Kaoshiung

Taiwan is always associated with Taipei. And for this blog, I won’t be talking about Taipei, instead I’ll share one of Taiwan’s lesser-known city, Kaohsiung.

Kaohsiung (Chinese: 高雄; old names: Takao, Takow, Takau) is a city located in southwestern Taiwan. It is enclosed by Kaohsiung County, and faces the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into eleven districts. The city is one of two special municipalities under administration of the Republic of China, which grants it the same status as a province. By the end of 2010 the city will be merged with Kaohsiung County to form a larger municipality. more here

I was assigned for some supervisory works in one of the refineries there and asked a one-day off from my superior. That gave me the chance to go around the city. Thanks to Tina (a college buddy) and her husband Nel for the impromptu tour.

Ah, Chinese foods never fail to amaze me. In every corner of the streets you can see lots of stalls selling various kinds of foods and delicacies. From duck to snakes to stinky tofu. Name it and you’ll have it. I particularly feasted on the sea foods.

Kaohsiung has this new MRT to boost for. I was chewing a gum when I entered the station and the officer politely told me that it is not allowed. Sorry, I wasn’t able to see the posters about it. I obliged. One of the stations, Formosa Boulevard, is a tourist attraction itself. The ceiling is a delight and details on it are visual attractions.

Earlier that day, we also went to World Games Stadium. Great architectural details on this one and it is relatively new. Perhaps the maintenance team is doing a good job. But there is one sculpture that really caught my eye, it may have some symbolism but I couldn’t find any related articles about it.

In motorcycle, we roamed around the city. Yes, despite the rain. Lots of tourist attractions were already closed we just settled for a few. One of them was Tuntex Sky Tower. It is said to be the tallest building in Taiwan before Taipei 101 was constructed.

ex-bamboo forest

reigned by able dynasty

mesmeric city

Next stop was in Love Pier. This may be dedicated to couples in Taiwan. It was kind of dark when we went there and the park was about to close so we didn’t get the chance to explore the place. It has a bicycle ramp with lights on the wooden floor, too bad it was already off when we arrived.

If I remember correctly, we went home at around 2 am. The rain was longer being cooperative so it was a wrap already. I checked-in in one of the city inns while waiting for my flight back to Japan.

If ever I will return to Kaohsiung again, I guess I need a day or two to completely visit all the tourist spots there. Try visiting Kaohsiung instead of Taipei for a change. And yes, Kaohsiung has an international airport too.

Actually, I think I like Taiwan more than Hong Kong. It could only be me.

/totomai
05/08/10