Going Back to Old Taiwan

If you're ever in Kaohsiung, there is this restaurant based on the nostalgia of old Taiwan. As it has been a while, my memory has decided to take the name of said restaurant and elope with it leaving me bereft and clueless as to the name. If this place looks familiar to you, feel free alert the world as to its name. I know, blogging fail.

I'll make up for it in pictures though - you know, they paint a thousand words and all... 

 Anchor sewing machine - I think my grandmother used to have something similar - these were used as makeshift tables in the restaurant.

Vintage signs

 Cool movie poster

 Old nick nacks

 Indoor lights

 An old post box. Cute!

 Loving the vintage green bottles in the crate

Taipei and Wedding Photography at Shilin Night Market

After spending a couple of days at Sun Moon Lake, my next stop was the capital of Taiwan - Taipei. Foodie that I am, my first stop was the famous Shilin night market, the biggest night market in Taipei. Compared to the other night markets I had been to, I would say that Shilin takes the cake for being the biggest. One could get lost amidst stalls selling takoyaki balls and deep fried chicken!

It wasn't the food, delicious as it was, that stopped me in my tracks at Shilin. A wedding couple did. There I was, happily meandering about with the locals, and what should I see but a couple in full wedding attire smack dab in the middle of a noisy, humid and crowded night market!

It was quite a bizarre, but pleasant sight. From what I can tell, Taiwan is a rather popular place for wedding photography and I was experiencing a personal encounter with a full on Hollywood-style photography team right in the middle of Shilin so I thought I may as well join in the fray and take some photos of my own. I hope the wedding couple doesn't mind!  

Shilin night market

Wife: "Let's get married at the night market, baby!"

Husband: "Anything for you honey, give me a minute while I get up on this stool..."

Close up of the wedding couple

I noticed many journalists and locals taking the photo of this person and was informed that she is some Taiwanese starlet. If anyone knows who this is, I would really love to find out!

My night at Shilin was turning out to be a paparazzi haven, what with wedding shoots and starlets officiating at the opening of food stalls. One can't help but get the sense that just about everything happens in Taipei. 

Sun Moon Lake and the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village

Right. Almost a year on out from when I first started this blog, I've decided that it's high time I finish what I started. My Taiwanese trip was a year ago, and it just got too busy for me to continue blogging - especially as we had many more commitments towards the end of the trip. With a European trip coming up in a few months' time, I thought it would be fitting to finish my Taiwanese chapter to make way for the recording of new experiences.

So I stopped last year just as I reached Sun Moon Lake. It was a beautiful, sunny day when I arrived and the lake could not have looked more beautiful. I was very excited about Sun Moon Lake for many reasons, but none more so than the ability to experience Taiwanese aboriginal culture as the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village was situated there and was on the very top of my must-visit list!

Upon arriving at Sun Moon Lake, I took a gondola to get to the cultural village, which I was rather surprised with. I was prepared for rustic little huts and dirt tracks, but I was instead confronted with clean, modern, gondolas. Slightly confused, I paid for my entry and made my way to the cultural village. Turned out the village was a bit of a touristy man-made attraction, which I was disappointed with as I felt cheated for not being able to experience authentic aboriginal culture. Having said that, what they did have was well worth seeing, and was still a good education on aboriginal culture.

Me on the gondola :) 

Bird's eye view of Sun Moon Lake from the gondola

Aboriginal craft

An Aboriginal hut. I wasn't sure which tribe this belonged to. There are officially 13 tribes in Taiwan, the biggest being the Atayal tribe. This COULD be an Atayal hut, but don't quote me on this!

The interior of an Aboriginal hut

Smoked bamboo rice - a typical aboriginal meal

Tainan and Taichung, Day Five - Food Stop!

So it was time to leave Tainan for Sun Moon Lake. It was back to the High Speed Train station again, so I can catch the train to Taichung. Whilst there, I developed a craving for a burger. There's only so much asian food you can have at any given time before you splash out on something shamelessly unhealthy. Off it was to Mos Burger with me. To my surprise, having a burger in Taiwan wasn't as conventional as I expected it to be. I thought I'd seen it all with KFC's Double Down, but this took the wind out of my sails!

