I was a little sad after I woke up, as this was my last day in Tainan. My flight back to the States didn't leave until Saturday morning, but I needed to be in Taipei to catch the shuttle to the airport early. I joined BoFu in the living room and watched a little TV before going to breakfast.
There were a couple more sites to visit in historic Tainan City before I left, around 4:00 PM. I went ahead and packed everything up so I wouldn't have to do it in a rush later. I didn't purchase all of the goodies that I had in February and the items I wanted to take back would be purchased in Japan, on the way back. It didn't take that long to put everything away, so we went downstairs, jumped on the scooter and off we went, yet again. The first place we went was the Ancestral Shrine of Koxinga.
The Shrine was built in 1663 by Zheng Jing, to worship his father Koxinga. Koxinga was a Ming loyalist and the arch commander of the Ming troops on the maritime front for the later monarchs of the withering dynasty. Koxinga devoted the last 16 years of his life to resisting the conquest of China by the Manchus of Qing Dynasty. Upon defeating the forces of the Dutch East India Company on Formosa, in his last campaign in 1661–1662, Koxinga took over the island of Taiwan in order to support his grand campaign against the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty. He died at age 37, due to malaria.
The grounds of the Shrine are very beautifully kept with gardens, fountains and koi ponds. I found it a great place for meditation as it is very peaceful, even amid the city life. There are many places within for photo opportunities. There are large turtle statues with stone tablets mounted vertically on their backs. The inscriptions on the turtles commend Fu Kang-an for suppressing the Lin Shuang-wen rebellion. The inscriptions are in parallel Chinese and Manchu and time has worn many of them to almost unreadable.
We left the Shrine and proceeded to the Dutch Fort of Anping. The fort was built in the early 1600's on the island of Formosa. Time, ocean currents and silt filled in the space between Taiwan and Formosa and it became part of the main island. Koxinga and his forces battled against the Dutch to conquer Taiwan.
The main building of the fort is multi-terraced with a long run of stairs to reach the top. The fort is adorned with beautifully flowering Egg Flower trees. The lower and older section of wall still standing, is the entrance to a garden of Banyan trees. Banyan trees live for a many, many years and the oddity about the tree is that, if not trimmed, it will grow roots from any branch and trunk to the ground. It is not uncommon to see a branch with a long flowing "mane" of roots, swaying gently in the wind. I think they look very medieval. The top of the tree is very dense and completely shades the ground beneath. Years before, the oldest living Banyan tree (in Taiwan), in the Confucian Temple, died after living for 240 years.
The main building at the fort is now a museum with artifacts and statues of the time it operated as a true fort. There is a modern type tower in the center for viewing the surrounding area. We took photos and even ventured out on one of the terraces to use as a back drop. The photos didn't turn out too well as it was very windy. We left and took the scooter to one of the historic neighborhoods in Tainan City. It was a holiday and most of the shops in the area were closed so we just walked around and looked at the old architecture. Since it was around lunch time, we went to eat at a restaurant that we had passed before that is famous for its spring rolls. JiaJia took us to Chou's on the west side of Anping Canal in Tainan. There were many people there and eventually, we got our food we found a place to sit. Although it is a restaurant, the self-serve atmosphere reminded me more of a fast food place, only nicer. I ordered some food "to go" for her parents and left. We stopped at another Starbucks so I could see if they had a Tainan Mug. They did, so I bought it and we went back home. JiaJia had to work and I needed to go back to Taipei.
Big Sister was supposed to come last Sunday, but could not make it. Unfortunately, she would arrive in Tainan about an hour after I left. I had hoped to see her again after we met in January.
We visited for a hour or so and JiaJia took a nap. She took photos of BoFu and BoMu with me so I could have the memories. I also sent them to her to show them after I got back to the States. It was time for me to go catch the shuttle to the train station and JiaJia to go to work. She dropped me off at the station and waited until the bus came, so I'd get on the correct bus. I got on the shuttle bus and took a seat up front. The bus made various stops and finally dropped me off, a bit out of town at the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Railway) station.
