Tainan 臺南

Tainan was once the capital of Taiwan. It is also known as the City of Temples due to the number of temples in the city.

There was a unique location which was not mentioned in many other articles and I managed to find during my research and included in my adventure. Read on to find out about this place.

From Chiayi to Tainan

I reserved a discounted HSR ticket initially but as my Chiayi leg of my adventure was for Alishan, I booked my accommodation near the TRA Chiayi Station where the Alishan Forest Railway departed. After considering the difference in the travel time from Chiayi to Tainan (17 minutes via HSR vs 1 hour via TRA) and the time to get from HSR Chiayi Station to TRA Chiayi Station (about 40 minutes), I cancelled my HSR ticket and took the TRA to Tainan instead.

There were multiple trains so you just need to check the schedule, travel time and ticket prices.

iseasywith.me Travel Hack

If you decide to change your itinerary on the go, you can cancel and get a refund for your HSR tickets but it has to be done at least 30 minutes before departure. I did mine through the T Express mobile application and there was a handling charge of NT$20. The remaining amount was subsequently refunded back to my credit card.

Arriving at Tainan

As my Tainan leg was on a tight schedule, I deposited my backpack in a locker and off I went for my adventure.

In and Around Tainan

I visited the following places while in Tainan:

• Anping Old Fort 安平古堡
• Anping Treehouse 安平樹屋
• Anping Oyster Shell Cement Kiln Museum 安平蚵灰窯暨附屬建築
• Anping Old Street 安平老街/Yanping Street 延平老街
• Shennong Street 神農街
• Shuixian Gong Market 水仙宫市场
• Snail Alley 蝸牛巷/Wunhua Road 文化路
• Tianliao Moon World 田寮月世界
• Dadong/Ta-Tung Night Market 大東夜市

Anping Old Fort 安平古堡

Anping Old Fort, also known as Fort Zeelandia, had a rich history dating back to the Dutch colonial period in the 17th century. Built by the Dutch East India Company in 1624, it was a trading post and administrative centre during their occupation of Taiwan.

Anping Treehouse 安平樹屋

Anping Treehouse was originally a warehouse built by Tait & Co. in the late 19th century. Over time, the warehouse were abandoned and the banyan trees took over and wrapped themselves to the structures.

Anping Oyster Shell Cement Kiln Museum 安平蚵灰窯暨附屬建築

The museum was built around Taiwan's only remaining oyster shell cement kiln, which dates back to the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century. Oyster shell cement was made from oyster shells, lime and other materials, and was used in construction during that time.

Anping Old Street 安平老街/Yanping Street 延平老街

Both names refer to the same street so do not try to search for 2 different streets. 😂

The street was originally named Yanping Street during the Dutch colonial period in the 17th century. 延平 (Yanping) was the courtesy name of 鄭成功 (Zheng Chenggong), a prominent Chinese military leader who expelled the Dutch from Taiwan.

Many of the buildings there date back to the Qing Dynasty and showcased Dutch, Chinese and Japanese influences.

To boost tourism and to highlight the area's history, the local government and businesses started promoting the street as Anping Old Street. Anping refers to the district where the street is located.

The is lined with shops selling a wide variety of local specialties.

Shennong Street 神農街

The street was named after Shennong, a legendary figure in Chinese mythology known as the Divine Farmer and the inventor of agriculture and traditional Chinese medicine.

It is renowned for its beautifully preserved shophouses, temples and residences with their red brick facades, arcades and decorative details from the Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonial period.

Shuixian Gong Market 水仙宫市场

Opposite one end of Shennong Street is Shuixian Gong Market. Named after the Shuixian Gong Temple next to it, the local market is an integral part of community life where consumers buy their groceries such as meats, seafood or vegetables.

You can walk through the market to experience the sights, sounds and flavors of the atmosphere.

Snail Alley 蝸牛巷/Wunhua Road 文化路

The street name drew inspiration from the novel The Past is Like a Cloud by Yeh Shih-tao, a prominent Taiwanese literary figure which featured a Snail Alley, a slow and simple place for reflection.

A cluster of narrow alleyways in the vicinity of his last residence was transformed with murals, installations and design elements inspired by the novel and the concept of a snail's dwelling, as a tribute to his work.

iseasywith.me Public Service Announcement

During the course of my research, I came across the following:

1. There was a painted standing bookcase along the road which indicated arrival at Snail Alley.
2. There was a cafe which sold snail-shaped cakes.

I did not manage to find the bookcase. When I checked with some locals, they were either not aware or said that the bookcase was quite some time ago and no longer there. However, I found a cupboard painted over an electrical box. Did that count? 😬

I also checked with the owner of the cafe who said that she has stopped making the snail-shaped cakes some time back. I was quite disappointed as one of my objectives of going to Snail Alley was to try the cakes. However, she sold snail-shaped cookies instead.

Tianliao Moon World 田寮月世界

Here comes the unique location which I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Not sure why various websites suggest departure from Kaohsiung. From Google Maps, it seems like Tainan is nearer, thus Tianliao Moon World was in the Tainan leg of my adventure.

I have not been to the moon but looking at the moon's images, visiting the place seemed like what the name suggested, being teleported to the moon for the moment.

The barren mudstone formations are called badlands and if you get closer to them, you can see many erosion lines due to the weather.

Dadong/Ta-Tung Night Market 大東夜市

I planned to visit Dadong Night Market. When I arrived there based on Google Maps, the area was dark and quiet. I walked around the area, passed by some shops and asked someone, and was told that the night market opened on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Of the rest of the 4 days which it was opened, I went on Thursday! ☹️

Getting there

I took bus 3 near 海之味食堂 where I had dinner to the night market.

Food and Beverage

Departing Tainan

After coming back from the moon, it was time to move on to the next planet, Kaohsiung.