As I mentioned previously in this post, Taiwan has become one of my most frequented destinations over the past 5 years. Even more so recently, now that I'm dating a local. Coming from Australia, Taiwan is rather amazing in its density; the country itself is less than 0.5% the size of Australia, and yet it has roughly the same population. The majority of the population live in cities along the west coast, as the east of the island is very mountainous. So as you can imagine, so many people in such a small area gives rise to a phenomenal amount of culture available to be experienced.
On this particular occasion, I stayed in Taichung for about a week before heading south to Kaohsiung for a job. For my time in Taichung, I stayed in the Holiday Inn Express Taichung Park. I've stayed here a few times now, and it's always quite comfortable. The staff at the front desk are always very helpful and have very good English ability.
Right next to the hotel lies Taichung Park; a large open area with walking paths, a lake, tennis courts... and a statue of a goat. I don't know what the significance of the goat is, but it's pretty impressive! I happened across him one day while strolling through the park. It was a rather muggy day, from memory, so I didn't stay out too long. But there were plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine. The lake is home to some pretty flowers and lily pads, making it easy to forget that you are in the middle of a bustling metropolis.
There are also some resident squirrels in some of the trees. If you're quick, or come armed with some tasty treats, you're sure to spy a few of them. I was lucky - there was a guy there feeding them as I came past, so I got to grab a few snapshots without having to tempt them down myself. There is, of course, plenty more that I could share about Taichung, but I will save some for future posts! But one last photo; one of the bridges crossing over the lake, which led me back to my hotel.
After the week in Taichung, my customer in Kaohsiung was ready to see me. Avy and I headed down ahead of the weekend so that we could explore for a few days together before she returned home to Taichung. When I have visited Kaohsiung in the past, I have stayed at Grand Hi-Lai hotel. It's ridiculously ornate, and I always felt stupid walking in there covered in coal after a day of work. The first time I stayed there, I had asked my customer to "please suggest the best accommodation"; by 'best', I meant 'most appropriate'. After the visit and staying there, I vowed to word it differently the next time. I figured it was lost in translation! However, when my next visit came up, I said 'most appropriate'... and he still told me to go there! Oh well - if I must!
On this occasion, however, I was booked into the Han Hsien International hotel. Also a very nice place to stay, though the foyer doesn't quite come across as fancy. The room I'd been booked into, though, was massive. It was actually more like a suite, complete with a living area and work desk separate from the bedroom.
But anyway, this is about wandering around outside, not the hotels! We used the very convenient Metro system to get around to the main areas of Kaohsiung; it was unfortunately quite a long walk from the hotel to our nearest stop, but otherwise it was great. We visited the Kaohsiung Cultural Center (I would spell this 'centre' like an Australian, but this is how they spell it!!) and walked around the area. There was a crowd outside one of the buildings; I think there was a band playing that evening.
There's a lot of cool and kooky artworks and paintings in the area, which I suppose is fitting for the Cultural Center!
After enjoying that for a while, we stopped for a drink and then went to Love River to enjoy the cool evening and night view. I know it sounds a bit mushy to be sitting along 'Love River'. But that really is what the river is called! We didn't actually eat anything along the river, opting instead to grab some easy dinner at a local night market. Street food is always a winner in Taiwan!
So grab your bag, jump a plane and get yourself to the shores of this tiny island. You will be overwhelmed by the massive amounts of culture, food and scenery. I promise you won't regret it!
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