fu an gong
Where: Fu An Gong 車城福安宮 & National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) 國立海洋生物博物館
It was the 10-10 holiday (October 10th) which is their national birthday, I am sure there were lots of events … in Taipei but I didn’t think there were any in Kaohsiung aside from a few fireworks at E-Da Mall.
I ended up going to CheCheng, a small town in Pingtung but has at least 2 major attractions and people usually stop by here on their way to Kenting. My ex coworker drove and the first stop we went to was Fu An Gong, I think it was almost an hour drive before we got there. Fu An Gong was built all the way back in the Ming Dynasty (so at least 400 years ago) and is said to be the largest temple dedicated to the god of land (Tu Di Kung 土地公) in all of Southeast Asia. The statue itself was brought in from Mainland China to keep the newly immigrated settlers safe from diseases etc .. The temple is quite huge, spanning 6 stories, 2 pagodas and is still under construction / renovations. The carvings and decorations are also quite intricate. There are also local products and other food and beverages being sold at the back of the temple =)
yum yum
CheCheng is also known for green beans dessert and they are sold in many places there but my ex-worker said this particular dessert place is the best and have been frequented by many local celebrities =)
Nearing noon, we were suppose to head towards the National Aquarium but we missed the exit and ended up at Hengchun 恆春, an ancient town that was made famous by the Taiwanese movie Cape no.7. I haven’t watched that yet but once I have, I will be busing down there for some movie-set chasing …. We made a short stopover at this place that sells vegetable meat buns 菜肉包 and then drove back the way we came but this time, making sure we get to the aquarium.
outside the Aquarium
Arriving at the aquarium, my friend exchanged the tickets for real tickets. Apparently, if you buy it at the aquarium, it is 450NT but you get discounted tickets in various stores and it would only cost you 390NT (but she can’t remember where she got it from). In any case, we went inside the aquarium and the first thing we saw, aside from a Starbucks, is the largest outdoor water park in Taiwan. Surprisingly, no one was playing in the waters but the area was super windy that time too.
sea lions
The Aquarium has two buildings and three exhibitions, the Waters of Taiwan and Coral Kingdom Pavilions are located in one and the Waters of the World have their own building. The Waters of Taiwan introduces the various marine biology living in Taiwan ..and the Coral Kingdom has corals as well as the various colorful fishes that lives in it. I like the Coral Kingdom the best because they have lots of tropical fishes in captivity and they have an underwater passageway as well as a re-creation of an underwater battleship that is being used by fishes as their home (it shows how quickly these species can adapt to new changes). The last exhibition has various sea mammals like sea lions and penguins. They don’t have any shows but there are “feeding times” where visitors can watch penguins and sea lions being fed. There is also a 3D theater and a place to touch tiny sea creatures such as starfish and sea slugs.
yum!
I also got a free folder and a key chain for 20NT, both are promotions and must show 2 admission tickets. They have a few restaurants and cafes and the price is o.k. but it is probably best to purchase something from the outside and then bring it in to eat =) There is a beach and a boardwalk outside and if it isn’t windy – would be a nice place to eat 🙂
After leaving the museum, my friend drove us to this rural town called Wanluan 萬巒, which is east of Daliao in Kaohsiung but still in Pingtung and it doesn’t have much except for a few restaurants that serves really delicious pork feet! The pork feet are marinated in a pot and then serve it to you, chopped and cold. The total came to 375NT but we also ordered a vegetable and noodle dish. (we had so much left we had to pack it home)!
migachan 