June 15–19, 2025
This time, I stayed in Taichung in a way that felt like a workation.
I spent a few days working from cafes.
I took a bus from Taoyuan Airport to Taichung.
I considered taking the train, but since my hotel was close to the bus stop, I chose the bus instead.
It was closer than I expected, and the journey was smooth.
I arrived in Taichung at night, grabbed something simple from a convenience store, and went straight to the hotel.
A Rainy Start in Taichung
The next morning, it was raining.
After waiting for the rain to ease a bit, I went for a walk in Taichung Park.
It was already quite humid, but walking in the park felt good.
I went back to the hotel and looked for a place to work.
I found a Louisa Coffee that looked nice, a bit further away, so I took an Uber.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t access the second floor, which had looked more appealing.
Still, I ordered a latte and a hot sandwich and got some work done.
There were many international students around, and it felt like some kind of class or group session was happening.
It wasn’t too quiet — just the right kind of atmosphere.
A Day Slightly Out of Sync
After working, I took a walk to Yonghe Lane Park,
and then headed to Audit Village, but it was quieter than I expected.
I tried going to Retro Mojo Coffee, but it was already closed.
I stopped by the nearby National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to rest.
Around this time, I started to feel off.
My head felt heavy, like the beginning of mild heat exhaustion.
I didn’t push myself and took an Uber back to the station.
The driver was a young woman, and we couldn’t really communicate in English.
I managed with some basic Chinese I had just learned.
I could tell she was asking something like,
“Where should I drop you off at the station?” but I couldn’t find the words.
I wished I could speak a bit more.
I had a meal at the food court in the station and went back to the hotel.
That’s when I realized I had forgotten a few things —
my mouse and a foldable bag.
My glasses were also starting to feel tight and uncomfortable.
So I decided to spend the next day fixing these small things.
A Day to Reset
In the afternoon, I went to Taroko Mall near Taichung Station.
First, I got my glasses adjusted.
At BD EYEWEAR, they helped me right away — and for free.
People in Taiwan are really kind.
Then I bought a light bag at Daiso.
I couldn’t find a mouse I liked, so I decided to continue working without one.
At least I had a bag — that already felt like a small relief.
I walked through the station and headed to my next stop.
Inside Taichung Station, there are cafes and shops built into old train cars.
It felt a bit unusual, but I liked it.
From a nearby bus stop, I took a bus to a cafe I had been curious about.
Time at a Cafe in Taichung
I went to CAFFAINA COFFEE GALLERY Dadun.
The atmosphere was nice, and there were many people working alone.
Places like this make it easy to focus.
I worked while drinking a latte.
They even gave me a cookie.
Still, I wasn’t fully recovered.
I still felt a bit feverish, so I went back to the hotel early and rested.
Slowly Feeling Better
The next morning, my fever was gone.
I felt relieved.
I went back to Taichung Park and walked around the station area.
I passed by Miyahara, but decided not to go in.
Maybe next time, I thought.
For some reason, I ended up at Taroko Mall again.
I stopped by Starbucks and thought about where to go next.
Then I headed to another Louisa Coffee I had been interested in.
This time, I took the bus.
Once you get used to it, getting around Taichung by bus is quite easy.
A Quiet Place
Louisa Coffee (Yizhong branch).
The entrance didn’t look like a cafe — it was in a retro-style building, which gave it a nice character.
I sat in a small seat, but it felt comfortable.
The bear decoration by the window stood out.
It’s the kind of cafe I’d want to come back to.
A Small Change
After working, I went to Yizhong Night Market.
It was still early, so it wasn’t very crowded.
I bought a Taiwanese fried chicken recommended by a friend and ate it at the hotel.
It was large, with a rich sauce flavor.
I enjoyed it.
On the way back to the hotel, I had to cross a wide road.
I’m not very comfortable with wide roads like that,
but this time, I felt surprisingly calm while walking.
That made me a little happy.
The next day, I headed to Taoyuan Airport.
I bought a bus ticket at the ticket counter.
The staff spoke to me in Japanese right away, and the process was smooth.
From there, I traveled to Ho Chi Minh City for a transit stay (one night) before heading to Laos.
Conclusion
I didn’t do any typical sightseeing.
Instead, I focused on adjusting my condition,
getting what I needed,
and working from cafes.
It was a few days of slowly putting things back in place.
By the way, I didn’t meet any cats in Taichung this time.
Update
MeowSnap was released on November 13, 2025.
It’s a small app that lets you quietly keep track of the cats you meet while traveling on a map.
