Tainan: Days 4 to 6

I'm really not sure what I have is Covid or a bad cold. I tried to find a Covid test kit at a 7-Eleven and a drug store called Watsons, but none of them have a test kit. I can taste and smell after all, so maybe it was just food was bland.

I couldn't sleep the night before last night since I thought I was allergic to the bedding in the hostel. I would cough and wheeze every time I came into contact with the blanket, the bedding, and the pillow case. I tried to sleep in the common room the night before since it's more ventilated and that was better. But I still coughed for the most part.

I didn't walk too far out during the day since I needed to rest more, but I did walked around the neighborhood immediately surrounding the hostel. I checked out Snail Alley and some nearby temples, which I'm beginning to get tired of seeing. Yesterday, I walked to Anping Old Street that's about an hour away. I visited the historical Anping Old Fort where the first Westerners arrived in Taiwan and admired the Anping Tree House that has old trees roots growing over the walls of an abandoned building.

When I came back the hostel, the staff changed my bedding, the duvet, and the pillow case. My guess is that I was allergic to the chemicals used in the cleaning of the sheets. The hostel owner suggested that I move to a different hostel, so I checked out. Instead of giving me a full NTD 400 refund, he gave me NTD 350. I didn't ask why he shorted me 50 and I thought I wouldn't care, but it bugged me on my walk to the new hostel.

This new hostel is so much better than the old one since it's more spacious and the bathrooms are better. I was offered two bowls of fresh fruits by the staff and the owner when I arrived. I guess that made up for the NTD 50 that I was shorted just 30 minutes ago.

I tried to take an afternoon nap since I didn't sleep the night before. I was coughing so much that it kept the other traveler awake. I had to explain to him that for some reason I cough when I'm lying down. Then I thought maybe it wasn't an allergic reaction to the bedding from the other hostel. In any case, I like my new hostel and I wish I could stay for more than one night.

After taking a shower and doing laundry, I went out for some yi mian, which is a type of noodles that tasted just ok for me. When I came back to the dorm and was getting ready for bed, the traveler whom I had spoken to earlier came back with some cold medicine and two bottles of electrolyte water. I was so shocked my his generosity! He told me to take two pills and the electrolyte water should help replace the salt in the body. I thanked him and was overtaken by his kindness. The pills he gave me had similar contents as my other cold medicine, mainly it has codeine in it.

After taking the medicine, I coughed a lot in the beginning, but soon I was knocked out for the rest of the night. I slept a dreamless night and woke up feeling better. The traveler who gave me the medicine and the water had already left the hostel since his bed was empty when I woke up. I wish I could have taken him out to a meal to formally thank him.

Today, I will take the train from Tainan to Taichung after getting some brunch.

Snail Alley

One of many snail motifs in Snail Alley

Very narrow streets in Snail Alley

Of course, there has a to be temple here.

One more snail

Grand Mazu Temple

The shrine inside the temple

God of War temple

Chikan Tower

Shennong Street

Tainan is very quiet at night

Walking along the river to Anping district

Temple across the river

Cool store fronts

Anping Old Street

Koxinga statue at the fort

The fort and the tower

Canons on the fort

Anping Tree House

The roots are amazing!

So cool!

Seafood yi mian

Cold medicine and bottles of water gifted to me by a fellow traveler.

All the medicine I recently acquired.