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FINALLY!!! I'm starting to get back to this trip report!!!Monday, 10/21/24
Taitung Today we’re all about the scenery! From our hotel window, we could see the Longfeng Temple, located on Liyu (Carp) Mountain. So naturally, we had to see it! After breakfast, we walked to Liyu Mountain, just behind our hotel, where we took a short walk up the hill to the temple. We passed a couple nearby who were singing karaoke to a monitor on their van! It was very soothing to hear them sing and made a nice background to the temple visit. A beautiful temple and very few people around! What a treat. We had the hotel arrange a taxi to bring us to Chailease auto rental, where we have a car reserved for 2 days. While we’re not doing an extensive driving tour of Taiwan, Taitung seemed to be the one place that made sense to have a car. Soon we were on the road to Chishang, the epitome of the stunning scenery of the East Rift Valley, with its fields of rice paddies surrounded by mountains. We start off in the town center, where we had a mediocre pizza for lunch. We found our way over to Brown Boulevard, the main paved pathway through the rice paddies center of indigenous culture and thr East Rift Valley, a region of striking beauty, with its gorgeous rice paddies, stunning mountain ranges and the coast. We spend an afternoon in Chishang, riding around the rice paddies (which we’d seen from the train a day earlier). Renting a bicycle or covered cycle is a popular tourist activity but it’s SO MUCH FUN!!! There are many rental places near the entrance to Brown Boulevard, the "starting point" for entry to the rice fields, and we stopped in a few before we chose this particular place. The vehicle was less slick than some but it had the nice canopy and was comfortable for the both of us. M had no problem steering it and off we went! After dropping off the car, we returned to Taitung, first looking for but not finding a specific teahouse I wanted to try. Driving is pretty easy here and our Google directions worked pretty well overall, but it's not perfect. We gave up and returned back to the hotel, less than an hour away. We had a decent dinner at the Thai restaurant located in the Wave House. |
Chishang - another temple, of course!
We stopped in town for lunch and stopped into the temple in town. So colorful! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0240ba130.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62374e938.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed504a37f.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e01508244.jpeg |
Brown Boulevard and the Cycling Through the Tea Fields
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a0e5ea5eb.jpeg By the entrance to Brown Boulevard https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0d5b288c3.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...479277b69.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b7928c3be.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d8ca8edb.jpeg Happy hubby! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3663da010.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9911a7541.jpeg A tree made made famous through 2013 commercials by EVA Airlines which featured the Japanese actor and singer, Takeshi Kaneshiro. It is a very popular stop for many tourists! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...71d590535.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b3df1183.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ac90b1e49.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5251084e8.jpeg Lots of rice! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...00ca6875b.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...617b1a0f1.jpeg A very fun kind of day!! |
:)
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Progol, I am so happy to see your newest installment! I loved reading your descriptions of the scenery and reading about the newest tourist faze - the bicycles! Sounds like so much fun! A great way to enjoy the scenery instead of always being in a car. Those yellow flowers are certainly unique!
Where is your next trip to? Are you going to Italy this spring? Just wondering because we will be in Italy in May. |
mrwunrfl, 😘
Karenwoo, thank you! I’m doing my best to catch up! And driving through the rice fields was just the coolest thing! I had really hoped to get to Italy in the spring but the type of travel we’re doing is changing. We’ll be going to Mexico in February for a few weeks just to get away from winter, visiting family on the west coast during the summer, and our next bigger trip (though “only” a month) will be France and Malta. We loved this trip but readjustment after returning was tougher than it’s been previously, especially for my husband. |
Originally Posted by progol
(Post 17625423)
mrwunrfl, 😘
Karenwoo, thank you! I’m doing my best to catch up! And driving through the rice fields was just the coolest thing! I had really hoped to get to Italy in the spring but the type of travel we’re doing is changing. We’ll be going to Mexico in February for a few weeks just to get away from winter, visiting family on the west coast during the summer, and our next bigger trip (though “only” a month) will be France and Malta. We loved this trip but readjustment after returning was tougher than it’s been previously, especially for my husband. |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17625439)
Oh, that's too bad that you won't be in Italy this spring. I was hoping we could meet somewhere in Italy. I know how much you like Italy. But I certainly understand about slowing down and taking shorter trips. After spending 6 weeks in Australia and NZ, and then 5 weeks in Italy this May, we plan to do a shorter trip in September to Romania and Hungary but no more than 3 weeks. Malta certainly sounds interesting and different.
