Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

[Tsubame 322] Kumamoto - Shin Tosu  (35m) ETD: 12.11pm (GMT + 9) ETA:  12.46pm (GMT + 9) On the last day of the validity of our 5-day JR Northern Kyushu Area Pass, my BFFs and I departed Kumamoto for Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo. We took the shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) from Kumamoto railway station to Shin Tosu railway station, and then changed to the orange-bodied Huis Ten Bosch train to our final destination.

Fukuoka-Beppu  (3h 12m) ETD: 10.24am (GMT + 9) ETA:  1.36pm (GMT + 9) From Fukuoka, my BFFs and I'd be going to Beppu, one of the most famous hot spring resort towns in Japan. Yufuin No Mori (lit. The Forest of Yufuin) is a resort train service run by JR Kyushu. Seat reservation is compulsory to take the train that prides itself in its warm wooden interior.

Vancouver-Jasper (19h) ETD: 3.00pm (GMT - 7) ETA:  11.00am (GMT - 6) Let's continue to look at The Canadian transcontinental passenger train that brought my BFF and me from Vancouver to Jasper, departing close to midnight after a long delay. In Part 1 , I introduced the various cars of the train. Guess what time did I wake up in order to have the panorama car to myself, well, almost?

Vancouver-Jasper (19h) ETD: 3.00pm (GMT - 7) ETA:  11.00am (GMT - 6) June 2019 saw me taking a sleeper train for the first time in my life. Much to my excitement, I had the opportunity to experience The Canadian transcontinental passenger train. Though I didn't go all the way from Vancouver to Toronto, I was satisfied to spend almost a day onboard the train to Jasper in the Alberta province.

Tbilisi - Kutaisi (5h 30m) ETD: 9.00am (GMT + 4)  ETA:  2.30pm (GMT + 4) Happy Chinese New Year to those celebrating the festive season! Let's continue with our adventure in Georgia. As mentioned in my earlier post on Gori Downtown , my BFF and I took train no. 18 from Tbilisi Railway Station on two consecutive days, stopping at Gori and Kutaisi respectively.

Xincheng - Taipei (3h 2m) ETD: 9.30am (GMT + 8)  ETA:  12.32pm (GMT + 8) Saying goodbye to Taroko wasn't easy, but it had to be done. After filling out stomachs with the free-flow porridge at Li-Wu Hotel , my BFF and I walked all the way from the hotel to Xincheng Station to catch our train that'd depart at 9.30am.

Taipei - Xincheng (2h 1m) ETD: 10.26am (GMT + 8)  ETA:  12.27pm (GMT + 8) Having heard of the unparalleled beauty of Taroko Gorge, my BFF and I made it a point to see it with our own eyes despite the rainy season in June. Our journey began from Taipei Main Station by making use of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) system on Tze-Chiang Limited Express (Puyuma), the newest, fastest and more spacious train type introduced in 2013.