Tayih Landis Hotel. With great and grand lobby + gym + spa+ swimming pool etc. I didn't manage to try out those facilities because I only spent a night there and just next to the hotel is ......
...... so understood.The next morning, we visited 2 important sites. One is the Chikan Tower and another is the first official Datianhou Temple (Goddess of the Sea @Mazu). 
Chikan Tower (above) is built by the Dutch in 1653 and was originally called 'Provintia' which means eternity. It has gone through the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonisation period but still maintains its original look.
The Mazu belief is something very common and strong in Taiwan especially Tainan. Mazu or goddess of the sea is believed to help protect the ancestors who sailed from mainland China to Taiwan long long ago. The goddess is worshipped a lot and there are really many temples of Mazu in Tainan. Almost every streets and each turns, be it small or big.
Chikan Tower (above) is built by the Dutch in 1653 and was originally called 'Provintia' which means eternity. It has gone through the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonisation period but still maintains its original look.The Mazu belief is something very common and strong in Taiwan especially Tainan. Mazu or goddess of the sea is believed to help protect the ancestors who sailed from mainland China to Taiwan long long ago. The goddess is worshipped a lot and there are really many temples of Mazu in Tainan. Almost every streets and each turns, be it small or big.We had our lunch at a special place in AnPing: 
They serve local delicacies that are famous from Tainan such as 'coffin bread', oyster omelet etc.
The 'coffin bread' 棺材板 is actually seafood in corn starch stuffed into a thick toast and then deep fried. Many of my foreign friends love this but to me, it's tasty but tastes quite ordinary. I prefer oyster omelet from Kuching because it is crunchy and not sticky like the one I tried there. I was so full after lunch because there were so many dishes (although they come in smaller size for tourists to try out). After lunch, we had some free time to walk around the AnPing old street to buy some handcrafts and food before we head to the AnPing TreeHouse. 
Frankly speaking, I don't think there's anything special about the treehouse as it's just a house which the 'Rong' trees 榕树intruded. Branches, roots are growing or 'breaking' into the walls, roofs and base of the house. After that, we continued our tour to Qijin Island in Kaoshiung. Strictly speaking, Qijin is actually not an 'island' but a delta of a river.
I had the opportunity to ride on a rickshaw on the island, which used to be a common mode of transportation in the past but now remains as tourism attraction. We then took a ferry to cross over from the island to Kaoshiung (although there's a huge underground tunnel) to visit the Former British Consulate. We were actually trap on the hill for half an hour or more because of a sudden downpour. The tour guide told us that it's due to the Lotus Typhoon that was approaching. We were 'lucky' because the typhoon was earlier this year.
I spent my night in Kaoshiung in the 85 storey high Splendour Hotel. The night view from my room is really great. I could actually felt the pressure in my ears when I used the escalator to reach my room on the 56th floor.
They serve local delicacies that are famous from Tainan such as 'coffin bread', oyster omelet etc.
The 'coffin bread' 棺材板 is actually seafood in corn starch stuffed into a thick toast and then deep fried. Many of my foreign friends love this but to me, it's tasty but tastes quite ordinary. I prefer oyster omelet from Kuching because it is crunchy and not sticky like the one I tried there. I was so full after lunch because there were so many dishes (although they come in smaller size for tourists to try out). After lunch, we had some free time to walk around the AnPing old street to buy some handcrafts and food before we head to the AnPing TreeHouse. Frankly speaking, I don't think there's anything special about the treehouse as it's just a house which the 'Rong' trees 榕树intruded. Branches, roots are growing or 'breaking' into the walls, roofs and base of the house. After that, we continued our tour to Qijin Island in Kaoshiung. Strictly speaking, Qijin is actually not an 'island' but a delta of a river.
I had the opportunity to ride on a rickshaw on the island, which used to be a common mode of transportation in the past but now remains as tourism attraction. We then took a ferry to cross over from the island to Kaoshiung (although there's a huge underground tunnel) to visit the Former British Consulate. We were actually trap on the hill for half an hour or more because of a sudden downpour. The tour guide told us that it's due to the Lotus Typhoon that was approaching. We were 'lucky' because the typhoon was earlier this year.
I spent my night in Kaoshiung in the 85 storey high Splendour Hotel. The night view from my room is really great. I could actually felt the pressure in my ears when I used the escalator to reach my room on the 56th floor. I didn't manage to go anywhere that night except walked across a few streets to a nearby Starbucks with a couple of friends. We needed to catch taxi to send us back due to heavy rain and wind. Typhoon days are bad days....
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