Taiwan - Tainan

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David here...

The train journey from Chiayi to Tainan was completely uneventful. The train was the same as all previous ones, clean, efficient though a little busier. We arrived into Tainan in the early afternoon and made our way to the FX Hotel, about a 30 minute walk from the station. Reception was up to the 8th floor. We were a bit mistified as to why the entrance area had big Star Wars posters opposite the lifts. We got to the lobby to find ourselves facing an Iron Man statue. Then it clicked, FX hotel. There were also fashion shows being shown on all the screens in the lobby and even in the lift. The lobby felt modern and a little posh.

Again, no chance to check in so we dumped our bags and went straight out to do some sightseeing. We found a few temples in the area, one of them the Official God of War temple, and also visited the Chihkan tower, where we had a light snack of chocolate almond Pocky, which was nice. Pocky is available in the U.K but not with so many flavour varities as in Asia. We've had a few of them and they make a nice snack. If you've not had them or heard of them, they are like long, biscuity sticks coated on one end with a flavoured sauce. Again, we've been very lucky with the weather as it felt like a British summers day, just right actually for us. We walked round the city for about 4 to 5 hours, taking in various temples, all of which have there own feel or look.

We also took a look at a monastic dining hall that was voted one of the top 100 sights in the country by the residents, which is not in the guidebooks at all. It was very pretty, but the pictures don't really do it justice. We eventually ended up at the lake in Tainan park, somehow with a can of Taiwan beer in our hands. This turned into another can and a big packet of crisps before we eventually moved on back to our hotel.

We got our room key and finally saw our room. It was lovely with a great view from the 12th floor. The room was very white with turquoise on one wall and was quite long and thin. It had all the amenities you could want, including a bluetooth sound system if you so desired. We were more interested in the shower pressure, which thankfully was amazing. Showers and the way they work or are placed becomes one of the top concerns when travelling. You really cannot over estimate the happiness a good shower brings.

After freshening up and settling into the room we headed out into the city for the evening. Tainan has a much more lively and local nightlife than anywhere else we've been in Taiwan. Bars, restaurants and pubs are all easy to find. We decided to try Funkoo Mexican restaurant which was just round the corner from our hotel. The welcome was nice, the beer prices were good and the menu looked good. We ordered starters and mains, being persuaded to get some chicken wings for good measure. The first thing to arrive were some pork taquitos which were delicious, the chicken wings then arrivedand before we knew it, my main of chicken enchillada arrived. We then waited, and waited and waited until Suzannes fajita sides arrived and then more of a wait until the meat arrived. By then, my main was cool however the big problem was that Suzanne's chicken tasted oriental instead of Mexican. Nothing wrong with that if you know, but Suzanne was specifically after Mexican flavours and very disapointed. A real shame as it started so well.

After paying and moving on we wandered down an old shoping street as it was busy, and saw people queuing up to use a vending machine dishing out cakes. The old street was really nice with lot of shops open still and a busy, bustling atmosphere. We then wandered to Dive Bar and Grubhut nearby for a couple of drinks. Cheap beer, Airplane showing on the screens and some decent music, it was a good bar and we ended up staying until late before heading back to the hotel.

The next day started with breakfast in the hotel, which was a little disapointing. We were given some sort of squash soup and then a plate of chicken, cauliflower and scrambled eggs. A bit random. There was also bread, cheese and cereal to help yourself to, which was more enjoyable, Suzanne really enjoying the cheese spread. We then walked the hour to the Anping area of town where the old Dutch fort used to be situated. Some of the walls have been restored but most is now gone. You can get a citybus 2 directly there or even cycle along the river but an hour walk in the sun along the river sounded good to us. The walk was nice and before we knew it, we were in the Anping district. The fort cost NT$ 50 to get in and we also had ice cream, mine being black tea flavour and I somehow managed to get it all down me.

The fort is alright to wander around and it was interesting to read about the impact the Dutch and the British had on Taiwan. We stayed about an hour before moving onto the nearby temple and then into th national park just to the north where we walked along the coastline watching the birds. There isn't much to do at Anping but as the weather was so warm it was just nice to stroll around, soaking up the ambiance. We then made our way back to the hotel along the river. Again the walk was fine, even broken up by a puppy accosting us and insisting on being stroked for ages.

Back at the hotel we started looking into booking the one night left to book when we arrive in L.A in 2 weeks time. Just as we were about to book our hotel we checked the flight information. We had presumed that flying from Asia to America meant arriving the day after however we worked out that you actually land before you take off, so we actually required 2 nights. Thankfully we spotted this before booking so got 2 nights booked instead of 1, meaning we wouldn't have to spend the night in LAX.

We then headed out to the Cosby Saloon for dinner as we'd read they did decent burgers. It was a 25 minute walk and took us through a lovely alley with lanterns strung overhead. The saloon was a dive bar and was playing ABBA when we arrived. There was a glass case with Sci-Fi figures in it and lots of motorbike gear around. It felt good. We ordered beers and burgers and the food was amazing. A tasty burger that was well seasoned in a nice wholemeal bun. It also came with chicken nuggets which was strange but actually a nice touch. The only downside was that the beer was the same price for a small bottle of Taiwan beer as a big bottle at Dive Bar the night before. We paid up after the lovely meal and made our way back to Dive Bar where we had a number of big beers before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel.

Breakfast the next morning was a little better as they opened up the whole buffet so you could choose everything you wanted. Still not an amazing selection but enough to start your day. We decided that as we had 3 nights in our final stop in Taiwan there was no hurry so we checked out at 11:45 to make our way to the station to catch our 12:30 local train to Kaohsiung

So far in Taiwan, a country we've enjoyed so much, Tainan has been the best place we've stayed. A vibrant nightlife, some wonderful scenery and just a nice, welcoming feel. We loved Tainan and wish we were staying longer.

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