TWN: Tze-Chiang Limited Express (Puyuma) 218

Taipei - Xincheng (2h 1m)

ETD: 10.26am (GMT + 8) 
ETA: 12.27pm (GMT + 8)

Having heard of the unparalleled beauty of Taroko Gorge, my BFF and I made it a point to see it with our own eyes despite the rainy season in June. Our journey began from Taipei Main Station by making use of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) system on Tze-Chiang Limited Express (Puyuma), the newest, fastest and more spacious train type introduced in 2013.

After leaving some of our belongings at Hotel Relax II for us to collect a few days later, we walked to Taipei Main Station under the drizzle.

The 2017 Summer Universiade took place in Taipei from 19 to 30 August 2017.

Somehow my mind thought of A Clockwork Orange when taking this particular photo. Haha... :P

After collecting our reserved tickets that cost NT$403.00 (~S$18.10) each, we spent some time walking around the huge station.

Clean air guaranteed!

We bought our lunch from TRA No. 1 Boxed Lunch Store.

We proceeded to the platform 15 minutes before the estimated time of departure.

There were lots of commuters that morning.

I literally did an eeny, meeny, miny, moe as I couldn't decide on a drink.

We plonked ourselves down on our respective seats, which I found to be pretty comfortable. 

Ahh, I actually miss riding on a shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)~

The magazine kept me occupied throughout the ride.

Enjoy the following pictures of scenery arranged in chronological order.

The drizzle had stopped a moment before I took this photo.

That's an uninhabited island in the distance, I suppose?

Lovely, isn't it? <3

I miss playing the Harvest Moon series. xP

The entrance of the lady selling food and drinks into our compartment gave us a signal that it was time for lunch.

Read here to find out what we had bought earlier.

I decided to check out the lavatory approximately 10 minutes before our arrival at Xincheng Station.

Xincheng Station is the second last stop before Hualien Station.

That's one very tall fume tower.

We prayed hard for good weather for the next two days. Were we lucky enough? Stay tuned!