[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

Day Sixteen Reflections
Thursday, November 21, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 11.7 km

This was a great birthday overall, even though I honestly don't have many pictures from this day at all. You've seen the highlights!

A lot of time was spent socializing with my new friend, who took me to Cijin island and helped introduce me to Taiwanese hot pot.

One other thing I can share is this video I took of a typical occurrence in downtown Kaohsiung and elsewhere in Taiwan, which partially reminded me of my experiences in Southeast Asia. The motorcycle is not anywhere near as popular in Taiwan as in Vietnam or Thailand, but occasionally you do get that sort of Southeast Asian feel in Taiwanese cities, and not only because there's a decent amount of migrant workers from SEA countries living there either. There's sometimes also that mixed street activity and rough around the edges vibe that adds to the effect, and motorcycles are more popular and visible in south Taiwan compared to Taipei and the rest of the north.

The more I travelled around Taiwan, the more I grew to appreciate the multilayered set of influences that permeated Taiwanese communities. It's almost like a microcosm of elements taken from a bunch of other places, all wrapped up in a unique Taiwanese look at the world. And even when you sit down and study all the layers of history that contributed to this, you feel like there's more there. But how to get at it? I guess that's what I was attempting to accomplish on my trip, in some capacity, to try to better understand the soul of this place.

 

[warpus]

Day 17

85 Sky Tower (高雄85大樓)
Friday, November 22, 2024

My first visit of the day was the 2nd tallest building in Taiwan - the 348 metre tall 85 Sky Tower. Completed in 1997, it is visible from many parts of the city and has become the most iconic part of Kaohsiung's skyline due to its unique shape and height.

Unfortunately for me the 75th story observation deck had been closed since 2019. It took conversations with 3 people to figure that out and convince myself that the observation deck was in fact closed and that there was no other way I could go up to some upper floor to get a cool look at the city. The 85 Sky Tower Hotel, which used to operate on the upper floors, had also been closed since 2020. It turns out a lot of the building was being renovated, including many of the higher floors, and there was just no way up, and no clear date as to when renovations might be finished. A lot of the building seemed in disarray actually, I walked all the way around to see if there was another way up, and came across hollowed out storefronts and broken up cement and other construction junk around.. This was a bummer, as the main reason I came here was so I could go up to get a look at the city from above (and google maps had the observation deck marked as open for business)

I managed to take an elevator up to an internal lobby from which I took the last picture.. There I met an American dude who was renting out a room in the building, who told me that the owners (or investors?) were having financial troubles, which is why a lot of the building was shut down. He confirmed that I wasn't going to be able to go up to any sort of worthwhile observation floor, and even introduced me to his landlord in an effort to try to get more information. Yep, this guy was really eager to try to help me! When the eventual confirmation came, again, that there was nothing up there for me, my new American friend volunteered to walk me over to a nearby building which he claimed had a nice view of the city that I would enjoy.

This was well beyond the sort of help one might expect from a random stranger, and I didn't really want to take up any more of this guy's time.. But he seemed super motivated to help me, and maybe a bit bored? No red flags that I could sense, so off we went to a nearby hotel. I wish I could tell you his name, but it appears I did not write it down.. Super friendly and eager to help, some guy who got lucky with some investment back in the U.S. 10-15 years ago and decided to set up shop in Taiwan and live his life from there instead.

 

[warpus]

TAI Urban Resort 25th floor Lobby Lounge

This hotel opened in 2022 and claims to be Taiwan's first five star urban resort. An urban resort is a sort of luxury hotel concept that became popular in the 2010s. In East and Southeast Asia the term is used for a specific class of luxury hotels that stand out in terms of the experience & design elements patrons can expect. In other parts of the world hotels of the same class exist, but they aren't branded as urban resorts.

The truth is that this is the only urban resort in Taiwan. It's also true that this is a very classy looking establishment, at least from what I was able to see of it.

This is where the American dude brought me. We entered the building via a fancy looking cafe that I would have never thought to walk through. An elevator ride up and we found ourselves at the 25th floor Lobby Lounge. This space acts as the TAI Urban Resort's main lobby but also as a public 360 degree panoramic observatory, featuring a wraparound layout and floor to ceiling windows. There's a cafe here and cozy & artsy furnishings. Only 30% or so as high as the 75th floor observatory at the 85 Sky Tower, but nevertheless a really cool space I'm happy I was taken to!

 

[warpus]

Kaohsiung Main Public Library

The Kaohsiung Main Public Library Building is connected to the TAI Urban Resort via two elevated walkways. It might be tough to tell in the photo, but there are hundreds of trees and other plants growing on large library balconies. There is also a very green rooftop garden. The whole building was designed to be energy efficient; the trees are planted in strategic locations and act as a part of the building structure.

