DAY 6

22th September

So today our mission was to use up all our Easy Cards balance because it's our last day in Taiwan! We still have quite a big amount left because we topped up for transportation fee to Alishan but ended up didn't use, remember?

So the first thing I did in the morning was searching for restaurants that we can pay using Easy Cards. Results were unexpectedly disappointing. There was really just a limited number of places that we can use Easy Cards. It's basically just like our Touch & Go Cards here.

Aside from the already known 7 Eleven and Family Mart, I also found that Pizza Hut accepts Easy Cards. Of course, I only consider those places that were within walking distance. So we followed the directions on Google Maps to the nearest Pizza Hut.

We had some difficulties while finding the place but eventually we found it. Guess what? It was not opened yet. =. = How could I forget to check the operating time?! It's only opened at 11 AM wtf.

So we gave up and just had our breakfast at a Family Mart nearby.

The good thing about Taiwan's convenience stores that you cannot find in Malaysia is their wide range of meal choices! Although the taste is still not as good as freshly cooked food but the standard is considered good. And also the working speed of Taiwanese are generally very fast and efficient! We spent a total of NT$ 360 for our breakfast that day just in Family Mart.

After breakfast, we walked to the nearby Wellcome Supermarket 頂好超市 to spend our Easy Card balance. This supermarket chain is actually based in Hong Kong and it's called 惠康 in Hong Kong. I think it's a place where I can buy cheap stuffs and all sorts of local junk foods hehe.

First thing I looked for was of course ---Taiwan instant noodles! And of course, something that I couldn't find easily in Malaysia (non-halal stuffs hehe). There's quite a lot of options but I finally decided on these two after doing some quick research on the Internet:

Cadina yam snacks 卡迪那香芋脆片 NT$ 29

My parents bought other stuffs also just to use up the balance haha. This Cadina yam snacks deserve a mention because it's something that we don't usually find in Malaysia and it's nice! 

We managed to use up as much balance as we can in sis's Easy Cards and mine while making sure we still had enough balance for the metro fee to Taipei Main Station. Because we planned to bring our cards back to Malaysia for keepsake and also for the next time we visit Taiwan so we wouldn't want to keep so much balance in these two cards. On the contrary, our parent's iPass that were not Easy cards would be cancelled and refunded.

BTW, I don't know why they never give resits with list of things you bought. They only gave a slip with QR code that you need to scan yourself with your smartphone and then you will get the list of things you bought with the prices amidst other nonsense codes. Perhaps for safety reason or to reduce paper waste? I think they will give you resits with list if you request though.

Then, we went back to pack our luggage and prepare to leave Taiwan!

We took the metro to Taipei Main Station 臺北車站, then changed to the direct metro 直通車 to Taoyuan International Airport 桃園國際機場. This time I made sure we boarded the purple one haha.

Look! The Taoyuan Metro's mascot was sitting opposite us! So cute!

When we reached the airport around 12.30 PM, the first thing we did was to request refund for my parent's iPass. We managed to get refund for all the remaining balance in cash, but the NT$ 100 that we paid for each card would not be refunded and the cards that were cancelled would be non-usable after cancellation. They still let you keep the unusable cards though haha. Sometimes they also charge a cancellation fee if you didn't use your cards more than a number of times. More terms and conditions can be found in their website.

Then, we headed to the AirAsia counter straight to have our documents verified and to get our boarding pass. This time, we didn't get lost in the airport because I studied the airport's map on the metro earlier lol. Actually, the airport was not that big!

Luckily, we arrived 3 hours earlier than our boarding time because the queue got long in a jiffy. And luckily we didn't need to check-in any luggage because the line for those who needed to check-in luggage was double in length! That's why I like to travel light and our family don't like to spend a lot on shopping. Some friends are amazed that we never need to check-in luggage whenever we travel.

After getting our boarding passes, we went to Subway to have our lunch. After that, the day was uneventful haha.

Superb weather till the last day of our trip in Taiwan!!!

We boarded the 4 PM flight and when we reached KLIA2 8.30 PM at night, it was drizzling again =.=

Taiwan was lovely! Thank you for treating us good with your nice weather, nice food, good people and beautiful nature!

I think I might visit Taiwan again someday.. because there are so many Taiwanese food that I haven't try and I haven't visit Taroko Gorge 太魯閣! I read that Taroko national park has some really picturesque trails and it's actually at the top in my list of places I want to go in Taiwan! Sadly, I had to sacrifice it because I want to see more variety of things during this trip since this may be the only time my parents visit Taiwan. Besides, my parents can't hike... Maybe my next trip to Taiwan I can focus on just the east coast of Taiwan! It's will be a very different trip... more chillax and country vibes!

Oh ya, I roughly counted the expenses of one person for this trip was around RM1850. Still affordable right?

Oh yeah, finally I finished writing my Taiwan Travelog!!! OMG took me 3 months!!!

Next stop --- NEW ZEALAND???