Taiwan Day 12 - Shizuo (spring)

 There was hardly anyone at breakfast today, except for 1 person. But I took my breakfast up with me anyway. A lot of items were out yesterday but today they had croissant so I took one, a brown sugar mantou, and nikuman, along with the choco cereal and oats. 

After breakfast, I went back down to return my plate and also borrowed their toilet to poop. 

Then I went up to gran my laundry that was still damp and headed to the laundromat around the corner, but all machines were in use. So I sat for 5 mins, as one machine had 10 mins left, then decided I will go back to the hotel and see if they will let me use the machine early.. I arrived back at 9:38am, and asked reception if they could? 

They let me! I put my clothes in for 30 mins, then popped back upstairs and took my postcards out to he post office with me. 

I decided to head to the post office that was a little further as they held 3 風景戳. That was worth it - I sent 9 postcards in total and Nadi/Archer got all 3 of them. The rest got 2 - the two temples. The guy who served me was so nice and patient. 

Then back to the hotel, It was about 10:08am and my laundry should be done. I asked L to check on my laundry, and he put it on for a couple more mins. I got back and went and grabbed me laundry bag, headed back down, and collected my now dry laundry. Yay! 

Back upstairs and finish packing. It was just after 11am now once we all finished sorting our stuff out. 

We checked out and asked the reception to call a taxi that could fit 3 luggage for us. 

A plain white hatchback came and they could juuuust fit all 3 of our luggage into the boot. Woo! The driver was dressed in a shirt, tie and waistcoat. Fancy! Fare was about $200.

Whilst in the car I reserved train tickets and then collected it at the self-service machine. We went into the platform and hung around. The train that came was a push-pull train, the one with weird baggage holding areas that had the foot rests on it.... 

Welp, looks like we're baby sitting our luggage. I had to manspread but it worked. Thankfully the train is only 45 mins journey. 

Tainan Station had a signboard up about the renewal of the station. It looks like they are under grounding the train lines, which is a real pity. I like open air stations way more. And seems like they are putting a new building out the front? So the train station would be covered.... That's sad man. 

Once at Chiayi we exited the station, and Chiayi station is also an open air station like Tainan. We headed to the TRA info desk for the stamps, and then I popped to the tourist info desk to ask if they had stamps. They had 11! Wow! 9 of them were all uniform circles of the same size, which was satisfying. Two were square/rectangle. 

The auntie at the info desk asked me to spray my hands with alcohol to disinfect before stamping. Very fair. 

I thanked the lady and said bye. 

We headed to the FamiMart just to the left of the station and got lunch. I ate an onigiri combo of salmon and tuna. 

And then ate the bean tea cakes (the kind that drys your mouth out but melts instantly with enough water) left over, and then drank the oolong tea from last night. 

We had about an hour until the bus, so we just hung out under shade and then moved to the bus stop about 20 mins before. 

There were two lines, the reserved and non-reserved. Like no one else was in the reserved tickets line??? Everyone else was lining up in the non-tickets. 

Though, after we got on, two ladies came on near at the end with their tickets. 

The bus driver opened up the bottom cavity for us. Initially we put our suitcases in first but there was another 2 passengers that were getting off at Alishan, so took ours out and reordered them as we were getting off at Shizuo. 

I chose front row seats... Because the bus drivers tend to open up the window when we start ascending the mountain and the air is way better. It was quite hot in Chiayi. 

As soon as we started climbing, the bus driver opened up the window on his side. 

On the way up, we had 2 monkey sightings. We also ran into a truck that was carrying stone pavers/concrete bricks load, that didn't take a turn properly and got their right rear wheel stuck into the gutter on the side of the road... Thankfully their wares were tied down - the stones glad wrapped and on forklift pallets, and secured in place onto the truck. One person was helping spot the bus as they made the turn, the space was soooo tight in between the edge of the road and the head of the truck that had the accident. We made it! The driver thanked the spotter and we headed on. 

One bus coming down in the opposite lane was taking the corner too fast and our driver had to brake to make sure we didn't crash. One passenger behind us said why they turning so fast... And the driver was like 搞什麼. 

We made it safely to Shizuo and I let Mr Lin know we were here. Less than like 3 mins later he arrived and I was in the middle of typing a message cause I remember his little black SUV, might not fit all our luggage, and said I was willing to walk if no room for luggage lmao. 

