Before you guys give comment about how frequent I go here and there, yeah, I do travel a lot :D
It is finally Chinese New Year break in lab (yeah, we don’t actually follow the designated ‘break’ as we don’t recognize holiday as something important), and my adviser is going out of town so we can have several days off. I have gone to most parts of Taiwan so actually I don’t have any plan for Chinese New Year break.
Anyway, since three months ago I am really eager to revisit Kaohsiung (and Cijin Island!) so I made a plan to have weekend getaway on Jan 20 and 21. At first I wanted to stay 2 nights at Kaohsiung considering that my labmeeting is on late Friday afternoon (4.40 – 6PM), but then the meeting was moved to last Tuesday so I changed my plan. I departed from Taipei to Kaohsiung on Friday at 2.12 PM using Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), stayed one night, and get back to Taipei on Saturday night, using THSR again, at 9.54 PM.
I always love Kaohsiung. First, its THSR station. Taipei’s THSR station is the same as the MRT main station, and thus makes it smaller and crowded. Kaohsiung’s THSR station was built a little bit outside the city, so it has large space, and really looks like an airport. I love airport, for the reason that I can feel the excitement of the passenger (somehow the atmosphere of airport is so much different from train or bus station). Secondly, Kaohsiung is unique. This second biggest city in Taiwan has its own charms. Though known for its harbor as the fourth or fifth largest harbor in the world, Kaohsiung is not as busy as Taipei. There are big roads, but there aren’t so many vehicles and people. The smaller streets, almost feel like home, where residents sit and chat outside their home. And although Kaohsiung is famous for its industries, the air feels so fresh and less polluted than Taipei.
(THSR Zuoying/Kaohsiung Station)
I booked the hotel where I stayed without thinking, and I found it is located so close with many places I wanted to visit. Well, granted, the price is a bit expensive (TWD 2,600), but the room is very nice and large. Banana Pier (Kaohsiung Harbor), Love River, Love Pier, and Gushan Ferry Pier are within walking distance, so I chose to walk instead of renting bicycle. I arrived at the hotel at 5 PM and decided to go straight to the Banana Pier to enjoy some moment alone in the harbor. Ah yeah, I was traveling solo, again. Last time I went there, there were so many people in the harbor because it was the second day of CNY break. This time, it was still quiet, and I love it. I bought a cup of caramel machiato from nearby coffee shop and sit by the harbor for 2 hours, watching ships and boats passed by. The Banana Pier and Fishermen’s Wharf were once an abandoned shipyard, but then the city government decided to clean the space, decorate it, and open it to public. It is now popular for sighting spot. Well, Kaohsiung harbor is very modern, so do not imagine it is the workers who unload the cargos, it is all machine-operated.
(Kaohsiung Harbor)
After coffee, I walked along the pedestrian path to Love Pier and Love River (roughly 1 km from the harbor). The Love River (locals call it Ai He), was also once heavily polluted and no one wanted to go nearby the river. Then on 2002, the mayor of Kaohsiung ordered the river to be cleaned, and now, it is the landmark of Kaohsiung. It is just a common river to my opinion, but the government has done a wonderful job decorating the bridge, revamping the riverside, and even setting boat cruise on the river, so yes, when people mention Kaohsiung, they mostly think of Love River. It is wonderful at night. The walk took time about 2.5 hours (I was slow-walking), so I got back at the hotel on 10 PM.
(Love Pier)
(view from Love Pier, Kaohsiung)
I intended to get the ferry to Cijin Island as early as I can, so I went to Gushan Ferry Pier at 8 AM the next day. I took bus and the funny thing is, the driver let me go inside the bus though I catched it not at the stop station. Hahaha. I was just about crossing the street when the bus already passed the bus stop, but stopped due to traffic light. I waved my hand and the driver let me in. In Taipei, this kind of things is less possible. Kinda breaking the law, not literally, but something like that is very uncommon, bus drivers in Taipei are very strict. Haha. I couldn’t afford to wait because the bus passed the hotel in 30 mins interval.
