Tainan

Being the oldest and most culinary rich city in Taiwan, Tainan is a must see. I originally didn’t have Tainan on my list of cities I planned to visit; but after hearing everyone rave about it, I couldn’t pass the opportunity by.

I only spent two full days in Tainan. For me,
that was enough to. If you are really into cities, then you might want to stay a bit longer, as there is plenty of city to explore. Tainan is known for its original, Japanese influenced architecture. There are many beautiful buildings all over the city, as well as temples, with the original architecture. You could spend days just staring at the beauty of the buildings and temples.

Make sure to check out Hayashi. It is a department store in an original Japanese building. You can browse around the store, stocking up on souvenirs. If you go up to the top of the building, you’ll see a great view of the city. At the top, you can also buy post cards and mail them out right there. I thought that was the coolest part of the store, but I am not really a shopper, especially when I am traveling. This is a fantastic place to take a breather from the temples, get a tea, and revel in the magnificent view overlooking the city.

Out of all of Taiwan, the most gods are worshipped in Tainan. This adorable city is saturated with gorgeous temples. Make sure you take the time to check out at least a few of them. I spent my entire first day just wondering down the streets, exploring all the stores and food shops. Occasionally running into a temple and roaming through that, too. Although it is the oldest city in Taiwan, it still has a very new, and trendy feel to it. Unlike many of the trendy towns in The States, you don’t have to deal with a bunch of hipsters that have mohawks and wear leather trench coats.

 

 

 

 

If spending the entire day walking through temples doesn’t exactly sound like your cup of tea, here are the ones you cannot miss:

Tiantan Temple

The Tiantan Temple is primarily used for the worship of the Jade Emperor. This temple full of statues of gods and many other stimulants for your eyes. The effort and amount of minuscule detail that was placed into this temple is absolutely astounding. Being one of Tainan’s most important temples, dating back to 1854, there can be a lot of traffic flow through here. Make sure to be respectful to the people who are to pray. I was the only foreigner, and the only visitor who wasn’t at the temple to pray. Be polite to the locals, and mind your picture-taking.

Confucius Temple

Unlike the Tianan Temple, this is much more of a tourist destination. You have to pay a small fee of NT25 ($0.80 USD) to enter the temple, and it is not as common to see people here praying. I did not see anybody praying during my visit.

You don’t have to be as cautious with your camera here, as everyone is a tourist, just snapping away. There are several plaques explaining old Japanese artifacts, and telling stories about the temple. Luckily, there are signs in English, as well.

The Confucian Temple is the oldest Confucian shrine in Taiwan, originally built in 1666. The area surrounding the temple is absolutely gorgeous, and free to explore. As you walk through the tall red walls, you almost forget you are in the middle of a city. 

While I was gazing at the architecture outside of the temple, a young Taiwanese man asks me if he can take a picture of me. By now, I am completely used to this question. He takes a quick picture of me on his very professional looking camera. He then asks what my plans are for the rest of the day. You know me, No Plan Stan. Without hesitation I accept his offer to check out some other parts of the city. Goodbye solo stumbling upon attractions by chance. He took me around to different buildings, museums, and original Japanese buildings in Tainan. I was visiting places that I had no idea had any importance.

Meandering through new cities is completely different when you are walking around with a local, who speaks the local language. I have been blind for all this time, now I can see. He explained the original purposes of buildings, and was able to inform me of what they were used for now. I finally knew what every sign said and what every odd-smelling dish was. After showing me a corner of Tainan, he headed back to his college campus to go to class. He was studying to be an engineer. 

Right across the street from the Confucian Temple is The Narrow Door Cafe.
I highly recommend stopping in here. The atmosphere is like no other. The front entrance can be a little difficult to find, but that is what makes this place fun. After squeezing through a narrow door way, and walking

down a dark alley, you will arrive at The Narrow Door Cafe. Here you can get a variety of different teas, and enjoy a small snack. Tibetan Buttered Tea is now my newest addiction, thanks to this cafe. You’d be silly if you didn’t try it.

The atmosphere is very relaxing; it is a perfect place to sip on your tea and reflect on all the history you absorbed while floating through the temples.

Tainan is recognized for its food, so make sure you come with an empty stomach and a willing wallet.
Some foods that are particularly special to Tainan include milk fish, shrimp rolls, coffin bread,eel noodle soup, and shachang fish. It is a little tricky to find these exact dishes, if you do not speak Chinese. Unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants do not have English menus, nor do they speak it. So, it can be quite difficult if you are out seeking a particular meal. I didn’t get to try as many foods that I would have liked to of tried because of this.

 

 

 

 

 

After a day full of rambling though the city, you can visit one of the many night markets. Make sure you check to see what days each night market is held. I really enjoy checking out the night markets in every town I go to, because they all vary slightly. Each night market is accustomed to that specific area. They are great places to try new foods because you can see just about everything being cooked, right in front of you. It’s a lot of pointing on your part, and Chinese babbling on their part.

I stayed at the Loft 18 Hostel both nights, and can’t even begin to describe how pleased I am with this hostel. The location is unbeatable, within walking distance to just about everything. You are right in the city where everything is happening. You are hidden away, down a quiet little alley way that blocks the sounds coming from the noisy city. The hostel was squeaky clean, and the beds made you feel like you were sleeping in the clouds. I seriously laid in bed until 12pm on my second day here!! I never do that. I am totally a morning grinder, “early bird gets the worm” type of gal. These beds are dangerously comfortable. It was a little difficult to find at first, but Dennis was more than helpful with assisting me to find it. Any question I had, I brought to Dennis, who was more than happy to help me. He recommended for me to try the beef soup in Tianan, then even drove me to the best local spot to try it.

I would highly recommend adding Tainan to your list, if you haven’t already. You are continuously enclosed by breathtaking architecture. Despite the frequent whiffs of the ever so awful smelling stinky tofu, you have an array of options to satisfy your inner foodie. This city is just oozing with history and it is very easy to access. It is definitely worth making a stop here. You could effortlessly spend several more days here, full of new activities and different meals.