Nǐ hǎo! Hello! Greetings from Hengchun in southern Taiwan! Thank you for taking the time to check in on this past week's adventure. It is a gift to have your presence on the journey. 🙏
How was your past week? What are those one or two things that happened during the week that you are grateful for? I was blessed with grateful moments every day!
Happy Memorial Day weekend to my American friends! 🙌
The number of fighter jets flying over Taitung as I write this week's blog is a little unnerving given the tension between this country and Peoples Republic of China (and this city is on the country's east coast!). Yikes! Quick research, courtesy of Google Assist: 'Taiwan is separated from China by the Taiwan Strait, which ranges from 130 kilometers (81 miles) at its narrowest point to about 220 kilometers (140 miles) at its widest point.'
A few things I've noticed about Taiwan over the past three weeks:
- For an earthquake prone country (sitting on two intersecting tectonic plates), it sure has a large number of elevated motorways and High Speed Rail train tracks. I guess California in the United States of America should have the same concern given its location on the San Andreas fault line.
- For environmental reasons, Taiwan has banned the use of the tubes of lotion, shampoo and conditioner as of January 1, 2025.
- The electrical outlets are North American tourist friendly as the outlets are identical to what is found in the USA and Canada.
- As I mentioned in a previous post (and worth repeating for my friend Barrie), the Taiwanese drive on the correct side of the road, the right side!
- Best crispy french fries (chips) I've tasted since I can't remember when!
- Awesome people who are consistently kind, helpful and inquisitive. For example, the young woman at the hotel reception desk who printed out the local bus schedules to ensure I stayed on track for my local travels as well as my Sunday departure.
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| Blessed to experience another gorgeous sunset! |
I think I've previously mentioned how much I've benefited from all of those bloggers who have invested their time sharing their travel experiences! I've been feeling particularly appreciative in the last week in how they've enhanced my traveling experience by abbreviating my learning curve in almost every way possible. I have a greater sense of 'comfort' having a general idea of what I might be about to experience, Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Awesome weather continues - low 30's. I'm learning to live with the humidity including packing an extra shirt if I need to change. While A/C is a welcome gift, being in A/C with a sweat soaked shirt is a touch uncomfortable.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
This week is about using translation apps in your travels. I've been extraordinary slow in taking advantage of the flexibility they offer. Then again, I've been blessed to have so many locals help me throughout my years of travel.
Travel Maps
My week started in Tainan, the former capital, and I wound up in a hotel in Hongchaikeng overlooking the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan: May 18 to May 24, 2025
I had two priorities while in Kaohsiung - visiting the Fo Guang Shan Monastery and attending a Taiwanese baseball game. Yes, a person of simple needs. As with most destinations, I end up doing more research about the destination once I've arrived to supplement my adventure. Exploring Kaohsiung was made so much easier given the city's great public transportation network! My EasyCard has been invaluable throughout my travels in Taiwan. One card to access the bus network including intercity buses. The added bonus, until August 31, is the 50% discount on bus fare for intercity bus travel when you pay with an EasyCard.
Around the City
A few photos to give you a small hint of this city. The Formosa Boulevard MRT station has this amazing lighted ceiling (Dome of Light) that is promoted as a tourist destination. The station was key part of my getting about the city so I enjoyed the experience daily - except for the one morning when the lights were unexpectedly off.
I'm happy to report that pedestrians appear to have some rights in Taiwan. For the most part, all traffic stops if a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. There are separate lanes on the road for scooters and all other traffic. The added bonus is the drivers use the lanes as intended. I do miss dodging the scooters that drive on sidewalks in other countries! 😉 The absence of blowing vehicle horns is somewhat surreal.
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| 'Dome of Light' |
Visiting the monastery was on the top of my desired Taiwan destinations. My good friend Jes introduced me to FGS through his active volunteer participation at the Mississauga, Canada FGS temple. Jes graciously hosted me for two lunches as well as a personalized tour of the temple. I was keen on seeing the world headquarters in Taiwan where the organization started. I've included the organization's website link if you are interested in more detailed info.