A prawn burger - prawn filling sandwiched between rice patties... I guess they don't let you indulge in unhealthy foods even at a burger joint in Taiwan. Epic fail.

 When I got to Taichung, I had to catch a taxi to Sun-Moon Lake. The driver convinced me it was much more convenient than catching a bus to Puli then transferring to the lake. Sure I think I paid a bit more but I had the comfort of knowing I would get there in one piece. I find taxi drivers in Taiwan often like to make recommendations as to where to eat. This one said that I HAVE TO (emphasis on the HAVE TO) try their "tai yang ping" (sunshine biscuit), so I did. It was really good - the Taiwanese are well-known to be good at making chinese style pastries and this shop did not disappoint.

Pretty packaging. The Taiwanese always make everything look nice.

A selection of biscuits and chinese pastries - tickling away on my sweet tooth!

Tainan, Day Four - Temple of Guangong, the God of War

My last stop in Tainan was the Temple of Guangong. Armed with my Lonely Planet travel guide, I managed to find the temple easily enough with the help of my friendly taxi driver.

Guangong, or Lord Guan, is a popular deity in Chinese culture and shrines to him can be seen in almost all countries in East and Southeast Asia. A loyal general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China, Guangong is revered as the deity of brotherhood and righteousness. His feats can be found, albeit aggrandised, in Luo Guanzhong's famous historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In modern Asia, Lord Guan is popularly worshipped by triads and mob bosses; respect to the code of brotherhood appeals to the nature of these organisations.

Front of temple.

Shrine to Guangong.

The entrance door - I was told that the piece of wood built into the bottom of the door was to keep women out. Checking that I was not offending any customs, I happily took a large step over the threshold - no piece of wood was keeping me out.

Intricate urn for incense.

Spotted a narrow alley by the temple. So quaint!

Tainan, Day Four - Zongzi and Fort Provintia "chih-kan lou"

So it was time for lunch and the friendly taxi driver tells/signals to me in chinese to eat at this place which is famous for its zongzi, or bachang. I "signal" back that I'd be game, thankful for my basic grasp of chinese and new-found "sign language". 

The famous zongzi shop - not sure what it's called, but maybe if you read Chinese you can tell me?

The signature dish. It was delish! The glutinous rice was just at the right consistency, moist and not dry. The mushroom was to die for... Best zongzi/bacang I've ever had.

Narrow cobbled streets in Tainan.

After a satisfying lunch, I was ready to visit Fort Provintia, or "Chih-Kan Lou". It was built in 1653 by the Dutch and was subsequently surrendered to Koxinga. The place was beautiful, but felt very little like a fort to me. I climbed to the top of the tower and kept trying to find the sea. Maybe the shoreline was different back then...

Front of Fort Provintia.

Pretty bridge over a koi pond.

Underneath the fort.

By a jar shaped door - in Chinese, the word for jar is "Ping" which also means safety. Here I am being framed by a jar shaped door. Think I'll be safe for the rest of the year.

Loving the distressed wood and its faded colours.

Tainan, Day Four - Story of the Five Concubines

So after spending 3 days in Kaohsiung, it was time for me to venture further afield. First stop - Tainan! A mere 15 minutes away from Kaohsiung on the High Speed Train, Tainan is Taiwan's oldest city. Formerly known as Fort Zeelandia, the Dutch established this city as a ruling and trading base. Tainan is also well known for its preservation of folk culture and Taoist rites. A lover of all things ancient, I was always going to visit Tainan.

I was fascinated with the story surrounding the Temple of the Five Concubines. This temple houses the tomb of the Five Concubines of Prince Ning-Ching. In AD 1683, when Prince Ning-Ching of the Ming Dynasty decided to sacrifice himself and become a martyr for the collapsing dynasty, his five concubines hanged themselves to express their virtue and fidelity. This site is one of the few first degree historical sites from the 17th century still left in Taiwan.

I wonder if any modern-day woman would still do what the concubines did for their man?

Entrance to the temple.

Illustration of a concubine on the door.

Illustration of a eunuch on the door. They killed themselves together with their mistresses to express their loyalty.

The tomb at the back of the temple. As it was Ghost Festival Month, I did wonder if the spirits of the concubines were swirling around me...