Turns out he was driving a van! A van so old, it didn't have seat belts on the back seats. And the windows were manual roll down ones. Nostalgic... Cause dad's Ford in Taiwan was like this. 

Once we checked in, Mr Lin went through the briefing and I translated for L and M. 

We settled in quickly, L and M went to look around, and I unpacked a few things. Then I followed them to the observation deck. 

The mist was coming down really hard now and you can't see anything. Real Silent Hill hours! We took a few photos and observed a stray dog family. 

And then when we came down from the observation deck it started raining. Like real rain not misty drizzle. 

Mrs Lin was coming out front the front and asked us if we needed umbrellas. She gave us two. 

And we were gonna head out but observed the cats as it was feeding time... I crept closer to the back door of the kitchen and Mrs Lin was getting their food ready. 

I ended up asking about the cats and she was happy to talk. 
The cat dad was on the stool and the mum has already passed away. She got them neutered and commented about 3 cats hasn't been cause they weren't old/heavy enough yet, and skittish. 

One cat saw the other get put into the cage and taken so is extra wary now, Mrs Lin wants to get them neutered as they are a girl. 

She also commented the stray dogs had puppies recently and they may be a bit noisier at night. And not to put our shoes outside as the dogs come to eat the leftover cat feed, and sometimes if they don't get any leftovers they get a but grumpy and take a shoe.

Mrs Lin also said to go to the restaurant a little earlier as they may shut early if no business on a weekday. And offered to pick us up if the rain is too heavy - but I think we should be alright. Also to be careful of the cars in the mist and they may not see us, and if I am wearing white it's easier to spot me. M went to change a white jacker. We thanked her and headed to dinner! 

We went to Tong-Xin, the same quickly fry shop I liked a lot last time. 

We ended up getting a lot of food lol. I made sure to get my 酸菜炒羊肉 that I wanted but didn't get to last time.

We got... To share... Pineapple fried shrimp (which came with a sweet mayo??? And sprinkles), crispy tiny shrimp with garlic and herbs, Makao sausage, fried rice, 龍鬚菜, and a small pot of chicken and mushroom soup (which also had some cockles in it!) which was not small at all! We managed to finish 90% of the food, the soup we left half... I couldn't even fit a piece of chicken from it inside... Total was $1350 and we split it into 3.

Then we went to Hi-Life and 7-11 for some drinks that L and M wanted. No bandages in Hi-Life for M but I found my vita C candy for $25! The staff who served me said there's a pharmacy 5 mins up the road. I think this lady may be Indigenous. I thanked her and left. 

Then at 7-11 L and M found everything they needed. 

I hopped outside as I could hear coughing. One staff was changing the banner over the main entrance. They used magnets to fix it in place, the banner scroll itself is that plastic material. 

And then back home. When we headed back, the sky cleared up quite a lot.  We could faintly see the rest of the sunset. Just chill now. I get to have oolong tea... And boiled the jug for it. Then I checked Pokemon and realised one gym was empty, just up at the observation deck at the start of the mist trail, and an egg hatching in 5 mins. So off I go!! Climbing those stairs in quick succession was oof. I got there with a min to spare. 

Like 3 cars passed me by. 

Then back and finally some tea, and relax. Decided to shower first after flicking through the TV - only the basic channels here. 

Showered and now blog, then bed. Breakfast and tea ceremony tomorrow! I am quite tired. 

Taiwan Day 11 - Tainan 2 (spring)

 Today we are going to hit all the Anping stops.

First off we went to Anping Fort, but before that we stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants outside. They had streetside tables and I got danzai noodles which were vermicelli, bean spirits, one prawn, some vege, and a fish ball.

The smell of stinky tofu kept wafting down and I asked the shop lady if they sold stinky tofu? No but they're just up the street so you can bring 外食 here to eat if you want.

After everyone ordered I went up and bought a serving of tofu for $70 and boy was it stinky good. Hit the spot.

L had oyster omelette with oyster rolls? and M had a regular omelette. Pigs ear for side dish as well as some 海帶芽.

After lunch I got some 冬瓜茶 and we headed to Fort Zeelandia. I found the stamps and finished my tea first before going for a walk around. The pits are cool but someone has been down in the pit and moved all the bricks. Later when we left I let the staff know and the groundsman said it's likely to be kids that went in there to play.

The wall has been covered up for maintenance so you can't really see it, which is a real shame. 

I got a good nui photo with some blooms and then eventually made it to the shop at the top of the fort. I found that they were selling portable soap, with a roll on type container (like a glue stick) and got one for the office days. 

