2011 Taiwan Tainan Taiwan

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I decided to visit Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan, for a day as it just took around 2 hours from Taipei using a HSR (High Speed Rail) and a shuttle bus to the Old City. I wanted to visit Tainan because one of my friends who is from Taiwan said this way, "Tainan is Taiwan's Kyoto, Kaohsiung is Taiwan's Detroit". Also I met a couple from Tainan when I was wandering in Kyoto several years back. She mentioned that food in the south (southern Taiwan) was better.

(1) Orchid from tree

Well, Orchid doesn't grow on a tree. So, what was the trick.
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Various plants were attached to a large tree. I'm not sure those parasite plants were getting enough water from its hosting tree.
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(2) Temple of the Five Concubines

Unlike other temples, the door gods of this temple were not war generals but beautiful concubines.
I didn't know the last prince of the Ming Dynasty escaped to Taiwan when the Ming Dynasty collapsed. He lost a battle to the Qing Dynasty's force and he killed himself and his five concubines followed.

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(3)「中山路」(Jhongshan Road) and the statue of Sun Yat-sen

I saw a road named 「中山路」in every city I went to in Taiwan. I eventually realized it was named after Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), Father of the Nation. Many cities have a roundabout with his statue like the one in the photo.
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(4) A candid banner I found in front of a women's high school

It was so candid that I didn't think any high schools in the US were willing to put this kind of banner in front of their school.
The translations of the messages are:
(the 1st bubble from the left) Not drink, refrain yourself (from drinking), treasure yourself
(the 2nd bubble from the left) Drug poisons you and the harm ruins your life
(the 3rd bubble from the left) One cigarette in your hand, the harm would last for your life
(the 4th bubble from the left) Get corret knowledge and you won't get AIDS
(the 5th bubble from the left) Not chew betel nuts (* note) and you won't get red-stained lips
Note: chewing betel nuts causes the lips and tongue to be stained orange/red
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(5) Other scenes from Tainan

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I saw more than a few students practicing sketches in temples.
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Elaborated rock curbed decoration
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Shaved ice
While I was drinking Espresso, I noticed a store at the opposite side of the street. I couldn't figure out what kind of things the store was offering so I asked some ladies in the coffee shop. After going back-and-forth in English, a lady in the coffee shop explained to me that they were selling shaved ice desserts. After finishing my Espresso, I checked out the store but I didn't try it (I now kind of regret that I didn't try it out).
Photos of Shaved ice desserts from Google Image
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(6) Train ride back to Taipei

There was High Speed Rail (HSR) service available in Taiwan since 2007. But it costs twice as much but it takes about half the time to travel. However, most HSR stations were quite far from Old City centers. Thus, it might not save much.
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