When I got to Chiayi Station, I still have some hours to spare so I thought of going to Yingde... what I mean is National Chung Cheng University.
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| Chiayi Station |
I went inside Chiayi Station and proceeded to the visitor center to ask for transportation to and from the university. I could take the train to Minxiong (NTD15-18, depending on the train) and take a cab from there or take the bus directly to CCU (NTD41; would take about an hour ride).
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| Chiayi to CCU |
At first, I thought of just taking the bus so I went to the bus station in front of Chiayi Station. But, after doing some math on the time I have, I decided to just take the train.
Note: Not all the buses stop in front of CCU, some of it only stops at Nanhua University. In this case, that is where you would need to get off, and walk to CCU.
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| Bus timetable at the bus station in front of Chiayi Station |
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| Chiayi to Minxiong |
Take the exit on the left of the station. Going down the stairs, I saw some cabs parked there waiting for passengers. I took one to CCU. The ride cost about NTD200. That's actually the first time I took a cab in Taiwan and that's when I knew that flag down rate is NTD100. The cab driver gave me a calling card which he insisted I take.
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| A name card the cab driver gave me |
After 10 minutes, I arrived at my destination. I only have an hour or less to spare here so I started exploring right away.
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| CCU Campus Map (from www.ait.ccu.edu.tw) |
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| View of the Tranquility Bridge |
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| Gymnasium |
After a little bit of the tour inside the campus, went out of the main gate waiting for a cab. After a few minutes, I noticed no public transportation pass by the area. Maybe, it would just be the bus (on a not so frequent schedule) and cabs, if they ever took someone to the area. Oh no! I have a flight to catch! I walked a bit and went into a convenience store and asked them if they could call a cab for me (I haven't seen a public pay phone in the area). I guess they don't want to do that for me nor let me use their phone (now I see why the cab driver insisted for me to take the calling card). Good thing, a student helped me out. She called a cab for me and informed them of my location. She then gave me the number of the cab. I waited outside and I saw the nice lady still looking out for me until the cab came. Whew! What a relief! Thanks to that Taiwanese student!
So, a tip for those wanting to visit this university, it might be better if you have a mobile phone so that you could call a cab in case you need to.
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| Outside the campus and the street back to Chiayi |
FYI: There's a luggage counter on the left side of the station if you need to leave some luggage. Sorry, I just forgot the rates.