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I like how they portrayed the 'whiskers' on the carp. Very East Asian. Like the carp knows something you don't.
When people go to Prague/Vienna/Budapest, the last is usually the least. Substitute Krakow instead. The rynek is a jaw-dropping site. |
Originally Posted by shelemm
(Post 17625533)
I like how they portrayed the 'whiskers' on the carp. Very East Asian. Like the carp knows something you don't.
When people go to Prague/Vienna/Budapest, the last is usually the least. Substitute Krakow instead. The rynek is a jaw-dropping site. Love the point about the whiskers on the carp! |
10/22/24 -Tuesday
Taitung The weather was quite hot so we started our morning right - in the lovely rooftop swimming pool at our hotel! A perfect start to our day. We visited the National Museum of Prehistory, which focuses not only on the prehistoric peoples of Taiwan, but connections with other indigenous cultures. We met a volunteer docent there who ended up giving us a wonderful private tour, too. Well worth visiting. We admired the building, too, designed by the well-known architect, Michael Graves. We then drove to the Bunun Tribal Leisure farm, a re-creation of the tribal village, where arts, crafts and music are showcased. We’d hope to hear a musical performance that the members do regularly, but unfortunately, there weren’t enough visitors to perform. We still enjoyed the visit and walked around the village, admiring the traditional wooden carvings around the village and then ate a traditionally prepared meal while there. After returning the car (easy peasy), the rental agency called a taxi for us and we returned to the hotel and had our afternoon rest. That evening, we had dinner at a traditional hot pot restaurant just behind the hotel. A fabulous meal! 火鍋世家-台東新生店 No. 191-2號, Xinsheng Rd, Taitung City |
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A perfect start to the day https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6ddcd3bf.jpeg Looking from the National Museum of Prehistory https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6907dbde7.jpeg Lobby https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...39f803fa5.jpeg Display https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...544349911.jpeg Love the carving! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0df3f8ee6.jpeg museum display https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7494712f1.jpeg museum display https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...090e132f5.jpeg Bunun Leisure farm https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2823ca998.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...baa0f7c62.jpeg The carvings are wonderful, not unlike the figures in the museum https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...39ebb7807.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a1aebede7.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ba079fe9.jpeg Some of the ingredients for our hot pot! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...20a45be11.jpeg More ingredients for the hotpot! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f167cad8c.jpeg |
Wednesday, October 23
Taitung to Tainan We thoroughly enjoyed Taitung - it’s very different from Taipei and and we enjoyed its laidback vibe. Now it’s time to leave for Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan as well as its birthplace and its first capital (until 1887). A short and easy train ride to Tainan - I love riding by train! And we loved, loved, loved Tainan! It turned out to be our favorite stop in Taiwan. After settling into our hotel, the Lakeshore Hotel, we took a walk along some of the streets with numerous food stalls, eating some snacks and visiting the very touristed Shennong Street. We strolled back to the hotel, checking out possible restaurants along the way, but found none that appealed. And a word about the hotel…Lakeshore Hotel is huge, but it is surprisingly well-organized. Once again, there are wonderful services, such as a steam room/sauna/hot and cold tubs - yes, it was busier than other places, but late in the afternoon was a quiet time and it was a wonderful way to relax. We had dinner at Du Hsiao Yueh, a small but popular danzai noodle restaurant which we loved and returned a second time because it was so good. Danzai noodles are traditional to Tainan and are thin noodles in a flavorful broth, typically topped with shrimp and minced meat. It is really tasty and this is one of the places that is known for them. |
Taitung train station and ride
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Arrival day in Tainan - a walk about, some snacks and dinner at a local noodle restaurant
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5fae939b6.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b1218200.jpeg The chocolate roll was wonderful! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ccc91b312.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68eef803d.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a312a74bc.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...edda861ec.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0e8dfb1c1.jpeg Shennong Street, one of the best preserved traditional streets in Tainan. It was nice enough during the day, but more magical (and crowded!) at night. But the whole area is hopping at night! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c7ae85c6b.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f4e955f12.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eae1a11a1.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2587cc6e6.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62d9e2de8.jpeg Halloween was only a few days away! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...431cb0649.jpeg |
The popular Du Hsiao Yueh
(food pix from our second visit there!) https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6416e79e8.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...78f9385f2.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9b55055fa.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cfbb070b1.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8ce2cdd43.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e5c4aef72.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e383a6ab1.jpeg |
Wow! I love all of the food and restaurant photos. I know my husband would love all of this food. He would be in heaven! We all love hot pot. Your photos are awesome. So delicious! And that pool looks so inviting. Do you remember what the temps were in October?
