Kaohsiung - The Artsy City of Taiwan (June 9-11, 2024)

DAY 1

When planning our trip to Taiwan, we had considered a bike tour of the whole country. Considering the forecasted rains and hot temperatures, we decided to bike a much shorter portion - 25km from Tainan to Gangshan on the northern end of Koahsiung.

Our first stop was the Taiwan Soya-Stewed Museum featuring packaged stewed foods. We missed the turn to the museum so the ride ended up being a little over 2 hours (nonstop). The route was basically one long road. While we had to watch for motor bikes, there was usually a separate lane for two-wheeled vehicles. The bikes we rented via the bikeshare YouBikes were thankfully much lighter than Bluebikes / Citibikes in the US. 

Since rain was on the forecast every day, we figured we wouldn't need sun protection. Wrong. By 8:30am the sun was already beating down strong on us. By 10am when we reached the museum, we were sunburnt. Nevertheless, it was a fun ride breezing through both fields and municipalities along the way.

Photo break!

Nothing much at the museum except some displays about how the food is made and some activities for kids. We didn't stay long, leaving after a quick walk around and bathroom refresh. 

Egg sculpture at the museum

We then endured the sun for another 30 minutes before making it to the Gangshan metro station, where we took the metro to our hotel. The hotel is close to Love River where they were hosting the Dragon Boat Festival. The competitors were on break at the time but I got a tofu pudding drink at one of the many stalls lining the river. The tofu pudding was topped ice and a citrusy kumquat syrup. Quite refreshing! Also some jin shan tea (a bit floral and fruity) for more refreshment from the sun. 

Citrusy tofu pudding drink!

We proceeded along the river and absorbed the sights of the city. Kaohsiung is a more modern city than both Tainan and Taichung. The sleek architecture and street art contribute to this feel. 

By Love River

Among the artsy buildings was the Kaohsiung Music Center. 

In the building, there was a cool cafe with a contemporary art display, 

cool escalators,

and an exhibit on Taiwanese pop music. 

Music generated by user promps

Kaohsiung is the breeding ground for most of Taiwanese pop music and the arts in general. There's the annual Megaport music festival and a general atmosphere in support of the arts (think arts high schools, art exhibits everywhere, etc.)

Dome sculpture made of old chairs

Integrating nature into art

Hanging fixture made of old oil barrels (?)

Old buildings turned into art 

(no other tourists are up there because it looks like you have to pay to get in but you really don't hehe)

I enjoyed the vibe along the pier. It was quite hot though so we had to hide out in the warehouses-turned-shops on the pier.

We lunched at Gang Yuan Beef Noodle Restaurant. Had to wait in line before being seated indoors. We got the pig's feet and beef noodle soups. The meat was tender for both and you can taste the hours of simmering that went into the pork and beef broths. Noodles were also well-cooked - chewy or QQ as they say in Taiwan. 

After lunch, we returned to the Dragon Boat Festival. Unlike the professional races my parents grew up watching in Guangzhou, these were more amateur races with boats such as the "officials' boat" and the "father-son boat." Makes sense in hindsight since dragon boating is a common sport that even children participate in for PE. 

Cool martial arts performance at the festival too!

I wish people cheered more for this dude...

After hiding out in the hotel for a bit, we headed to Ruifeng Night Market. Unlike previous night markets we've visited, this night market was essentially in a building and the shops are likely open during the day as well. 

It was quite crowded so we didn't end up getting any food. Returning to the area around our hotel, we wandered in Yancheng 1st Public Market which surprisingly contained multiple sit-down food stalls (think counter with bar stools). 

After a bit more walking around and searching, we settled for a small Fujianese restaurant. The only employees there were the owner and his mother. The mom who was at least 60 years old was manning the hot stoves while the son handled the front and also helped in the back. 

Open-concept kitchn?

• Sauteed lamb and water spinach in a satay sauce

• Triple delight - pork intestine, pork liver, and oysters. Oysters were super fresh and flavorful!

Overall, the wok fried dishes were a familiar taste (close to Cantonese cuisine) and the style of food was unique - a combination of home and restaurant style. The dishes consisted of elevated ingredients and were neither under nor over cooked. The heavy gravy and presence of the grandma in the kitchen, nevertheless, added a homey vibe to the dishes. 

DAY 2

To round out our Kaohsiung arts tour, we visited the Dome of Light - a colored glass installation inside the Formosa Boulevard metro station. Essentially a giant circle of fantastical colors.

We walked around the Formosa Boulevard area, stopping at a fruit vendor for wax apples. Crisp like a pear and sweet with a little sour, it was refreshing to eat in the already-hot morning. 

Hot enough that someone could sun dry mandarin skins on their windshield.

In light of the heat, we spent the rest of the day in Dream Mall. It was a holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival so we joined locals in loafing at the mall. 

We ate Thai Town Cuisine for lunch. Interestingly, food ordering was done entirely via my phone!

• Rice came in a metal caldron on a tableside stand.

• Shrimp cakes - fragrant and crispy outer rice paper, ground shrimp inside, served with sweet and sour fish sauce though it was flavorful enough without it

French House innovation of serving food in measuring cups

• Papaya salad - crunchy, decent balance of lime and fish sauce, some peanuts
• Steamed fish with lemon, lemongrass, cilantro, chili - lemon flavor was refreshing though the texture was a bit off (either from sitting in acid too long or overcooked)

There were also several fancy Western-style pastry shops. We tried a chocolate bun filled with caramel cream. Bitter notes of chocolate complemented those of caramel. Not super sweet but sweet enough. Good flavors but bun was a bit dry.

It took a few more hours to walk through the whole mall. It was huge - we made it up to 7th floor but there was still more. While we didn't get to see all of us, I enjoyed the taste of local life on a holiday.

We decided to take the long way back to the hotel - riding the light rail for almost the entire loop. This gave a chance to admire the city from air-conditioned comfort, though it got too dark to see much by the end. 

Nighttime skyline

We got some lotus tea and mung bean milk and chilled out at the hotel for the rest of the evening.

DAY 3

Before leaving Kaohsiung, we had one last destination in mind - the National Science and Technology Museum. I learned about different types of locks and levers. There were some cool devices, such as one that could harness energy from ocean waves and an earthquake simulator. 

I also learned that Taiwan is a leader in the bicycle and tennis racket industry, in addition to the semiconductor industry. 

Above all, I was reminded of how much fun science is after a month away from school. I enjoyed interacting with different exhibits, wondering, asking questions, and figuring out what's going on.  Luckily, there weren't many kids around so I didn't hold back from playing the interactive games. Playing those games brought me back to my childhood and summer camp days when we would visit the science museum every year.

Reflex game to bring out my dad's inner cat

Personality test says I'm like Richard Feynman 🤨