Hong Kong and Taiwan

Dec 26 AC753 YYZ-SFO, Dec 27 UA871 SFO-TPE, Jan 1 CX403 TPE-HKG, Jan 2 NH812 HKG-NRT, UA6 NRT-IAH AC596 IAH-YYZ

For our annual holiday trip, we made our way back to Taiwan, with a plan to cover the south coast.  We found a nice upgradable flight on United that allowed us to finally fly in the new United Polaris Business Class seats.  The seat was a big improvement from the previous United business class configuration, and we enjoyed the time exploring new parts of Taiwan, including testing out the high speed train.  Before heading back we had a pretty low key New Year in the outskirts of Taipei near the airport.  On the way back, we planned a day in Hong Kong, and ultimately made it back to Toronto together.

Dec 29

After staying overnight near Taipei’s airport, we caught a high speed train to Tainan, one of the oldest cities on the island, far more compact than Taipei. The city had a lot to offer, and we enjoyed our time there and the comfortable temperatures after escaping Toronto’s winter weather.

Bronze ox-shaped wine vessel inside Confucius temple, Tianan

Banyan Tree outside Confucius Temple

One of the more interesting buildings in the temple complex

One of many holiday showcases throughout the ancient city

Great South Gate of the original city walls

Incense buring outside the Fahua Temple

Interior of the Fahua Temple

Koxinga Museum Grounds

Turtle looking for a resting place in the pond

Statue outside the museum grounds

God of War Temple

Zoom into the wall

Stones line Chihkan Towers

Local dog out for a “walk”

Unique statuary on the grounds of Fort Zeelandia

Tower of Fort Zeelandia

Decorated figures in the old city

Dec 30

After breakfast, we caught an early morning train to Kaohsiung, where we picked up a rental car to drive to the south coast. One of the highlights of south Taiwan was Kenting National Park, which offered a few nice hikes. The weather was still pretty nice, but we did have to find shelter from a brief shower. We looped our way around the southern tip of Taiwan and stayed in the walled city of Hangchun.

The dangers of nature in Kenting National Park. Luckily we didn’t encounter anything on the sign

One of the less dangerous creatures in the park

Cactus greenhouse

One of a number of caves in the park

Narrow end to one of the caves

View of the surrounding area from a tower at the center of the park

Slightly more dangerous creature

Curious and hoping for some food

Tom cannot resist the cats

Looking down on the southern tip of Taiwan

Kenting Chuanfanshih

Longpan Park

South town gate in Hengchun

Canal cutting through the old city

Dec 31

After breakfast, we drove back north to Kaohsiung and dropped off the car at the train station. We stashed our belongings in a locker in the station and had the day to explore the city, before heading back to Taoyuan, near the Taipei airport. Kaohsiung was actually quite nice. Although it was a large city, they developed the waterfront nicely and a had a number of charming parks. As we had an early flight to Hong Kong the next day, we had a quiet evening near the hotel and didn’t bother staying up for New Years.

Central Park in Kaosiung with a little bit of morning haze

One of the many statues in Central Park

New construction in the Love Pier area of Kaohsiung

One of the many statues in the Pier-2 arts district in the revitalized port area

A little more modern and menacing

A little more natural sculpture in front of the converted warehouse space

Zuoying Yuandi Temple in Lotus Pond

Jan 1

We arrived early in Hong Kong and made it to our hotel around noon. There was still lots of evidence of Christmas in the city, and lots of people were out celebrating the holiday. I still enjoy the vibrant vibe of Hong Kong, and although it is a very busy city there are still some quiet spaces. We enjoyed the warm weather and the holiday spirit interwoven with Asian culture.

Well decked lobby of our favourite hotel in Hong Kong

Line of taxis in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Central tree

1881 Heritage in Kowloon over the top Christmas

Kowloon Park

New construction in West Kowloon dominated by Sky 100 and The Arch

Making our way back on the Ferry to Hong Kong

Traditional junk boat, helicopter and cruise ship — a small sample of activity on the busy harbour

Jan 2

We were up early, and made our way to the airport to catch our flight to Tokyo Narita, and on to Houston and Toronto.