- Northern Pacific Wanderings 2024 — here we go!
- Enjoying a few days in Hong Kong
- A day in Kaohsiung and Tainan, Taiwan
- A quick trip to the Penghu Islands
- Two Days in Taipei, Taiwan
- Naha, Okinawa
- Two days in Beijing
- Two days in Incheon and Seoul, South Korea
- Jeju Island, Korea
- Busan, Korea in a day!
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Arita, Japan
- Miyajima and Hiroshima, Japan
- Kyoto’s Bamboo Forest and Rock Garden
- Matsushima, Japan
- Hakadote, Japan
- Kushiro, Japan
- Dutch Harbor….er, Unalaska, Alaska
- Kodiak, AK
- Homer, AK
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, AK
- Sitka, AK
- Klawock and Craig, AK
- A Nanaimo, BC, Canada drive by
- Vancouver BC, end of trip, and final thoughts
Our first stop after leaving Hong Kong was Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We actually made it without the Chinese invading (of course, this was just our first stop in Taiwan, so there’s still time!) — although we were buzzed by a number of “fishing boats.” While I had been to Taiwan before, I had never made it to Kaohsiung. Historically, this was a very industrial and trading city, owing to hits very large harbor (in fact, it houses the third largest container terminal in the world, after Hong Kong and Singapore. Seen as strategically important for trade, Kaohsiung (and the rest of Taiwan) was ruled by the Chinese (2x), the Dutch, and the Japanese. Recently though, the government has tried to shift from industrial production to tourism and a lot of the old warehouses have been turned into art centers, housing, etc. It’s really turned into a modern, attractive city! The first shock I had when entering the harbor is seeing the Taiwanese LST 232 tied up at a pier. Why was this a shock? This is one of the US Navy Newport Class LSTs that were decommissioned in 2002. A few were sold to Taiwan, some were scrapped, and others sunk. The irony is that this is my first visit to Taiwan since 1975 when I was in the Navy on a sister ship of this one (USS Tuscaloosa LST-1187), which was later sunk as part of an naval exercise. I’ve come full circle!
Our first top was to visit the dragon-shaped Kaohsiung National Stadium, built to host the 2009 World Games as part of its rebranding effort to shift more towards tourism. What was impressive about this stadium was the heavy use of recycled material and the fact that it is powered by solar energy. We had to go there early because all the roads around the stadium were getting ready to close down all the roads in the area before a concert by MayDay (I hadn’t heard of them, but checked out their music and they were pretty good!)
We then took about an hour trip north to Tainan, the first capital of Taiwan. I should note that the traffic was pretty brutal, although they are building more super highways. More importantly, they are building high speed rail. As an example, driving from Kaohsiung to Tapei typically takes 5 hours by car — it’s 18 minutes by high speed train! It has basically put their regional air business out of business. Anyway, our first stop was at the Chikan Towers, one of the most important historic sites in Taiwan. It’s actually built on the ruins of an old Dutch fort (one of two they built during their 38-year rule). Today, though, the old armaments are gone, replaced by beautiful gardens and ponds that surround the two stone towers.
From there, we went to the Confucius Temple, also called the “Highest Institute because of its preeminent position as an educational and cultural center. It was originally built in 1666, but it has been damaged or destroyed over the years by war. The current version was built by the Japanese in 1917 and the architecture has a definite Japanese influence. Offsetting this peaceful retreat, we were buzzed by a couple of locally developed Taiwanese fighter jets. None of the locals seemed to take much notice of these overflights. I asked our guide if people are nervous about being attacked by China. Although she wasn’t really supposed to talk about it, she said that while a small percentage of people are concerned, most aren’t. Our last stop in Tainan was to the Koxinga Shrine which celebrated the king/general who led the campaign to oust the Dutch from Taiwan. This was particularly important for the Qing Dynasty that strove to reestablish the glory and power of China after the fading fortunes of the Ming Dynasty.
From there, we returned to Kaohsiung. After a sumptuous lunch, we went to Lotus Lake, a man made marvel that is one of the top tourist attractions in Kaohsiung. What is amazing about this place is that it looks old, with a wide variety of pagodas, pavilions, and temples of classic architecture and yet none have a vintage older than 1951. We were most impressed by the Spring and Autumn Pavilions that are dedicated to the God of War. Nearby, the Chi Ming Tang Temple of Enlightenment was equally impressive, its four story Taoist structure holding a very wild selection of Taoist deities, including gods, historical figures, and Confucius himself.
Our ship is staying in the area overnight because tomorrow we visit the Penghu Islands that are nearby.
This entry was posted in China, Cruising, Taiwan, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
