Day #129: Lotus Pond

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One of Kaohsiung's biggest tourist attractions is Lotus Pond, a large man-made lake surrounded by a variety of temples and stautues of Buddhas and gods. Getting to the lake by bicycle is part of the experience - one long gentle cycle path from the harbour along Lover River leading all the way to the lake, crossing roads, the railway and going through the city's Hakka district and modern art district. Most of the cycle path is built through tress and parks, so although the temperature is approaching forty degrees, the ride is shady and cool.

The main tourist draw are the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. At the entrance of the first pagoda is a huge tiger and the other a dragon. You are supposed to walk thorugh the mouth of the tiger and out of the mouth of the dragon (the other way around is unlucky). The towers are modern and look a bit too clean and polished - the tiger and dragon look like they are out of a theme park, so there is not much of a sense of religious sincerity, especially as the whole area around this part of the lake is chock-full of tourist stalls selling all kinds of trinkets and snacks.

The rest of the lake is much more interesting (and quieter) and many of the other religious sites had active worshippers. The lake is also a leisure area for locals so there were groups of older people singing and dancing at different points along the path.

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