Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: 2013

December 20-22, 2013 ---- Nathan and I love Kaohsiung! We would prefer living in the warm and dry southern city than Taipei City. The first time we went there was in 2010 when we did our "around the island" trip. Now that we came back to live in Taiwan the second time, we absolutely needed to visit our beloved city in the south.

Day 1

It was our 6th wedding anniversary, and we were thinking about spending a few days in Kaohsiung eating seafood, hiking, and biking around Qijin island. We took the High Speed Rail from Taipei to Kaohsiung and took an underground train to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel King's Town 京城大飯店 located closed to Kaohsiung Main Station. The room was cozy with home-like decoration, and we got a pass to walk through the station crossing the train tracks.

As soon as we settled in our hotel room, we took the subway to Formosa Boulevard Station where the "Dome of Light" --the largest glass work in the world-- is . It was quite impressive, but no need to hang around too long. From there we walked toward Liuhe Tourtist Night Market to have dinner. It was the best food market I have seen in Taiwan! There were lots of food vendors, souvenir shops, and regular shops. I was craving for seafood and knew that this night market was a great place to start, and I wasn't disappointed. There was a lot of yummy seafood there! Nathan and I picked to sit at one vendor that served fresh and made-to-order food. We also bought food from other vendors to eat there, which is a very normal thing to do in Taiwan.

The Dome of Light

Kaohsiung MRT Formosa Boulevard Station

Liuhe Tourtist Night Market

Eating seafood at Liuhe Tourtist Night Market

Day 2

The second day in Kaohsiung was quite fun, interesting, and exhausting. We planned to go hiking up the "Longevity Mountain" (Shou Shan 壽山) and the "Monkey Mountain" (Chai Shan 柴山) during the day and go to a romantic dinner and a movie in the evening.

First, we took a bus to the Shou Shan Zoo 壽山動物園 where the trail head begins. The bus was actually a van because it was a little easier to drive up the mountain. As we reached our destination, we were wondering if the zoo was any different from the Taipei Zoo, so we decided to go in to check it out. It was quite small and there weren't so many animals to look at. The famous one was probably the White Tiger lying exhausted on its private wooden bridge. There were a lot of Taiwan macaques hanging around freely, and some of them could be a little aggressive.

The bus from Kaohsiung Train Station to Shou Shan Zoo 壽山動物園

Shou Shan Zoo's entrance 壽山動物園

The famous white tiger at Shou Shan Zoo 壽山動物園

Kissing camels at Shou Shan Zoo 壽山動物園

Longevity Mountain Trail (Shou Shan 壽山)

After visiting the zoo, Nathan and I started our hike on "Longevity Mountain" (Shou Shan 壽山). The trail head is just next to the zoo, and there were signs telling the way. The trail was very well marked and well kept, and there were medical boxes and resting pavilions along the trail, but no toilet. At a few resting areas, there was free hot tea available for all hikers. They were very generous and kind-hearted because these locals voluntary carry tanks of water and walked up the mountains to boil us some tea...

"Longevity Mountain" Trail (Shou Shan 壽山)

A resting pavilion on "Longevity Mountain" Trail (Shou Shan 壽山)

The view of Kaohsiung from "Longevity Mountain" (Shou Shan 壽山)

Taiwan Macaque

Free hot tea provided by the kind locals

Monkey Mountain Trail (Chai Shan 柴山)

Once we reached the end of the Shou Shan Mountain Trail, we decided that we would continue toward Monkey Mountain Trail or Chai Shan, 柴山. We wouldn't be able to do the whole trail and decided to just walk only part of the trail so that we could get back to the city before the evening. The trail was quite scenic with interesting rocks, cliffs, and paths between rocks. There were a lot of wild Taiwan macaques jumping on the trees overhead. They were afraid of humans and would jump away as we approached their way. I liked this trail a lot because it felt more secluded. We also saw a tiny deer called "barking deer" in the forest. I have never seen a deer that cute before! Too bad I didn't act quickly enough to take its photo...

Most of the trail we walked along was actually wooden stair steps. Some parts were a little steep. We were glad that we were walking down instead of going up. As we reached the bottom of the mountain at 柴山登山口, we found a beautiful Buddhist temple called "Longquan Temple" 龍泉禪寺 and went inside to find a peaceful prayer room with a big Buddha statue in the middle. The hike was very enjoyable, and I would recommend anyone to do it if you are in Kaohsiung.

"Monkey Mountain" Trail (Chai Shan 柴山)

柴山登山口

Longquan Temple 龍泉禪寺

After a long day hiking in the mountains, we took a taxi back to our hotel for refreshment. It was our anniversary day, and I made a reservation at Pasadena Italian House to celebrate it. The food and service were both good, but I wouldn't say that it tastes authentic. Then we went to a movie and ended our celebration there.

Dinner at Pasadena Italian House

Day 3

Our last day in Kaohsiung! The trip would be incomplete if we didn't go to Cijin Island 旗津島. We took a boat From Gushan Ferry Pier to the historical Qijinlundu Station on the island. Last time we rented a bike to take on the boat with us, but this time we were just going to get the bike on the island.

The first place we visited was Kaohsiung Light House 旗後燈塔. It is the best place to get a view of Kaohsiung and Cijin Island. To get up there, you have walk about 10 minutes up hill. There is a place you can lock your bikes at the base of the hill. I'm not sure if the light house is still in use, but you can walk inside.

Later on we biked along the Cijin Coast Park and stopped at one of the seafood restaurants on Qijin Road. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it seemed popular and we had the best steamed fish ever! Prices were relatively cheap too.

After lunch we didn't bike too long because we had already done the biking around Cijin Island when we first visited it in 2010. We turned around back to the Ferry Pier and popped into a fish market "旗后觀光市場" to check out some dried seafood. The smell was quite strong, and we didn't buy seafood because I was afraid to take it on the train. We got only some snacks to take home.

Overall, this trip was very fun and we got to do everything we wanted to do there. Kaohsiung has always been my favorite city in Taiwan, and I will try to go back there as soon as I have a chance.