From Kaohsiung I hopped on the train to Tainan, which is Taiwan’s 4th biggest city. It’s supposed to be more chill here, but this traffic doesn’t look all that chill!
Snail Alley, a few small back streets with some art installations
Chikan Tower, one of the oldest buildings in Tainan, a former Dutch outpost
Tainan is famous for some of it’s really old buildings
This temple seemed to be the popular hangout spot
This one looks pretty creepy at night
You’ll notice that Tainan has lots of temples
market stalls at night
The Confucious Temple
Burning paper to make sure the deceased have enough ‘means’ in the afterlife
More temple hangouts
city cemetery
looking down an alleyway
Took a train and bus to get up into the tea growing highlands
surprise bamboo forests are always nice
up above the clouds
Taiwan always has such nice walking/hiking infrastructure
Too cloudy for either a sunrise or sunset, but very peaceful
Taking the early morning bus to Alishan Natural Scenic Area
It was a bit foggy!
some cherry blossoms in bloom
new trees growing out of old trees
Heavy fog was definitely the best way to experience the park
1,000s of years old cedars and spruces
sun popping it’s head out for a bit
loved these lamps
It’d be great if they could light up
sections of old railway turned into hiking paths
And the famous train that runs through the park
Quick stop to Sun Moon Lake, view from the Citadel
And the view walking down!
This isn’t your normal beef noodle soup
So my overall thoughts on this section: The city of Tainan I thought was a bit underwhelming. On the plus side, it did have some interesting local food options, and the old buildings were cool. But the old buildings were also mostly limited to very small sections that were quite touristy, and not really authentic feeling. Most of the city was just pretty normal/boring looking, with not all that much going on, unless you’re really interested in the various types and styles of temples. Which I am not. Also the public transit situation was not good. I’d say the city is nice for relaxing and trying various new food options, but don’t get too excited about the tourist attractions. Definitely go for the local beef soup.
Alishan: I loved the early morning fog. People always complain how crowded this place gets, especially on weekends, but I was here on a weekday and started bright and early, and I had the place almost to myself for the first few hours. Seeing millenia old trees in that ethereal light was undeniable cool. When more people started arriving and the fog started melting away it became a much less interesting place. I was also a bit surprised at how small it was, by mid-afternoon I was basically out of trails to walk!
Sun Moon Lake: Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by seeing some beautiful lakes in my lifetime, and had my expectations a bit high because this place is always on ‘must-do’ lists in Taiwan, but Sun Moon Lake was definitely pretty Meh. It’s just really not that aesthetically pleasing of a lake. The water is murky and brown, you can’t swim in it, the water level is low, it just wasn’t all that nice. But it’s good to get some exercise in, spend a few hours riding around the lake on a bicycle, stop at a coffeeshop with a view, do the night market in the evening (which has some good aboriginal food options) and you’re done. The whole place is shut down by about 7pm. I spent two nights here and one would have been plenty. I was happy to get back to the hustle and bustle of Taipei after this.