City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Republic of China).
Yes, I know the color is wrong, but for those of us old enough to remember, doesn’t this scruffy, adorable little guy that I spied at the Chinese New Year Celebration on Lotus Pond remind you of the ever lovable Benji! Of course we all know how Benji felt about leashes and this guy’s hair is starting to thin here and there (shh…just pretend not to notice), but just look at that face…aw.
I hope you enjoyed this installment from my “Dogs of Taiwan” series.
Well, Chinese New Year has come to an end, but we had a great time at the Chinese New Year Celebration on Lotus Pond, located in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
For 5 days, starting on Thursday, February 19th, the people of Zuoying celebrated with a carnival like atmosphere of shopping, food, games and play on Liantan Road along the banks of Lotus Pond.
With the exception of the ever persistent occasional scooter (moped or motorcycle), that manage to swarm just about everywhere here with impunity, and delivery vehicles the street was closed to traffic for the duration of the event.
Whole families and friends poured into Lotus Pond to enjoy the event. It was a festive atmosphere of family oriented fun that packed in the crowds for all 5 days of the Chinese New Year.
Even their dogs weren’t left out of this celebration. As I’ve reported before the Taiwanese love their dogs. They take them everywhere they go and the New Year Celebration is definitely no exception. Everywhere we looked we saw dogs celebrating right alongside their human counterparts. In the coming days and weeks I will be posting many more photos of the dogs we saw celebrating the New Year as part of my ongoing series, The Dogs of Taiwan.
Katrina and I visited everyday enjoying more than our fill of Chinese Comfort Food. We ate:
Katrina, who is Chinese, has maintain for years that Chinese celebrate with food and I finally got to see firsthand that she wasn’t kidding. Just look at how much that adorable little girl below is enjoy her corn on the cob.
Luckily we did plenty of walking to help burn off those extra calories. The vendors and stands lined over 1 kilometer of Liantan Road and we walked the full length and back plus another 2 kilometers to from the event every day.
1 kilometer…trust me that’s a lot of vendors and stands, and they were packed from end to end every day. Even with the crowds everybody’s friendly and festive spirit made these 5 fun filled days a wonderful experience. Well from Lotus Pond, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè (Happy New Year) and Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái (May you have a prosperous New Year)!
Happy Chinese New Year! For those of you who don’t know, this year February 19th is Chinese New Year. And believe me, the people who brought the world fireworks, know how to celebrate.
I took these pictures around midnight from my window, and yes, they are shooting the fireworks between the buildings. This is not a professional fireworks display. These were legally bought by local residence and they were going off everywhere around us along with thousands of firecrackers. It was a spectacular display of celebration. I can’t wait to see what the next few days holds in store. This is my first Chinese New Year in a Chinese Country, and I’m very excited!
Being a night person myself, I really enjoy the night markets that are so prevalent in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. One of my favorites is the Liuhe Night Market in the XinXing District near the Formosa MRT Station. It is a very popular and well known place for locals and tourists visiting Kaohsiung, whether from Taipei or overseas. During the day, Liuhe 2nd Road looks like any other road with thru traffic and storefronts, but after 6:00 PM the barriers go up and it becomes a pedestrian market.
As I indicated it is popular with tourists and there are definitely more traditional markets (like the Ruifeng Night Market in Zuoying) around the area that I’ve visited. While I’m usually the one to forsake tourist traps in favor of more local flavor, this is one case where I break from tradition and actually recommend the tourist oriented option.
The Liuhe Night Market is a brighter, more colorful, spacious and vibrant market atmosphere that just propels you into the spirit. The vendors here enjoy presenting you with one colorful display of food after another. Some of the stands are actually restaurants, allowing you to pick your fresh seafood and then walk to the back to enjoy it at a comfortable table. While seafood definitely dominates the market, you can still partake of many other Chinese culinary delights and shop for clothing and accessories, too.
Since tourists are their bread & butter, the vendors are friendlier, more jovial, patient and understanding of questions. You can sense that many of them literally enjoy the spectacle and the crowds, and this goes on nearly every night of the year.
You find yourself happily wandering from stand to stand, repeatedly stuffing yourself with food you just can’t resist trying. It is a great way to quickly sample many Taiwanese dishes all in one place. Granted it may be a little more expensive than the other night markets that locals frequent, but it is only slightly more expensive and still very cheap by western standards.
To see more pictures of this colorful market checkout my Liuhe Night Market Photo Gallery.
One of my favorite treats that I’ve grown to love in Taiwan is the roasted sweet potato. Vendors sell them everywhere, in the park, on the sidewalks, in small storefronts, night markets… Not only do they taste great, they’re good for you. The locals believe it is one of their secrets to longevity, health and a youthful appearance.
Now I’m not talking about eating them at your favorite restaurant smothered in butter and sugar. I’m talking about eating them plain right from a brown bag while walking along enjoying the day. Don’t get me wrong, I used to enjoy loading on the butter and sugar myself, but adding butter and sugar just diminishes the health benefit. Besides, I’ve come to realize that the natural flavor is sweet enough to enjoy on its own. After all, why do you think they call them sweet potatoes?
There are two ways to eat them. You can peel away the skin and just eat the sweet soft creamy center, or if you enjoy the skin like me, you can just bite right in and eat the whole thing. I personally believe the skin holds even more nutrients and I just like the roasted flavor of the skin. Don’t worry about germs, the heat from roasting will kill most every germ.
So come on, dig in. How often do find something that tastes this good and is actually good for you! This is truly like having your cake and eating it too.
Since arriving in Taiwan we’ve noticed that the Taiwanese love their dogs, but some in Kaohsiung take it up to a whole new level. They pander and dote on their adorable little puppies to the point that would do a Beverly Hills socialite proud. Being an animal and dog lover myself, I really enjoy this.
This is the first installment in my “Dogs of Taiwan” series I plan on posting of the many dogs we’ve seen while visiting Taiwan.
The first one here may be favorite. We found him sitting around Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung. This dog is cool and he knows it. Definitely the Jack Nicholson of dogs. I like to think that if Jack was a dog this is the look he’d be going for.
And yes, that is a minion (“Despicable Me”) on his back.
You can look forward to many more photos like this coming your way during our stay here in Taiwan.
Recently a friend turned us on to a very colorful celebration at the Cih Ji Palace (pinyin: Cí jì gōng), a temple in front of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas by Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It appeared to be a celebration of the temple’s anniversary.
Temples from the neighboring areas of Kaohsiung individually paraded through the streets on their way to the Cih Ji Palace to pay their respects. As they approached the temple heralded them with a skillful demonstration of one of the China’s more popular inventions, the fireworks. They could be heard throughout the district, allowing you to feel the festivities even from a distance.
Some of them put on very enjoyable and festive tributes while paying their respects. I was fortunate enough to capture some of these moments. Here are a few of the pictures I took. To enjoy the full set of pictures please go to my Cih Ji Palace (Temple) Celebration Gallery.