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Karenwoo, thank you for still following!
Taiwan was warm! It was probably in the 80s for most of our trip, though very humid for much of the time. It IS a subtropical region. I was very glad that I had my summery clothes! We were fortunate to miss the 2 typhoons that hit the island a few weeks before we arrived and, again, immediately after - though the second typhoon did nip us in our butts shortly after we arrived in Japan, giving us a day of torrential rain in Fukuoka! We did love Taiwan, though, and somehow, the weather never really bothered us too much. Having those regular breaks and hotels with A/C do help.😉 |
Thursday, October 24
Tainan - Day 2 Breakfast at the Lake Shore Hotel was an overwhelming experience! This was one of the largest buffet breakfasts I’ve ever experienced, and it was a bit daunting, though the choices were all pretty darn good. There was usually a short line for breakfast and then we’d be seated somewhere in the very large dining areas. But we got the hang of it pretty quickly. The choices were overwhelming but I found I loved having the beef noodle soup for breakfast and tofu pudding with red beans and other sweets. Too many choices!! Our first activity in Tainan was taking another wonderful tour with Like It Formosa, walking through the downtown area. We met at the Chikhan Tower, originally a Dutch fort and only later was a temple built on top of it. We then walked to the Grand Mazu Temple Tainan, one of the grander temples in a city where there are 1600 temples - and more temples than convenience stores, according to our delightful guide, Sushin. The temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. It was also once the residence of the Ming dynasty Prince of Ningjing, who committed suicide when the Qing dynasty took over. While Mazu is Taoist, she often shares her temple with the Buddhist goddess Guanyin, and there was a room devoted to Guanyin and Buddhist figures. The temples are very ornate but as we focus more on details, the decoration starts making sense. I loved the wall paintings which appear to be about folktales, though not specific to the temple we’re visiting. After visiting the Grand Mazu Temple Tainan, we stopped off for a refreshing drink of wood melon boba and delicious bubble tea. Taiwan is the home of bubble tea and this one is very tasty. We then continued on to the Hayashi Department store, the largest of the old buildings in Tainan. Built in 1932 during the Japanese Colonial period, this art deco gem retains its old-fashioned quality and you’ll find cozy displays of an old record player and TV set sitting prominently On the ground floor. Taking the old elevator with its pretty mosaic floor to the 5th floor, we walk up one flight to the roof, which has several interesting elements: first, the cute “bun” seats (though no one seems to actually be sitting on them! A Japanese shrine. And the sobering sight of a hole in the wall, the remains of the WWII bombing by a US military raid. Our last formal stop was the Confucius Temple and perhaps my favorite stop on this tour. Entering the extensive grounds, I was immediately struck by the sense of calm - this isn’t an elaborate and ornate temple but is elegant and refined setting. Of course, the cute couple dressed in traditional red outfits and taking wedding photos belied the completely serene atmosphere but it did remind me that Taiwan has both the traditional and the modern rolled into one. Don’t get too serious! The temple grounds have several structures, though we focused primarily on the Education Hall, built in 1663, and the reason why the Tainan Confucius Temple is known as “Taiwan’s First School”. One wall is covered in Chinese calligraphy displaying a section of a book written by Confucius. Another wall has 2 large Chinese characters representing loyalty and filial piety, the foundations of Confucian philosophy. After the tour Having had our fill of traditional Tainan, we set off for a more contemporary experience, visiting the Tainan Art Museum I and II. The museum is housed in 2 separate structures - the first is housed in the 1931 Japanese-era Tainan Police Department building, a simple but charming Art Deco building, and is a good fusion of old and new. The second building is a purely modern creation, or more futuro-modern, designed with a pentagonal shape to represent Tainan’s Royal poinciana trees, it’s a hodgepodge of shapes stacked on top of each other and the spaces seem to go every which way in a non-linear fashion. Can you guess which museum building we preferred?😉 Mind you, I’m not against modern structures, but this one just didn’t work for us. We visited the newer one first and the older one second! The latter had a fabulous retrospective of the artist, Tseng Pei-Yao, and important Taiwanese painter. His work really impressed us. Born in Tainan in 1927, his work covers a wide range of styles. Rather than trying my hand at art-speak, I’ll take a quote from the description of the show we saw: “Tseng categorizes his artist career into four periods, namely the Periods of Sketching and Realism (1945-1952), Subjective and Figurative Expressionism (1953-1954), Abstract Expressionism (1955-1961), and Life-themed Series (1962-1991). Despite his short life tormented by the loss of loved ones and serious illness, Tseng relentlessly explored the true essence of artistic life and seized every moment of art and living.” We loved his work. The second museum had some interesting exhibits (do I sound a little like I’m “damning with faint praise”?) by Taiwanese artists exploring and processing how to integrate their own cultural heritage with the external but inherited western culture. Good show, though by this point, our energy was running out. We returned to Shennong Street in the evening - I convinced M that I needed to see this very popular tourist site at night when the lanterns were lit — and it was nice, but what made the trip truly worthwhile was discovering the vendor who cooked duck breast! Just around the corner from Shennong Street, along Hai’an Road, there were numerous stands, and this vendor was one of the most animated cooks - he had a wonderful patter going that alternated between Chinese and English. And the end product was delicious! We strolled back to the hotel, sated and happy. |
Still following along! Thanks for fighting through the computer issues to continue progol!
