30 Nov Taiwan: Exploring Tainan, The Oldest City
I mentioned in the earlier post, that I went on a one day solo trip to explore Tainan? This post covers the places in my itinerary. The plan was to visit Anping Treehouse, explore Anping district, Beimen visitor center and get to the Jingzaijiao tile-paved salt fields before the sun sets. I almost lost my way and had to spend the night in a temple. Thank gawd I managed to catch the last bus! PS: Be warned! This is an image heavy post.
Getting around Tainan was fairly easy. The bus stop directory has routes in both english and mandarin so fear not. Since Anping district is well known, there were buses that loops around that area. Cab rides (the yellow cabs) charges by the meter so it’s not too expensive to get around too.
On my way to the Anping Treehouse, I walked past a primary school with kids having their Halloween party. I thought Halloween might not be a huge thing in Taiwan but I was wrong. Both the kids and the teachers were really sporting with their dress-up. I’ll score them an “A” for effort! *thumbs up*
Anping Treehouse 安平樹屋
Finally found the abandoned warehouse previously owned by a Japan salt company now known as Anping Treehouse. It’s just amazing how this intertwine relationship can be formed between the bricks and the trees. It’s like it was meant to be. This is what I would describe as beautiful mess! The 3 photos below deserves a spot on it’s own. Over the years, the tree slowly engulfed the building by crawling through any gaps it could find and branch out into this spectacular display showing off how mighty it can be.
Anping Treehouse 安平樹屋
No.108, Gubao St., Anping Dist., Tainan City 708, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
visit site
The photo above is the famous Anping Old Fort, the oldest fortress in Taiwan. I had a couple of places to visit before sunset so unfortunately, I had to give this a miss. Maybe next time!
Anping District
Beimen Visitor Center 北門遊客中心
Beimen Visitor Center 北門遊客中心
249 號, Beimen District, Tainan City, Taiwan
visit site
Beimen visitor center was really out of the way so to save time, I took a cab. The ride was approximately 45mins and it didn’t really cost much. I can’t remember the damage done which meant a good sign of a decent priced ride. Beimen visitor center was a pleasant surprise rich with wall murals, art installations and some unexpected architectures.
Why would a visitor center be an interesting place to visit you wonder? The government beautify the space in hopes to bring in visitors. Clearly, young adults were the target audience because it became an insta-worthy spot and an ideal place for photography. If you’re planning to visit the salt field, this place would make a great stop over.
Beimen, Salt Lake Chapel
The Salt Lake Chapel and the Beimen Crystal Church clearly are the popular spots for wedding photography. I couldn’t get close to the crystal church because there were baricades preventing visitors from crossing over. So I read that wedding photographers have to apply for some permit to use it for their shoot.
Beimen, Crystal Church
The atmosphere was like arty and romantic until I came across this striking building with some crude paintings. What’s happening!? Even though I was baffled by the wall art, it was actually quite funny. Especially the one below with the big titties with the caption “whose gonna marry me?”. #wdaguf
So I was supposed to catch a bus from the visitor center to my final destination to catch the sunset. And I was told that I just missed it and the next bus would be an hour later! In order for me to make it in time for sunset was to walk about half an hour which thankfully was do-able. *phew* I’m actually glad I did that instead because it was quite a sight. BUT… it wasn’t near residential area so it was a TAD too quiet for my liking. Life is good when one can take a stroll with some music (itunes on my phone), enjoyed the breeze and the view. YAsSSss~
Jingzhaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields 井仔腳瓦盤鹽田
And finally! My last stop, the salt fields. Tip: Do not visit when the weather say’s slight drizzle and cloudy. Because you won’t be able to catch the sunset and left disappointed like I did. I had my camera ready the whole time but it was just gloomy and grey throughout. Another tip is to always check the last transportation and be mindful. Time flew past so quickly, it was almost pitch dark before I knew it. The thing is, there’s no bus stop for me to wait. I was just sitting at some random curb outside the entrance of the salt field with one pathetic lamp post nearby. The mini bus zoomed past me without even stopping to make sure there were no passengers.
The salt field was closed, it was dark, there’s no one in sight and I don’t see any houses around. I realised…. THE HORROR!!! DIE! Right next to the field was a chinese temple and some dim red lights on. The only way I could probably get help was to try to hopefully find someone tending the temple. With my panicky state (I hardly panic), THANK BUDDHA I found an uncle! So he told me that there was one last bus that I could still catch. And I should stand in the middle of the road so the bus driver will notice me. So I did what was told but I was a little worried the driver might hit me. duh~ But YES, I got away and survived.
Jingzhaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields 井仔腳瓦盤鹽田
727, Taiwan, Tainan City, Beimen District, 永華里井仔腳
visit site
So the day I went on my solo trip to the salt fields, it was all gloomy… I knew I had to return another day. I wasn’t going to give up without my sunset shot. After monitoring the weather reports, the friends accompanied me on my return visit and we managed to witness the beautiful sunset. Yay~ PS: The photos below are from my 2nd visit.
Signing off the post with adorable Anna.
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