Taiwan Kaohsiung Trip (30 March-1 April 2018)

So I finally, finally, pulled myself away from the trading screen, packed my bags and embarked on a 3day-2night trip to the beautiful city called Kaohsiung (高雄 - pronunced Gāoxióng) located in the southern tip of Taiwan.

Taiwan, on the other hand, is divided into 23 cities - similar in concept to states is the USA. It is one of the more developed nations in Asia, but still has much of her natural landscape untouched. The locals speak mostly Mandarin and a dialect called Hokkien, which will surprise you as people in Singapore, Indonesia and some parts of Philippines also use. Weather-wise, we'll come to that in a moment.

At the Airport

Here’s the travelling party gathered at our Singapore Changi Airport - ranked No. 1 in the world. Yes, our group is huge, with 8x 40-seater buses filled to the brim.

^{Left: Checking-in & waiting for our 11am flight. Arrival time: 3.30pm
Center: Brochures of attractions in Taiwan
Right: A signage welcoming us to Taiwan & gathering to board bus}

Traffic in Kaohsiung

^{Glimpse of the many scooters which are the locals' preferred mode of transport. Likely, scooters are cheaper and easier to squeeze through heavy traffic, especially during peak hour.}

The food

Taiwan is well known for its night market where locals and tourists gather not just to soak in the atmosphere, but also take in the aroma stemming from the rows of carts selling authentic Taiwan delicacies.

This is the Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市) in downtown Kaohsiung. Thankfully, we went on a Friday which was less crowded than the weekends. One of the highlights is the seafood-oyster pancakes (USD$3) which were pan-fried to perfection. Another was the deep-fried chicken and pork cutlets ($3 each), topped with their special spicy-peppery powder. Yes I know, not the healthiest food, but once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence. There were many others like the pork ribs and stinky tofu (臭豆), which absolutely smelled like sewage. But I was told it tasted heavenly. No more space left in the tank to try those. Last but not least, the papaya milk drink (木瓜牛奶)($2) to cap off the evening. Heard whispers from the locals that this contortion of a drink could actually enhance growth of certain parts of the female anatomy. Your guess is as good as mine.

Places of Attraction

We visited Kahsiung Railway Culture Park, which housed several working railways and historical buildings, all preserved by the government. We saw many groups of young school-goers, probably also there on a cultural excursion. The almost cloudless blue skies hint at the warm temperatures and scorching sun. Before long, we found much needed shade under a tree.

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Next destination was the Lotus Lake. Good photo opportunity since the architecture of the buildings are steeped in traditional Taiwanese history. The tiger and dragon are rumoured to be the protectors of the inhabitants in the pagodas and pavilions. And we were supposed to walk through the mouths of the dragon and tiger for good luck! Statues of dragon also perched on the roofs of the temple. The western culture should also be familiar with the rare mythical dragons like those in the Game of Thrones.

^{Of course we wouldn’t let slip the opportunity to grab packets of titbits enjoyed by the locals}

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The last attraction we visited is The largest temple in Taiwan, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Centre. Inside, there is a shopping area, where the proceeds contribute to the maintenance of this vast property. As many practised Buddhism in Taiwan, we finally come to the highlight of this temple - the giant statue of the Gautama Buddha. The long road that paves the way to the Buddha statue likely signifies his long journey to attaining enlightenment. This road is flanked by pagodas, which we speculated are actual living quarters of the dedicated monks and nuns there.

The Event

The main event of the trip was held at the Kaohsiung Arena, which houses 15 thousand strong. It was a night of celebration as participants come from many parts of the world - China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, India, Vietnam, even Myanmar and Papua New Guinea. We also saw good folks from USA, Britain, Italy and Spain.

The atmosphere was electrifying, and the noise deafening. Brightly lit light-sticks and decorated luminous boards flashing non-stop. The grandeur of the stage cap it all off. Near the end, we were even treated to a 30-minute performance by Taiwan’s very own Rock Star Shin (蘇見信), a musician of immense talent with great personality. This night was truly a night of celebration and THE highlight of the whole trip.

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If you're reading this, it means you've probably survived the whole article. But yes, the writing, pictures and photos have much room for improvement. Nevertheless, looking forward to sharing more with my Steemit family. Here’s a link to why you MUST visit Kaohsiung. Cheers!