Valentine's in Kaohsiung 高雄市, Taiwan

February 14-16, 2014 ---- This was our 3rd time in Kaohsiung. Whenever we were tired of the cold and dampness in Taipei City, I always thought of going south. Kaohsiung is my favorite city of all in Taiwan. The weather is dryer in the winter and the buildings aren't so ugly like in Taipei City.

Nathan and I were taking intensive Chinese classes five days a week and we were so exhausted from studying constantly. When Valentine's came round again, I suggested that we go to Kaohsiung and enjoy a short getaway. The High Speed Rail from Taipei to Kaohsiung was only 1.5-2 hours, and it left frequently enough that we didn't have to plan or make reservation ahead of time.

We stayed at Jia's Inn located close to the Love River for two nights. The room was small but comfortable. The main reason I picked this hotel was that they had free bicycles for guests to explore the area, and my plan was to bike along the Love River all the way to the Lotus Pond.

Biking along Love River 愛河

Kaohsiung has many bike paths. The Love River Bike Path is the one not to be missed if you like to cycle. Nathan and I got free bikes from our hotel and started our journey from Love Pier. The route was about 25 k.m. one way to the Lotus Pond, and it was relatively flat most of the way. We biked along the river most of the way, passing some parks, shopping areas, and some neighborhoods. It wasn't too difficult to stay on the path, but it was a little confusing when we reached the Lotus Pond. If you are energetic, biking on Love River Bike Path (50 k.m. round-trip) could be a fun thing to do in Kaohsiung! (Nathan and I stopped at Costco on the way back and got some frozen yogurt to boost my sugar level.)

Love Pier

Love River

A very nice neighborhood on the Love River

What a great resting spot!

Lotus Pond  蓮池潭

Nathan and I had visited to the Lotus Pond once before in 2010. At that time we walked around and visited every temple and pagoda around the lake. On this visit, we just went straight to the Confucius Temple 高雄市孔子廟 because it was closed the last time we were there. We locked our bikes at the entrance and went inside to see some exhibits. I don't remember whether we had to pay to get in or not, but I suppose we did. It was a really nice temple, and I think it might be the largest Confucius Temple in Taiwan. All the buildings looked pretty new because the temple was only built in 1976. Still worth a visit though....

Confucius Temple 高雄市孔子廟

Tzu Chi Foundation

Kaohsiung Lantern Festival 2014

It was a perfect time to be in Kaohsiung during the Valentine's weekend because it was also during the Lantern Festival. Generally we tried to avoid these big events because we didn't like to be in a crowded place. I still remember when we went to Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in 2010, and we were stuck in the crowd for hours before we could make our way to the bus and get a bus home.

However, the Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung was quite enjoyable. There were colorful lanterns displayed on the bank of Love River, and there were so many food stands along the walkway where we got our dinner. We also went into the Museum of History to learn about Kaohsiung. After eating and walking so much, we got a seat at a small drink-shop and watched the fireworks. It was a beautiful night to celebrate Valentine's. :-)

Kaohsiung Museum of History

Food...

Nathan and I didn't have plan on what or where to eat in Kaohsiung. We just ate wherever was convenient to our current location. However, there were two places that I highly recommend and they seemed to be the locals' favorites. A breakfast restaurant called 郭家肉粽 located just a few minutes from our hotel sells a traditional breakfast. The food may not look very appetizing, but it tastes pretty good. Another place we went for dinner called 水源羊肉爐 was really good. It's located just down the street from our hotel, and we saw a ton of people there every night. We ordered its special lamb hot-pot and a few other dishes and we were very satisfied with both the food and the service.

郭家肉粽

郭家肉粽

The view from our room at Jia's Inn Love River

Sanxia Old Street 三峽老街, Taiwan

February 2, 2014 ---- It was during the Chinese New Year holiday when Nathan and I went to Sanxia Old Street. We took a public bus from Xindian MRT Station running straight to Sanxia. I don't remember the bus number, but it won't be difficult to figure out once you are at Xindian and see the sign on the bus saying "Xindian-Sanxia."

Sanxia Old Street was built during the Japanese occupation and is now a famous tourism street where you can find stores selling arts, tea, local specialty food, ceramics, and many more. What seemed to be most famous there was "bull horn croissants" because we saw so many people waiting in line to buy them. We didn't try, though...

I don't know what Sanxia Old Street looked like when it wasn't a holiday, but I assumed it to be rather quiet on weekdays more than weekends. Going there during the CNY wasn't wise either unless you love the crowds. People were everywhere! It was hard to do shopping, eating at a restaurant, or praying peacefully at a temple. There were long lines everywhere, and we didn't enjoy it as much as we hoped.

However, the most interesting thing we found at Sanxia Old Street during the CNY was seeing how people worshiped their gods or holy spirits at many Buddhist and Taoist temples. People lighted up incenses and offered food, fruits, drinks and/or flowers to the holy images or statues. One temple had a wooden bridge with many steps, and people would walk up and down to the other side. I don't know what this action meant exactly, but it could be for "luck" or prosperity over the course of the year.

Overall, we spent a lot of time observing locals at every temple we found. We tried lots of good food/snacks and walked into many interesting shops. I won't say that it's the must-see old street in Taiwan, but it is not a bad place to walk around if you have plenty of time while traveling in the Formosa.