22.11.19 - 25.11.19 Kaohsiung

After our short island adventure, it was time to return to the 'mainland'. On the way to the bus station, we were intercepted by numerous taxi drivers - by the way, the first time in this style in Taiwan. We also received a supposed free offer of a ride-share, which turned out not to be free after all - so we continued to the bus station. We waited there for about 10 minutes, during which a taxi driver very persistently worked on us and ultimately convinced us with the argument 'the bus is the money'. By that he meant that we wouldn't pay more with him than with the bus. And that's exactly how it was, but of course he wasn't quite satisfied with us as guests and tried to pick up more people, so the ride was initially a bit slow until we then met a couple from Australia/USA who were also convinced. So we quickly and comfortably headed north again towards Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan.

The afternoon after our arrival, Mathias used the opportunity to get a haircut, as his curly mane was already out of control, and in the evening we visited the night market around the corner, ate delicious noodle soups and visited the glass dome of the nearby subway station.

The next day we spent apart from each other, as Mathias can't stand still and Lea needed a break after all the short stops. So Mathias set off alone to the large Lotus Pond and saw some kitschy but impressive temples there. On the way home, he walked through another night market, where noticeably many Europeans operated stands such as pizza or paella. And he also stumbled upon a temporary winter wonderland.

Reunited again, the next day we set out together to explore the southwest of the city, the harbor and the so-called Pier 2, where converted warehouses are used as shops, cafes and anything else. In addition, there are some art objects to see on a large old railway site. On the day we visited it, there was also a manga convention or something similar, and the area was full of people who wanted to embody their favorite characters in the most bizarre costumes. Otherwise, we walked through many nice neighborhoods and ended our day with a delicious meal in a 24-hour buffet.