Keelung

October 22, 2023

Keelung

Chris and I only spent two nights in Keelung, a small city east of Taipei. We stayed there because all the hostels in Taipei were full and we were still waiting on our Vietnam eVisa approvals, which were approved as soon as we booked the hostel.

The hostel at Keelung is called Non-profit Bee Home. It's actually a nonprofit center for the physically disabled. Our accommodation fee was a donation to the center. Chris and I shared a room that had two twin beds. Perfect for our stay.

After checking into the hostel in the afternoon, we walked to Zhongzheng Park nearby. At the place with the giant Buddha statue we met two girls who told us they were being followed by a creepy man. These girls ended up walking with me and Chris because they felt safer with us. We decided to meet at a coffee shop in downtown to chat a bit more.

The two girls are students. One is Taiwanese and the other is from Lithuania. We ended up going to the Keelung Night Market for some street food. The Lithuanian girl had to take the bus back to Taipei so we saw her off. Chris and I then walked the Taiwanese girl, whose name is Nating, to her moped so she can ride back to her university. We all had a nice time together and were very fortunate to have met each other.

Yesterday, Chris and I took the bus to Heping Island. We had to wait awhile for the bus. By the time we got to Heping Island we felt tired. After walking around a bit more and taking some photos, I was in need of a nap. We took the bus back to Keelung, ate a late lunch at Sukiya, before taking naps at the hostel.

Today, we are taking the bus back to Taipei, then taking the Airport Line to the Taoyuan Airport for our flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, in the afternoon.