Since arriving in Taiwan we’ve noticed that the Taiwanese love their dogs, but some in Kaohsiung take it up to a whole new level. They pander and dote on their adorable little puppies to the point that would do a Beverly Hills socialite proud. Being an animal and dog lover myself, I really enjoy this.
This is the first installment in my “Dogs of Taiwan” series I plan on posting of the many dogs we’ve seen while visiting Taiwan.
The first one here may be favorite. We found him sitting around Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung. This dog is cool and he knows it. Definitely the Jack Nicholson of dogs. I like to think that if Jack was a dog this is the look he’d be going for.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Lotus Pond – If Jack Nicholson was a Dog
And yes, that is a minion (“Despicable Me”) on his back.
You can look forward to many more photos like this coming your way during our stay here in Taiwan.
Taiwan - Pingtung - Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast - Wine Set
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Misty Vista
Katrina and I continue to receive warm hospitality from the people we meet in Taiwan. Just recently we were invited by a couple of our new found friends to visit Taiwu Mountain, just above the village of Taiwu in Pingtung County. We spent the day sightseeing, touring an organic farm (which is something Katrina just lives for), visiting a local Spanish church and having lunch at wonderful bed & breakfast and restaurant.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Lunch
The delightful meal was freshly prepared for just the four of us. It was made from fresh local meats and vegetables. The meal included a fresh pot of organic chicken soup with wild yams, which nourish the body and help with circulation. The individual platters contained fresh greens, handmade black pig sausage (which you wrap in fresh lettuce and onions), some gourds, and three different mullet stuffings wrapped in plant leaves. The last wrap I ate was a sweeten dessert that was out this world. Everything was so delicious that no seasoning was needed. I can still recall the aroma from the food. The meal came from their farm with a specialty brewed mullet wine to clean the pallet. The wine was sweet and refreshing.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Wine Set
After the meal, the owner took us on a tour of the different plants that grow on their farm and how she uses them for cooking. It was very educational and informative. She even took the time to point out some poisonous plants that look much like the healthy ones we eat. The place was picturesque and tranquil. I can only imagine how peaceful it is to sleep there and wake up in the morning to nature’s song in this tranquil setting.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Meeting the Chef
I would definitely recommend renting a room, enjoying a meal and staying the night at the farm.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Dragon
Temples from the neighboring areas of Kaohsiung individually paraded through the streets on their way to the Cih Ji Palace to pay their respects. As they approached the temple heralded them with a skillful demonstration of one of the China’s more popular inventions, the fireworks. They could be heard throughout the district, allowing you to feel the festivities even from a distance.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Fluid Motion
Some of them put on very enjoyable and festive tributes while paying their respects. I was fortunate enough to capture some of these moments. Here are a few of the pictures I took. To enjoy the full set of pictures please go to my Cih Ji Palace (Temple) Celebration Gallery.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Wicked
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Bowing Dragons
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Warlord
Katrina and I just spent a wonderful day on Sunday with some new friends we made here in Taiwan. We were invited by the owner of the place we stayed during our first week in Kaohsiung to visit his family and friends in Pingtung. Pingtung is about a half hour south of Kaohsiung by train. We got up early Sunday morning and took the train, which cost us less than a $1.20 (US), to Pingtung, where we were picked up by our host. He drove us to a friend’s home in the country where they had prepared a traditional home cooked Chinese meal that included 16 different dishes.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Chinese Home Cooked Meal
I can’t even image how long they worked preparing the dishes. It was delicious. I ate my fill and the ladies kept insisting that I hadn’t eaten enough. I could barely move by time we finished lunch.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Lunch With Friends
Afterwards we relaxed outside on the patio. It was a beautiful home with exquisite landscaping that they had done themselves.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Relaxing on the Patio
Next we drove to a dry riverbed where we had a relaxing walk surrounded by beautiful scenery.
Taiwan – Pingtung – New Friends
Later we headed back to Pingtung where we happened upon a series of parades celebrating the anniversary of one of the temples in town. Members from the surrounding temples parade through town on their way to the celebrating temple to pay their respects. After watching some of the parades we headed to a local restaurant for dinner and proceeded to eat, again.
Taiwan – Pingtung – Temple Parade
The people we met in Taiwan have been very warm and generous to us since our arrival in Southern Taiwan. Even after being treated to several meals and snacks by our host Katrina and I had resort to trickery to pay for the meal, which he had fully intend to pay for. Based on our first two weeks here, I already highly recommend visiting Taiwan. If for no other reason than to just enjoy the people, and we’ve only just begun to see the sites.