(Gushan Ferry Pier)
Cijin Island is a small island in front of Kaohsiung Harbor, streched as long as the harbor but very narrow in width. Visitor can go there using ferry from Gushan Ferry Pier or via underground tunnel on the other end of the island. The ferry ride costs only TWD 15, and the ferry runs every 8 minutes so it is very easy to go to Cijin Island. This island has nice beach, old lighthouse, temple, and ruined fortress. I took a walk to Cihou Lighthouse first, because the place is quiet and perfect to see Kaohsiung city from afar and from top. When I got there, the gate had just been opened (it opens at 9 AM) and only me and another visitor were there. Cihou Lighthouse was built in 1883 by English engineers and is now regarded as a municipal historic building. The view of Kaohsiung Harbor and the sea is breathtaking, from both Cihou Lighthouse and Cihou Fort. After a while, I went down to Cijin beach, sat down for hours, enjoy the view and the breeze. The sand is grey in color, and visitors are strongly recommended not to swim too far due to strong tides. I saw some guys surfing, though. Around the beach, there are many restaurants selling seafood, Cijin’s specialty. You can choose raw seafood in the front, then the chef will cook it right away as you want. I did not eat there because the menu is designed for groups, so eating by myself will be too expensive. But if you are traveling solo, you can try grilled squid or fish at some smaller kiosks. Cijin also has this snack, I don’t know the name, but it is tomatoe slices with sauces made from soysauce and garlic. I guess. Haha. It is a bit sour in taste and I don’t really like it, but worth a try. Not far from the beach, there is also centuries-old Matsu temple, packed with people praying before CNY.
(Cihou Lighthouse, Cijin Island)
(Cijin Beach)
At about 12.30 PM, I left Cijin Island and headed to Holy Rosary Church, more popularly known as Rose Basilica. It was built in 1859, renovated several times until the current building was completed in 1931. Rose Basilica has a distinct Renaissance style architecture. Visitors are allowed to go inside, to see the interior and its pristine altar, shaped like church and colored in gold. Sometimes the church provides guide who can speak English so it helps a lot. The church is also a famous spot for pre-wedding photoshoot. Moving on, my next destination is Dome of Light, colored tinted glass roof located in Formosa Boulevard KMRT station. This beautiful roof was designed by Narcissus Quagliata, an Italian, and took 4 years to complete. The dome is 30 meters in diameter, tells the story of human life in four themes: water, earth, light, fire. Three times visiting this place, and all I did was walking aimlessly in a circle, sitting down in one corner like a fool, looking at the roof. The coloring is impressive. At times, a pianist will play the piano near the dome, thus making the sighting even more unforgettable.
(Rose Basilica)
(Dome of Light, Kaohsiung)
In 2009, Kaohsiung proudly hosted the World Games, and afterwards, the city keeps the facility for attraction. One of them is Kaohsiung National Stadium, formerly known as 2009 World Games Stadium. This stadium was designed in bent-shape, like a dragon. The roof is covered with photovoltaic cells, or solar panel, labeling the stadium as a green building. It is now closed but visitors can take a peek into the stadium from its south gate.
(Kaohsiung National Stadium)
Well, that’s my short journey to Kaohsiung. I wrote this while waiting for my THSR back to Taipei. Other than the aforementioned spots, Kaohsiung has lots of other options. Lotus Pond, Dream Mall (with huge ferris wheel!), temples, night market (there is this famous Liuhe night market, but I hate visiting it because it is so very crowded with people!), and many others. The city’s MRT (Kaohsiung MRT or KMRT) is different with the one in Taipei since KMRT is pretty mucj Japan-alike. The platforms were designed with full doors and the stations are denoted with line color and number (for example, station number 10 on red line is denoted R10, Taipei Metro only has station name). Very much like Tokyo Metro. Kaohsiung does charm me to the maximum. I adore this city and so grateful that Taiwan has THSR, making Kaohsiung accessible in less than 2 hours. I took 9.54 PM THSR, arrived in Taipei at 11.54 PM, rushed to get the last MRT (Taipei Metro closes at 12 AM), and walked back to dorm. Have just arrived 15 mins ago. Haha. Nice getaway.
And last, the self-taken picture at Cijin beach!
Viva solo-traveling :)
-C
