After my morning run, I went back to the hotel for a shower. I took a short break before heading to Houtong Cat Village.
I had visited Houtong once before, in 2023. But this time was a little different. I wanted to walk with MeowSnap and record every cat I met.
From Taipei Main Station to Houton
This time, I stayed near Taipei Main Station. It was part of my “Low-Energy Travel Strategy.”
The train to Houtong was easy to catch, and the trip felt much easier than I expected.
Around 11:30 a.m., I arrived at Houtong Cat Village.
Wait… Where Are the Cats?
The first place I visited was the square where I had seen many cats on my last trip.
But…
Almost none.
“Huh?”
Maybe it was the wrong time of day.
I kept walking and finally found one cat. I opened MeowSnap and took a photo.
I walked around once more, but there were still only a few cats. So I crossed to the other side of the station.
There were many more cats there.
The sun was very bright, and it was hard to see my phone screen. I wasn’t sure if the photos were good, but I kept taking them anyway.
At least I had enough photos.
Walking Around Looking for Cats
I went back to the first square.
There seemed to be a few more cats now.
Still, there were fewer cats than I remembered from my last visit.
So I crossed the station again, took a few more photos, and came back.
I repeated that a few times. Maybe more cats come out in the evening.
The last time I visited, I came here later in the day. That was my guess.
After walking around for quite a while, I stopped for a bowl of mianxian.
The Shaved Ice Shop
Near the station, a man from a shaved ice shop called out to me. I decided to go in.
I ordered a banana and chocolate shaved ice. It was much bigger than I expected.
I finished it somehow.
The owner was very kind and spoke a little Japanese.
When I left, he smiled and said,
“Have a nice trip.”
That simple sentence made me smile.
Back in Taipei
In the evening, I returned to Taipei.
Instead of going back to the hotel, I stopped for a bowl of lu rou fan.
After that, I worked for a while at Louisa Coffee.
I had been there on my last trip too, and it still felt like a comfortable place to work.
Later that night, I had fried dumplings near Ningxia Night Market before going back to the hotel.
A morning run. Looking for cats in Houtong. Working at a cafe. Dinner near the night market.
I think my “Low-Energy Travel Strategy” worked again.
Next time, I’ll take a day trip to Hualien and Qixingtan.
If you’d like to record the cats you meet while traveling, feel free to try MeowSnap.
