Kaohsiung is BEST at night, along the Love river.
A romantic and picturesque destination.
Visitors can enjoy enchanting boat cruises, leisurely strolls along the riverbanks, or a bike ride to see the city lights reflected on the water.
Kaohsiung Music Center features a light show on its exterior at night.
Does anyone really know what time it is?
I’d heard good things about Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan.
All tourists stop at the Formosa Boulevard subway station ➙ “Dome of Light“.
The Esports World Championships 2025 were hosted in this city. I happened upon a local Esport competition hosted in the subway station. It attracted the local cosplay community. I quickly donned my AI Nano Banana cosplay samurai costume. 😀
It’s amazing how young humans can dress up to look like their favourite cartoon characters. I’d never really thought much about cosplay before seeing them here.
I took the short ferry ride over to Cijin Island.
Rented an inexpensive bike. 8.5 km long, average width 400m. A series of tourists attractions.
Obviously, fish and seafood are important in Taiwan.
On the way back, I toured the Pier-2 Art Center area. Wild and weird instillations.
Walking around Lotus Pond is a treat. Kids love the Tiger + Dragon pagodas as you can walk through the mouth of both.
Buddhism here reminds me more of Hinduism. In these bright, detailed temples, I understand almost nothing of either.
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts is impressive. The world’s largest performing art theatre under one roof: Opera House, Concert Hall, Playhouse, and a Recital Hall.
No snow in this city. But one kid was tobogganing down artificial turf on cardboard.
Fast and Loose (2017) is one of the better books in the long Stone Barrington series.
Stone’s yacht collides with something bigger — and sinks.
Dr. Paul Carlsson and his daughter, Marisa, save him
His rescuers are owner-founders of the world-famous Carlsson Clinic, with a reputation akin to the Mayo Clinic.
Inevitably, Stone and Marisa hook up.
In a related story, St. Clair Enterprises has suffered the loss of its CEO and owner, Christian St. Clair, to a bomb blast.
His successor, Erik Macher, is, surprisingly, given St. Clair Enterprises in the CEO’s will.
Mocher is the bad guy. Jake his henchman.
Stone Barrington finds himself in the middle after an old friend, Ed Rauls, drags hime in.
I’m making it sound too complicated. These books are fast-paced, easy to read.
Sun Moon Lake is a highlight for everyone visiting Taiwan.
748 m (2,454 ft) above sea level, temperatures are more moderate than the coastline.
In 2020, the number of annual tourist visits was 4.65 million people. Yet it didn’t feel crowded to me.
Surrounding the lake are biking and hiking trails for visitors.
I did both.
Cycling around is about 30 km + side trips. I stopped at most of the side trip attractions. Several temples.
The highlight was seeing indigenous Formosan macaques at play. They are much shyer than the macaques I’d seen in S.E. Asia.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Highly recommended.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
There are endless temples and pagodas in Taiwan. BUT this one is special.
Sun Moon Lake Wen Wu Temple (Chinese: 日月潭文武廟; pinyin: Rìyuètán Wénwǔ Miào) was rebuilt again in 1969, increasing its size and constructing it in the Chinese palace style. …
The first hall, located on the second floor of the front hall, is a shrine devoted to the First Ancestor Kaiji and the God of Literature. The central hall is devoted to Lord Guan, the Martial God, and another Martial God, Lord Yue. The rear hall is dedicated to Confucius.
Blue Buddha.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
You’ve never heard of Taichung, but it’s the 2nd largest city in Taiwan (2.86 million+).
Home of Giant Bicycles.
AND Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the world’s largest semiconductor foundry.
It’s no magnet for tourists.
But I really enjoyed the National Museum of Natural Science. First class.
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is equally well presented, but I’m much less into art.
More interesting than both, for me, is this quirky candy / ice cream shop called Miyahara. A historic building transformed into a luxurious dessert and souvenir store with a Harry Potter-esque interior.
Though an urban sprawl, here and there are some interesting architectural treats.
Train station, for example.
SOME green space. Not as much as I would like.
There are some interesting attractions outside the city, but I found public transportation not nearly as convenient as in Taipei.
I’m a huge fan of author Ken Follett‘s historical fiction. Especially his Kingsbridge series, starting with The Pillars of the Earth (1989).
I was excited to see he published a 2025 book set in the Neolithic period when the Stonehenge was created.
Circle of Days is set in prehistory 2500 BCE, where people are divided into tribes, their names in accordance to their roles such as miners, herders, woodlanders, and farmers.
The people meet each season at the wooden Monument for religious rites and festivities, led by priestesses.
The technology behind Stonehenge is fascinating.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Follett is a terrific storyteller. Good v Evil. Characters whom you can cheer and despise.
It’s worth reading, for sure.
BUT I can’t call this book the equal of any of his his Kingsbridge series.
I was somewhat disappointed. There’s no need for him to write a sequel.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.– John McCrae, 1915
Though thankfully I was never in a war, this is an important day for me. I remember.
Lest we forget – CBC
Remembrance Day (Australia, Canada, Colombia, UK and Ireland), also known as Poppy Day (South Africa and Malta), and Armistice Day (UK, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries; and the original name of the holiday internationally) is a day to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans and civilians in World War I and other wars. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918.
Remembrance Day – wikipedia
John Candy was born 1950, seven years before me.
Like pretty much every Canadian, I was a huge fan of SCTV, the low budget, super hilarious, Canadian television sketch comedy show about a fictional TV station.
Many of those comics went on to have great careers, including John Candy.
John Candy: I Like Me is the 2025 documentary on Prime about his all too short life. He died age-43 while filming a movie in Mexico.
I saw most of his TV bits and films, but — looking back — it’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) that I remember best.
Some feel that Uncle Buck (1989) was even better at portraying John the man.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
So far, after a couple of months, dozens of good hostels, best for me has been Meander 1948 in Taipei.
Turns out Taiwan’s in East Asian, not S.E. Asia — but BEST on my S.E. Asia trip 2025. 😀
BEST is the superb location, walking distance from Taipei Main Station, the biggest transportation hub in the country.
There are 100 restaurants within a 10-minute walk. And you get a voucher / day for any 8 of those restaurants ➙ much better than the free breakfast buffet at most hostels.
Most hostels don’t have enough common area. Meander 1948 is better. I can work on my laptop anytime I want.
Excellent staff. Special events scheduled for any guest who wants to sign-up.
For example, I joined in the Thursday hiking trip. Perfect for me.
Super clean and efficient. Hot showers with good water pressure.
Very large and quiet pod-style dorm beds.
FREE coffee 24 hours / day!
There are several Meander hostels. This one is designated 1948 because it’s housed in an historical building from 1948.
This is not the least expensive hostel, by any means. Over 7 nights I paid an average of USD $28 / night. High for S.E. Asia. Location, location, location saved me time and money getting to where I wanted to go with a (fairly expensive) transit pass.
Of course I prefer hostels over 4 star hotels.
Rick McCharles 