[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

Guohua Youai Shopping District (國華友愛新商圈)

This trendy central Tainan shopping district is centered at the intersection of Guohua Street and Youai Street. It is sometimes called "The Museum of Life" by locals, a place where you can feel the soul of old Tainan.

Here you can find street food stalls, unique boutiques, small quirky shops, and artisans selling their crafts.

Central Tainan includes many streets with a similar vibe, often connected to each other and other walkable parts of town. There is an impressive number of pedestrian friendly areas to explore in the central part of the city, and the fact that there is so much history here only adds to the authenticity of it all. It didn't take long for Tainan to become my favourite city on the island.

 

[warpus]

Tainan has more temples than any other city in Taiwan and is often called the spiritual heart of the island. These two temples in particular caught my eye on my walk through central Tainan.

Tainan Jifu Temple (台南濟福宮)

This is a Taoist temple dedicated to Baosheng Dadi (保生大帝), the God of Medicine. It was built at some point during Qing rule. All the lanterns here really draw your attention as you're making your way through the city centre.

Anhai Port Jusong Temple (安海港聚宋宮)

This is a Taoist Wangye Temple dedicated to Ji Kang Ma, one of the Wangye Lords, a group of powerful Taoist deities. This temple follows the standard Wangye temple naming style: Anhai Port is the origin of the deity and Jusong is a reference to the deity lineage or grouping.

Since Anhai Port is in Fujian province, mainland China, this implies that the temple was originally built by immigrants from that Chinese province. These immigrants brought over their own religious ideas and deities, which over time blended in with local Taiwanese folk religious beliefs. The rituals and spiritual practices at this temple for instance are mainly shaped by south Taiwanese folk religious influences, even if the main deity here is Taoist.

It is important to note that Taiwanese folk religion is primarily rooted in Chinese folk religious beliefs, and NOT indigenous Taiwanese Austronesian religious belief systems. This confused me a bit at first, but basically what happened is you saw gradual Chinese immigration to the island in the 1600s. These first waves of immigrants helped establish what evolved into Taiwanese folk religion, based on ideas they had brought over with them from mainland China. The immigrants who built this temple arrived much later, and brought new Taoist ideas and deities with them. These deities and ideas in turn mixed in with the existing Taiwanese folk religious beliefs.

There is some overlap between Taiwanese folk religion and Indigenous Austronesian folk belief systems, and there's been some blending over time, but they are to this day very distinct belief systems. It is for example rare to see Austronesian deities venerated at Taoist, Buddhist, or Confucian temples, but it does occasionally happen. Indigenous Taiwanese belief systems are also not really temple-based, although they do have sacred spaces and similar constructs.

 

[warpus]

Blueprint Culture & Creative Park (藍晒圖文創園區)

This used to be a set of judicial dormitories that ended up being redeveloped into a pedestrian friendly cultural park in 2015. The old structures (and what's left of them) are made to look like a set of 3D blueprints.

There's all sorts of interesting stuff here, including an art installation showcasing toilets and another one highlighting instant noodle bowls. You'll also find shops here, markets, exhibitions, cafes, and workshops.

 

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This blue statue is based on a character that was part of a mural that was used as the artistic inspiration for this park. The mural had to be eventually taken down, as it was painted on a half-demolished building that was posing safety concerns. The city of Tainan redeveloped the area into this creative park, using that unique 3D blueprint style of the mural as inspiration.

 

[warpus]

Central Tainan Snapshots

Right across the street from Blueprint Culture & Creative Park was a Christmas themed market. I'm the worst at souvenir or any other sort of shopping, I just don't enjoy it, but I had zero christmas gifts bought and was tempted to try to buy some unique gifts on my trip. In this case I didn't find anything souvenir or gift worthy, but it was worth a look. The walkability of central Tainan definitely made it easier to get a bit excited about shopping.. but mainly about checking out all these often connected pedestrian friendly parts of the city.

