Kaohsiung is actually bigger than I thought. Didn't manage to really tour around despite staying at Sizihwan most of the time. But here's some interesting places at outskirts of Kaohsiung city. In fact most of these places can be accessed via South Gangshan 南岡山 MRT station.
1. Buddha Memorial Center 佛陀纪念馆
Situated at 佛光山 Foguangshan, this is sort of like a museum for Buddhism, built right next to a Buddhist temple.
So. Freaking. Massive.
was all I can think when I first stepped into the massive open space,
My mouth fell opened and took me some time to close it as I didn't expect a temple to be of this size. But after checking out the whole place, I realized it's not just a temple for worshiping, but more like a museum/monument dedicated to spread the teachings of Buddhism. The grand pagodas, the wide and spacious walkway and the huge Buddha statue standing high and dignified up there is like a warm welcome to guests with open arms. Truly portrays the religion's long lived history and its important and majestic position in its follower's hearts.
At the main centre, there's various exhibition halls that showcases history of Buddhism and its movement in Taiwan.
At the exhibition hall that talks about the founding of FoGuangShan temple.
Exhibition that tells the story of Buddha, which was really something I've always wanted to know.
see the majestic Buddha statue up close, against the vast blue skies.
2. Gangshan Scenic Area 岡山风景区
This might not be a mainstream tourist area, but Gangshan Mountain has the weather of Genting, but a more laid back and countryside vibe. Without fancy resorts and entertainment hubs, Mount Gangshan is just a place with plenty of temples, simple restaurants and shops selling local produce. Kinda idyllic. Then there's this temple built on the slopes of the mountain, overlooking the vast fields.
超峰寺 Chaofeng Temple
May not look like the most majestic temple, but it's actually pretty big, There are several sub temples for different Gods and Goddesses, and facilities like the dining hall and classrooms for learning.
The best part of exploring the temple would be this.
At 观风听月
a cafe with an outdoor balcony with the view of the fields and farms in Gangshan
It's just a minute away from Chaofeng Temple's entrance. A place to sit back, and enjoy the view of wide and clear skies here
Waffles were so so, but the pumpkin milkshake is gooood!
Address: Kaohsiung City, Alian District, Gangshan No.5-1. 崗山里5-1號
3. Tianliao Moonworld 田寮月世界
Not a mainstream tourist site but it certainly offers a raresight! I would say this was one of my favorite places that I have discovered. The place just looks like its out of this world.
I swear everything looked so bizarre.
Some people call it Martian earth lol
#verydry
Caterpillars everywhere...
They look like pokemon to me haha
No filter seriously....and I don't even wanna put my watermark to destroy the picture haha
With those barren mountains and lakes with that color...Looks like a mystic kingdom from a storybook.
Another lake, but this is on top of the mountains.
4. E-da World 義大世界
It's Genting in the middle of no where. There's hotel, shopping mall and also a themepark. I wanted to visit this place because the whole resort has an ancient Greek theme. Well i end up spending too much time in the mall and did not explore the exterior of the resort. Shopping in the mall was a pain for me, because i did not bring enough money!! The mall has many factory outlets of branded stores, therefore the items are all at a discount. Damnnn i really wanted to buy those Timberland shoes haha.
How to get there: There are many buses that goes to E-Da world. Check out this website
This part of the mall reminds me of the mall in Master's Sun 主君的太阳
The outdoor area with a Greek streets vibe.
And they have their own Ferris Wheel as well.
Next! Foodie time!
Okay i swear this was one of my best meals in Taiwan. I rarely have a chance to eat 煮炒 . Thanks to the bunch, we've decided to splurge abit. This was a restaurant at the roadside of Gangshan. Effing noisy but it was a familiar feeling, just like how we have 大排档。And sure enough, roadside restaurant is damnn good.
I can't recall the name of this restaurant, but it's right opposite the Gangshan Train station @ Zhongshan South Road.
Check out the portion!
The mutton strips on the top left was FOC! It's not my first time getting foc food in Taiwan. Taiwanese are pretty generous even though we know it very well they want to get rid of their ingredients.
Brunch at Mr. Potato@Zuoying area
Traveled all the way here for affordable brunch. It's affordable but compared to Weike, it's still a world apart. But it's not too bad lar, given the price.
Address: No. 175, Lida Rd, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City
Extra: Qiaotou Flower Fest 桥头花海
This is seasonal, every year, flower fest happen at many places in Taiwan, depending on the type of flower in season. The most well known one would be the Xinshe Flower Fest in Taichung (新社花海) which is super massive. Taichung was kinda far from where I stay and there wasn't much time left for traveling(damn those effing hard final exams). Glad that Kaohsiung has something like this, though not quite the scale, but it's still something you can rarely see back in home. So do keep an eye on flower fests when you plan your visit in Taiwan. With the vast fields of flowers, street food and activities, it would be fun to visit one.
Though the scale of the event was not what I imagined, it's still pretty pleasant to have a look at all these beautiful colors.
After visiting the flower fest, you may visit this pretty Mediterranean themed restaurant in Qiaotou
The food here was just okay, but it's definitely one of my favorite dining experience
Small 萱
Address: No. 11-5, Shude Rd, Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City
Warm and cosy interior, awesome service from the crew
and the best most interesting part, you see the red curtains on the left? They actually had a fortuneteller over there to do Tarot Card reading for every customer LOLLL
All the blue and whites, super in love with the little details.
The food was actually not bad, but nothing exciting though. I had a Fried Fish Risotto (bottom-right), with mushroom soup and caramel milk tea.
End of Travel Diaries
That's pretty much with all the places in Kaohsiung! In fact, i guess i have come to the end of introducing all the places I've been in Taiwan. Penning down all these places was really a joy for me and i was persistent to talk about every place i had been despite my friends telling me that I'm writing way too slow. I know it's almost half a year since i returned from Taiwan, the memories might not be as vivid but I want to remember whatever that's left.
So... bear with me, Im gonna talk more haha
And you'll find out what's next soon!
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