High Speed Rail - the toilet perspective

This afternoon a visitor and I zipped down to Kaohsiung and back on the High Speed Rail. The trip took 1h30m each way and cost (business class) $6240 return for two people. We booked and paid for the tickets online at http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/index.htm This site has an english language option and is very easy to navigate. You'll need your ARC or passport handy.

With my handy dandy camera, I took a few pictures along the way for those who have yet to experience the HSR. Arriving at Taipei Station looks a little something like this:


And at the Kaohsiung end, a little something like this:

Once inside, if you have booked your tickets online you need to pick them up. We chose to stand in line and get old fashioned face to face service. The business class line was to the left (purple sign), the passengers requiring special assistance line was to the right, and in between was the line for the remaining customers. Collecting the tickets was very painless, with just a look at the print-out of the emailed confirmation required.


Alternatively, we could have visited one of these automated kiosks.

Here's what a HSR ticket looks like. In the rear of this picture is a train waiting at the station in its white and orange livery.

Once you have your ticket, check the electronic signs to see what your platform number is. The easiest way to find it on the sign is by the train's number, which is also printed on your ticket. Then use your ticket (magnetic strip side up) to gain admission to the waiting area through the turnstiles.

Once through the turnstiles, there are plenty of places to sit and wait for your train's arrival. These chairs were surprisingly comfortable.

The electronic signs and a loudspeaker announcement (in both zhongwen and english) will indicate that your train has arrived and is ready for boarding. Take an escalator down to your platform. At the Taipei end, the attendants checked tickets at the top of the escalator and would not let passengers onto the platform until their train was ready for boarding.

Down on the platform, find your passenger car, which should also be printed on your ticket. Outside the business class car, attendents checked tickets then welcomed you on board.

Inside the business class car, seats were in rows of two. The signs on the wall seemed to indicate that instead of turning the train around on a circular track, the attendants somehow swivel and reverse all the seats in the cabin for the return journey so that the passengers are not seated backwards. I would be interested to hear if anyone can confirm this.

The seats were quite comfortable and reclined a fair distance. Each seat had side-wing headrests, coat hooks on the wall, a pull down tray, a footrest, power sockets and audio channels (although you needed to provide your own headphones).

Partway through the journey, the friendly attendants come around offering nuts, coffee, tea and water.

As you can see, we had a pleasant experience on the HSR. There is one important facet I have neglected thus far to mention. I feel strongly that an important indicator of the quality of public amenities are its restrooms. In Kaohsiung, I nipped in to check these out and found a sparkling clean facility.

What upped the grade to outstanding was the attention to detail. Each roll of toilet paper had been folded into the traditional hospitality industry triangle. I forgot to take a "before" photo, but in this "after photo" you can see that the roll on the left side still has its end folded. From the toilet perspective, I give the HSR an unashamedly geeky two thumbs up.

Leaving aside my HSR experience, the last time I visited Costco I snapped a shot in the foothall area. Clam chowder doesn't seem to be offered in many places in Taipei. Here at Costco, I tend to order the chowder when I go. It's fine. Not awesome, not bad, just fine (and a little too salty for my taste).

In case there was any doubt, it seems from this photo that the chowder is definately Campbells. I thought any fellow chowder consumers who wondered about its origins might be interested, so here's the shot:

And a final note: a great big thanks to those who have left comments on earlier entries! I really enjoy hearing about other's experiences, both those kiwis in Taiwan (or have been in Taiwan) and Taiwanese over in New Zealand. It seems we're in agreement on the magnificence of the fruit supply here - yes lychees are awesome (especially after they've been chilled in the fridge a while). Thanks also for the language tips on my video further down. Xie xie nin men!