Before I went to Taiwan, in my impression, Taiwan was the freshness of idol dramas, the warm stories written by Wu Nianzhen, and the long shots in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s movies. The old-fashioned train station in the Taiwanese singer’s MV, the snack market in the variety show, there are always 10,000 attractive ways in Taiwan. This island is unique but not mysterious. That’s the beauty of Taiwan.
The original taste of Taiwan in Taichung
It was eleven o’clock at night when I arrived in Taichung. When I entered the country, the lady at the immigration counter said sweetly, “I hope you have a good time in Taiwan”, which started the trip to Taiwan. On the way from the airport to the hotel, looking at the betel nut stalls and motels flashing retro neon lights, the motorbikes coming and going made the city slowly come alive before my eyes.
Departure to Changhua in the morning of the next day, half an hour by train, the retro style of Taichung Railway Station is still the appearance of Taiwanese film and television dramas at the end of the 20th century. The bustling crowd on the stage seemed to be the atmosphere of an old movie. It was later discovered that almost every train station in Taiwan has this style.
The only way to go to Changhua is to transfer to the bus to Lukang Town. It only takes about 30 minutes to take the bus from Changhua to Lukang. The earliest I knew that Lukang was actually the song “Lukang Town” sung by Luo Dayou, which sang all the nostalgia for my hometown, which was very moving. After the bus arrived in Lukang, it stopped at a parking lot by the sea and got out of the car. The oncoming sea breeze mixed with the fishy smell of the sea and the high temperature in summer. Walking on the streets of Lukang, there are big signboards erected above the store entrances on both sides of the road, which become flashing neon lights at night. I learned later that stores in Taiwan like to hang erected signboards. Although Lukang has lost its once important status as a port and business transaction, tourism has also brought a lot of traffic to this small town. There is also a rumor that Teresa Teng’s “Story of a Small Town” refers to Lukang .
Strolling along Lukang Old Street, along with Jiuqu Alley and Moru Alley, the original old street style, dilapidated houses and mottled wall bricks, one after another shops selling similar souvenirs and local specialties. I can’t tell the difference between it and those old streets in the mainland, but you can always find something different if you feel it with your heart. Then I took a tricycle to Tianhou Temple and Longshan Temple, which are also two important temples in Lukang and even in Taiwan. The town is actually not that big, but there is still a distance between the scenic spots. The locals basically travel by motorcycle, and tourists usually choose to take a tricycle to the next scenic spot. The two temples are built in the Qing Dynasty, and they are also first-class historic sites in Taiwan. Although they look a little old in appearance, they are well protected, cleaned and orderly, and the incense is very prosperous, carrying the spiritual sustenance of believers who come to kneel and worship.
When I returned to downtown Taichung at dusk, the neon lights on the side of the road were already on. Night market snacks are naturally the theme of the evening. There are many night markets in Taiwan. The snacks sold in each night market are similar, but each has its own specialties. Most of them are pearl milk tea, freshly squeezed juice, large intestines with small intestines, braised pork rice, and beef. Noodles, oyster omelette, sweet and spicy, fried chicken cutlet, etc., especially milk tea, the taste of each restaurant is not bad.
I have a special feeling for universities, so I went to Tunghai University early the next morning. Because it is built by the sea, it is known as “the most beautiful university in Taiwan”. There is a very famous church building on the campus of Tunghai University——Lu Siyi Church. It is also the founder of the famous “Time” and “Life” magazines in the United States. Built with donations. The church is built in the middle of an empty lawn on the campus. It has a unique shape, which is different from the architectural style of ordinary churches, and has a strong artistic and ornamental value.
In the afternoon, head to the last scenic spot in Taichung——Gaomei Wetland, the famous sunset viewing spot in Taichung, and the best habitat for various benthic organisms, fish and shellfish, birds, and waterfowl. The distance is relatively long, and I took a bus and then transferred to a taxi to arrive. I wanted to rush to watch the sunset, but unfortunately the weather was not beautiful, and I didn’t see it as a sunset when I arrived at the wetland. There is a long trail in Gaomei Wetland for tourists to walk and watch. You can walk to the middle of the wetland, and you can see hermit crabs in the wetland everywhere. There are also many windmills built in the distance. The prelude to the typhoon did not affect the beauty of the wetland.
Taichung is full of the original taste of Taiwan in my understanding. This kind of taste is that small shops are covered with a variety of signboards, young people with yellow hair and floral shirts riding motorcycles, low houses, The old station is also an old-fashioned snack in the breakfast shop. It’s not very modern, it’s not particularly up-to-date, it’s not bustling, it’s even a bit retro, but it retains the taste of the past and traces of the years.