All this is part of the broader Asia New Bay Area revitilization project. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to explore any of the library or visit the rooftop garden.

 

[warpus]

Dome of Light (光之穹頂)

The Dome of Light is the largest glass ceiling installation in the world, located at the intersection of the red and orange MRT metro lines. The dome is a good place to meet somebody if one of you doesn't know the city well. Formosa Boulevard Station is a key transit hub in the city, so many people pass through here, and the dome is very easy to spot.

 

[warpus]

Jing Yuan Leisure Farm (淨園農場)

The new friend I shared a birthday feast with is the person I met up with at the Dome of Light. Together we took the metro and then a bus to a location just north of the Kaohsiung International Airport.

Due to the geographic proximity of the airport to commercial and residential parts of the city, locals began to meet up here to watch planes land starting in the late 90s. Over time this turned into a bit of a social activity for airplane affecianados and aviation photographers. There's now two competing businesses here that have set up 2 cafes and 2 bars with seats facing the runway.

I am pretty sure we were actually looking for the other business.. but Jing Yuan Leisure Farm got our attention first.

The main thing to do here is obviously sit back, sip a beverage of your choice, and watch the planes land.. but there's also a petting zoo here, a park with ponds that lights up at night, a gift shop, a restaurant, snack stalls, a campground, plenty of green spaces, and multiple spots with comfy seating.

In other words it was a great place to sit back and relax a bit.

 

[warpus]

These tents had comfy seats inside, so we made ourselves at home.. But 15 minutes later or so we were informed that you need to rent one if you want to stay inside longer than a couple minutes.. Whoops! Either way, you can see that this "Leisure Farm" is more than just a bar by the runway. The petting zoo had capybaras and white peacocks as well, in terms of unique to me animals that I don't get to see every day.

 

[warpus]

Liuhe Night Market (六合觀光夜市)

This night market dates back to the 1950s and was one of the first organized night markets in southern Taiwan. It is very centrally located, close to the key Formosa Boulevard MRT station, making it very easy to get to from almost anywhere in the city.

When Taiwanese tourism was booming during the 1970s and 1980s, this night market got the nickname "The Tourist Night Market". The nickname stuck, although I personally saw more tourists at the popular night markets in Taipei. From what I observed the specialities here seem be seafood and inventive twists based on traditional Taiwanese fare, as well as night market staples like fried chicken and German style pork knuckles.

Yep, I got more fried chicken here, but also deep fried enoki mushrooms (which were amazing), pictured above. Worth mentining is also a Taiwanese version of the trendy 10 yen shaped piece of bread filled with melted cheese. From what I've been able to determine this night market treat originated in South Korea, spread to Japan, and then to Taiwan.

At the end of the night I stopped by the famous Guangtou Laoban Fried Rice stall. There are small tables set up here, so you can eat your fried rice in peace, although the seating is kind of communal. I actually met somebody from Toronto here! We shared travel stories while eating our fried rice.

The following video isn't mine, but this is the exact person who served me!

They only have 1 item on the menu here - shredded pork fried rice. The recipe seems incredibly straightforward, but this dish really hit the spot!

 

[warpus]

Day Seventeen Reflections
Friday, November 22, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 9.5 km

Another great day in Kaohsiung, a modern city with lots to do and see. A very different experience from Tainan, even though they are so close to each other.

 

[warpus]

Day 18

The Eye of Gangshan (崗山之眼) aka Siaogangshan Skywalk Park
Saturday, November 23, 2024

This attraction was built in 2018 about 20km north of central Kaohsiung. To get here took just under two hours; I had to take the MRT metro to the northernmost station, then jump on a bus, then walk for about 55 minutes.. (In hindsight I should have taken a taxi from the MRT station)

This skywalk overlooks Gangshan District of Kaohsiung, which is known for its musical education, marching bands, and producing multiple popular Taiwanese musicians. Up until 2010 Gangshan used to be an independent township, at which point it was merged with a slowly encroaching city of Kaohsiung. The southern city limits of Tainan are actually just about 12km north from here. As both cities expand, this is likely to become a better connected and more important part of Kaohsiung.

The Eye of Gangshan Skywalk was built here to encourage travel to the northern part of Kaohsiung and to give people more of a reason to come here. It also happens to be a great spot for a scenic observation platform.

The skywalk was designed to resemble a violin, a nod to the musical character of Gangshan. The music you hear in my videos was not added by me, that's what you hear as you walk across the skywalk.

