Showing posts with label Ershui. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ershui. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

Cycle Taiwan Day 9 Tainan to Kaohsiung - Yongan's decorated old single storey houses

That's Fuh Dih Hotel in the morning, checking out and will be heading to Kaohsiung.
Another beautiful weather on a Sunday morning.
Somewhere at Dalin Road, Tainan as we were slowly pedalling out of the city.
Cycling among the local elderly is common and nice to ride along with them.
Apollo Fountain Plaza,
Wenhua Road, Rende District
Tainan GPS : 22.934763, 120.221973 where the Chimei Museum is found. 

The bridge over Erren River with red arches on top the service pipes strikingly painted in red. GPS : 22.915346, 120.225878 

A temple at Yongan District. 

Along Lane 7 of Yongda Road GPS : 22.835776, 120.216587 to check what is laid beyond us. 


Kaohsiung’s Yongan District Office (永安) and a local non-governmental organization (NGO) have invited students and staff from the Tungfang Design Institute to help decorate old houses in the city’s Yantian Borough (鹽田) to promote the former salt- producing community as a cultural tourism destination GPS : 22.834155, 120.208266 

Houses on Sinsing Street (新興街) have been painted with murals depicting scenes from the township’s bygone days of salt manufacturing, such as workers laboring on the salt pans and police chasing salt thieves. 

The borough’s old-fashioned red-brick houses and their saddle-shaped roofs are particularly appealing to tourists. 

Visitors queued to visit the township’s last running gamadiam (柑仔店) — the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) word for an old-fashioned corner store. 

We were fortunate to stumbled into this marvellous painted community of a history salt village

Apparently the district office has also prepared the Salt Village Artifacts Exhibition where visitors who want to see for themselves what work on the salt pans was really like can try their hand pushing around salt carts laden with a worker’s average load. 

After spending quite a fair bit of time at Yantian Borough (鹽田), it was time for us to leave the village. 

Along the river of Agongdian River
阿公店 河 

A queue at the shop for a set menu pack meal, nothing more and nothing less. 

Our share of the lunch in boxes with roasted pork and chicken, tofu and veggie. 

Aunty Roast Shop 阿姑燒臘便當 located at 岡山區 GPS : 22.796535, 120.285893 

Wuli Bridge 五里林橋 at GPS : 22.768482, 120.294503 over Dianbao River. 

The seven colour piers of a highway or known as the Raiwbow Highway found at GPS : 22.740959, 120.317500 

Nothing spectacular but a mere landmark for cyclists to know their position of the tour. 

After 48km of cycling we have reached Kashsiun Metro park and took a rest before we proceed. Later we just rode to nearest Metro station and head for the city centre. 
From Metropolitan Station we stopped at  Xin Zuoying Station
新左營站 and continued our ride to look for Long Siang Hotel.

We disembarked a few stations too early before we could get to the hotel. 
In the evening after checking in the hotel we went to Ruireng Night Market but could not get a place to sit as it was too crowded. We bought some food and took back to the hotel and eat. After our dinner we went for a evening ride at Love River.
The Love River or Ai River 愛河 is a river in southern Taiwan, it originates in Renwu District, Kaohsiung City and flows 12 kilometers through Kaohsiung to Kaohsiung Harbor.
The Love River was once heavily polluted, when raw sewage and industrial waste water flowed untreated into the river. Recent efforts by the city government to divert the waste water to the treatment plant in Cijin District has resulted in significantly improved water quality.
Good night Kaohsiung we will see you tomorrow.
Day 9 Tainan to Kaohsiung where we cycled 60km for the day.

Monday, December 04, 2017

Cycle Taiwan Day 8 Sun Moon Lake to Tainan - Various modes of transportation for the day

After 2 nights in Sun Moon Lake we were set to move on to Tainan. As how we are going to travel for the day, we actually do not have a fixed plan. We will tackle it step by step.
First like getting up on this small bus with all our stuff to Shuili where we hope to catch a train from there to go down south.
Fortunately there were no other passengers beside us our baggage were all over.
Here we were at Shuili Station GPS : 23.818153, 120.853477. Our intended itinerary was to visit Tropic of Cancer Marker hence we have to disembark at a station before it and that would be Dounan.
The ticket for the ride.
The train does not go straight to Dounan and have to change train at Ershui.

Moving towards down south where we were already in the southern part of Taiwan.
Transit at Ershui Station
二水車站 GPS : 23.813142, 120.617991
Finally we disembarked at Dounan Station
斗南車站 GPS : 23.673173, 120.480513 to start cycling.
We were back on the cycling trail of Route 1 where we will be passing by Dalin and Chiayi.
Still on the cycling route we were attracted by this shop selling mutton in a restaurant 日日興現宰羊肉爐 No. 590, Section 3, Yanping Road, Dounan Township, Yunlin County positioned at GPS : 23.632061, 120.468106
I am not a fan of mutton but this mutton steam boat was awesome. We ate it with beehoon (rice vermicelli) and it went very well with it. 
The five of them enjoyed most as far as this steam boat delicacy is concerned.
Meeting more friendly local as we cycled on the trail.
Then there were loud sound of Chinese processional music with gong and drums in front of us. We could slowly catch up with the crowd as the noise got louder and louder.
It was a celebration of a local deities' birthday with a procession of striking traditional costume and loud music.
The main attraction was this modern parade of ten over sexy pole dancers on top of moving jeeps.
We could not resist ourselves but to stop and witness this special occasion.
The procession seen at the junction of Route 1 and Dongrong Road, Minxiong Township
with a GPS : 62123.557321, 120.433510
One of the many groups of fierce looking deities at the parade.
We later stopped briefly at an art center in Minxiong or known as Chiayi Performing Arts Center
嘉義縣表演藝術中心 GPS : 23.544113, 120.433205
We were only passing by at the western fringe of Chiayi.
Then we arrived at Tropic of Cancer Solar Exploration Center
北回歸線太陽館 at GPS : 23.454101, 120.416105 which was is one of our to visit places before we came to Taiwan.
Here we were at the World's Tenth Landmark of Tropic of Cancer.
One for the album.
After 33km we headed for Shuishang Station
水上火車站 GPS : 23.434006, 120.399628 to catch a train to Tainan. Shuishang to Tainan is at least 90km away.
Nothing pleases her than taking a train ride.
It was dark when we arrived at Tainan and a tough time picking a place to stay especially on a weekend. Eventually we checked into an old hotel called Fuh Dih Hotel 富第大飯店 GPS : 22.999024, 120.210513 for NTD1,200 per room.
Our dinner at Xiao Hao Chau Hot Pot Restaurant 小豪州沙茶爐中山店 No. 111號, Zhongshan Road, West Central District, Tainan City GPS : 22.994545, 120.208079
Another steamboat meal after being enticed by the crowded restaurant in Tainan. A restaurant well established with a pretty long history behind it. Check it out at how-chou.com .


The route from Dounan to Tainan after a train ride from Huili.