Valentine’s Day and you’re single—or like me and Gerald, in a long-distance relationship—but you have a friend who loves concerts? Here’s an activity worth considering: book a flight to Taiwan and take a high-speed train to Kaohsiung, which is becoming a popular destination for international concerts!
Getting There and Going Around
- From any country to Taiwan: Book a flight to Taiwan! There are now direct flights to Kaohsiung, so definitely check those out
- From Taoyuan Airport or Taipei: Take HSR (High Speed Rail) to Zuoying station
- Getting around: Remember to get a transport card such as EasyCard or iPass. Load it up and use it for metro, railway, and buses by simply tapping at stations
- From Taipei to Pingxi Lantern Festival: Take the brown line MRT and get off at Taipei Zoo. During the festival, the government provides shuttle buses that take tourists to Pingxi. It’s well-organized and costs only 50 NT!
Lotus Pond 蓮池潭
We took an early morning HSR to Zuoying and spent a few hours walking 24,000 steps while strolling around Lotus Pond before checking into our hotel, Long Siang Hotel 龍翔大飯店.
We definitely needed a foot massage after that—perfect preparation for the concert! Luckily, Foot Massage 鄧師傅養生館 is just across from the hotel!
Maroon 5 Concert Experience
Applying the triple constraints to concerts, I think you can never have all three at the same time:
- Organized logistics
- Reasonable ticket price
- Audience that sings along in harmony
In Taiwan, people are incredibly organized—traffic was well-routed, and just 30 minutes after the concert, we were already back in our hotel, which is only 4 stops from the concert stadium. Ticket prices were reasonable, BUT the audience was pretty subdued. Adam Levine actually had to ask concert-goers to stand up and sing along. It could be the language barrier, but I’ve attended smaller concert venues with local artists, and it’s pretty much the same pattern—artists perform, audience watches.
My friend and I discussed where we could truly enjoy a concert:
- Philippines – terrible logistics and traffic, exorbitantly priced tickets, BUT the audience is the best. We even continue singing by ourselves after the concert, long after the artists have left!
- Singapore – organized, reasonable ticket prices, BUT the audience is off-key (at least according to my friend). Plus, hotels and flights can get expensive since Singapore loves to monopolize regional events
Where to Eat in Kaohsiung?
- Chun Shui Tang Zuoying Branch 春水堂 左營店
- Ruifeng Night Market 瑞豐夜市
- 獨白.肆
The day after the concert, we headed back to Taipei via High Speed Train so Larae, my visiting friend from Singapore, could experience the Lantern Festival and the Flower Festival.
Lantern Festival
I experienced the Lantern Festival this year in two different locations: Pingxi in New Taipei and Ximending in Taipei. If you’re visiting Taiwan in February, check the schedule—you might witness the magical sight of flying lanterns in Pingxi or walk along the streets of Taipei to see light installations celebrating the Year of the Snake.
Here’s how the flying of lanterns looked like:
Last Day! Flower Festival Before the Flight
If you’re super lucky like my friend, February is when flowers start bloom across Taipei!
We walked 17,000 steps to visit:
- LOHAS Park 樂活公園 – Cherry Blossoms
- Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence 士林官邸正館 – Tulips and Orchids
- Beitoushe Sancengqi Park 北投社三層崎公園 – Flower carpets
To give our tired feet a break, we stopped at the public Fuxing Hot Foot Spa 復興公園泡腳池 before visiting our last stop, Thermal Valley 地熱谷.
My friend flew out that Sunday night, and we both returned to work on Monday. Of course, I had to tell my colleagues about my concert experience, they were not surprised.
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That’s it for now! Stay tuned for more adventures and tips on balancing work and travel!
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