Day 440: Tainan - Taitung (臺東市)

Jun 16 - Get up early and make a solo trip to a few temples within walking distance of our hotel. The first is Guan Gong Temple. Guan Gong, the Taoist god of justice, courage, and loyalty, is one of the most widely worshipped in Taiwan.

The entrance is narrow, but opens into a large complex of many shrines. This temple is one of the most well-known in the country.

Main altar with image of Guan Gong. Like most Taoist deities, he was supposedly a historical figure, deified after he died. He lived in Shanxi Province during the Three Kingdoms period (184-280 CE) and is famous for his military exploits.

More images of Guan Gong, recognizable by his stern expression and red face.

These four bats symbolize fortune, and are all important in Chinese symbolism, probably pre-dating other animals.

I think this is Guan Yin, who we’ve been seeing since Malaysia. Originally a Buddhist deity, she was assimilated into the Taoist pantheon.

Many, many tiny figurines in the wall.

Busy burning joss paper.

Just around the corner from this is the Grand Mazu Temple. Same principle deity as at the Luermen Mazu Temple on Day 437.

The entrance, again, is just wedged in the alley.

Main altar.

This was the first temple where I’ve noticed Huye (the Tiger God). He is not a main god, but rather a ‘supporting deity’.

Just north of these temples, across a main road, is Chikan Tower. This was a Dutch fort from back during the time when the Dutch controlled the southern part of the island.

Would have gone in, but it wasn’t open yet.

Detail of the inside of a Buddhist temple, passed on the way back to the hotel.

Wait until the 11:00 train departure today, to avoid getting too early to the next hotel (check-in times in Taiwan have been 14:00-15:00). First train is one hour to Fangliao, a tiny, quiet station stuck between the ocean and the mountains. Pass a large number of ponds with motors agitating the water.

We passed thousands of these ponds between Tainan and Chaozhou.

Fangliao Train Station in the rain.

The train passes through innumerable tunnels on the way across the mountains. The east coast is very different than the west. The mountains come close to the shore, and the surf is much greater.

One thing I notice right away is the tetrapod concrete blocks lining the shore. These were placed here to stop erosion.

Today’s route: (A) Tainan, (B) Taitung.

Off at Taitung, or rather, the district where the train station is. This is a completely planned suburb, basically, a grid of streets waiting for interested parties to build structures. Most of it is filled but it has that sense of emptiness like many planned cities do. The streets are devoid of traffic as we walk through the drizzle to our homestay. Cannot find any restaurant in our neighborhood so go back to the train station to find food in the early evening.

Taiwan (ROC)