Taiwan - Chiayi

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David here...

Leaving Taichung, we eventually decided to go by train instead of bus. We could only find buses running every 2 hours (though suspect there may have been more) and the train was quicker. We rushed out of the wonderful Trans Inn to catch the 09:38 train to our next destination, Chiayi. We got there in time however found that all the seats were booked. Our options were a local train, or an express, both in an hours time. There was NT$100 price difference so we went with the local train. As ever in Taiwan, it arrived on time, we had enough space to stow our backpacks and we were away with little fuss. Just under 2 hours later we were stepping off the train at Chiayi station.

The journey itself was uneventful really, we had our breakfast sandwiches from the hotel for brunch. During the journey a very kind Taiwanese gentleman offered his assistance if we had any questions at all. We didn't have any and felt bad about it as we're sure he would've been pleased to help. That has been the overriding feature of Taiwan, not including the efficiency of the public transport services, the people have been so willing to help at all times. We'd read about it beforehand but it really is true, Taiwanese people are proud of their country and want you to enjoy it, and if they can assist with that, they will.

We found our hotel, the Xinyi hotel, and it looked like a boutique shop. I wasn't sure it was the right place but Suzanne was, and she was right. Check-in was not until 4 o'clock (!) so we dropped our bags off and headed straight on out. Our first stop was the Chengheung temple nearby, which we almost skipped as we saw a side entrance and it didn't look inviting. Perseverance paid off though as after walking round the block we found the main entrance and it was a lovely temple. We walked inside and a gentleman ran up and handed us an English leaflet with details of the temple. Like all the temples we'd been to in Taiwan, it was a working temple, with a steady stream of people coming in, but we felt that it was appreciated that we were there. A lovely stop.

Our next destination was the Chiayi Park where the Sun-shooting observation tower and the Historic Artifacts museum are. We entered the converted Japanese buildings that are now the home of the museum, taking our shoes off and putting on slippers, and found no English whatsoever. The artifacts were alright and we learned that the timber industry in Chiayi is extremely important, but apart from that the exhibits told us nothing. Again, we were given an English leaflet (sadly not that useful but a nice thought) by the wonderfully friendly staff and the building itself was lovely.

We didn't go up the observation tower as we weren't sure what you could observe to be honest. Chiayi is a typical Taiwanese town so a higher view of it was not going to give us anything different. The tower itself as a building is very interesting to look at though. Built and fabricated to replicate the sacred tree, the outer shell is made to resemble bark and it has a hollow central area, like the tree. Hopefully the pictures show how good it was. We then walked round the rather lovely park. In the summer we bet the place is buzzing. At this time of year however it feels closed up but not neglected at all. We spotted a bird of prey while walking round and got some decent pictures, not sure what it was though.

Our next stop was another temple. This one is unusual as it had a 7 floor pagoda on top that you are supposed to be able to go up however we found the lift was closed. Our next destination, the old Japanese Prison building, was closed which was a great disapointment (and this time the guard was not so friendly). It is supposed to be open until 17.00 so no idea why it was closed. We moved onto the next point on the map, the Chiayi Municipal Museum, which has the best collection of the famous (?) stone carved monkeys around, stopping off at a bonus temple that wasn't listed on our maps and also the old timber industry railway station that is still used for tourists to get up to the national park and logging sites. We also found a little coffee place called Alishan Latte and stopped for, well, a Latte and a Blueberry Cheesecake, all very good. Again the friendly staff were extremely welcoming and helpful. The free Municipal museum had exhibits about earthquake's, trains and timber, local art and pottery plus the monkeys. It also had a big fossil exhibit that Suzanne enjoyed. The museum was alright in the end but we were in there less than an hour.

It was now gone 16:00 so we made our way back to the hotel to check in. The room was a little small but tastefully decked out and with a fridge and hot, powerful shower. After relaxing and freshening up, it was time to head out for dinner.

We made our way to a steak restaurant (closed) before settling on another Japanese barbeque place called Yakiyan seeing as we enjoyed the last place so much. This one was just as good. It is cheaper to do the set meals, but we don't want the seafood or side dishes and dessert, and the meat set meal is too expensive really, plus the set meals do not include beer so again we went off piste and ordered a la carte from the menu. We had vegetables (they are good for you after all), Wagyu steak and rib meat, pork neck and marbled pork. We ended up also with beef flank as well as they asked us if we wanted more meat and we couldn't refuse. We also got through 3 cans of Kirin beer each. The meal was just as much fun as the first time. It is great fun cooking your own food at the table and the staff were so helpful despite the language barrier. One of the staff used Google translate to tell us there would be a 10 minute wait for a table, something that we've not had before but worked so well. We had a lovely evening, the food was amazing and the beer was nice. Taiwan really is a wonderful place to visit.

On the way back to our hotel, we passed a music bar that looked a likely place to grab a beer or 2 and feeling full of confidence after such a nice evening meal we walked in. We asked for 2 beers and were asked to go outside where the owner pointed to a window display that said 250 on it. We think it was a cover charge price. However as the bar was empty and smokey from the staff we decided not to bother and said thanks but no thanks and made our way back to out hotel, via a 7-Eleven for a couple of beers.

We were only in Chiayi for 1 night before moving on to Tainan. We've actually really enjoyed the place. Our day was quite full-on as we wanted to get round as much as possible, but we feel like we made the most of it and have seen what the place has to offer. The gorgeous sunny weather helped too, hot but not too hot. There are some lovely sights, in town, we had a fun meal and the park looks like it could be amazing in the summer season. Another wonderful stop in what is fast becoming on of our favorite countries of this trip.

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Comments

[martin williams]

crested gos
Looks to me like Crested Goshawk

[SuzanneandDavid]

Many thanks for the information.