The grounds are a 45 minute coach ride from the High Speed Rail terminal. Suffice it to say the Monastery and Museum grounds are extensive. You should allocate at least four hours just to visit the different sights on the grounds. You'd be best to spend a complete day if you wanted to include time to absorb what you are experiencing. For some reason I kept comparing the magnitude of these grounds to my experience visiting the Vatican/Vatican City in Rome. I'm unsure if it's a valid comparison, it's just what popped into my brain during my brief visit.
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| Walkway entering monastery |
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| Ring the gong three times |
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| The three gong ringings explained |
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| Temple where gong is located |
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36-meter Buddha at the original
Fo Guang Shan headquarters |
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| Temple of Compassion |
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| Temple of Compassion |
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| Interesting wood sculpture |
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Mississauga Temple in
North America |
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| Interesting building |
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| Mississauga Temple is highlighted |
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| View from Monastery grounds |
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| Entrance |
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| So many large buildings on the grounds |
I also discovered, after I left the monastery, I had missed visiting the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and the Big Buddha. I had mistakenly thought the original 36 meter Buddha I saw was THE Big Buddha. For all of you interested in facts and figures, the Big Buddha is cast from 1800 tons of metal, presiding over the complex and is the biggest Buddha in Taiwan. The statue itself is actually 40 meters tall, but together with its large base, it reaches a height of 108 meters. Perhaps next visit!
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| Big Buddha and Eight Pagodas |
Imagine converting a number of abandoned waterfront warehouses into stores and several art installations and you have now have a good idea of what Pier-2 Art Center is like. It also has a cinema where I watched the latest Mission Impossible flick - The Final Reckoning which I have mixed thoughts about. The movie has lots of action plus too much dead space. Then there is this underlying message about Tom Cruise's character (Ethan Hunt) being the only person possible to save the world from certain destruction. Pleaaase! I also lost track/zoned out of the final words of pontification as one of the characters leaves a parting message with Tom. Perhaps this flick brings this series of flicks to an unceremonious end!
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| Art takes different forms! |
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| Dinosaur in front of Tower 85 |
'Lianchihtan (Lotus Pond) Scenic Area is one of Kaohsiung's most traditional scenic areas, and was listed as one of the "Eight Sights of Fongshan" in the Qing Dynasty.'
There is this rather large pond in Kaohsiung where the temples proliferate! You do need to be careful to enter the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas as designed - enter through the Dragon and leave through the Tiger. If you follow this sequence, you should experience a reversal of any bad fortune in your life.
There are temples everywhere around this pond. I'm sharing a small sample of what I walked by as I made my way back to the MRT station. The Kaohsiung City Temple of Confucius, a pond temple highlight, was closed for renovations.
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| Entrance to Dragon Pagoda |
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| View from Dragon Pagoda |
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View from Dragon Pagoda - I skipped climbing
the Tiger Pagoda |
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| Tiger Pagoda |
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| Enter here |
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| Exit here |
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| Pagodas from the pond |
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| Wuliting |
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| Spring and Autumn Pavilions |
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Temple carvings
Zuoying Chiming Temple |
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Temple carvings
Zuoying Chiming Temple |
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| Zuoying Yuandi Temple |
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| Zuoying Yuandi Temple |
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| Zuoying Yuandi Temple |
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| Zuoying Chiming Temple |
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| Such a beautiful flower |
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| Confucius Temple |
Taiwan is passionate about baseball. I thought I would treat myself to this 'cultural' experience. I can now attest that attending a baseball game in Taiwan is about as different as you can get, as a fan, from attending a game in North America. There is non-stop action with the cheerleaders and the fans. They have a guy who is banging on a drum throughout the game as well as two guys with stadium mikes who are stoking the fans continuously. Forget about being quiet while the game is being played on the field in Taiwan. That's more reason, especially when the home team is at bats, to make even more noise! There was so much going on around me that I would sometimes forget to watch the game.
