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...

Kaohsiung, Day Three - Love River and Cijin Island

After a full day, I was looking forward to catching a ferry from Love Pier at sunset to get to Cijin Island for its seafood. The sea breeze later in the day felt cool against my skin after another typical hot and humid Taiwanese day. The sunset was beautiful.

Boats at the pier

Sunset, loving the colours.

Beautiful multicoloured reflection on the glass towers.

A temple at Cijin Island.

Glorious seafood.

I was a bit nervous about this dish. It's pufferfish skin, eaten in the same way as sashimi. It tasted chewy and "non-poisonous". I'm also still alive and kicking so I guess they've prepared the dish well!

Bought a bag of these - they're shellfish cooked in a spicy sauce - whilst walking along the beach at Cijin Island at night. Tricky little things to eat.

Adorable one-year-old Kevin. It was his first trip to Cijin Island!

Kaohsiung, Day Three - of Towers, Some History, Shaved Ice and Aerial Views.

No trip to Kaohsiung is complete without visiting the Tuxtex Towers, except that I realise these towers are better known as the "85 Tower" amongst the locals as it has 85 stories.

At 347.6 metres tall, the building was the tallest in Taiwan before the completion of Taipei 101. They spent NT$10 billion building this tower using 58,000 tons of reinforced steel and high performance concrete. The elevators at the tower are the third-fastest in the world and can travel from the first to the 75th floor in 43 seconds at speeds of 600 metres per minute.

I took this photo of the tower at sunset on top of another tower ;)

Riding the third fastest elevator in the world!

View of Kaohsiung from Tuxtex Towers

Huge history regarding an uprising in the south of Taiwan on the 28th February 1947.  Having been liberated from the Japanese, the Taiwanese people in the South were still being marginalised by the government of the day and an uprising was triggered by a simple case of tobacco smuggling. This goes some way in explaining why Kaohsiung is often the political mirror image of Taipei. I have a piece in the works at the moment on this, so watch this space.

There was an exhibition at the Kaohsiung Museum on the Taiwanese rites of passage, from birth, to adulthood to marriage. Here you can see a model bride and groom in traditional dress.

Paul took me to this shop that's famous for their shaved ice. It's called something like "Poh poh ping". At the risk of sounding like a retard, I'm assuming it translates to "grandmother's ice"? The illustration of a happy grandmother helps... 

My shaved ice, with fruit. A welcome diversion in the hot and humid Taiwanese summer.

Then we drove to the top of a hill in Kaohsiung for another view of the city. This is the harbour - loving the blues and greens.

Kaohsiung, Day Three - Ghost Festival

I've always had a fascination with the supernatural. As I grow more skeptical with age, it was somewhat of a 're-education' as to how much the supernatural play a real part in certain cultures. Celebrated on the 15th night of the 7th Lunar Month, the Hungry Ghost Festival demarcates the ghost month, where spirits of the deceased are believed to be released from Heaven and Hell's gates into the world of the living. Offerings are made to the deceased to ease their suffering, and in Taiwan, it is common to burn paper money for the dead.

I woke up in the morning to sounds of chatter from outside, and realised that this was very much a family affair. My host's extended family had come to visit, and it was nice meeting the rest of the family, including Grandpa Ou's brothers and Grandma Ou's sister. Grandma Ou put together a feast for their ancestors, which was subsequently devoured as part of lunch. I wasn't complaining, for sure!

I did manage to take a video of one year old Kevin praying to the ancestors, but for some reason can't find it - I really hope I hadn't accidentally deleted it, but will upload when I find it. In the mean time, here are some photos of the morning.

A small offering in the kitchen. Paul says it is for the smaller deities. Just thinking of it reminds me of Dr. Seuss' "a person is a person, no matter how small." In this case however, I guess a deity is a deity, no matter how small!

Food and rice wine at the altar. There was roast pork, roast duck, roast chicken, some fruits etc. 

More offerings outside the home.

I love this attempt at trying to capture a photo of everyone ;)

Kaohsiung, Day Two - Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art and Liuhe Night Market

Firstly, my humble apologies for being slack with blogging. I've been travelling lots and haven't always been privy to good internet connection, so I will be blogging retrospectively from here on out.

So here are the last bits of my second day in Kaohsiung.

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

Pleasantly surprised to find Modigliani being exhibited, though I always thought his bourgeois-hating ways were a little on the extreme side.

Blind people giving massages at the park outside the museum. As they are blind, I was told that this is one of the few occupations available to them. Anyone fancy an open air massage at a public park?

At Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung. Frogs lying with their guts open. Vendors say this is fresh - sure it's fresh, a little too "fresh" maybe?!

My host grandmother originated from Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan - "dan zhai mian" is synonymous with Tainan, and I tried some at this quaint stall at Liuhe Night Market.

Mangoes are in season at the moment, and this was as delicious as it looks. 

 

I was also very excited to see salepi dondurma (turkish ice cream) at Liuhe. The first time I saw salepi dondurma was in the streets of Bangkok. Original salepi dondurma stretches, and does not melt as fast as normal ice cream. It also sticks to the cone. Salepi dondurma and its properties were also discussed at the molecular gastronomy lecture I went to before going to Taiwan. Scientists are trying to replicate salep as harvesting the plant is proving non-sustainable. I found the vendor highly entertaining.

Kaohsiung, Day Two - Temple of Confucius

After a nice stroll along Lotus Lake, we went to visit the Temple of Confucius. It appears that all of Taiwan is peppered with these temples! I daresay that it is only in Taiwan that you can find such a large concentration of Confucian temples, especially after the Cultural Revolution in China wiped out much of Confucian influence.

Bridge to the Temple of Confucius.

The Big Gates.

The shrine to Confucius.

Hallway at the temple.

Sculptures on a wall at the temple, possibly of Confucius' disciples.

I found the prayer board amusing, but you can tell it is very popular from the amount of wishes on the board.

Some backgound on Confucius.