Later I went to the toilet and tested it, and then went back to buy the other stick for $50. 

After we were done at the fort, we headed out towards the Tree house, but stopped at the outer wall remnant and also discovered a new historical house open for viewing. Yang house. They had some art painting exhibits inside, available for sale, and a DIY area for kids (but no classes today). They also had a back courtyard. 

Then we kept going and wandered out to a Yang Shin Trading House which is open with heaps of different DIY experience projects. I found an embossed and embossed a page in my stamp book with it. 

Finally we made it to the Tree house lol. 

I opted to skip to buy prawn crackers and then got myself a egg popsicle (plum flavour) to lick while waiting for L and M. The shop lady at the store was so patient with me. 

Soon after they were done, and it was about 3:44pm at this stage. We called a taxi to go to Eternal Golden Castle and I entered so I can sit in the grounds for a rest. I did have a look around, carrying my 10 bags of prawn crackers around with me haha. 

The little shop was moved to a different location and the building has changed as well. They sold out of the t-shirt that I bought in 2023. 

I bought a Kongzhi noodle snack and munched it and L and M joined me shortly. We had a rest and decided to go back to the Old Street for dinner. We ended up Youbiking there and looked up and down the street with temples. 

We settled I'm on a beef noodle soup place with seating on the street. I got a hot plate braised tofu with plain rice. It was so good?! It was sweet, but the sweetness was just slightly caramelised and not too much. The tofu was full of flavour and the plate sizzling. It was great! M had 魯肉飯 and L and a sausage fried rice with prawn rolls. And fresh prawns.

Yummy. This was really good.

Then a taxi home - the driver who accepted our request was driving a Benz 9 seater today and forgot. So he called to ask and make sure it was OK. 

Fare was about $230. The driver was trying to hint I should download another app for taxis as 55688 is hard to get taxis with. But I find it's ok? And then he kinda left it there. But did give me his card for future tours or trips.

Once home it was laundry time. The dryer isn't very hot and took ages, even 2 hrs later it was not completely dry. This was now 10pm. I did postcards in the meantime, and before that one of the reception ladies were curious about NZ so I told her a lot about what she wanted to know. We had a long chat. 

I ended up sleeping st 11pm cause I couldn't shower until the laundry was done, as it was on the ground floor. Their laundry area was outside at the back of the building though.

I just hung out my laundry as best as I could and sort it out tomorrow. 

Taiwan Day 10 - Tainan (spring)

 In the morning we just had breakfast in our rooms with conbini feed, and headed to Zuoying Station for the local train to Tainan. 

Once we got to Tainan the station was so nusy! It's the busiest I've seen it. We got our stamps, and then looked at getting a bigger taxi for our 3 luggage. But 55688 app couldn't find a driver so we said, worst case scenario we take 2 taxis. So we called a normal taxi and they were like pretty much just in front of us. 

The driver was so nice, and we fitted 1 luggage into the back seat on top of L and M's laps. I sat in the front. The driver was introducing which streets, that were close to our hotel, with good eats and events happening, which was the main Street next to Shennong Street. And the street parallel to it had good eats. 

We got to the hotel and thanked the driver, the fare was about $120. 

We checked into the hotel, and the staff could do English. We dropped off our luggage and decided to go to MOGU KABI first, the Capybara cafe. 

Called a cab, and the taxi driver was talking about which pets/dogs he'd like to own, but the are all expensive upkeep dogs. His friend owns a Samoyed which he would also like, and we talked about how the fur of the SAmoyed means a really bad match in Taiwan summer. Basically the air con has to be on 24/7... And only take the doggy out for a pee and can't really do exercise outside. 

He said that he would like to own a Bi'shuan, and he looked up a pic on his phone; it was a black and white sheperd dog. He said they ar the smartest dogs but I said, if they're too smart they will be problematic lol. He said he want to MOGU KABI back in the peak pandemic years with his brother from America, who commented teh food was a little pricy even for him. They weren't allowed to touch the capybaras but it might have been a pandemic measure. Also that he wasn't sure why they're called capybaras now, they used to be called 水屯（？）. I said maybe because the Japanese called it that and it became trendy? Anyways the driver was super nice and the fare was about $105.

The cafe wasn't that busy when we arrived, phew. 

