Kaohsiung has the largest harbor in Taiwan and is the second largest city. So far it has felt comparable to Taipei. It is a very nice city and seems very convenient to get around. I think I would still prefer Taipei, but Kaohsiung would take a close second. Today was spent almost entirely on a bike and we were able to see a several different districts. We started off at Lotus Lake. I had read on several blogs that Lotus Lake is an all-day event. Either those people were doing it on foot and walked backwards or discovered something I didn’t. I recommend taking one of the public city bikes (all you need to do is get an MRT card at a station and register it at the information kiosk). The bikes are free for the first 30 minutes and 10NTD for every subsequent half hour. The first thing we saw was a wakeboarding track. Meaning that wakeboarders were being towed by a zip line and not a boat. It was really interesting and looked like something I would like to try. Of course riding in a circle would get old, but it was a large track and they had jumps as well. We visited three spots around the outside of the lake. The first was the Dragon Tiger Pagodas. The hallway that makes up the dragon’s throat had many depictions of humans being eaten, skinned, raped, and murdered by what looked like demons. The back of the dragon’s throat led to the pagodas. The next spot was bizarre. You also enter into a dragon’s mouth, but this time it isn’t just the throat you walk through. The dragon is really long and the entire winding hallway has depictions of gods and humans in all sorts of forms. The last stop was the largest statue on a lake in SE Asia.
From the lake we headed to Formosa Boulevard. I suggest you don’t bike like we did. Take the MRTJ. Inside the MRT station is the Dome of Light. It was created by an Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. It is very colorful and worth a quick visit. With its 4,500 glass panels it is considered the largest glass work in the world.
Dinner was at Din Tai Fung followed by a nice walk through the night market and along the Love River with Kurtis and Shauna. Next stop Kenting!
Recommendations:
1. Lotus Lake- 2.5 hours by bike
2. Dome of Light- 15 minutes
3. Monkey Mountain- Day hike
4. British Consulate- Sunset and evening drinks (closed on Mondays)
5. Walk along the Love River at night.
6. Checkout the 85 Building
7. Plan your trip to fall on the second weekend of a month and join the meditation retreat at Fo Guang Shan Monastery.
From the lake we headed to Formosa Boulevard. I suggest you don’t bike like we did. Take the MRTJ. Inside the MRT station is the Dome of Light. It was created by an Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. It is very colorful and worth a quick visit. With its 4,500 glass panels it is considered the largest glass work in the world.
Dinner was at Din Tai Fung followed by a nice walk through the night market and along the Love River with Kurtis and Shauna. Next stop Kenting!
Recommendations:
1. Lotus Lake- 2.5 hours by bike
2. Dome of Light- 15 minutes
3. Monkey Mountain- Day hike
4. British Consulate- Sunset and evening drinks (closed on Mondays)
5. Walk along the Love River at night.
6. Checkout the 85 Building
7. Plan your trip to fall on the second weekend of a month and join the meditation retreat at Fo Guang Shan Monastery.
