KAOHSIUNG CITY
If you love milk tea, also known as “Bubble tea”, and delicious Taiwanese food (tastes just like Chinese food), then Taiwan is the place for you.
Over a long weekend break I had the opportunity to fly to Taiwan. It’s only a two and a half-hour flight from Osaka, Japan and the ticket was very cheap, just like everything else in Taiwan. Going to Taiwan was a nice escape from Osaka’s cold weather because February felt like late Spring in Taiwan. Kaohsiung is situated south of Taipei and is the second largest city in Taiwan. The city is foreigner-friendly, meaning most of the directional signs in the subway and on the street are in both English and Taiwanese. I visited Kaohsiung for 4 days and was able to see everything as planned; and I left ready to plan my next trip back!
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and Monastery
As the largest Buddhist populated area in Taiwan, it is an amazing place to visit and experience its tranquility. This massive area is home to hundreds of Buddhists practicing Buddhism from all around the world. It is here where they receive Buddha’s teachings and are trained in English.
Museum
The main focal point for tourist is the Fo Guang Shan Buddha museum made up of a Front Hall, eight pagodas, the Wisdom Concourse, the Main Hall, and the Fo Guang Big Buddha statue that sits peacefully in the rear of the grounds.
In the Front Hall there are numerous souvenir shops and restaurants. Here you can receive English information about the grounds.
I was told by a friendly visitor at the museum that on the second floor of the Front Hall there is a Taiwanese vegetarian buffet lunch. For only 150 New Taiwan Dollars (NTD) you can eat all you want and trust me there was plenty to go around! I think Taiwanese and Chinese food are very similar, so you can imagine it was just like a Chinese buffet in America, but without meat and fish. I was in a large lunch cafeteria room full of Taiwanese and other Asian people. Living in Japan, I never really noted that I’m always the only Black person in a room, like at work; but this day was the first time I actually noticed. Honestly, it didn’t really matter much to me because we were all there to enjoy the delicious food.
The pathway situated between the Front Hall and the museum is a great place to take pictures with the Big Buddha in the background. Along the pathway you will see eight pagodas, each representing different Buddhism ideas.
The Main Hall houses the museums and numerous rooms where you can pray.
To access the monastery website, click here.
Monastery
I visited the monastery next, and near the Front Hall you can buy a ticket to catch a ride to the monastery because it is a good 20 minute walk. If it wasn’t already raining and I didn’t have a large bag of souvenirs, I would have walked.
Within the Fo Guang Shan property I had to climb up a hill to visited the Great Buddha Land. It is a tall Buddha statue surrounded by 480 smaller Buddha statues. There were moments when I was the only person up on the hill surrounded by hundreds of gold Buddhas. It was another peaceful place.
This trip to Fo Guang Shan can last all day. Their website, listed below, has an illustration of three self-guided tours which don’t include the monastery. I recommend going to the website to map out what you are interested in seeing and go from there.
Qijin Island & Bike Route Qijin Island (pronounced with a “C) is only about a ten minute ferry ride from the mainland. I highly recommend renting a bicycle to ride around the island. The rental fee is very cheap, just like everything else in Taiwan. I went to a bike shop across the street from Sizihwan metro station. When I exited the station there were 3 workers from the the bike shop waiting at the station entrance. One guy walked with me over to the bike shop. The process was easy because he spoke English. He gave me a very detailed bike route map and thoroughly explained all the great sightseeing spots to visit. The only time limit for the bike rental return was 7 p.m. which is the shop’s closing time. Since I arrived at the shop around 10 a.m., I had all day. As they required any picture ID for the rental, I provided my old college ID.
There are other bike rental shops on Qijin Island, but I think this particular shop is the better option. Since this shop is on the mainland you can ride around the island and then ride around the mainland, or vise versa.
Going to the island was nice getaway from the city. I used my iPass (metro card) to pay for the ferry fare. I rode my bike on the lower deck and was accompanied by other bicyclists and motorists journeying to the island. You definitely need to wear a face mask to cover your nose and mouth because the motorbike fumes are very strong.
Once I arrived on the island, I followed the bike route on the map. My first stop was supposed to have been Kaohsiung Lighthouse, but I only went to Cihou Fort.
I think I was so amazed by the views from the top of the fort I forgot about going to the Lighthouse. It was very windy at the top, but the sunny, clear weather display a beautiful sight of the black sand covered beach.
Next, I looped around to the main street, Qijin Old Street, that leads to the beach and bought a freshly blended dragon fruit drink. This main street is lined with food and drink vendors, so during lunch time it was crowded with people. I rode my bike to the beach boardwalk and drank my dragon fruit drink while enjoying the beautiful view of the beach. Once I finished, I rode my bike along the bike path, stopping every now and then to take pictures of the art sculptures along the path. There were many people who were kind enough to take my picture with some of the more popular Instagram-worthy sculptures. The Rainbow Church art, Shell art, and Windmill Park are three of the most visited landmarks along the beach coast.
Green River Cafe
On Qijin Island, across from the ferry station, is this small cafe where you can eat authentic Taiwanese food. Taiwanese food is very similar to Chinese food, so I knew I could go wrong with whatever I ordered from the menu. I order the fried chicken, which was very crispy and moist, and another dish that had rice, chicken, vegetables, and a fried egg. Everything was delicious! Too bad I couldn’t finish it all.
The owner was very friendly and accommodating. He spoke very little English, but knew enough for me to order. They do have an English menu.
If you visit the island I recommend stopping at Green River Cafe. You are sure to leave here with your belly full.
Bike Route on the Mainland
Once I finished my bike tour around the island, I rode back on the ferry and continued my ride around the coastline of the mainland.
National Sun Yat-Sen University
After riding through a long mountain tunnel, your typical college campus appears on the other side. It’s nice because it’s so close to the Sizihwan beach. There is an old British Consulate is an attraction you can visit in this area as well.
Banana Pier
In the past couple of years old warehouses converted into fancy restaurants and specialty shops seems like a common trend. I think it’s a great idea! Inside these warehouses many local Taiwanese handcrafted goods and art are featured and sold to curious tourists, like myself. I bought a delicious bottle of Matcha milk tea from SanMing Tea Shop, which I foolishly left in my hotel refrigerator
Pier 2 Art Center
This is another district of old warehouses housing galleries of ever changing exhibits. You can enjoy unique outdoor sculptures randomly placed around the warehouse. There was a cool outdoor inflatable park exhibit called ART-ZOO. It’s a temporary exhibit, so there will be a new exhibit in this space in April.
Hamasen Railway Cultural Park
What a great use of space! They turned a former railway area into a park featuring large iron sculptures and old train cars. Great place to take pictures, have a picnic, and just relax with the family. I was able to ride my bike along a path that went through the park towards the light rail station. Takao Railway Museum and Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway are located on both sides of the park.
Spending the day riding my bike around was my favorite part of the trip. I had the freedom to see many parts of Gushan District. Qijin Island was very interesting place and I enjoyed seeing all the unique sculptures on the piers and in the park.
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