Lets Go " KAOSHIUNG " - A quiet and underrated city of Taiwan
This trip my wife Anna and I decided to be totally spontaneous and just enjoy the the trip like a local. There is no checklist to tick off or things to do as our main travel focus is to pamper ourselves with the local food culture.
Kaoshiung is a coastal city located at the southern part of taiwan and it is the second largest city after Taipei. It was formally known for its active port trade due to it being the largest international port in Taiwan but now it is slowly evolving into an ideal tourist destination.
Getting around
We flew in from Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia which was a three and half hour flight. Stepping into Kaoshiung the international aiport for the first time, I feel it is conservatively old design but very well maintained. The immigration queue was not long as lots of counter open.
Exiting out from the arrival hall, the first thing we did was to purchase an internet data for our phone. Taiwan mobile offered a package , a five day unlimited data for 300 TWD. We could communicate back home via whatsapp call and also use the google map and translator.
Hotel Stay
We made our way to Sky One hotel which was a 5 minutes walk from City Council MRT station. The three star hotel rate per night is around 660 TWD and the location and facility is value for money. Generally hotels in Kaohsiung are not expensive.
You will easily find 24 hours seven eleven and family mart stores just in case you are hungry. They sell packed sandwiches, mixed packed rice, assorted boiled tofu and the likes and even fragrant herbal eggs. Nearly every night we tried different flavoured instant noodles in a bowl and it cost around 45 TWD. It is tasty and actually comes with preserved meat. If you want beer, try the local Taiwan beer in green can. It is only 40 TWD and it taste quite smooth. Every night Anna and I would buy a few cans and just chill at our hotel. We were not into the night scene unless invited by someone local. Anywhere with all the daytime walking , we just want to have ample rest for the next day.
Train system
The three storey airport is connected with the underground MRT thus making it accessible into the city center. Tourist on budget will definately love this flexibility and not dependant on costly taxi fare to move around. It only cost 35 taiwan dollars (TWD) to the Formosa Boleuvard interchange station at the city center. The MRT station was not busy even during peak hours. We relied on the MRT system for this trip. and found that the MRT is connected to many tourist attractions in the city so get a map as a guide.
The MRT train system is simple and easily understood and we bought our tickets from the kiosk machine. However there is also a customer service counter where you can purchase your blue tokens for the train especially when you need to break your large notes into smaller notes like 100 TWD .
We saw few cyclist with their bikes on the train because bicycles are allowed.
Formosa Bolevard is the central of the interchange for the other trains. The station has the famous Dome light with the glass mural installed onto the ceiling and claim to be the most beautiful train station in the world. It is an art painted stain glass roof with colourful lights emitting from the background. it is a piece of art design by Narcissus Quagliata, an American itallian artist . Usually there is a short light show scheduled presentation unfortunately it fall short of being impressive.
A few stops away Zuongyi station is the interchange for the high speed railway that connects to the other main cities in taiwan. For this trip, we did not go to the other cities as the high speed train fares are expensive. So unless you have a little extra, then that would be an ideal mode of transportion to save time.
Spoken language
Mandarin is commonly spoken and the English language is rarely ever understood which made this place a little challenging for foreigners. So, having google translator will be a handy travel assistant . Even the food ordering are written in chinese character except for popular international chain outlet like Mcdonald and japanese restaurants. So, if you are lucky they would have a picture menu for your reference.
Local Currency
The local currency is the taiwan dollars (TWD) and it is in rounded number as they do not have decimals in their local currency. We were unable to find an independant money changer as all money is changed at the local banks. Expect to pay service fee for the money exchange services. Based on my finding, it is advisable to change back your money to other currencies before you leave Taiwan as it is not a strong tradable currency outside of the country. There are banks operating at the airport and I personally don't see much rate difference changing at the airport on in the city center since the banks are applying similar standard rates.
Since we are on a budget we set aside 2000 taiwan dollars perday for food , transport and pocket expenses which is sufficient.
Pedestrian friendly city
Kaoshiung is a pedestriant friendly city with it's wide walking pavement beside the mainroads. Bring along a good pair of walking shoes as you will have a lots of place to explore on foot. However you've got to watch out for the scooters that often negotiate through the walkway to park their scooter right in front of the shops. Scooters are a common mode of transportation and it's everywhere. The young and old or even suited up ride it to work or for leisure. Daily Traffic are not heavy and rarely you will find impatient drivers honking. The wide pedestrian crossing are everywhere so it is pretty safe for walkers like us.
Despite the city population of 2.7 million people, it does not feel crowded. During our city exploration on foot, Anna and I found it is rather quiet for a city especially during the day time. . We clocked in around 15 to 20 km of walking in a day so that really work up our appetite for our food hunting adventure. The city is flanked by old dull building but the street is very clean. What surprises us is the rare sighting of dustbin thus reflecting the citizen good attitude in house keeping. I later came to know people actually would take their trash out to the the musical garbage truck that passes through the neighbourhood. The city does come alive after dark due to the vibrant neon colour lights on the signages and also some building with decorative light. Then, you will notice more people walking about especially at the night market area.
