Tainan is a historical city with a few attractions that we really want to see. It was an area of focus for the Dutch during their attempt of colonization of Taiwan and then for some time the capital of the island after the Chinese took over. Our hotel is right in the middle of it all so today is a time for walking and our car gets a rest day. It is hot outside but luckily the streets here are built as in many other downtowns in Taiwan, with covered sidewalks. It is a relief to walk in the shade as we try to get our bearings and start on our way to Chihkan Tower the first attraction.
Walking in Taiwan is night and day versus India it seems quite safe to explore random side streets and people are not really interested or following us and begging for money. Of course the culture and income level are also quite different but still it makes all the difference in making us feel welcome.
There are some interesting details that we start to notice as we continue exploring. There are many pet stores selling supplies and offering services but it seems mostly for cats. More surprisingly we see an angry clown sculpture in front of us that looks like Ronald McDonald so we assume it is a McDonalds with a bad representation of the iconic clown. But no, it is in fact another fast food chain and we are not sure now if the likeness is intended or not.
Another thing we noticed is that there are quite a few houses that are getting demolished or repaired, similarly to Taichung. But now we do our research and find out that it is likely due to an earthquake that happened recently and in this case there are very few buildings that got visibly impacted, a testament to the building standards in the area.
And then we arrive at our first goal, the Chihkan Tower. It is an invisible tower, we notice, as there is nothing to see as we enter. Where the tower should be is scaffolding covering in completely, it seems quite anticlimactic. We think that the entrance should have been free but now that we are inside it is time to explore and maybe there is a way to actually catch a glimpse of the tower? The reason we wanted to see it is that it was part of the Dutch colonization of Taiwan and after it was taken over by the Chinese it was the capital of Taiwan for some years.
After a short visit to the gift shop we notice the fountain and we decide to explore it. And it is good we go to explore it as the pond is full of Koi fish that seem quite hungry and are fun to watch.
There is a mysterious entrance next to the fountain and that is the only way to get into the back area of the protected site. And from this side we can see the Tower and are quite surprised. There is nothing wrong with it, why is it covered in scaffolding?!?
Here there are also some remains that were excavated from both Dutch and Imperial Chinese eras. There are not many but we like the horse statue and the fact that you can see the original entrance to the fortress from the Dutch times.
There are also a few other buildings that are protected here, some still standing like the old administrative school and some in ruins like the walls of buildings that were destroyed hundreds of years ago.
Then we enter the Tower and at the bottom level is a small museum with a model of the fortress during Chinese times and a few coins found here.
From this museum you can exit on a balcony via the windows. Well maybe not via windows but doors with very high thresholds. We are not sure but go outside to take a few photos, after watching other people do it and ensuring it is not forbidden, there is no way to be sure really.
There are views from the balcony, of the surrounding area, but the area is quite city like and not special in our opinion. At least the details on the tower are quite special.
We then go upstairs and are faced with a god, the god of literature and exams. The time of exams is far behind us but good literature, sign us up! So we throw the stones to find our fortune and our fortune is to get a pen, nice!
So we pick the pen after reading the instructions to ensure we haven’t angered the god and then buy additional things from the gift shop which has some cool things. And then it is time to leave this somewhat underwhelming museum, it is time to visit the close Grand Mazu Temple.