The body of water seen in the video is the Agongdian Reservoir (阿公店水庫), one of the first largescale reservoirs built in southern Taiwan. Plans for this reservoir were initially drawn up by the Japanese in the 1940s, but construction was finished in the early 1950s under the government of the Republic of China.

I learned my lesson and took a taxi back to the MRT station from here, after a short ice cream break.

 

[warpus]

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (佛光山佛陀紀念館)

Fo Guang Shan is the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan, founded in Kaohsiung in 1967 by Master Hsing Yun (星雲大師), a Chinese-born monk who moved to Taiwan in 1949. Today the organization has over 200 temples worldwide - in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is a complex (campus?) of structures at the eastern edge of north Kaohsiung. It took me just under two hours to get here from the Eye of Gangshan. This is the location of the first ever Fo Guang Shan monastery, established by Master Hsing Yun in 1967. In 2011 the site was expanded significantly with the addition of museum halls, the Big Golden Buddha (佛光大佛), and the Eight Pagodas.

The 108m tall Big Golden Buddha is the big draw here, my research tells me that it is the 4th largest seated Buddha statue in the world. There is a lot more at the site though, you can think of it as a campus of structures supporting the Fo Guang Shan message and approach to life.

Spoiler :

Fo Guang Shan has a strong emphasis on Humanistic Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism with a focus on everyday life and compassion. An important teaching is to engage with the present and be mindful of everyday ethical conduct and social duties, which contrasts with the usual Buddhist focus on the personal journey and the afterlife.

I see a lot of parallels between this form of Buddhism and the general Taiwanese approach to life.

 

[warpus]

A walk from the entrance to the Big Golden Buddha statue is meant to symbolically mirror a Buddhist's journey to Buddha. On the way there you first pass by the eight pagodas, each one symbolizing a different Buddhist concept: gratitude, morality, meditation, compassion, devotion, wisdom, generosity, and harmony.

Right before you reach the Big Golden Buddha statue you stumble upon the pyramid shaped Main Hall. It's sort of in the way and at first it isn't entirely clear if you're supposed to walk through it or around it.. Even when you enter the Main Hall, figuring out how to get to the Big Golden Buddha statue isn't entirely clear.. At the time it made me wonder if it's even possible to reach it or not.. Why would this design be so unintuitive?

It all makes a lot more sense in hidsight - This was a conscious design consideration intending to highlight that the path to Buddha is not straightforward.

Inside the Main Hall are exhibition halls with interesting Buddhist artifacts, lecture halls, auditoriums, and other spaces.

There are popular restaurants here and I was getting hungry, but they were all closing down for the night. I got in line for the next bus to the nearest MRT station, but they come every 45 minutes and take a half an hour to get there. The next bus that arrived filled up quick and I had to wait for the next one. Dinner wasn't going to be straightforward either!

 

[warpus]

Ruifeng Night Market (瑞豐夜市)

Ruifeng is often cited as being the largest and busiest night market in Kaohsiung; marketing claims there are at times over 1,000 stalls. There are more than just food stalls here - there's massage parlor stalls, carnival-like game stalls, there's fashion, accessory, gadget, and other shops, there's restaurant-like stalls with decently sized communal seating areas.. Some of the food here is also on the trendy side - unique things being done that looks good on social media..

These are all reasons why Ruifeng is especially popular with the younger crowd and why it is considered a trendy night market overall. You can come here with a group of friends, walk for literally hours in a carnival-like atmosphere, eat something when you get hungry, try your hand at a couple games, get a massage, sit down with a group of friends for some hot pot and some socializing.. There's a wide variety of options for a group of friends, a family, or a couple out on a date.

The layout of this night market is also a bit different from what I encountered at other Taiwanese night markets. Ruifeng is set up in a grid system, the stalls are not just set up on either side of one or two streets. It makes it harder to orient yourself, as the narrow walkways get really crowded and one looks just like another.. Initially I walked past a stall I wanted to return to later, but found it almost impossible to locate it again.. I had also read that there was a really good burger stall somewhere, but again, it took me forever to finally locate it..

For all these reasons Ruifeng feels a bit different. Overall I ended up spending an hour and a half here, eating food along the way.. I recorded a longer video to better show what kind of a place it is.

As with all videos I post, I recommend checking that it's playing in 1080p

It took me a while, but eventually I did find that burger joint! It was a bit of an awkward spot to wait for a burger to be prepared for you, while a sea of people moves behind you, but in the end very much worth the wait.