The cheerleaders appear to have a special place at the game and their profile with the fans. When I was approaching the gate to enter the stadium I noticed a large lineup to my right. My first thought was there was ball players signing autographs. Oh no! The lineup was to get the cheerleaders autographs including on towels that have the cheerleader's photos.
I've included special video clips below that I hope capture the experience. I am also cognizant that I've invested what might be disproportionate space to a three hour event in my journey. Guess I was enamoured! I'll need to attend a soccer match in Europe or South America to draw comparisons. 😉
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| Chengching Lake Baseball Stadium |
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| The largest of four concession stands |
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| Solitary beer concession |
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| BBQ hot dog (about $4 CDN) |
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| The pitch! |
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| Cheerleaders in action |
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| Cheerleaders and mascot |
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| Scoreboard |
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| Scoreboard - up close |
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| Fan participation with cheerleaders |
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| Everybody gets in the action |
My fascination with Taiwanese bakeries has expanded to include steamed buns shop which was a five minute stroll from my hotel. This franchise is well known in Taiwan for their customer experience. The staff offer you samples of different steamed buns as you are shopping for buns. They also offer cold sweet black tea as you munch away on the samples.
I was blessed to have one staff member (Sing Wu) who gave me a free cheese steamed bun (hot) along with the purchase I had made. What a delicious treat! I made a repeat visit two days later as I was making my way to catch my bus to Hengchun. I got to sample a chocolate steamed bun which was simply divine!
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| Steamed Buns galore |
Hengchun
There are only three ways to reach the most southern area in Taiwan; by bus, by taxi or by private vehicle. I opted for the two hour bus trip to Hengchun. A big tourist draw in this area is
Kenting National Park. Ideally, you should travel to this region by private vehicle. There is limited public transportation available with limited schedules. My hotel, about 15 minutes outside of Hengchun, was on the 102 Blue Line bus route which operated on an hourly schedule starting at 9 am and wrapping up by 6 pm. Yes, careful planning was necessary, along with loads of extra time and patience, to visit the different destinations. Trying to get around using a taxi was expensive.
Bus Station
Getting to know the bus schedules was key to navigating in this area. I was equally fussed about knowing the bus schedule for my upcoming Sunday departure so I could be at the train station on time.
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| I had four bus options for my Sunday departure! |
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An important bus schedule
for my three night stay |
Visitor Information Center
The universe's benevolence appeared in a big way when I arrived at the Hengchun Bus Station. Camie Lin was the universe's gift to me for this part of my journey. Camie, who is fluently bilingual Mandarin and English, was simply amazing. The first thing she helped me sort out was my Sunday train trip. My original plan was to take the train from Fangshan (blog advice I read) to reach Taitung, my next destination. What I learned from Camie was that the Fangshan train station was about a mile from the bus stop. I further learned from a guy working in the bus station that the walk to the train station was uphill. The other downside of Fangshan was the limited bus service from Hengchun. Camie's best advice was for me to take the train from Fangliao which was what most people did. I revised my Sunday travel plans which greatly simplified my travel life. Camie also provided me with advice on how to best use the Blue Line bus for my travels and armed me with local maps. I ended up speaking with Camie every day, except Sunday. She guided me to the best bakery in town. When I came up with the bright idea to put black electrical tape on my suitcase's bad wheel, she wrote out what I wanted in Mandarin so I could show the hardware store staff. Unfortunately the hardware store she suggested was closed. When she learned the store was closed, she darted to the hardware store on her scooter to purchase the tape on my behalf. She refused to accept money to repay her for the cost. We had a wonderful hour long convo about her travel while I waiting for the next bus. Humble thanks to Camie and the universe for this most special gift! 🙏
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| Hengchun Bus Station |
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| Visitor Center inside bus station |
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| My newest BFF - Camie Lin |
I'd be remiss if I missed the opportunity to share a few Hengchun City photos. Fast fact - it is the only city in Taiwan that still has its four original city gates. While I omitted visiting the gates from my itinerary, I did include a couple photos of the restored city walls below.
