921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan
Given Taiwan’s location, the country is unfortunately prone to earthquakes. The 921 Earthquake Museum is located at an old school that was destroyed by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in 1999. Walking around the museum, I was able to view the damage that these kinds of catastrophic events can cause, as well as visit the educational centres surrounding that explain the causes of earthquakes, what to do in an earthquake, and how Taiwan and other countries now design buildings to withstand these seismic events. In part of the museum there is an earthquake simulation room where I was able to experience what it feels like when an earthquake of this magnitude occurs, which is quite a scary but valuable educational experience.
Going back to Taipei
After returning the rental car and consuming another milk tea and some food at another Chun Shui Tang, it was time to get on another bullet train to head back to Taipei. This time, I opted to purchase a business class ticket as this would be my last bullet train in Taiwan. The experience was, fairly similar to the other spaces although the section was a little bit nicer, with nicer seats that had leg rests and more legroom I was also provided with some refreshments for the journey. I opted for a cup of coffee to keep me awake while I looked out the window at the different landscapes going by at 300 km/h.
When I arrived back in Taipei, I organized another hotel. This time I found a 5-star hotel for only $60 per night, which I was a little sceptical of but booked anyway. I caught a taxi from the train station to my hotel. I found it rather entertaining that the taxi driver was playing video games on a Nintendo Switch while we were stopped at each set of traffic lights. When I arrived at the hotel, which I would be staying at until I left Taiwan, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the room was quite nice.
Renting another motorbike
After checking into my hotel room, I then decided that I would need a new mode of transportation for the last few days of my trip. This time I opted to rent a motorbike, which ended up costing around $100 AUD for 4 days.
I then spent the remainder of the afternoon riding around Taipei on the motorbike, which I really enjoyed.