I walked into the station, which was fairly new and modern. I purchased my ticket from an automated ticket dispenser for Taipei. One-way cost about $1300 NT or $45 US. I thought it was a great price. It was not an assigned seat, but I knew if I got on the train when it first arrived, I would have no problems finding a seat. I proceeded up the escalator to the second floor and looked for my platform. The train platforms are elevated about 30-40 feet off the ground. To reach my platform, I had to climb a long stretch of steps. Once there, it was deserted accept for a Taiwanese soldier that was going home on leave. He walked over and started talking to me. He was pleasant and asked if I was an American. I told I was and that I was going back to Taipei to fly back to the States. We exchanged email addresses and he walked away to the smoking area. I walked to the designated place for my car assignment.
It was quiet and windy on the platform. The sun was getting lower in the sky and cast an orange glow on the new concrete structured platform. I knew the train traveled fast and even though looking to the distant rails revealed nothing, the train would quickly and silently appear. A signal sound overhead indicated that the train would arrive soon and due to its momentum would create a forward wake of wind, please stand back from the tracks, behind the line. The sleek white train with an orange stripe gently, and almost without sound, appeared on the platform. I snapped a photo right before it passed my position and then quickly boarded when the doors opened. I chose a row about midway up in the car and took the seat next to the window. I wanted the full experience of the ride. The seats were three across and since there weren't many on the train, myself and the gentleman in the aisle seat placed our bags in the middle seat and on the floor. Within three to four minutes a whistle sounded and the train began to move forward.
The feeling of riding on this train was definitely something I would recommend to anyone, at least once. The feeling of movement is almost indiscernible. We were floating on the rails and for someone that is prone to motion sickness, there was no hint of that at all. There was a tray table similar to commercial aircraft and on the back of each was a map of the train. Which car had vending machines, toilets and the attendant. There was an LED ticker type display, in Chinese and English, displaying various types of information. What the next station was and how many minutes to arrive, the current speed of the train, etc. At one point, which I guess was during the longest stretch between stops, the speed displayed 212 kph or 131 mph. I could tell by looking out of the window that we were really moving. I was also aware of how the Laws of Physics would come to play if this forward movement were suddenly acted upon by an external force. I didn't let it bother me.
We passed through some most beautiful countryside in Taiwan. Vast fields of rice and others. I was on the west side of the train and watched the sun begin to set before it was obscured by clouds. The only downside to the speed was one couldn't really focus on anything but just for a second before it was gone. As we approached Taoyuan, the train took a more slower pace. We were getting closer to Taipei and the gentleman and I had to move our bags to yield the middle seat to a young lady, who quickly went to sleep. I was no longer able to see out of the window as the train had traveled underground. Finally, we stopped at the Taipei Main Station. Total time from Tainan to Taipei, 1 hour and 45 minutes. Earlier in the week, the TRA railway took four hours going the other way. The train continued on to Danshui, but this was my stop. I gathered my bags and departed the train. That was fun.
I rode the escalator to the red line of the MRT and bought a token to Shuanglian Station and got on the MRT. Two stops later, I exited the MRT and walked up to the street. Once I emerged from the station, I found it was raining heavily and thought, "I can't go back to Ningxia Night Market now. It will be deserted and not worth taking photos." I felt disappointed and walked to the hotel. After I checked in, I put my bags upstairs in the room and went back down to get something to eat for dinner. Having my mind set on something like fried squid or choa dofu for dinner and now with the disappointment, made me lose my appetite. I went to the bakery near the corner and bought a couple of rolls and went back to my room.
I watched a couple of movies on HBO, let JiaJia know I made there, took a shower and went to bed. What a way to spend my last night in Taiwan.
Tomorrow, I return to the States, but not without an sudden encounter with "The Angry Bus Driver". Stay tuned.
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