Stay in Kaohsiung Typhoon
Arriving in Kaohsiung before the typhoon-day train was shut down, on the first day I had to stay in the hotel to watch Taiwanese variety shows that I could only see on the Internet before. The typhoon receded the next day. We first went to the Pier-2 Art Zone next to Fisherman’s Wharf. After visiting the art zone, we took a boat to the opposite Qijin Peninsula to eat seafood and enjoy the sea breeze. We climbed the mountain on the Cijin Peninsula and saw the scenery on the other side. Building 85, the tallest building in the city of Kaohsiung and once in Taiwan. After going down the mountain, take a boat to the other side, and walk to Sun Yat-Sen University (Taiwan), which is also built on the seaside, with an endless coastline. The seaside is protected by large stones, and you can walk along the seaside. I didn’t try to go very far as we were heading in the opposite direction to the British Consulate. Dagou is the old name of Kaohsiung. The British Consulate of Dagou is located on the hillside, with the endless sea on one side and downtown Kaohsiung on the other. Sit on the terrace of the consulate and have a cup of tea, take a look at the scenery in front of you, and sweep away the fatigue of the journey.
Going out from the consulate, there will be a tourist bus. If you buy a ticket, you can take it at a fixed stop for free all day. There is also a tour guide on the bus to briefly introduce some attractions. In the evening, I went to Kaohsiung Love River, the mother river of Kaohsiung, in the center of the city. There is a true love pier there. It used to be a landmark building with two love hearts connected. When we went there, it was changed to “LOVE” in English, which probably means that lovers will eventually get married, which is very romantic.
Walking along the rain-wet street, carrying the things I bought from 711, Karen Mok’s “Lonely Lover” rang in my ears, singing at the beginning: “Stubborn 7-11, the end is summer, too bright neon lights , the color of the sky is so light.”
There are not many people in the city of Kaohsiung, the houses are compact but not crowded, the streets are clean, the transportation is convenient, the shopping is convenient, it is relatively modern, but not noisy. There are not many attractions and memories, but if you pass Kaohsiung on your way to Kenting, you can stop and have a look.
Scenery on the coastline of the Pacific Ocean in Hualien
From Kaohsiung to Hualien, I also chose the Taiwan Railway. The train traveled through dark valleys and passed the long coastline. The quiet atmosphere in the carriage was like the rebellious protagonists in youth movies, excitedly and restlessly embarking on an unknown journey.
Because the scenic spots in Hualien are relatively scattered, I booked a chartered car for the next day in advance. Go to Qixingtan to watch the sunrise early in the morning, standing on the pebbles on the shore, watching the perfect fusion of the blue water and the sky, which perfectly interprets “the sea and the sky are one color”. The endless sea makes people feel refreshed, and the small waves beat the stones on the shore, as if they can beat away the trivial troubles of daily life.
From Qixingtan, we went to Taroko Park to appreciate the gift of nature. On both sides of the road are undulating mountains, dense plants climb the mountains, and streams flow in the canyon, without any artificial carvings, the original ecology is displayed in front of you, and every breath is a fresh taste. There are a large number of Amis living here, and Hualien is also the area with the largest number of ethnic minorities in Taiwan. The hospitable ethnic minorities who are good at singing and dancing also make Taroko more humane.
Continue to drive forward and you will arrive at Qingshui Cliff. This is a cliff where Qingshui Mountain faces the Pacific Ocean, and it is also a masterpiece of nature. There is a viewing platform in front of the cliff. On the road halfway up the mountain, you can feel the wind from the Pacific Ocean blowing slowly. Looking down, you will see the Pacific Ocean with clear layers of sea water, which is as beautiful as a painting. If you are lucky, you can drive along the seaside road around the mountains, but the typhoon a few days ago caused landslides and the road was damaged. When we went, the road was closed, so we had no choice but to take a detour.
On the third day in Hualien, we went out to sea to watch dolphins. We booked in advance at the front desk of the hotel, and the company that arranged to watch them would have a car to pick them up. Dolphins, after the explanation, they are ready to board the boat and go to sea. Here is a special reminder, you must do a good job of sun protection, the sun is too fierce. The boat is not big, but if it is too big, there will be a lot of movement, so it will not be easy for dolphins to appear. Generally, when the boat leaves the open sea for a certain distance, you can start to see dolphins jumping on the sea surface. There will be a tour guide on board with a microphone to guide tourists how to catch dolphins. In fact, it is not the first time to see dolphins, but it is still exciting when they appear around the boat and jump out of the sea. The whole process of watching dolphins is about 1 hour, plus 1 hour of sailing back and forth, so the time to go to sea is 2 hours. The experience of watching dolphins leaping freely in the sea is still worth recommending.