One thing I notice there are no stray dogs or cats. Usually well groomed dogs are with their owners most often without any leash. It seems the dogs are well train and even sit quietly when the owners are eating.
Night Market
Night markets are a must go to destination and kaoshiung has lots of it. The most popular is known as Liouhe market which is accesible from the MRT Formosa Boleuvard exit 3 and 11 . Some markets are not condone off , stalls set up side by side on both sides of the narrow road, so you have to watch the passing traffic especially the scooters.
The night market opens at 6pm till midnight. It is not as busy as the one we experienced in Hong Kong which make exploration a little enjoyable. It offer all kinds of food which includes variety of sea food, stinky tofu, beef noodles and finger snacks bite size food.Food is averagely pricy. A bowl of noodle around 100 TWD. Street food is aroud 30-180 TW dollars. A little pricey but I feel but it is worth trying it out.
The other night markets are offering the similar type of food choice so visiting Liouhe night market gives you a general experience of it. However you won't be able to find many souvenirs or shopping stall here. Taiwan night market focuses on food. Every night , Anna and I will end our day with a trip to the night market to sample food we have not eaten before.
Day Two - Cilin island and Dream Mall
We took the train from City Council MRT (nearest to our hotel) and go to Sizihwan MRT and then walk to the Gushan ferry terminal . The Cilin island is accesible by a 7 minute ferry ride that cost 30 TWD one way. Passenger are sitted on the upper deck while the scooters at the lower deck. Upon entering the habour there are vendors renting bicycles and battery motorised four wheel tricycles for your relaxing island tour. You will find few seafood restaurants by the roadsides displaying variety choices of seafood on a bed of crushed iced to entice you.
Anna and I decided to walk as a way to get our daily exercise while exploring the island. The beach front is black coarse sand and the strong waves ideal for surfing, I also notice a shop renting out surf boards by the main road. A certain part of the beach is closed off to swimming due to rocks and strong waves.
The Cilin 7 powered windmill is located at the end of the island which is near to the fishing port area. Here I saw a seafood restaurant but it is open only in the evening. The island is facing towards the open sea that is ideal for wind power generation.
It is a good 40 mins walk under the cloudy sky, a distance of 3 km to reach the wind mill. The island was rather quiet in the morning with more bicycles and tricycles on the road. The crowd only start picking up in the evening. By then most of the road food stalls open. The island is famous for its dry sea food product. We were glad to compkete our Cilin adventure by 5pm as it was starting to rain. If you ever thought of doing your run, it is a good 15 km coverage for the whole island. I personally feel its a great place to have a running event.
Dream Mall
The Shopping malls in kaoshiung are not large like the ones in Kuala Lumpur. The biggest mall in Taiwan is Dream Mall that houses luxury brands, a cinema , food court and even a ferris wheel on the roof. To go there by train from Formosa Boleuvard take the train to Sizihwan and hop on to the Hamesan Light rail train on the adjacent station. The light rail will take you through few piers and ferry terminal and stop right in front of Dream Mall. There are many places of interest along the light rail train trip such as the exhibition centre, Piers , parks and etc. The train ticket is a flat rate of 30 TWD regardless where you stop.
I find that shopping in kaoshiung is not an exciting experience as the independent shops are generally small, compact , does not have much sales promotion and the sales reps speak mandarin only.
Day Three - Fo Guang Shan monastery
After the island exploration yesterday, we decided to have a change in scenery. We decided to visit Fo Guang Shan monastery which was away from the city.
From Zuongyi station look out for the E-DA Bus 8501 and the fare costs 63 TWD per person. The trip to the monastery is 45 minutes.
The schedule runs at 8:15am, 8:45am, 9:00am, 9:45am, 10:40am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 12:40pm, 1:20pm, 2:00pm, 2:40pm, 3:40pm, 4:20pm, 5:00pm (more frequent than this on weekends and holidays)
Along the path way of the bus, there is a place of interest which is the E-DA World theme park. The park is attached to a big mall and you have hotels attaching to the theme park. This would be a great place for family to hang out the whole day here.
Upon reaching our destination which was the monastery, there were a few tourist like myself taking photos and walking up to the monastery. At the entrance , you will find souvenirs shops and also restaurant.
Fo Guang Shan is the largest buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Aside being a place of worship , they also offer three months of monastic life. This is really great for those who want to learn and discover more of themselves by walking and living the life of a monk. Occasionally you see groups or individual bald headed disciples walking silently.
It was truly an amazing experience as I felt calm and at peace just by walking through the place. It felt that time slowed down and the air was filled with birds chirping and serenity. Looking at the beautiful landscapes and gardens and well trimmed trees, it make me think, it must really cost a lot of money to maintain the place. I am sure there are many generous donors to support the temple.