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| Restored Old City street |
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| Main street |
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| Main street |
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| City wall |
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| City wall |
I've now added the Eluanbi Lighthouse to my growing collection of lighthouse photos. I was stymied in my plans to gain bragging rights to visiting Taiwan's most southern point. The shortcut from the Lighthouse was closed permanently. The only alternative was to walk for another hour in 30C+ weather from where I was to reach the specific location. Nyet! I consoled myself by thinking I was close enough from my location in the park!
I've included a number of information signboard photos from the park below should you have an inquiring mind and want to know more! The lighthouse was built in the late 1800's after an American ship sunk off the coast near this location.
The park had a number of pathways leading to three scenic viewpoints, a small gorge with paved walkway, a prehistoric village and kissing sea cliffs. What more could a tourist ask for?!
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| Lighthouse |
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| Sculpture I'm unable to provide info on |
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| Scenic viewpoint |
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| Taiwan Strait - PROC is about 140 miles away |
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| Scenic viewpoint |
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| Cooler place on a hot day |
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| View from Sea Pavilion - elevated viewpoint |
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| Kissing Cliffs |
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Apparently there was a prehistoric village in
this area. Somehow I missed it. |
This is one of the few sandy (and swimmable) beaches in Taiwan. It is about 500 meters long (about 1/3 mi). There are two roped off sections that are designated swimming areas. The other notable thing was the absence of loungers. You could rent the umbrellas and plastic white chairs.
The Park's terrain is thought to resemble a crouching cat looking out to see. If you combine this thought with the local fishermen's view that the cape looks like a nose you are left with 'Maobitou' which translates to 'cat's nose'. I just knew you were looking for this information.
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| Bird's eye view of Taiwan's southern area |
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| Channeled coast line |
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| Stacks |
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| Shaped like a cat's head |
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| Info about the Cat art installation |
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| Busy artist - creating art that provides shade |
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| Viewpoint |
Welcome to Hengchun's largest fishery port and Taiwan's first yacht wharf. This is the place to be if you want to enjoy eating fresh seafood. I forgot to take photos of the various shops that offer to prepare fresh seafood including sashimi!
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These wind turbines are in the same location
as the last nuclear reactor that was decommissioned
in the past week. |
Sunset - Evening #1
It felt so good to be back by the sea for an extended period. My hotel room, which was a five minute walk from the shoreline, had a sea view. I made my daily pilgrimage to the shore to watch the sun set.
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| My seaside dining location |
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| Tofu |
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| Deep fried Whitebait |
Sunset - Evening #2
Sunsets are all encompassing experiences as these photos hopefully express. The combination of the setting sun and evening clouds bring a new level of magic as daylight gives way to the dark.
Sunset - Evening #3
My third sunset was equally spectacular. Each evening sunset presents its own presence. The added gift for this evening was spending time watching a turtle in the bay. A fellow tourist had alerted me to seeing a turtle the previous evening so I on the lookout for a return visit. I was rewarded for my vigilance!
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Travel Administration
Oh boy! I sure hope you have a better grasp of using translation apps in your travels than me. After all these years of traveling, I'm now just discovering how Google Translate, the app, can make my life so much easier. This past week's discoveries included using the camera feature in the app to do real time menu translation and real time translation at the kiosk where I purchased my baseball game ticket. I mentioned last week how I used the app to have a short conversation with the guy I met in the Alishan National Recreation Area. My ability to 'successfully' navigate through my previous travels is a testament to how many amazing people I've met in my travels who have willingly contributed to my adventure. My unending gratitude to the universe!
Next Week
I'll be reaching the most nothern point, location yet to be confirmed, in my Taiwan travels by the end of next week. I've booked three nights in Taitung and three nights in Hualien. I'll be finding a place in the north for two nights before returning to Taipei for my last two nights in Taiwan.
'See you' next week! Stay happy and healthy!
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