January 8, 2024 – Liuchiu Island to Kaohsiung – 60 kms – Legend Hotel

January 9, 2024 – day walk in Kaohsiung 

Gordon:  We skipped Kaohsiung on our first pass down the west coast, but on our return arc we are spending a couple of nights.

The approach to the city was consistent with its reputation as the centre of heavy industry in Taiwan:  we passed refineries, tank farms and miles of enormous sheet metal factory buildings.  However, there was a remarkable transition as we drew closer to the downtown.  We passed through a waterfront district with large and interesting sky scrapers, extensive parkland, and a large art space.  It is apparent that a formerly industrial waterfront district has been redeveloped in a public focused and imaginative manner.

Kaohsiung also has a large mountain adjacent to the downtown.  It harbours the highest density of monkeys in the country, as well as numerous other animals.  There is an attractively decorated 200 metre tunnel that leads through a ridge of the mountain to an pretty university campus nestled between the mountain and a beach.  A quick look at the campus map disclosed numerous large buildings devoted to engineering, and a small shack at the edge of the forest for the Faculty of Liberal Arts.

In the downtown area we went for a walking tour of a district of “old streets”.  We have been in Taiwan long enough to have learned that the country really has very few attractive older buildings.  Practically all of the built environment has been erected since the 1950s, and most of it is a celebration of pragmatism and economy.  However, the walking tour was actually quite interesting, as we walked through a series of covered narrow alleys with markets and shops wedged into small, dimly lit spaces.

In summary, we have found Kaohsiung to be quite a pleasure, and distinct from other cities in Taiwan.  It reminds us of Vancouver in some areas, with broad boulevards, ample parkland, and many modern buildings.  However, unlike Vancouver, there are cartoon characters everywhere.  What is it about Taiwan, Japan and other Asian populations and their obsession with cute cartoon figures?  This seems even more pronounced in Kaohsiung than in other Taiwanese cities, possibly because so much of the city is new.  Our hotel is decorated inside and out with bright cartoon figures.  One of the exhibits in the art space was 120 new interpretations of Miffy, a simple cartoon rabbit you would probably recognize.  Everywhere we went we were looking at cartoon figures.  I’m sure there is some deep psychological or political explanation for the popularity of cartoon figures, but it’s a mystery to me.

We had a disturbing moment this afternoon.  We were in a shop when all of the cell phones started vibrating and ringing.  A quick check disclosed that it was an air raid warning due to a missile crossing national airspace.  We followed the lead of everyone around us, who glanced nervously at the sky and just carried on with whatever they were doing.