I started out at 4:30 on Friday, and took the High Speed Rail for the first time. Only one hiccup. Tongxiao doesn't have an HSR station, of course, so when I planned for this trip, I checked timetables, etc., and decided the best route would be to go to North to Hsinchu, get on the HSR there, and then South to Kaohsiung. I researched the HSR, and found that the HSR station is in Zhubei. Naturally, one would buy a ticket to Zhubei station. But one would be wrong. Very wrong. Does Zhubei sound familiar? It might, that's where I ended up last time I got on the wrong train. Avoid Zhubei, nothing good happens there. At Zhubei, they tried to tell me at first that my ticket had been cancelled. Thanks to the kindness of three Taiwanese strangers, I found out I had to go to North Hsinchu. One woman who overheard the two people trying to help realized she was taking the same train, and made sure I got to N. Hsinchu ok. I got there at 6:00, with half an hour until my train left. But I had to go to Luijia, and the cashier emphasized that I would not make it in time. I entertained the thought of simply turning around and going back to Tongxiao. If we've never met, let me tell you something about myself: I'm stubborn. Stubborn enough to get to Kaohsiung by any means necessary, even if it meant sitting on the conductor's lap the whole way. So I went to the HSR station anyway, prepared to buy another ticket (if possible). Luckily, I could use my first ticket, I just wouldn't have a reserved seat. And it got to Kaohsiung 18 minutes later than the first train. And it was so worth it. Lots of leg room, comfortable seats, and it only took 90 minutes to get there, as opposed to an express that takes four hours. I got a cab to the hotel, and met Linda there. Kaohsiung is amazing, keep watching for part 2.
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