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Thanks, valgachi! I hope this is helpful for you and am glad that you're enjoying it!
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Another vendor - these each had different fillings. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ccf6c5fb.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b2032ebb7.jpeg We met at Chicken Tower, the site of Fort Provintia, originally the Dutch fort built in 1653 and the administrative seat of the region, and which has undergone many changes over the centuries, with several temples built on top of the ruins of the fort. A landmark in the old part of town, we didn't enter the building as it's undergoing restoration, but discussed the history of Tainan and the arrival of the Dutch. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a60cd5565.jpeg Interior of the Grand Mazu Temple https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0f87a8cf.jpeg Joss money - people buy this and then burn the "money" as an offering to the gods https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...24f87662c.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...521188d17.jpeg A figure of a Dutch man holding up one of the pillars. There are 2 of these figures built into the temple and they're placed here as punishment for the cruelty they exacted on the local Taiwanese! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...689331f00.jpeg Mazu https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6fdd96fdb.jpeg One of the many lovely paintings on the wall https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...79112a036.jpeg One of the guardians placed in front of Mazu https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...37430c1f1.jpeg Our lovely guide Sushin (she introduced herself as ("Sushi with an "n") https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e96211aea.jpeg Sushin in front of an old tablet https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...44298e5f4.jpeg Closeup of the writing on the tablet https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6831f05fb.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...af69eea04.jpeg Mazu https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...935773016.jpeg Guardian https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5328c409.jpeg Courtyard https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a51690cc4.jpeg Another lovely wall painting! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...321121af7.jpeg Buddha and buddies! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c88108e82.jpeg Burning the joss money https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a51b83152.jpeg |
Leaving the Grand Mazu Temple, we stopped first for our Wood melon boba tea
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9bd7b40f.jpeg We then stopped in front of the Chuan Mei Theater, learning about and admiring the handprinted movie posters by the Yan Jhen-fa, one of the last practitioners of art in Taiwan. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...264e13e4f.jpeg |
We then continued on our way to the beautiful Hayashi Department store, the largest of the old buildings in Tainan (more description in above post #60). Some of the photos were taken at a return visit which we made on our own in the evening.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1abc2cb72.jpeg Hayashi Department store - beautiful at night! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e0ff87898.jpeg Old-fashioned display https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1ff139ddc.jpeg Old-fashioned display https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3758571f5.jpeg Mosaic-tiled elevator floor https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8d3a91a15.jpeg The holes in the wall are the remains of the bombing https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5e6699c5.jpeg The "bun" seats https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...239a2d83b.jpeg Sitting on the "buns" https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c2b17234.jpeg Rooftop shrine https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0f1d0cdfe.jpeg View from the roof of the neoclassical Tainan Land bank, built in 1928 |
Finally, we visited the Confucius Temple in Tainan was built in 1666, and was the location of the highest official institute of higher learning in Taiwan. It's so unlike the other temples in its elegant simplicity. A lovely spot.