I just got my haircut during our stay here in Taiwan. Now if you’ve never gotten a haircut at a Chinese barber or hairstylist, it is something that everyone should treat themselves to when they have the chance. They always finish a haircut with a very relaxing neck and shoulder message and, if you opt for a shampoo (which I highly recommend), it usually includes a prolonged scalp message. Trust me, both are to die for. And the best part is my haircut cost NT$150 (New Taiwan Dollar) and the shampoo cost me just another NT$150. That’s a scalp, neck and shoulder massage along with a nice haircut and wash, all for less than $10 (US), and believe me it was worth every penny, and more!
Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Lotus Pond - The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Lotus Pond – The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
Well, we are back on the road again and continuing our world tour. We took a hiatus for a while in Puerto Rico and Pennsylvania, but last fall my wife, Katrina, and I returned to our travels. I apologize for the length of this post, but I realized that I haven’t been blogging enough about our travels. I have made a new year’s resolution to blog more this year so expect more frequent and shorter post to follow.
We went to Puerto Rico in November 2013 because we discovered that travelling with our cat, Cupid, was more difficult than we expected. First we found that it was sometimes difficult to secure lodging when you had a pet with you. We were sometimes even forced to sneak her into a few hotels, but that wasn’t the most difficult issue we faced. We had no trouble taking her to Greece in September 2013 when we began our adventure and no trouble bringing her with us when we continued on to Thailand in October. The problem we faced was that most any other country in Asia would have quarantined her for 30 days if we had tried to enter with her. It was getting cold in the north and as we looked at countries around the world with warm climates (there wasn’t room in our luggage to pack much cold weather clothing) we found that most of these countries would quarantine her and the ones that wouldn’t were classified as having medium or high incidence of rabies. That would have meant that we never could have gotten here out of these countries once she entered.
Our Beloved Cupid
Therefore, since she was an American cat with the proper paperwork to return home, we took her back to the U.S. and went to the only tropical location in the U.S. that we could take her, Puerto Rico (Hawaii has a strict animal quarantine policy, also, to prevent the introduction of rabies to the island). We had an enjoyable time in Puerto Rico until Cupid suddenly feel ill to feline leukemia. In early May 2014 our lovely little putty tat sadly passed away at the age of 12.
A month later we decided to head to Pennsylvania to spend some time with my son and the rest of my family. We first arrived in State College, PA where spent 2 months with my son and then we helped him move to my home town of Lancaster, PA where we spent another 2 months with him, my father and his wife. From there we headed to Hong Kong in October to spend more than 2 months with Katrina’s family. Katrina is a Hong Kong native. (Please check out my galleries for photos of Puerto Rico, State College [Penn State], Lancaster and Hong Kong; and check back periodically because I still have more pictures to post for these places).
Since we were back in the Far East we decided to continue our tour of Southeast Asia that we were forced to cut short when we left Thailand. We decided to start with Taiwan, arriving in Kaohsiung on December 22. The people of Kaohsiung are very warm and friendly. They have made us feel welcome everywhere we have gone since we arrived. The food is delicious and with a favorable exchange rate of $1 (US) to approximately NT$31.77 (New Taiwan Dollar [NT$]) most things, including housing, are very affordable. We’ve had good luck finding lodging using airbnb so far and we’ve heard that sublet.com is another good resource for finding a place to stay.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Xinxing – Nanhua Night Market – Speeding Thru the Market
The first thing you notice when traveling around Kaohsiung is that there are a lot of scooters or mopeds (the locals refer to them as motorcycles) on the roads and, to our surprise, on the sidewalks and in the markets. You need to be quick on your feet and keep an ear peeled for them when walking on sidewalks and shopping the many markets in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Xinxing – The Liuhe Night Market
Speaking of the markets, they are wonderful. If you find a place to stay with a kitchen (like we always try to do) you can buy your fresh produce and meat in the morning markets. In the evening you can enjoy eating and shopping at the many night markets that dot the city. Some staying open as late as 1 or 2 AM.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Xinxing – Liuhe Night Market – Do You Want a Barbecue Skewer?
While cars and scooters are the primary mode of transportation here, Kaohsiung does have a subway system, called the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System (KMRT, most locals just refer to it as the MRT), with 2 lines that intersect at the Formosa Station in the Xinxing district. Btw, believe it or not, the Formosa station is a must see. The central rotunda of the station is spectacular with a beautiful domed ceiling covered with illuminated stain glass.
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Xinxing – Formosa Station – The Prettiest Subway Station I Have Ever Seen
Well that’s it for now. ’m looking forward to travelling and photographing Taiwan. Check back soon and I should have some pictures of Taiwan posted in my photo galleries.