Not to say that Tainan is a pedestrian paradise. In some ways it might be, but not every single street has ample accommodations for those who are walking. It's a great balance overall though, at least from the pov of someone who enjoys exploring urban spaces on foot.

Practice in progress for a play or artistic performance of some kind. The colourful stage setup got my attention from a distance.

 

[warpus]

Tainan Style Beef Soup
at No Name Beef Soup (無名牛肉湯)

While Beef Noodle soup is highly popular across all of Taiwan, Tainan's version of this dish is served without noodles. The beef used is also more reminiscent of what you might find in a bowl of pho - sliced thin and raw, then flash cooked in the broth. The broth is also more clear and light than the broth you'd get if you ordered a Beef Noodle Soup in Taipei.

I got a tip that the popular thing to do here is to order a Tainan Style Beef Soup with some braised pork rice on the side, so that's exactly what I did. A brilliant combo - the rice fills the void left by the noodles, and the lighter and more nuanced beef broth complements the braised pork flavours very well. I was also a big fan of the texture of the beef slices. Most other beef soups I've had in Taiwan had cuts that were more like beef chunks. I don't mind those, but there is something elegant and elevated about freshly sliced beef.

The restaurant where I ate this is especially known for this beef soup + braised pork rice pairing. A local favourite, it is an eatery named "No Name Beef Soup", with the same sort of humble vibe and menu prices you'd expect with a name like that.

 

[warpus]

An Unexpected Encounter with members of the Republic of China Air Force

This being a Saturday night, my initial plan was to at some point head out to a bar to take in a bit of Tainan nightlife. I was tired though, and by the time I showered and refreshed back at the hotel, I was feeling pretty comfortable just calling it a night. It had been an action packed last 11 days and as an introvert I was easily able to convince myself that the bed was a better option than the bar.

That's when I got a message from Alexander Synaptic, who was wondering what I had been up to and where I was. We connected every couple days and chatted about my trip, which usually led to Alexander sharing invaluable tips, so I responded right away and told him what I just told you.

I forget exactly what he said, but Alexander basically urged me to go out. He suggested a specific bar that was not too far from my hotel, a place where he thought I might enjoy the vibe. "Screw it", I thought, splashed some cold water in my face, and started walking in the direction of the recommended bar.

The bar in question is popular with expats and immigrants from the West, but draws a varied crowd. When I arrived it was more or less packed. My initial reaction was that this place was just too crowded for my mood, but against my better judgement I bit the bullet and walked inside. The only seat that I could see available was at the very end of the bar, close to the entrance. I claimed that spot as my own and started looking around at the menu.

It wasn't long before the girl to my left started talking to me. She was well mannered, soft spoken, very charismatic, and wanted to know where I was from. I of course relayed that she was talking to a programmer from Canada. Her eyes lit up. She conveyed this to her friends, who were now looking in my direction, engaged in the conversation. I introduced myself with a very short life synopsis and asked about them. What did they do for a living?

It turns out that I was talking to F16 pilots and military officers from the Republic of China Air Force. Yeah, at first I couldn't believe it either! The pilots had codenames like Stone and Astro and showed me pictures that seemed to verify their story. I did not really have a reason to doubt what they were saying, but was amazed that I would meet such an interesting group and if we're being honest such an attractive military officer. And they genuinely seemed more excited to have met a Canadian programmer.

I'm not really sure if I should be blurring their faces or not, but they were some of the friendliest and most down to earth people I had ever met, so we'll give them a bit more privacy just in case.

Overall, a very good time was had! The level of English here was good since most of them had spent at least a year in the U.S. as part of their military training. It was still a bit rusty and rough around the edges, but better than the average Taiwanese person you'd meet on the street (or at a bar). I was also enjoying the chemistry and ease with which we were connecting and sharing stories. We spent just over an hour discussing a variety of subjects.

