We arrived in Kaohsiung during the lantern festival. These funny characters light up at night to celebrate the event along the Love River.
Ms. Essex and I spent our first day wandering around town. Churches in Asian culture always surprise me. They just look so out of place.
We passed by this little plaque and I had to get a picture. Would it still be a building if it wasn’t certified?
The 85 Sky Tower, this is the second tallest building in Taiwan. Our hostel had a wonderful roof terrace and was right next to it.
That night, we walked down the Love River to see the lights and ate at Outback Steakhouse. Sounds lame, but I hadn’t eaten in that restaurant in years. I got my fill of steak and bloomin’ onions.
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| Me and the Love River |
The next day, we took our scooters up to Shoushan (a.k.a. Monkey Mountain). We went up the winding roads to the top of the mountain for views of the city below.
Temple at the top.
After the view, it was time to search for monkeys. We worked our way down the mountain on the bikes. After curving around to the far side of the mountain, we found a small crowd gathered around a group of monkeys that were hanging out beside the road.
After snapping photos, we walked into the jungle in search of more monkeys. We only had to walk for about five minutes. We were suddenly surrounded. They came out of the trees in every direction. One almost peed on my head from the branches above. When they realized we didn’t have any food, they lost interest.
The path took us to the coast. In an old cement fort, we came across a blind man. He shared some fruit with Ms. Essex while I crawled down the rocks to look for sea creatures in the tide pools below. There were lots of green crabs, but no other treasures.
At the base of the mountain, we stopped at The Pink House. It is dedicated to pink and Hello Kitty. This much pink scared me.
Next, we drove to the Lotus Pond. It is a very large pond surrounded by statues, temples, and pagodas.
We finished the day with a visit to the top of The 85 Sky Tower to watch the sun go down.
The last place I wanted to see was The Dome of Light in the Formosa MRT Station.
Above ground, the MRT is lit up pyarmids of glass.
Below is a world of color from stained glass.
It was absolutely beautiful. I’m very jealous of everyone who has this as part of their morning commute.
We had to leave Kaohsiung the next day. We sped up the coast, trying to get back to Changhua. We passed lots of duck farms about an hour outside of Changhua. I had to get a picture with my full bike getup on.
Hostel: Harbour Views 39
No.39, Lane 140 Xinguang Rd, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Can’t say enough about this hostel. It is located right next to the 85 building (2nd tallest building in Taiwan), so you can always find your way home. The rooftop area has great views, rooms bathrooms are clean, beautiful kitchen/common area on the 2nd floor. It is only about $15 a night.
Escape From the American Dream 