After spending some time in Kaohsiung, we headed up to my grandparents’ house near Yuanlin, just outside of Changhua.
But first we had a nice breakfast at my aunt’s. We had some pastries we bought at Isetan and some fresh papaya milk. The fruit is definitely sweeter in Taiwan. It’s all about the food in Taiwan.
Taiwan is one of those Asian countries where there will be something cute on everything, including cake.
We then proceeded to the Kaoshiung train station, and took the fast train (T.C.) to Yuanlin. The journey took about 2 hours.
Train Details: Bathrooms on trains were spartan but clean. Luggage went on racks above the seats. Only people with tickets are allowed on the platform. However, you may buy a platform pass (very inexpensive) to accompany someone to the platform. At smaller stations, this is free. The station will give you a temporary pass in exchange for an official ID. Keep your tickets because you may need to show them to a conductor. In addition, you need to give the tickets back to the train people when you leave the station at your destination.
On the platform
The blue trains are the slower commuter trains.
Our fast and orange train approaches the stop.
The train journey was very smooth and comfortable. We were content to snack and watch the Taiwanese countryside as we sped by. There were lots of rice fields, fish farms, and other unidentified plant growth. It’s hard to tell with these pictures, but Taiwan is very very green.
We also passed by suburbs, towns, and cities.
As we got closer to Central Taiwan, we saw more and more mountains and hills.
When we arrived, we headed over to my grandparents’ house. My grandparents live among fruit trees and rice fields in the Taiwanese countryside. There is so much moisture everywhere, plants just explode in abundance.
There are papaya trees, pear trees, bonzai, and many other plants, as evidenced in the photo below.
We had a very nice visit with my grandparents. I haven’t seen them in years, so it was a happy reunion. They were really glad to finally meet Charles. Everyone drank lots of Apple Sidra (my favorite Taiwanese soda).
Next: A visit to the family compound
Travels with Sandy 
Nice article. Very interesting story about your travels. Thank you for bringing it to us.
Joe.