After my new Republic of China Air Force friends had left some random white guy sat down beside me. I chatted him up - turns out he used to live in Toronto, which is not too far from where I live. Small world! Talking to the bartender, I also found out that one of the bar owners is actually from Sarnia, Ontario, which is a small town even closer to where I live.. Small world indeed!

I walked back to my hotel happy that I had listened to Alexander Synaptic's advice.

 

[warpus]

Day Eleven Reflections
Saturday, November 16, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 7.2 km

I had an absolutely wonderful day exploring central Tainan. It's just such a fun city to explore on foot.

There's a couple of pictures I took this day that didn't end up making their way into a post, but are probably worth sharing:

The abc Burger joint used to be a street food cart. The business evolved but the name stuck. I didn't eat here, but am a fan of the general design of the retro style burger joint and the way it came out in the picture.

Shueipingwun Park (水萍塭公園) also didn't make it into any posts. I didn't take many pictures here, but it's a central Tainan park worth a mention, popular with families with children, seniors, joggers, etc.

I drifted off to sleep daydreaming of a strange Taiwanese version of Top Gun where Canadian programmers play an important part of the story. The next day was also going to be a Tainan exploration day and I was very much looking forward to it.

 

[warpus]

Day 12

Sing Yuan Coffee (杏源珈琲)
Sunday, November 17, 2024

On this sunday I woke up a bit late and left my hotel to find a good cup of coffee over which I could ponder my next move. I had the full day to explore Tainan and take in more of what it has to offer, but wasn't really sure where to get started.

I walked down the street and proceeded to turn the corner. I had identified a couple cafes and was walking towards one of them.. But as I turned the corner I came face to face with somebody who looked incredibly familiar. We literally almost walked into each other, then froze and did a bit of a double take. No, this wasn't just my imagination. This was definitely the Air Force officer who I had spent an hour talking to the previous evening. What were the odds of that?? With her were some of her friends from the bar and a couple new faces.

It turns out that we were looking for the same thing - coffee. The difference was that they had already decided on a place. The idea of tagging along seemed to land well with everyone - and that's how I ended up at Sing Yuan Coffee, a cafe located in a transformed traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, still using some medicinal herbs in some of their drinks and baked goods. A lot of the old pharmacy stuff is still there as decor and cuddly cats roam the premises, completing the experience.

When you walk into this cafe you're supposed to grab one of the pieces of paper hanging by the entrance, which leads to a sort of good luck fortune and contains a short message hinting at what you should order. I don't remember all the details, but I would have never figured out any of that had I not been with native Mandarin speakers helping me along. At one point the waitress came over and offered us the choice of one of two smaller pieces of paper, each also leading to a fortune. I ended up picking one that's supposed to indicate good health, which led to the waitress explaining to me that in order to complete the fortune I would have to visit a nearby temple. I was given yet another card-like piece of paper, which I think I was supposed to get blessed. Instead of doing all that, I kept the piece of paper as a souvenir. Hopefully that didn't derail the good fortunes and vibes I felt during this experience.

My new friends helped me figure out which of the herb-infused coffees I should order and included me in another mini-ritual of sorts. The waitress brought over a baked good that was hollow inside, something we all shared for good luck.

It was interesting how natural it felt that I belong as part of this experience, even though it seems I should have been feeling quite a bit like a fish out of water. A part of that was no doubt my new friends being incredibly friendly and hospitable. One of the pilots even covered my bill and did not want to hear about any of my ideas to pay for what I had consumed.

So there I sat for about an hour chatting with Tiffany, Astro, and occasionally the others, in English, surrounded by lots of chatter in Mandarin, as I sipped on my herbal infused coffee. In this unique little cafe that still looked more like a pharmacy than a coffee shop. A cozy space where cute cats ran loose and snuggled by our feet. A place where the waitress came by multiple times to involve us in mini rituals that would hopefully lead to good luck, health, and fortune. A setting that felt somewhat intimate, and yet I did not feel out of place at all, even though I had just met these people the previous night. A unique moment and a morning to remember!