There were 2 other groups of diners there. We opted to get the fruit cakes and if you bought 4 you get a free cooler bag with their cafe image on it. We got an extra fruit tart. I chose lemon, and the extra one was a combo of fruits. It was very good. Mine was SO TART, they used the green lemon, which is very very sour. 

The shop did have 1 LG ThinQ air purifier inside, but it ain't gonna cover everyone with the amount of people in the space... Better than none I guess. 

After eating we were allowed into the outdoor section with the capybaras. They let us touch them, but not if they are feeding/eating. They Re so chill. It feels like touching a bristle brush. 
The younger was was softer. 

After a while we were done and decided to leave for Shikhan Tower. 

The driver we got was also nice, and at the end of the ride I wished him an easy day and he said, 平安就好，to which I said, yes you're very right! The fare was about $105.

As soon as we got in after buying tickets, they had a tour starting at 1:30pm. No English, so I translated for L&M. 

After the tour, we had a look around the gift shop, and I bought some postcards. 

Then we were done and M needed coffee and I decided to go for 冬瓜茶 since I saw the sign. 

The shop had no electricity until 4:30pm, so they were only selling bottled tea. Okay... I'll take it then. This shop must be really famous cause they had so much ordering machines. 

Afterwards, we headed into the Grand Mazu Temple. I remember visiting this temple! They did had a stamp but you have to ask for it at the counter. They have the pool with heaps of turtles. 

Next we went to ChihMei Theatre, where they have the hand painted posters. The theatre has had its 70 year anniversary last year. They also had stamps but only if you buy something! They had heaps of postcards of the master's painted works. I bought a couple and their stamps were all so nice. 

Cause the lady re-added the stamp ink, the stamps too ages to dry hahaha. 

After the theatre, we headed to Snail Alley. 

I was getting a bit tired and hungry and came to Escargot bistro, and they are open until 11pm on weekends. So yes! I ate here and so did L and M. I got a Pesto Tomato Arguala sandwich for $240, and a honey lemon Yuzu drink that was very very nice. My sourdough bread was awesome and the pesto with heaps of flavour but not too overpowering with the garlic. Mmmm. 

Once we rested and filled up a little, we finished looking around the Alley and then headed towards Shennong Street. At the end of Smail Alley exploration, I found the temple that was illustrated on teh floor tiles and the manholes. They had a stamp as well (had to ask the front desk), and it was a super cute one. 

Shennong street was busyyyyyyy. The vibes were great with the lanterns though. We walked to the end of the street, and looked through a few shops. Cause it was so busy, it was easy to miss shops. Once at the end of the street, you cross the road and there is a small section which was much quieter with less shops and more houses. There was an area with a guy selling panna cotta and pudding with his goose pet. The shop was even named after goose and had a drawing of the goose with a pudding on its head. Hehe. 

I had a caramel pudding and the flavour was very rich. The good kept looking as the owner and pecking him affectionately. There was also a black cat that kept meowing in the little stand behind the pudding store, and the owner lady came to open shop (crystals) and the cat came out. 

After pudding, we walked to the end of this street and there was a diety getting ready to go out on a walk in the carriage. The temple workers were doing a process or ceremony with swinging the carriage lightly in place. One staff came over to where we were standing and told us we are OK to go up to take a look. I asked if the diety - 藥皇大帝  was going out ona  stroll. Yes, he said, the diety will go out all around Tainan and also catch any ill spirits on the way and take it back to take care of it.

They are also building a new temple and the staff said they set in the two dragon pillars in the day time today, and then the deity is going on a stroll out in the evening,

We watched for a bit and looked at the dragon pillars, and then headed back home.

We had a look at the other shops on Shennong Street on our way out, and I got some funny stickers at an indie arts shop. The temple on the street was really quiet and I ducked in and found stamps!! 6 of them! 

The lanters with Shennong Street name was free so we got a quick photo.

Then out on the street they had lots of food stalls, and one was an Indigenious stall/cuisine. Called Puliman.

L got some BBQ meat with 刺蔥 and the owner of the stall asked L if it was good. Yes. 

Another uncle stopped by when I was taking to the stall owner and he said he was also Paiwan. Malimali is the northern way of saying thank you, and Masuali is the southern way of saying thank you. 

The uncle asked the stall owner (who was a young lad) where his home and, and the owner also said that the stall is named after his dad because his dad is the one who plants the 刺蔥 and other herbs (but not the Makao pepper). 

That was cool. After the quick chat we headed home, showered, and died.