The train went to Taipei at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I took a nap in the waiting room of Hualien Railway Station. There was a little afterglow of the sunset outside the window. The orange-red light penetrated into the waiting room and hit my schoolbag. The old scenes around me made me feel a little dazed , as if returning to the old days of a certain era. In the earphones, Mayday sang: “I sit in front of the bed, looking out the window, the sky is full of memories, life is a gorgeous illusion, time is a thief stealing everything”, a sudden sadness.
A corner of bustling downtown and tranquility in Taipei
Ximending is only one stop away from Taipei Railway Station by subway. Ximending is the busiest pedestrian street in Taipei and the place with the most young people. It was already 8:00 p.m. when we arrived in Taipei, but we followed the crowds into Ximending, shopping and eating until late.
We chose to start playing from the farthest place, so we went to Pingxi Line and Jiufen in the mountain city of Ruifang, which is a small and fresh trip. From Taipei to Ruifang, transfer to the Pingxi Line. The Pingxi Line was originally built to transport coal, but was later changed to a tourist route after the decline of the coal mine. There will be some stations along the way, and they will stop. If you buy a one-day pass, you can play with confidence and boldly, and each station is very romantic, such as “Shifen Station” and “Nuannuan Station”. Several scenes in “The Girl We Chased Together in Those Years” were filmed here, and Liang Jingru’s song “Nuan Nuan” was also filmed here. Walking in these places in the movie and MV, I feel that life is wonderful.
After playing the Pingxi Line, you have to go back to Ruifang and transfer to the bus to Jiufen. There are a lot of people on the Pingxi Line, so you can choose to get off the bus to play, otherwise you will spend a day there, and you have to wait for half an hour at each stop. There is a train coming. When we arrived at Jiufen, it was already dark, and the mountain city was brightly lit, so it was very lively. Jiufen Old Street is basically crowded with people, and I can’t move my feet. I suddenly think of “Jiufen’s Cafe” sung by Chen Qizhen, what kind of tranquility it is.
The next day I went to the “Taipei Palace Museum” and the Shilin Mansion. The two places are very close to each other. In the evening, I went to the night market to find something to eat. On the third day, go to the “Presidential Palace” to visit. This needs to be booked online in advance, and visit according to the scheduled time. Then go to “Liberty Square” and “Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall”. There will be a guard-changing ceremony at the “Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall” every hour, so you can go to watch it. In the afternoon, I went to Tamsui, where there is Fisherman’s Wharf and Tamkang Middle School, which is Jay Chou’s alma mater. His movie “The Unspeakable Secret” was filmed there. You can take a walk along the pier and eat Taiwanese snacks with the sea breeze blowing at night, which is very pleasant.
The fourth day is Dadaocheng and Longshan Temple, in the Wanhua District of Taipei, which is also the earliest prosperous area in Taipei. Now it has declined, leaving only traces of history. Longshan Temple is one of the filming locations of the movie “Scapula”. You can see Longshan Temple when you get out of the subway. come and go. I can’t help but sigh, the magic of time can heal many things. The same is true for Dadaocheng. The once bustling and crowded business district can only stay at the old site in a deserted manner. Today’s Taipei is not short of bustling downtown. Standing on the top floor of Taipei 101, you can have a panoramic view of Taipei, and everything on the road seems insignificant. The trip is coming to an end, time passes quickly but you don’t notice it, and when you realize it, it’s time to say goodbye.
It has always been said that the most beautiful thing in Taiwan is not the scenery but the people. I am also fortunate to feel the enthusiasm of the Taiwanese. When asking for directions, the aunt of the shop will come out and take you on the road to point the direction and tell you how to get there. Make sure you understand, and then go back to the store with confidence. When discussing the itinerary with my companions in the subway, when encountering some problems that I don’t understand, the local people who heard our conversation will also give us their suggestions on how to plan to save time.
epilogue
Every journey will meet different people and stories. I always believe that those encounters will leave behind the beauty of mutual transmission and feelings. Maybe many things in this process are neglected by us in the familiar current environment. Traveling is a new journey. self-knowledge.