 

[warpus]

Snail Alley (蝸牛巷)

This quaint pedestrian friendly set of narrow alleys and walkways celebrates not only snails, but also Yeh Shih-tao, an important Taiwanese literary pioneer who passed away in 2008.

Yeh Shih-tao used to live in this part of Tainan, which contains many narrow alleys that resemble a fictional Snail Alley from one of his novels. In the mid 2010s this whole city block was transformed into a sort of Snail Alley in a tribute to the author, but also as an urban renewal project. Yet another part of central Tainan that's a pleasure to walk through and explore on foot.

A not so uncommon tourist activity here is a scavenger hunt to find all the snails, but if you want to do that and peek into a couple of the shops you'd probably need at least 2 hours. I spent about a quarter of that time wandering around these alleys, probably missing some of them along the way. I admit once I even walked in a circle, past the same set of buildings twice.

Spoiler :

 

[amadeus]

On my walk around the city I encountered another interesting restaurant.. A.. Canadian restaurant?

卡加利 is “Calgary” in Chinese. They put characters together that sound close enough.

No idea what 卡 is, but 加 is “plus” and 利 is “benefit.” Not sure if that was given any thought by the people that started it, but that’s all I can say.

 

[warpus]

卡加利 is “Calgary” in Chinese. They put characters together that sound close enough.

No idea what 卡 is, but 加 is “plus” and 利 is “benefit.” Not sure if that was given any thought by the people that started it, but that’s all I can say.

Yeah, it seems they picked a random Canadian city that sounded good for their branding purposes and went with it. Thanks for the added context!

 

[warpus]

I am not going to post all of the snails of Snail Alley, but here's a some of them

 

[warpus]

All sorts of snails

 

[warpus]

This French style tavern opened after these walkways were transformed into Snail Alley. It focuses on European ingredients like sourdough, cheeses, wine, and of course snails.

It was tempting to stop here for a bite, but I had just eaten. I honestly did not expect to find a snail-focused restaurant here, but it does seem like a solid business idea.

 

[warpus]

Hayashi Department Store (台南林百貨)

Originally opened in 1932 during the Japanese colonial era, this was one of Taiwan's first department stores with an electric powered elevator. The whole structure, including the elevator, have been very carefully restored to their original design & look in a project that saw the re-opening of this building in 2014. As such, your only options for visiting the other 5 stories are a small antique looking elevator that's quite slow, or a set of stairs. Most people take the stairs, but the elevator is a cool part of a history that's worth 1 ride.

Walking up to and inside this building naturally made me wonder what it must have been like in 1932 at the grand opening of this department store, at the time viewed as a symbol of progress and prosperity.

I generally dislike shopping, but it was a pleasure to wander through this building. You get the sense you've stepped back in time a bit.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The modern façade is strikingly similar to the one in 1933 even though the store was enlarged at some point. I was hoping to find some pics of the 1932 grand opening, but didn't.

Hayashi Department Store is seen on September 12, 1933 in Tainan,...

Hayashi Department Store is seen on September 12, 1933 in Tainan, under Japan's colonial rule, Taiwan.

www.gettyimages.in

 

[warpus]

The modern façade is strikingly similar to the one in 1933 even though the store was enlarged at some point. I was hoping to find some pics of the 1932 grand opening, but didn't.

Hayashi Department Store is seen on September 12, 1933 in Tainan,...

Hayashi Department Store is seen on September 12, 1933 in Tainan, under Japan's colonial rule, Taiwan.

www.gettyimages.in

Cool find! What's interesting is that this building was known as the "five story building" as early as 1932. In that photo there is a fifth story you could easliy miss... It's a lot more prominent these days, that's one thing that was expanded during renovations. There was also a new story added overtop all that, which contains the observation deck, a shrine, and a gift shop.