Like Taipei, Taichung is a mix of new and old; natural and worldly.
Like Taipei, Taichung has a mix of old and new - new modern architectures and old buildings; new shopping malls, hotels or restaurants, and old alleys, narrow streets, etc. Just like Taipei, people there were friendly, each time when I asked directions, ladies or gentlemen did their best to help me out. On the first day, I went to Taichung Park, which has a natural charming environment near the train station. Locals went there to do different exercises; there was a red bridge across the lake, and I saw a lot of pigeons looking for food near the lake. The flowers are blossom and the scenery is charming.
On the second day, I visited the science museum in Taichung. There were experiment exhibitions for different subjects, such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, semiconductors, agriculture, space, etc. All were presented with visual images, videos, or interactive games. I also saw science fiction 3D movies about space creatures, and tropical forest. There was a decent visual effect and bright images to make stories vivid.
On the other day, I visited the city hall and the nearby palace building. Taichung’s city government center was like a garden, you could walk across it freely. It demonstrated Taiwan’s openness to be people-centric, encouraging people to participate in city governance and reformation. I also passed through a few Universities, such as the University of Donghai and Ji Nan University, which have very large campuses with giant cypresses, palm trees, and flower blossoms. They look like forest parks from the outside, with well-protected biodiverse ecosystems.
Taichung also reflects the culture of the night market in Taiwan. I visited a few of them there. One of the biggest ones was called Feng Jia Night Market, in which you could find all sorts of Taiwanese food and snacks; there were some other Southeast Asia flavors of meals and Western styles of coffee and meals. I tasted the noodle bowl called: “Fool’s noodle.” It was a bit sweet, sour, and spicy, and it tasted fine. I asked the staff why they gave it such a name, and they smiled and asked me whether I liked it or not. I also tried curry rice in the other restaurant nearby. Most small restaurants there open in the afternoon, so if you stop by there in the morning, it’s just a quiet street, perhaps you couldn’t find enough food. I tasted steamed buns, pho bowls, red bean cake, etc, at different night markets there.
I passed through the long alley of Feng Jia and headed to Central Park, it took me more than half an hour of walk to get there. It has a spacious, greenery environment, I guess there was a large sports center in it, but very few people came there because it was a rainy day. Or perhaps, I was not at the main entrance. I didn’t find a lot of entertainment activities to do. So I took the bus going back to the place near where I live.
There are some modern shopping centers and restaurants in Taichung. However, there were few libraries. I couldn’t find a cafe with a quiet environment, in which I could do some work, read, or surf.
Like Taipei, Taichung is a mix of new and old; natural and worldly. Taichung was also a transportation hub of Taiwan, through which, I went to quite a few famous sightseeing hot spots such as Sunmoon Lake, Alishan Mountain, etc by taking buses or trains. It’s very convenient to go to any other city by using public transportation here. But there was no subway available yet, so if there was traffic, the buses would slow you down. So as a tourist, always schedule your trip, do enough research, enjoy the new place, and avoid the hassles.
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