Kaohsiung
June 7th-10th, 2018
Kaohsiung has successfully preserved the past while creating an identity of its own. It is like the high school friend who never left town. Whose role organically developed into town preserver — helping to maintain the nostalgia of the place, keeping it somewhat unchanged for those who moved on and away to come back to with fondness. But who has also added their own touch to the place, helping it grow, progress, and become original.
Hip bubble tea shops open up at a constant rate next to established hole-in-the-wall restaurants serving noodle and fried chicken dishes with recipes, or décor, that hasn’t changed for generations. Old train stations have been turned into art galleries and artist workspaces while keeping their original exteriors and furnishings intact. The night markets sparkle with bubble gum colors, attracting young adults with bedazzled merchandise. Sprinkled amongst the stalls are old ladies selling actual bubble gum and homemade cookies.
The sights and sounds that greet the morning — hawkers setting up their fruit stalls, elderly people shuffling up and down pounding on their backs with closed fights to work out the kinks, and scooters zipping in and out of alleyways — remain unchanged from when the place was just a small college town.
Even the more western establishments have catered to the local culture, rather than the local culture changing to them. One morning I went into a McDonald’s to get an iced coffee. It was early in the morning — around 7 am on a weekday. Instead of people quickly moving in and out, taking their food to go (as most people would do at a McDonalds back home) people lingered, lounged, and used the establishment as a coffee house.
Kaohsiung is one of the few places we visited in our travels that have been able to eloquently toe the line of accepting progress while maintaining traditional ways of doing things. Western culture, while present, doesn’t feel forced. Modern techniques are blended in with old ways, creating something new, something unique, and something authentic.
3 Highlights:
- Bubble tea! Every other store in Kaohsiung is a bubble tea store. And I’m ok with that. The delicious, goo-y tapioca balls found at the bottle of each cup, create a layer of texture that makes the drink more of a meal than an accompaniment. The best joint in town? BobaPop of course! Full disclosure — it is owned and operated by my hard-working, fantastic friends from Shanghai — Rock and Ruby. If you ever find yourself in Kaohsiung (which I highly recommend you check out) you must have a Bubble Tea, and you must have it at BobaPop.
- Scooting up to Lovers Point. One night, Rock and Ruby took us on a scooter adventure. Ruby generously allowed us to borrow her 10-year-old scooter and follow them to the top of the highest hill in the city to enjoy a nighttime lookout point known as Lovers Point. When Ruby showed us the scooter we would be borrowing that night, I immediately knew we were in for an adventure. The scooter looked like it would carry, at most, 150 pounds. This was a scooter Prathap and I was to share! Let’s just say, combined, we are slightly more than 150 pounds. It was a sight to see. The two of us, crammed on this tiny scooter, put-putting up the hill. At one point, I considered walking next to the scooter since it felt like it would have been quicker. As the scooter dragged on up the hill, I let the light breeze reprieve me from the sticky, hot night. The atmosphere at the top was worth it. It was very Asian — a huge, lit up “Love” sign was situated next to a decadent temple as Karaoke could be heard in the background. After walking around and enjoying the view and the scenery, we hopped back on the scooter and descended. At twice the pace. Because, well — gravity.
- Eating at the local night market. Night markets are everywhere in Taiwan and Kaohsiung is no exception. But in Kaohsiung, dispersed between the new, flashy, night markets are local ones that sell cuisine that is tried and true — like oyster omelets, stinky tofu, and boiled vegetables. We found one in particular we liked and frequented it almost every night during our stay
