#jygoessolo - Tainan (Day 8)
DAY 8
"Wanton Noodles" which tasted... different.
Had breakfast with Becky in the morning before we parted ways. I left for Tainan (via Railway - cheaper and it's situated in the centre of the city. HSR is further away) and by the time I reached Tainan it was already noon. First thing was to check-in at the hostel so I can get rid of the big backpack (which again, every where I go every one seemed amazed by the big bag).
Booking.com
Rate for 1 night: S$27
Single bed in female dorm (up to 5 pax)
- Well-equipped with a nice kitchen and patio, which I had no use of it since I was there for a night only
- The room was big but the beds were the metal kind of bunk beds. Thankfully there were only 3 girls in that room for that night and each of us had our own bed on the lower deck.
- No curtains for personal space.
- Room's air condition was working great.
- Toilets were well-maintained. The toilets on the room levels were unisex so both guys and girls use the same toilet. The ladies-only toilet was on level 1 and since I didn't care much (plus there weren't a lot of guests that night) I safely used level 2's common toilet.
- The hostel is quite a distance from the railway station, probably 10-15 minutes away. It's tucked away in a lane opposite a university which I found it serene (rather than scarily quiet).
- It's okay if you're a solo traveller - this was the best hostel I could find on booking.com. The staff were really friendly too, you could rent/buy almost everything from the counter.
Most of the places of interests were on the west of the railway station (while my hostel is on the east), so to cross over I had a hard time finding a short cut, which I couldn't and didn't (the only way was to follow the main road). Thankfully I saw a free shuttle bus right in front of Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, just opposite the railway station (on the east side). The shuttle bus was scheduled to leave every 20-30minutes and drops passengers at Far Eastern Department Store (远东百货).
Wanted to have my lunch at a restaurant which my mum recommended, but their last order for lunch was over and closed for break. So I made a reservation for dinner instead and moved on to the next place with an empty stomach (I can bear with hunger quite well after this trip! hahaha).
Tainan is quite walking-friendly (or maybe I'm just used to walking around with my google maps).
Chihkan Tower (赤坎楼)
This is a landmark and historic site of Tainan. In 1653, during their colonisation, the Dutch built "Fort Provintia" or the Chinese call it the "Tower of Red-haired Barbarians" (they call the Caucasians "Angmohs" [hokkien] too!) After it was surrendered to Koxinga, it has gone through the Ching dynasty and Japanese occupation, but still retains its beauty amongst the new buildings around it.
This is a landmark and historic site of Tainan. In 1653, during their colonisation, the Dutch built "Fort Provintia" or the Chinese call it the "Tower of Red-haired Barbarians" (they call the Caucasians "Angmohs" [hokkien] too!) After it was surrendered to Koxinga, it has gone through the Ching dynasty and Japanese occupation, but still retains its beauty amongst the new buildings around it.
Admission Ticket: NT50 (for students, elderly and disabled)
Remains of the Bastion of Fort Provintia
Found a stall that sold 棺材板 (literally Coffin), which was one of the to-eats in Tainan so I had to try!
The thick bread is toasted/deep fried and the middle is actually being removed (hence resembling a coffin) and filled with coleslaw-like fillings - corn, carrot, chicken shreds, mayonnaise. I loved it!
Shen Nong Street (神农街)
This is like one of the old street in the rich art culture area of Tainan.
One of the place I wanted to visit in Tainan was the art piece/ graffiti along Hai An Road (海安路), just further down the main road outside Shen Nong Street - It's called the Blueprint (蓝晒图). Unfortunately, it was tore down a couple of months before June. All that's left:
Walked around this whole art area and you could spot a few nice graffiti on the walls.
Another little street which can be explored is Tong Hua Lane (桐花巷). While I thought there weren't much for me to shop (most of the shops were also closed being a weekday), I stopped by a simple fruit stall along the road side and had to order this mouth-watering dessert (it was such a warm weather)! That's half a honeydew, topped with mango, papaya and honeydew! I thought I couldn't finish it, but I'm JY! Hahahaha..
I'm missing this already!
I wanted to visit the An Ping Fort (安平古堡), unfortunately it closes at 5pm and it was about 10-15 minutes ride (I initially wanted to walk over which was probably 30 minutes!). I couldn't visit the next day either so I had to forgo it But I heard it's nice and you guys should visit it!
Since I had some time before my dinner reservation, I decided to drop by the Confucius Temple, probably 10 minutes walk away. Unfortunately, the temple's door was closed when I was there (the main park wasn't closed yet).
One of the architecture (I can't remember what it was) and I thought it was interesting. The first level is of square area, followed by pentagon and octagon. Apparently it meant something but I didn't take note of it either (oops).
When I was about to leave, a lady asked me to take a photo of her. And yep, that's my second new friend, also a Hong Konger! Iris' the same age as me and I invited her to have dinner with me since she didn't have any plans. I enjoyed talking to her and listening to her dreams as well as the problems the 90s are facing today about not knowing what to do with the life. That's also when I got to know the hotel (yes hotel!) she's staying is just slightly more than what I'm paying for a bed in the hostel! I can't remember the name of the hotel but apparently she said the hotel had some offer for students. So try your luck and tell the service personnel you're a student when you enquire about the hotel (rooms)! Who knows what you might have bargained for! :)
Ah Xia Hotel (but it isn't exactly a hotel, I'm just translating from its chinese name)
700, Taiwan, Tainan City, West Central District, 忠義路二段84巷7號
This is a restaurant with a good history and known for their exquisite Tainan delicacies. Tainan cuisine goes on the sweeter side. Simple but delicious! We ordered a 2 pax set meal and it came up to about S$45 each. The most expensive meal of my trip but a happy one, dining with a new friend over good food!
We went to Chihkan Tower after dinner since Iris hasn't been there yet. Chihkan tower is attractive at night as well.
A photo with Iris using my selfie stick!
That's all for Tainan! A short stay but I was recommended by locals to stay longer the next time to fully immerse in Tainan's rich history and Chinese culture! I will! At least for the food too! (haven't had enough!) Plus I think there's lots of beauty in the natural sights around Tainan.
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