(Description in above post #60) https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...18924eb55.jpeg Gateway to the Tainan Confucius temple https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc6be185d.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2f52be4b.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7f52ccc3a.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d492f71e5.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a79fc4f47.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...55f17294b.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a95bc780.jpeg Couple posing for wedding photos! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7ca62ac21.jpeg Peek a boo! |
Art Museum - Buildings 1 & 2
(Fuller description in post #60) Building 1, a deco-style building constructed in 1930, originally the Tainan Police Department. It reopened in 2019 as a museum. We loved the work of the artist, Tseng Pei-Yao and really enjoyed the show here a lot. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88ceaa4a89.jpg Downloaded from internet - I never got a photo of the front https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bd9bb4e19.jpeg Lovely deco staircase https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4dce50c5d.jpeg Traditional structures https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c01de6119.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5a083a09b.jpeg European travels https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...438160adf.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ddb7fb3b2.jpeg Outside terrace looking in https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2f5c2a771.jpeg Artist Tseng Pei-Yao ------------ Art Museum Building #2 A contemporary art museum designed by 2 Japanese architects, this is a large museum, light-filled museum, built with glass and metal and lots of angles, said to evoke a Royal Poinciana – the official tree of Tainan. There were some lovely exhibits by Taiwanese artists and we enjoyed it, though the art didn't resonate with us as much as the show at the older museum did. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f66d019a2.jpeg View of the museum from our hotel https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1bdd1afec.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd44b93f0.jpeg Entryway https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...44031ad8e.jpeg Looking up -1 https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d53e359b6.jpeg Looking up-2 https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b4d2fce8a.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56eb98328.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4c63a0958.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...395b477f3.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1ca66f40c.jpeg Our favorite painting! Along Dihua Street, Taipei https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd96951bb.jpeg Art on the wall and on the floor - definitely contemporary art! |
A return to Shennong Street at night and around the corner on Hai'an Road, where we discover many food vendors
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And the best discovery...duck breast -- so, so good!
Around the corner from Shennong Street, along Hai’an Road, there were numerous stands, but this vendor stood out. He was one of the most animated cooks! He had a wonderful patter going that alternated between Chinese (probably Mandarin, but I don't know for sure) and English. And the end product was delicious! https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...77971415c.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1615879cd.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...51a54f79e.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ec6e244b.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...63e9b6f1a.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eade30f51.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1cc9aa110.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8e6d998ee.jpeg |
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Friday, October 25
Anping - the historic district In 1624, the Dutch arrived in Anping, once known as Dayuan, the origin of the name Taiwan. They built the first fort, Fort Zeelandia, which was a an administrative center for the Dutch and a hub for trading. In 1661, Koxinga, a Ming general, defeated the Dutch and the area and fort were then known as Anping, which was named for the Anping Bridge in Fujian, China. And it turned out that today was also the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the fort and of the founding of the city of Tainan which developed around the fort! There was a huge celebration, with lots of schoolchildren and local bigwigs and even Sgt Frog, a Japanese manga character (I know this because M is a manga fan). Oh, and a birthday cake, too! It was quite the celebration! After walking up and around the fort, we wandered through the long street market that wends its way through the streets, noshing along the way. There are so many food vendors and small eateries and I’m now seeing why Tainan has the reputation for being the food capitol of Taiwan! While wandering off the main street, we began to hear some music from a temple and we entered to find a small religious ceremony taking place. While the musicians played, three men dressed in traditional robes were performing some kind of ceremony in honor of the temple god’s birthday. We watched for a while, amazed that we stumbled into another local ceremonial event. We continued on till we got to the Anping Tree house. This is not a house built into a tree, which is what I had pictured when I first read about it. Rather, it’s a former warehouse for a merchant house that was built in 1867 when Anping was an important harbor for international trade. Now the many banyan trees have taken over and the branches wrap around the old building, and it has become a popular tourist destination. A series of walkways were built throughout the structure and it’s an amazing experience to be able to walk around and through these overgrown trees. We finished our trip here with a refreshing cup of tea. We were managing well until this point, but the heat and humidity finally caught up. Time to call Uber and get back to the cool hotel. |
Thank you progol. I am very much enjoying your trip through Tainan, somewhere we've never been.
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What a great report of your trip. Not sure I’ll ever get to Taiwan, so it’s great to read about your journey and see the colourful pics.
Fun facts ; we have a poinciana tree in our new house, we grow guava and rose apple at the old house ! Rose apple are known as Wax Jambu here, I agree there’s little flavour, but they make for a juicy burst in a fruit salad. Looking forward to the rest, and thanks for sharing xx |
Fascinating place, such an interesting TR and beautiful photos! I'm really enjoying this!
