Kaohsiung - Cijin Island

On the morning of February 6th, I took a high-speed train from Taipei to Zuoying station in the city of Kaohsiung (KH).  KH is Taiwan’s second largest city, its largest port, and is located on the southwestern part of the island - facing the Taiwan Strait.  It’s known for its harbor as it’s a key pathway connecting northeastern Asia with the South Pacific Ocean; though it’s known more for commercial than tourism reasons.  KH’s nickname is the ‘Harbor Capital’ and its population is 2.7 million people.  KH has been an excellent fishing area for centuries, particularly for mullet during the months of December and January.  I would be staying only one night and would be flying out of KH airport around 3pm the next day to go home.  In essence I only had one full day (spread among two) to sightsee.  Certainly wasn’t a lot of time, but as the coming posts reflect, I certainly saw a lot – and for that – I was really happy.

KH really reflected my final leg of Spring Festival; which included Thailand, Viet Nam, Singapore, and Taiwan.  I had seen a lot in about a span of two weeks.  KH is a planned city and has year-round pleasant weather.  KH is one of the world’s largest cargo-container ports.  To the city’s credit, it has made strides in transforming itself from a primarily industrial city into a modern Asian metropolis, and several areas of the city, such as along the banks of the Love River – though still lacking - have benefited from major beautification projects.  The long-delayed subway opened in 2008 with two lines.

After arriving at Zuoying station from Taipei, I noticed inside the terminal they had free Wi-Fi computers to use so I quickly used one to check the Super Bowl score as it was being played live.  I hopped on the subway and got off at the nearest stop (Sizihwan) to the ferry as I wanted to visit Cijin Island first.  I was forced to sightsee a little bit before checking in at my hotel which I could not do until later that afternoon.

The Cijin District is a slender island in Kaohsiung harbor which serves as a natural breakwater for the harbor and is one of KH’s earliest developed areas.  During holidays, swarms of tourists come here by ferry to eat seafood, enjoy the beach, and see the historical sights.  Though no interest to me, the district is filled with seafood restaurants selling freshly caught seafood which can be prepared right after you pick it out.  Actually, the main road that runs through town is called Miaocian Street but is more commonly referred to as ‘Seafood Street.’  Visitors come to Cijin simply to try the seafood.  Not only can the restaurants provide you with a fixed menu but most can also do customized meals.  The transportation of choice is one of the many ferries that traverse the harbor (it is also reachable by car from a bridge further down).  Fare for the ferry ride was $15 TWD ($.50) per person.  Besides people, tons of scooters were brought aboard.  The street that goes straight from the ferry has about two blocks of snack stands, as well as seafood restaurants near the end.  The beach is at the end of the street.  You can also visit the lighthouse, a fort, and temples.

It turned out that the lighthouse was closed, but I was able to view a temple, the beach as well as the fort.

The pics below are of the ferry and the crossing.  Once moving, it was about a five minute trip – real quick.  You get great views of KH harbor.

 

The next few pics are what ‘downtown’ Cijin looks like when you get off the ferry.

I first made my way to Tian Hou temple.  The temple is located where most of the fisherman live and was built about three hundred years ago.  It’s dedicated to the Goddess of Sea, Matzu.  People believe that Matzu can protect every fisherman who put out to sea.  The temple is also known as the “Matzu Temple” or “Matzu Palace” by the local people.  The temple is crafted with authentic folk art.  Tian Hou temple is also regarded as the oldest temple in Kaohsiung.

After visiting the temple, I got a quick lunch at a vegetarian stand (with assistance from an unknown, young English-speaking local female) in which everyone stared at me probably wondering what I was doing there.  Afterwards, I walked to the beach to take some photos of the ocean…

Taipei 101

My last tourist destination in Taipei was a visit Taipei 101 which was near the hostel I was staying at. Taipei 101 is situated in the heart of the Hsinyi entertainment district of downtown Taipei and is a landmark comprised of shopping, food, and entertainment venues. Officially known as the Taipei International Financial Center, this 101-floor (plus 5 underground floors), 1,666-feet high skyscraper is the second tallest skyscraper in the world. The building ranked officially as the worlds tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The tower is rich in symbolism; it was designed to resemble bamboo rising from the earth, a plant recognized in Asian cultures for its fast growth and flexibility, both of which are ideal characteristics for a financial building. The building is also divided into eight distinct sections, with eight being a number associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. Taipei 101 boasts the world's second fastest elevators, which will zip visitors up to the 89th floor observation deck in a mere 37 seconds. You can also go up to the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor by taking the stairs from the 89th floor. Also on the 91st floor is a room that shows a film about its construction and the prior year’s New Year fireworks display. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 features prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts – and they are stunning. You can also go to the middle of the building and see the world's largest spherical tuned mass damper (one of three) that keeps the building steady. The passive wind damper weighs 660 tons. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes and the structure can withstand gale winds of 60 meters per second. Admission was 400 TWD ($13). Admission included a pre-recorded multimedia guide explaining the building and the views of the city.

Though I was glad I visited Taipei 101 to say I've been there, I felt it was overrated. Much of this has to do with the pollution and cloud cover – it is simply hard to see the faraway hills, neighborhoods, buildings, etc. Also, only a quarter of the outdoor observatory was open due to the high winds. And I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes just to buy my ticket and another 45 minutes waiting for my turn to go up the elevator. Had to wait another 20 minutes to descend at the end.

The three pics below were actually taken the day before. Can you see the 'tree' on the building?

The pic below was an early morning shot.

The pics below are of the damper.

The next pics were obviously taken from the outdoor observatory. You can notice the difficulty in seeing the distance.

The next pic was taken from the indoor observatory but taking pics through glass is difficult.

 

And that was it for Taipei. The next morning I would take an 8am high-speed train (1490 TWD - $50) to the southern city of Kaohsiung – an hour and a half journey. But until then, I would go out for a night on the town one last time. But the capital city of Taipei was great – hopefully evidenced by all the previous posts and would recommend the city to anyone.

Also to M & D, I don't know if you remember us skyping each other when I was in Taipei but the pic below is from the bar where I called you. As you can see, you could watch the Super Bowl here if you wished.