It was with a fair bit of sadness, I will admit, as my 1155 train zipped out of Zuoying, Kaohsiung bound for Taipei this morning.
See, there are some people in life with whom you can't even stand to spend an hour with, yet there are some people in life with whom, even after a long car ride, two meals, and a bout of shopping, you wish you had more catch-up time.
Our train to Taipei was scheduled to leave at 1155.
But because we weren't familiar with the lay of the station, I thought we ought to have the shuttle fetch us there early.
Which we did, reaching Zuoying at 1115.
Prior to that though, before leaving the hotel for the station, we took a quick walk down to the Hanshin Arena which for the last two days we hadn't had time to walk there before.
At Zuoying, after getting directions from the staff, we brought our luggage to the MOS Burger place close by whilst I rang Loved One for a 'wish you well, hope to see you soon' phone call.
A fast, and efficient train ride saw us get to Taipei Main Station at 1330.
There weren't as many pictures that I took this time during the train ride, but thankfully there were some.
It was a little confusing trying to find our way for the Uber this time because Taipei Main Station is a big place and there are a couple of gates all round. What we couldn't figure out was where the pick up place for private car hires (Uber) were. There were no signs, the road outside was meant only for drop offs (no pick ups) and we weren't sure if private cars shared the same pick up location as the taxis who picked their passengers up from a stand on the other side of the station one whole street length away.
Eventually we realized that the pick up location was really this small lane close to the car park right opposite the road, so we made our way there and got in.
Accommodation this round in Taipei was the Wallsun Hotel Taipei along Jinshan N Road. Google puts it at 3-star, and maybe it is 3-star, but it's an interesting place with an interesting location and address, and so it has its charm.
First thing you'll notice about the hotel is the presence of the Xinsheng Elevated Road running right across in front of its entrance. Doesn't mean that it blocks out the sunlight or that the property is dim and cold, no, nothing of the sort.
It just means that there's a continuous stream of traffic rolling right outside the hotel on the elevated road above all that concrete, and a skate park right underneath it.
This afternoon our room wasn't yet ready, so off it was to nearby Syntrend Mall for a meal of Japanese where in the basement we decided to try out a casual, youth-type of restaurant, taking for lunch salmon belly sushi, scallop sushi, a teriyaki beef bowl, chicken kaarage, and a salmon don bowl.
Checked in after, and can I say that the interiors of the room surprised me a little.
Perhaps I wasn't sure what to expect- it didn't look like a place where you'd expect lush furniture and thick duvets- but the colors of the room especially charmed me.
You could tell they'd put quite a bit of thought when doing up the place, because, if I may venture a guess, this property isn't the newest one on the block, and whilst everything does look zen-like spick and span, it wouldn't surprise me if at one time, instead of all these strategically placed lights and pale-colored wood furniture with clean lines, the room's light had once been harsher, the furniture had once been heavier, and the carpet much coarser and thinner.
The simple, functional vibe of the room was still there- you didn't get carved furniture of heavyweight type- but the colors were now lighter, the light was now brighter, and everything felt more spacious and structured for a single person, or two.
I wouldn't say it was a very big room, but there was enough.
You had a queen sized bed, two bedside tables one on each side, a work desk pushed up to the wall that held a table lamp and coffee/tea making facilities, and a little fridge underneath it. There was a TV mounted on the wall behind the door, and a luggage space right in front of the door where you could place your suitcase. No wardrobe, but there was a rack, and hangers for your clothing.
What struck me in particular, and don't laugh, was the bathroom.
If there were any sign that this was a refurbished property, it would have been the alcove for the toilet bidet, and the narrow window right behind. It felt quietly nostalgic, offering you a fleeting glimpse of what it might have looked like a long time before.
I didn't stop to think too much about its (possible) heritage, however.
I was going for a walk around the area.
That I did, going past the Zhongxiao Xinsheng Mall along Section 1, Bade Road, then Section 1, Xinsheng S Road, until I crossed the junction, and found myself outside the National Taipei University of Technology.
Tell the truth I was actually looking for the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.
But somehow this evening I didn't manage to find it so back it was to Zhongxiao Xinsheng Mall where I dropped into the Don Don Donki to see what it was they had.
Later in the evening we headed to Shilin Night Market.
Which, if I may be permitted to say, seems a little different now compared to how I remember it years and years ago.
Perhaps things changed.
Perhaps new interests came in.
Perhaps it is a different calibre of visitors that visit this night market these days.
I don't really know.
But it seemed somewhat less bright than how I remembered it, and even the offerings at the stalls felt a wee bit different.
Perhaps it is my own tastes that have changed.
Everything sold at Shihlin was still very contemporary and casual.
And the food stalls were just as plentiful.
It's odd how I didn't seem to want papaya milk or dessert or some of the more popular night market foods.
Instead we went for QQ sweet potato balls and grilled oyster mushrooms (of which I don't have a picture), and because we were hungry still after, headed outside and had a late night dinner of skewers at a beer place across the road.