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Thanks so much, trip planner, sartorial and xyz99!
tp, It may be our timing with the 400 anniversary celebrations, but we had a blast in Tainain. It's a wonderful city, though, and I hope you get there someday. I think you'd really enjoy it. sartoric, thanks for following! How cool to have a poinciana tree in your new home AND to be able to grow such wonderful (and exotic to me) things at home! And things will get even more colorful very soon! xyz99, thanks for still following! We really did love our visit to Taiwan -a wonderful blend of modern and traditional. And nice folks, too. |
The Fort and Celebration
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97383a3e8.jpeg Schoolchildren participating in 400th anniversary celebration! They actually sang Happy Birthday! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e7417439a.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ddc788e53.jpeg Bigwigs and Sergeant Frog, a Japanese Manga character https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...98f2d7615.jpeg And what's a birthday without a cake? https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6580ed42f.jpeg Steps at the back of the fort, looking up to the tower https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6cf4d9f1.jpeg View of the fort walls https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ae976d788.jpeg And up we go! https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3d312f267.jpeg Cannon from the 19th century https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0321bdeff.jpeg We can finally walk up the stairs to the fort bow that the school kids have finished the first part of the celebration! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...35e79b152.jpeg A Frangipani tree - gorgeous, no? https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d5db30ad5.jpeg View from the fort https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7c666866c.jpeg View inside the fort! |
Anping Old Street wandering
We were starting to get a bit hot and tired by now https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...01b73ce2d.jpeg Just outside of the Anping fort is the lovely Anping Mazu temple. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1bb60a6ed.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...af6b28328.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...183c3083a.jpeg There's often a real feeling of playfulness https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56f6b8188.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...424da75cc.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f99438e2b.jpeg The sword in the lion's mouth is a symbol of Anping and it serves as a guardian https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7949b90c7.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6881a3898.jpeg beef jerky |
Temple celebration
And just as we were getting too tired, we hear some music coming from inside another temple so we wandered in and, lo and behold, we come to another celebration. This was a birthday temple for the temple god! https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8f635dc78.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9d697d6b.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1409bd091.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cb71e3066.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4da33b5f4.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...995868f6d.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f016518b2.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...086870a97.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4db140321.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d0e19075f.jpeg The musicians |
Anping Tree House
The former Tait & Co. Warehouse, built around the end of the 19th Century at the beginning of the Japanese Colonial Period. There is also a good habitat for wildlife, with its pond right behind the house. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c09cc4201.jpeg It doesn't look like much when you first arrive, but... https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f68fe7ea5.jpeg it gets pretty wild pretty quickly! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9c716ee3d.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a8ab14689.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b0b0885e.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6bc0809be.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eab8af75c.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0f0cea4ee.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c8125cb7.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3d25569e6.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ee3890b21.jpeg |
Saturday, October 26
Tainan - last day in this glorious city! And today was a fantastic day! We saw and did so much! No specific plans today but a chance to just wander and see what what unfolds. We chose a few spots to visit and head off toward the first, Wu’s Garden. This is a public park in the middle of the city but hidden between many tall, contemporary buildings. It was built by a wealthy 19th Century businessman with a pavilion, a pond and a volcanic rock wall. It’s considered one the top 4 parks in Taiwan. To be honest, we were a bit underwhelmed. It’s sweet but it wasn’t the grand park we’d expected. But it was a good start to our explorations and we discovered a lovely small gallery in one of the buildings surrounding the park. From there, we were heading off to another temple! But ambling our way there, we found another small temple on the way and a wonderful-looking soup dumpling place nearby. What we’ve truly come to see is that Tainan is the Grazing Capital of Taiwan! Everywhere you turn, there’s another stand or small restaurant that has their own specialty. I’ve stopped worrying about restaurants as we ended up stopping and eating during the day which was great fun and gave us great tastes! We moved on to the Taiwanfu City God Temple, said to be the oldest city god temple in Taiwan. Its purpose is to protect the people of the city but it's also dedicated to the underworld. It’s known for its giant abacus, which tallies up a person’s good and bad deeds during their life, and a plaque which means “You’re here at last!” It was a surprisingly interesting temple, made even more satisfying, meeting a local volunteer who spent some time talking with us and giving us some background to the temple. We enjoyed the interaction and she shared how her son was currently in the states, working toward his PhD. Michael has been really using his Chinese and getting a lot of praise for it! It’s made the trip especially interactive and has given a real personal connection to Taiwan. Afterwards, the heat and humidity caught up with us so we began our way home, first stopping at the xiao long bao stand we had seen earlier. We were so pleased when we found it again but were told to come back in a couple of hours as they had a lot of orders to fill. Fortunately, Michael remembered a small restaurant nearby and off we went. Happily, these dumplings were quite satisfying and Michael impressed the guy at the restaurant no end with his Chinese, getting the thumbs up! |
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