Children's Day Weekend--in Taiwan (4. - 6. May '19) [Random Edition]

More pictures from Taiwan!
 These pictures (and videos) didn't fit with my food or hotel posts, so I just lumped them all together into this 1 "random" post.

Enjoy!

Around Tainan

Panoramic view of the gazeebo/pagoda on the lake in Tainan Park.

Greg's silhouette in a dimly lit alley.

Want a coffee from a robot? Here's Barisbot!

You can watch him in action here.

Tainan Holiness Church (English website)

I was told, these are the original creators of the famous Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes.

This happens to be the comfiest toilet I've ever seen (and used).

Ever wonder how it is in a Taiwanese HSR train?
This video was taken in an unreserved car.
This means if you buy a ticket, but don't reserve a seat, you'll have to go to this car (I think cars 10 - 12 are the unreserved cars, but verify for yourselves).

By the time we arrived in Taipei, the aisle was full of standing people.

Taipei-Chiang Kai-shek Memorial

Overview of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei

The Archway (before it lit up)

The National Theater

The National Concert Hall

The Archway is lit, but my camera's zoom is kaput.

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The Archway (after it's lit)

Angled-shot of the Archway

Singing in Kaohsiung

We took the HSR train back to Kaohsiung (in reserved seats). Initially, we wanted to walk around and explore Kaohsiung, but it was pouring that day. So, we had to satisfy ourselves by exploring a mall. We had hotpot for lunch, then tried out a karaoke booth in the mall.

I've been to karaoke rooms in Korea countless times (even once in Japan), but this one was different from all of those.

First off, it's a booth, not a building/floor with plenty of small rooms with their own karaoke system.
Second, the music came mostly from the headphones inside the booth. Korean ones don't have headphones, but speakers. The music and mikes can be thunderous, and everyone in every room can hear them. Not the case in this one in Kaohsiung.
Third, in Korean coin singing rooms (the cheap version), you can get 3 per dollar (-ish). One singing room near Greg's place gives you 6 songs per dollar!
This place was 1 dollar per song--so way more expensive than we were used to.
Fourth, the selection of English songs was minimal, compared to those available in Korean singing rooms. However, they have a few songs I've never seen available in Korea.

It was a different experience. I'm glad I went and tried.

Karaoke booth in Dream Mall, Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung International Airport 

We had really under-estimated this airport.

Just look at departures (after security and passport control).

No surprises in the bathroom--or, fewer surprises, at least.

Actually wondered if it was near Christmas.

Thanks for being cool, Kaohsiung International Airport.