Taiwanese Odyssey-II

Taiwanese Odyssey -II

 

Touristy attractions of Kaohsiung

 

The second largest city in Taiwan on the banks of river Love that overlooks Taiwan Straits is Kaohsiung. A one-and-a-half hour journey by High Speed Railway from Taipei brought us to Zuoying Station from where we took the bus to the port city of Kaohsiung. We halted at the luxurious Sky Tower Hotel, the 85-storied, five-tar haunt being the largest in the city. 

 

MRT Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung

 

At Kaohsiung, we visited the wonderful MRT Formosa Boulevard Station that figures as the second most beautiful Mass Rapid Transit across the globe and represents the heart of the city. It lives up to the reputation of being the largest round-shaped station in the world. 

 

It is a visual wonder comprising three-level underground station with an island platform and the “Dome of Light” in the upper part of the station displays the largest glass work in the world. It is exquisitely done up with 4,500 glass panels.

 

Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard

 

Designed by an Italian artist, the Dome of Light is renowned for its biggest public art installation across the globe. 

 

Another Mass Rapid Transit of the port city that is worth a visit is the Central Park Station. It was a sense of pride to visit some of the global wonders in Taiwan.

Adventurous E-DA World

 

The Outlet Mall at E-DA World, Kaohsuing

 

 

A quick lunch at Starbucks Café and we headed to E-DA World – a city in itself and is replete with a theme park, Royal Hotel, Skylark Hotel and the high-end Outlet Mall providing luxury shopping experience. 

Taiwan Straits from Kaohsuing

E-DA World is around 16 minutes drive from HSR Zuoying Station. The theme park has a monorail and is the largest indoor park in Taiwan. We came across huge statues of Greek warriors but the USP of the theme park is “Fly over Taiwan” adventure show. 

 

Sky Tower Hotel, Kaohsuing

 

Replete with four-dimensional effects, the ride was a flying simulator that provided a lifetime experience for us. We had a bird’s eye view into the heartland of Taiwan with rugged landscapes and exciting nightlife and it was spine-thrilling for us.

Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park

 

The next day it was time for us to have hand-on experience in Taiwanese art and culture. We wended our way from Kaohsiung to Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park in Tainan district, a mere 20-minute drive. Widely known as the first drum-themed global art village in Asia, Ten Drum has been set up at the historic Rende Sugar Refinery and has an invigorating, eco-friendly ambience where one can experience live drum shows, take a look at the Taiwan drum instruments, sip a cup of coffee or have a delectable, exotic Taiwanese lunch.

Taiwanese drums at Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park

 

For us, a visit to Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park was amazing since we got to learn the art of playing drums. Ten Drum was born way back in 2000 at a site that once housed a sugar refinery and was gutted by fire. The beams of the roof were made of Taiwan cypress and the ruined site and the scorched cypress have been revived by natural weathering.

 

Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park

 

We had a glimpse of the collapsed walls, burnt cypress and a number of indigenous plants that have been preserved by Ten Drum Creative Group. We had a chance to watch a live percussion performance at the state-of-the-art auditorium that shows off a blend of traditional and contemporary beats. It was a high-voltage performance complete with stunning light effects and water showers. We took a stroll around the creative park that has old warehouses and railway tracks belonging to 20^th century.