I also notice a large dining area which can fit a few hundred people and also a convention hall. Inside the compound I also notice a television production station but we did not enter that building.
We especially love the Zen garden. The garden landscape was well thought out and the sound of the flowing water pond was mesmerising. The arrangement of the centre piece stone and a place for sitting can inspire one to be prayerful. There was order and harmony energy vibrating from the garden.
One eye catching noticeable landmark is the 480 statues of little Buddha working its way up to the forty meter-tall Great Buddha. From the top floor, you will have an overview of the Dashu district landscape.
There are many more things to explore but we cut in short as it was beginning to rain. It was indeed an unique experience and feeling one get from the monastery visit.
We took the train the Sanduo shopping district to have a look around. This is the only train that goes directly to the underground shopping area. Coming out here you can access to Sogo Mall , Mitsukoshi Mall and FE21 Mall. Not too far from here you can find Sigjhong night market.
We manage to have a taste of the famous steamed Xiao Long Bao at the Sogo shopping mall underground food court. I came across this wonderful food in my last trip to Taipei many years ago and I wanted try it again. It did not disappoint me and the juicy succulent meat from the bao was just heavenly.
We also had the famous taiwanese bubble tea. However there are many little shops outlet selling variety types of flavour. The one we had was bubble tea mix with brown sugar and fresh milk from Mita Tea Shop. Though I don't take sugar but the is something comforting about the taste. Luckily we shared a cup of it.
After that, we explore the nearby night market before heading back to the hotel by train. We also discover souvenirs and personal accessories night market call
Day Four- Free and easy, Love Pier and 85 Sky Tower
As we are light travellers, Anna and I decided to look for a coin operated self laundry . We found one around 1 KM away from the hotel. Since it was a cloudy day, a slow walk won't hurt and also allow us to discover more interesting places.
The laundry machine is all in chinese character and we had to whip out our mobile google translator to scan and translate the characters. The 30 mins wash cost us 40TWD while the detergent and softener can be bought through a kiosk machine at 10TWD each. As we empty our clothes into machine we had 30 mins to spare and so we explored the surrounding area. Anna was a little hungry and so we stumble upon a nearby shop that sold variety of ready cooked dishes in trays and rice. She order a take away which cost around 140TWD because it depends on the dish you chose.
Later in the afternoon after the laundry is done we were off to exploring to look for the famous "Lu Rou Fan". Its a stew pork rice which is highly recommended by my friend. We discover a little shop not to far from our hotel and it was about to close. This was around 2.30pm and we were glad they were still serving. The rice and the stew pork rice just melt in your mouth.
We walk everywhere where our feet will carry us. As both of us are regular runners so we actually enjoy the long distance walking. At the beginning on the trip we plan to be spontaneous.
After walking to a great distance we found ourselves in from of the tallest building in Kaohsiung which was the 85 Sky tower which stood at 378 meter tall with 85 floors. At the entrance there was two auspicious lion guiding the entrance and a large jewellery billboard on the massive wall of the building. The top single tower which emerges from the bottom twin tower are actually a five star hotel with observatory floor on the 74th floor.
We later discover that the tower is not too far distance from the Sanduo Shopping district which we explored yesterday.
There is long and wide river cutting across the city know as the Love Pier. As were around the area in the afternoon , there were not much activity. I believe more can be seen in the evening. There is also a few habour view bistro and hotels overlooking the river so I believe it is a great sight at night.
On our last day, we wanted to make a last trip to Liouhe market and have an early dinner. We manage to discover charcoal fired bun and also beef stew noodles. Both was amazing but I felt the beef stew noodles soup flavour was not as thick and intense. The charcoal fired bun was packed with beef meat. You got to bite into it carefully as the oil oozing out from the meat can be hot. and To top it of , Anna got her hands on papaya milk juice. Surprisingly, the papaya and milk goes well together.
After that we call it a day as the rain was starting to trickle down. We manage to make our way to the hotel before it poured heavily.
Day Five - Home sweet home
Our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was at 1.45 pm on Air Asia. We check out from the hotel at 10 am and slowly made our way to the airport by MRT. One thing good about train connecting to the airport, it made our travel very convenient and also we know we won't face any traffic jam.
We manage to change the balance of our money to US dollar and also had a wonderful lunch before flying. There is a chinese restaurant on the departure floor which served awesome pork knuckle rice and which completed my food mission. The price tag was 195 TWD which i think it is reasonable for an outlet in the airport. Anna enjoyed her creamy seafood pasta and we were lucky to be given a complimentary dessert. It was peach with white fungus.
I hope that through my blog post (a little long) that you will take the opportunity to visit Kaohsiung. It's a quiet city, explore at your own pace and enjoy the food.