Hayashi Department store

I often passed Hayashi Department Store on the way to somewhere else in Tainan, but ignored the Japanese store until the day I had to check out of my hotel. My flight to Singapore wasn’t leaving until the evening, and I only had an hour’s train ride south to the airport in Kaohsiung City, so it was time to wander through the store.

Taiwan’s salt museum

Only 150 metres from Cigu Salt Mountain was the Salt Museum, which claimed to have a complete collection of books and cultural relics pertaining to the salt industry in Taiwan.

salt mountain

North of the Zengwen River, I reached Salt Mountain in Cigu on a windy afternoon. Before me stood a mountain of salt just over sixteen metres high that covered one hectare. I was immediately drawn to the salt steps that led to the top.

Eternal golden castle

In 1874 during Emperor Tongzhi’s reign, Japanese troops invaded Taiwan, and Shen Boazhen was put in charge of the country’s defense system. He suggested a fortress be built in Anping, and Erkunshen Fortress, also known as Golden Castle was constructed using bricks from Fort Zeelandia.

anping’s backstreets

Tucked away all through Anping were tiny alleyways that were worth exploring. I first wound my way to Wei’s ancestral home whose past resident had been a Manchurian navy officer. But there were other tiny houses that seemed just as old. Sometimes only a roof remained, or a couple of brick walls to give a hint of what was once there.

Zeelandia fort (later anping fort)

Anping Fort was in the heart of the area’s tourist bubble, where from the bus stop, stalls lined both sides of the road all the way to the entrance into the fort. The site was typical of 17^thcentury forts and a symbol of Dutch governance on the island. 

Anping tree house

This haunting house reminded me of a setting for a horror movie. While I believe banyan trees to be the most unique trees, the way they had crept over and into this house was ominous and fascinating at the same time.

Anping’s invaders

Long before Europeans arrived in Anping, Chinese and Japanese pirates had already been invading Taiwan. But by the mid 16^thcentury, the Dutch ruled the region for thirty-eight years. They made Anping a key international port until Koxinga gained control and encouraged foreign powers to establish trading posts on the island. For more on Koxinga —

https://malleestanley.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/koxingas-corner-of-tainan/

taijiang national park

Like Kenting National Park, Taijiang was hard to pin down. Perhaps because the park was divided into five zones — the ecological protected area, the scenic area, the cultural/historical area, recreational area and the existing used area. This last one was where oyster farms, aquaculture ponds, temples and villages filled land and waterways and wiped away the feel of a national park that covered both land and sea.

taijiang national park’s sicao green tunnel

If you’ve never been surrounded by mangroves, Green Tunnel is the place to visit. I crossed the car park where litter lined the walkway. In fact, I’d walked all the way from Anshun Salt Flats, and loads of garbage had fluttered by the side of the road — and this was a national park.