Day 8: Kaohsiung --> Singapore

And finally, it's home sweet home.

After ORD, I single-mindedly just wanted to leave Singapore and go on an overseas vacation to give myself a breather, and a respite from the monotony that was Singapore. I had felt stifled throughout my NS stint, and so I thought a holiday was imperative. Not only to reinvigorate, but also to start myself off this new chapter of my life on a happier footing.

At the end of this trip, I'm not sure if I acheived that aim, because the trip wasn't as leisurely as I'd hoped for. We were rushing to complete the itinerary, the coach rides were long and sometimes bumpy, the provided meals were generally disappointing, and the nights ended late because of visits to all the night markets.

That is not to say I did not enjoy myself. I chose Taiwan, and more specifically this itenerary because it has a good mix of natural and man-made cultural attractions, as well as shopping opportunities. For the most part, it has fulfilled its promise, but perhaps I was just expecting a little bit more.

In many respects, Taiwan feels like a lesser sibling of Japan, and I guess that's a nagging misgiving I had throughout, and perhaps even before the trip. In fact, Japan would have been my choice if not for the much colder winter climate. The problem might also have been that it was never going to be easy to top New Zealand, my previous holiday destination that had left a splendid, lasting impression.

Nevertheless, judged on its own merits, Taiwan is a beautiful country with an interesting aboriginal culture (if only it wasn't so shamelessly exploited for tourism), great shopping and fantastic food - both courtesy of the ubiquitous night markets.

I intend to return one day on a F&E trip, though most likely not in the near future as there are many other countries and cities I'd like to visit. And now there's the backpacking trip to Australia to look forward to, provided it does materialise..


Epilogue
Phew, I can't believe it took me one whole month to finish posting about an 8-day trip. Busy schedule aside, I wanted to spend a little more time chronicling my experiences and thoughts on this trip. It's as much about reminiscing, and jotting down the noteworthy, fond memories as it is about sharing, and perhaps some of you might think, flaunting. To put it plainly, those are pretty self-indulgent posts. Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed them.