usual documents like your bank statements, tickets, flight tickets, hotel reservations, blah blah blah. The visa form and an employment letter were enough to get a sought-after stamp. The whole process only took two or three days. Due to such an easy and straightforward process, we decided to proceed with our trip.

We’ve been in Taiwanfor a few years in Hualien and Taipei. For this trip, we decided not to spend time in the capital and move to the undiscovered side of the country.

Links to the next parts

• Taiwan, day 2
• Taiwan, day 3
• Taiwan, day 4
• Taiwan, day 5
• Taiwan, day 6
• Taiwan, day 7-8

Arrival in Taipei

The first day was rather hectic. Our flight was early in the morning, around 8 AM. Consequently, we took an early ride at about 5:00 A.M., and arrived in Taipei around 12:00. By the way, during the flight, I managed to complete seven out of eight acts of Dispatch. Fantastic game! I really recommend it if you’re a fan of critical role types of characters.

The customs check was extremely quick, and after the customs, we take the direct train to the Taipei station. The ride was quick (about 40 minutes), and around 2 P.M., we were at the capital. Our train was supposed to be at 5:00 p.m. in Taichung, so we had about three to four hours of free time. My wife discovered a jade markets not far from the Taipei central station, so the decision to check it out was quite natural.

We quickly stored our luggage at the train station’s lockers, booked a taxi, and headed to the market.

Jianguo Holiday Jade Market

Jianguo Holiday Jade Market is a fantastic place. It has all types and varieties of precious or semi-precious stones. It’s possible to find corals, opals, emeralds, obviously, jade and all types of this type of stuff. Predictably, the majority of jewellery motifs are related to Buddhism, Chinese tradition and beliefs. At that time, we were looking for more interesting stuff like meat-shaped at stones. Earlier, my wife discovered that these types of stones are available on the market through TikTok. Also, during our previous visits to Taiwan, we saw a similar stone at the National Museum. After a quick walk through the markets, we managed to find an auntie who was selling these stones, and we got one for about 200 NTD, which is slightly less than 10 Singapore dollars. There is a lot of other stuff there, but two major themes are the precious stones and varieties of tea and teaware. I was thinking of getting a tea pet, but I didn’t find anything to spark my interest.

Returning to the Station and Taking the Train

After visiting the markets, around 4:00 P.M., we returned to the train station. It wasn’t easy to get a cab, and it took us about 20 minutes to get an Uber. We pretty quickly arrived at the central station, about half an hour before the train. After a short waiting, we boarded a bullet train which was pretty reasonably priced, around 30 SGD one way.

Arrival in Taichung and Visiting a Local Brewery

In less than an hour, we reached Taichung Taizong and took an Uber to our hotel. We quickly checked in at OKU Hotel, a nice, Alice-in-Wonderland decorated hotel. After the check-in, we headed to an interesting local brewery. ChangeX Beer brewery was not that far from the hotel, about a 20-minute walk. The brewery is located in an extremely nice, renovated, historical building. According to Google reviews, the place serves local beers and bar food. The weather was fine, and I was pretty comfortable in a T-shirt and shorts. Without a doubt, we decided to take a short walk. The city seems pretty safe and pedestrian-friendly. About 20 minutes later, we arrived at the place and immediately ordered some beer. I really wanted to try a tea-based beer, which we had once at Goose Brewery in Beijing, but unfortunately, this restaurant didn’t have anything similar. The food was quite mediocre, so I would advise having dinner in advance. The bar atmosphere and crowd were nice. After a couple of pints, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.