Kaohsiung

December 08, 2023

Kaohsiung

I arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, four days ago. The hostel here is the best hostel I've stayed in terms of its facilities. It's called Ahiruyah. Everything is clean and tidy. The staff cleans the place everyday. One thing that I had an issue with was the dryer. It didn't dry.

The first morning at Ahiruyah, I met a Slovakia traveler named Juraj. He was going to take the subway then the bus to Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum to volunteer for a month. I decided to go with him since the Buddha Museum is on my list of places to visit.

Actually, Fo Guang Shan has some significance for me. My grandma, who has now passed away, used to visit the Fo Guang Shan temple in Flushing, New York. She would have loved to visit the headquarters of Fo Guang Shan.

When Juraj and I arrived at the bus station, the bus was full. We had to pay double the price to get a taxi ride with four other people. The price was 150 NTD per person, which is about $5 USD. After I dropped of Juraj at his meeting place with the head of volunteers, I walked around the grounds of Fo Guang Shan. The place is huge with a big Buddha at the center. I had a vegetarian lunch in the compound. Before I left I also applied to be a volunteer, but just for a week. So far, Fo Guang Shan hasn't contacted me yet.

I took the bus back to Kaohsiung and walked around Lotus Pond. It has many attractions, including Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, which are under renovation, Spring and Autumn Pavilions, Yuandi Temple, Temple of Confucius, and several temples along the road. I was so tired by the time I walked around the pond and took the subway back to the hostel.

The next morning, I went to Sanfong Temple to see the red lanterns and Hou Yi Shopping District to see the umbrellas that are hanging above the street. I wanted to check on the price of a new backpack since my current one is only 22 liters and is a bit small to carry what I have. I took the subway to Decathlon and found a 30 liters backpack for about $60 USD. I thought that's a good deal since the backpacks I've seen online are over $100. So I treated myself to a new backpack.

Then I walked to the Dream Mall, where it has a ferris wheel on the roof. I didn't do much there except ate a simple lunch. After the mall, I decided to register a YouBike to cycle to 85 Sky Tower, which is the second tallest building in Taiwan after Taipei 101, and the nearby Kaohsiung Public Main Library. The ride was very nice and I felt safe the entire time. After taking some photos, I rode the bike to Central Park and walked around the park before coming back to the hostel.

I wasn't feeling well that night and I think I have a cold. I bought some medications at the pharmacy and started taking them. I was so tired yesterday morning, but I wanted to see more things in Kaohsiung, such as Love River, Pier 2 Art Center, and some sights in Cijin since I'll be leaving Kaohsiung today for Tainan. I ended up not going to Love River and took the subway to Pier 2 Art Center, then took the ferry to Cijin where I visited Cijin Tianhou Temple, Cijin Beach, and Kaohsiung Lighthouse, where I saw the sunset. I felt so tired during my walks because my legs were sore and my head was in a daze, most likely due to the cold. I should have rested that day.

Last night, I made sure I sweat a lot to get rid of the cold. There was a man snoring very loudly at 2 AM in the dorm, so I slept additional three hours on the couch in the common room. I will take the hour long train ride to Tainan today, I don't think I want to do any more sightseeing in Kaohsiung since I think I should rest more.