高雄

7/4/12 阿里山往高雄。 今天的天气还是寒冷和带重雾， temperature in the morning is 12 C up at the mountains with light intermittent showers. No chance of us seeing clearly in this weather. Our tour guide tells me the better time to come to Alishan is the northern autumn or winter. In the summer there tends to be bad weather systems due to the typhoons.

We did not take the steam train ride at Alishan

So we leave Alishan in heavy thick fog and rain. Next stop on the agenda is a detour to a small town called Fenchihu 奋起湖 approximately 1/3 way down from Alishan。奋起湖坐落於海拔1,405公尺， 它為阿里山鐵道的中繼站，也是台灣最高的老街，周圍旅遊包含螢火蟲、鐵道便當、木屐和奮起湖神木等等。

奋起湖有南台灣九份之稱。

I love the narrow streets and houses/stalls that are sited on hilly slopes in  奋起湖. So romantic (because of its rarity) and so Taiwanese in its setting. So many different types of foods and delicacies on sale. Just different and something we come to Taiwan to experience. I am so happy to be part of the experience today. 

鐵路便當或稱火車便當 is a must have lunch at Fenchihu. Unfortunately we cannot keep the aluminium 便當 banto box as souvenir

The food is not great. We eat it for its memory of the forestry workers who used to chop trees up in the mountains

At the Old Street 老街 where we find small stall holders selling food and handicraft. I think the tourists are interested to see what is on offer, what is new and different.

This is the bearded guy whose father started selling the banto boxes to workers who used to chop the trees up at Alishan. I actually talked to him a bit when I bought my 火車便當 but I did not know who he was until I saw this ad outside on the street after lunch

Love the "houses" (or huts?)

Narrow lane ways and lovely timer homes

Some one is drying some pamelo peels

 Wild boar meat and skin on sale

The disused Fenchihu Raiway Station

We manage to make our way down the mountains in the e-go van in heavy traffic, in fog and rain; to the Chiayi High Speed Rail HSR station for our 5.02pm departure to Kaohsiung. The trains and buses in Taiwan are incredibly on time and efficient. No misses so far.

 HSR top speed 297 kph. Rock solid ride.

 We arrive at Zuoying HSR station (Kaohsiung) dead on 5.36pm.

Get it? High wind on platform (strong wind?) Watch your personal belongings (Take care of your personal belongings?)

We have our dinner at Bossa Nova 巴沙诺瓦 at the Shin Kong Mitsuboshi 高雄新光三越 Kaohsiung nearby the Zuoying station. EZ Travel's tour guide then picks us up and tours us around Kaohsiung including the 爱河之心.

辛福爱之船 which we did not ride on because there is a long queue of Chinese tourists waiting to board the boat to tour the Kaohsiung Love River

 After the tour guide drops us at the Howard Plaza Hotel 福华大饭店 we find our way to a nearby 六合 night market for supper

We have supper of 麻油面腺， 高雄贡丸， 鱼丸， 豆花 and this 花生湯 which is SM's favorite 糖水

 

I on the other hand go for my favorite 苦瓜凤梨蜂蜜汁。 This stall apparently is endorsed by Taiwan President 马英九 for its products. I have to have a picture taken.

Kaohsiung appears to be a vibrant city. It's the second largest city by population (some 2.75 million) after Taipei and is a fairly new city having been founded in the 1930's. I see a lot of new high rises - commercial and residential, lots of young people who seem to like having an active night life. It has its MRT system and so it should be easy to walk around the city - not on this trip for us, though.

It appears 高雄比台中更好玩。