And that's the thing, I don't remember seeing many (or any?) burger places at any of the previous night markets I visited in Taiwan. Another thing I hadn't seen anywhere else were BBQ, steak, and hotpot stalls with more elaborate kitchens and their own decently sized communal seating areas. There was a slightly different mix of food styles on offer at Ruifeng Night Market. In one of the pictures you can see a large paella being prepared (by a Caucasian fellow no less). I also ate a very good churro here, some sort of a fried multilayered crunchy omelette, and of course at least two different kinds of fried chicken.

The journey to a good dinner is probably not as complicated as the journey to the Buddha, but in this case my stomach ended up feeling well satisfied, the earlier annoyance of closed restaurants well behind me. The unique nature of Ruifeng Night Market also made things a bit more exciting. I generally hate crowds, but the carnival-like atmosphere and the excitement of seeing what the next stall has to offer kept me here for over 90 minutes. It was a fun and tasty way to finish off my stay in Kaohsiung.

 

[warpus]

Day Eighteen Reflections
Saturday, November 23, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 8.5 km

This day was a chance to see a different side of Kaohsiung. I was hoping to return to this city for a couple days on my way back to Taipei, but for now it was time to move on.

 

[warpus]

Day 19

Train to the East Coast
aka Train to Taitung

Sunday, November 24, 2024

I had initially wanted to visit the southernmost peninsula of Taiwan, there is a park there and a couple other things worth seeing.. I had to make an executive decision and decided to bypass it on my way to Taiwan's east coast. Either way, it was time to leave the heavily urbanized west coast behind.

I had a bit of a close call waiting in line to buy my train ticket.. I arrived with only 2 minutes until the train I wanted to catch was due to depart. The person behind the counter masterfully keyed in and printed my ticket as fast as humanly possible, opened the gate for me, and told me to run! I did and managed to catch the train with a short amount of time to spare. Missing this train wouldn't have been the end of the world, but I wanted to get to Taitung as early as possible.

I was sure to get a seat by the window. This was now a slightly different looking part of Taiwan, away from the large cities.

The original plan was to make it all the way around the island, with another stop in Hualien, but a series of landslides closed down the sights that most interested me there.. I was pretty sure I was going to later return the same way I came, back to Taipei via Kaohsiung, but I wasn't booking anything yet.

I arrived in central Taitung at 1pm. For now it was time to kill a couple hours before I could check into my hotel at 3pm.

 

[warpus]

Taitung Seashore Park (台東海濱公園)

Taitung is a coastal town with a population of 100,000 or so, nestled in between the Central Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. It is the second largest city on Taiwan's east coast, just behind the slightly larger Hualien.

The first place I visited here was the Taitung Seashore Park, which forms the northernmost part of the Taitung waterfront.

Taitung has a reputation for being far more laid back, a contrast to the busy streets and dense city centres on the west coast. People come here to unwind and live a slower sort of life. I was definitely feeling some of this energy, although I hadn't really seen a lot of the city yet. For now I was content exploring the waterfront.

 

[warpus]

Taitung County has the highest proportion of indigenous Austronesian residents in Taiwan; about one third of the region has indigenous ancestry.

This landmark is a bit of a reminder of that. Inside the globe are arrows pointing to the various islands originally settled by indigenous Taiwanese peoples - Guam, New Zealand, the Solomon islands, Fiji, Hawaii, and other Polynesian and Micronesian islands.

 

[warpus]

Sounds Beyond the Waterfront

As I was exploring the waterfront I heard distinct sounds of music coming from somewhere to the north. Other parts of the waterfront that I wanted to explore were temporarily off limits, so I turned north and began walking in a that direction.

Google maps told me to stick to the main road. I decided to ignore that advice and go off the beaten path in an effort to find a more direct route.

This turned out to be private road with off leash dogs coming out to growl bark and inspect me.. from a comfortable enough distance only, luckily..

This was a bit intimidating, but I stuck to a confident regular stride, ignored the dogs, and just kept going, and it was fine.. I ended up having to make a detour to get around a fence that made this whole adventure unnecessary.. I should have stuck to the main road, like google maps said!

Either way, it was now obvious that the music was coming from Taitung Forest Park, which is where I was headed next.

 

[warpus]

Taiwan PASIWALI Festival

I had stumbled upon the Pasiwali Festival, an Indigenous Peoples international music festival with indigenous performances from Taiwan and abroad!

This was the second and last day of the festival, and entry was free.

 

[warpus]

The Brazilian Cultural Village @ PASIWALI 2024

This edition of the festival featured a Brazilian stage and cultural area, highlighting samba dance, forró (a Northeastern Brazilian folk dance), samba‑reggae percussion rhythms, and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art/music hybrid)