Photo-trio

I got this weekend free so I drove around Tainan and visited a few places that I always wanted to go but had never been. This is my photo-trio.

Cigu Salt Mountain is the monument that stands for the glory of salt making of old times. Under the promotion of tourism, Cigu salt fields usually overshadow the other salt fields in Tainan, but when it comes to the best quality of salt made in Taiwan, Beimen salt stands out unanimously. Jing Zai Jiao tile paved salt field (井仔腳瓦盤鹽田) was the first salt farm in Beimen District, Tainan, to use a tile base for drying the seawater.The saltworks started operation in 1818 and the area for salt drying in Beimen county was as big as 360 hectares in 1980. However, the high cost of manpower for making salt in Taiwan is becoming unaffordable and the Beiman salt fields were shut down in 2000. Jing Zai Jiao tile paved salt field is the only salt field kept for tourism purposes and the salt crystals glint in the sunset making it a great spot for photography.

Built during the 23rd year of the reign of Jiacing in the Cing dynasty (A.D. 1818), the Jingzaijiao Tiled Salt Fields were formerly known as Laidong Salt Fields.The site was originally a barren desert. Lying on the sandy beach is a small sand dune, where underground water gushes out from low-lying ground forming a well-like structure. The name, Jiingzaijiao, was essentially derived from this particular landscape formation. To prevent salt crystals from attaching to the soil, salt miners at Pottery Dish Salt Field manually laid out broken debris of pottery onto the crystallizing ponds of salt fields. This approach resulted in purer and clearer salt being mined. Under the sunshine, the Pottery Salt Pan displays a resplendent, mosaic like pattern. These features make it a unique cultural landscape of the homeland of salt. Today, it has become an excellent site for tourists to experience salt drying.
http://www.swcoast-nsa.gov.tw:2480/en/02_tour/scenery_view.aspx?sn=155

Oyster farm is the most common scene in Cigu but the z-shaped oyster stands with the sun setting in a perfect location makes this spot a popular site for sunset black card photography. It's not an easy location to find, I drove back and forth about one hour, asked a few fishermen and still couldn't find it. It wasn't until I cross referenced with internet information and the google map with iphone to locate this spot. If you are interested, check on the map below for details.

Tainan Science Park public art space features the "yellow ribbon" at a cost of NT$300 million, (US$10 million) it's worth taking a look at just because of the price.
* lights up sometime after 19:00.




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Fussen

Fussen is a small town about 2.5 hours south-west of Munich city by train, it's the start/end point of the 350 km romatic road in Germany. The most famous castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, are located near the town. Travellers by rail change onto buses No. 73 or 78 at Füssen railway station to Hohenschwangau bus stop. I booked a room at Hotel Konig Ludwig in Schwangau, luckily enough, I got on a bus that didn't go to the castles as most of the buses did and 10 minutes later the bus stopped in front of the hotel already.

After checking in, the concierge told me it's better to walk about 10 minutes to the tourist information office in Schwangau Rathaus and then take a bus from there to the castles as not many buses stop at Hotel Konig Luwdig. I went in the tourist info office to get some pamphlets and the staff told me it's about 15 minutes by foot to the castles. Fifteen minutes later, I was still on the road that seemed to have no end and the Neuschwanstein on the hill seemed to be staying away from me at the same distance, it took me about 40 minutes to get to the ticket center! If what the staff told me about the distance was right than I must be a slow walker.

To visit the castles, one has to purchase the tour at the ticket center and arrive at the castle's turnstile at the time that is printed on the ticket. Tours are available in English and German or with an Audio guide. I purchased English tour for both castles, it was a great tour in Hohenschwangau, but I found it too crowded in the Neuschwanstein. It was so crowded that some people couldn't find their way to get in the Throne Hall when our guide started her introduction. So here is the advice: get an audio guide tour for Neuschwanstein. The tours last only 30 minutes, only 7 rooms are opened for the public in Neuschwanstein, and no photos are allowed in both castles. On the path to Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge), you can get a great bird's eye view of the Hohenschwangau. The bridge itself is as famous as the castles as it provides a great view of the Neuschwanstein. However, to get a postcard-view of the castle, one has to cross the bridge and somewhere in the steep terrain is where the dreamy catstle pictures are taken.

It was around 20:30 when I got back to the ticket center and it was empty down there, no cars no people, I was the only one walking on the road. It was until I heard cheers from a bar at the corner of the tourist information office in Schwangau Rathaus then I realized it was the semi-final football game, Germany V.S Spain. I couldn't find a table available in the bar so I ran back to my hotel bar and ordered a small cup of beer, watching the game with everybody. Basically, my tolerance for alcohol is zero, by the time I finished my beer my eyes were all red like I was crying and the game ended with the result that Germany lost its chance to get the world champion by 1 point. Everyone in the room was disappointed and an old man looked at my red eyes trying to comfort me, he said: "oh well, it happens. Anyway, it was a good game, so don't be sad". I nodded and pretended to wipe off a tear from my eye.

2010 world cup this was the video broadcasted all the time in Germany.

I was wondering why most of the guests in the hotel were elders with walking sticks. During my stay, they even had a prosthesis conference held in the hotel and the hotel looked more like a high-end rehabilitation center then a hotel to me. From the Fussen official website I realized that  the town itself is a recognized hydrotherapy spa and "Where health is tradition" is one of the slogans in Fussen. The nature of the town is incredibly beautiful and the biking trails are well designed so the riders can enjoy the nature without worrying about having a close encounter with automobiles.

The bold €6.90 on the board of a Chinese restaurant attracted my attention when I was wandering around Fussen town. It's very difficult to refuse a Chinese lunch buffet for only €6.90, so I went in and the boss spoke fluent Mandarin made me believe that it would be an authentic Chinese delicacy. "Try our spicy & sour soup" said the boss, while I was enoying my food. I am not a soup person, so I smiled and nodded and kept eating my food. A moment later, she went by and said the same thing to me again, "they are so proud of their spicy & sour soup, it must be good" I thought, so I got a cup and gave it a try. I tasted it and had to try very hard not to scream out loud "man this place needs to hire a better chef, the soup is terrible, yuck!" It tasted sweet and sour instead of spicy and sour, actually it's so sweet and sour that I believed someone must had tip over the sugar and vinegar bottle. A few minutes later the boss went by to check on me (she really was persistant in having their guests try the spicy and sour soup) and she bursted out laughing, "that's not the spicy & sour soup, that's sour sauce for salad" she said. I was so embarrassed, even the "foreigners" at the other tables were giggling, I must be one of the few Taiwanese who could not tell the difference between spicy & sour soup and sour sauce. I finally never did try the soup, but their food was good nevertheless.




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Useful info:
You can search train timetables of Munich/Füssen as well as bus timetables in Füssen via DB Bahn website.  Print-out train timetables are available at the DB Bahn station lounge in Munich.

You can get a discount when purchasing the tour of the castles or the boat cruise in Forggensee with a hotel check-in certificate.  

A boat cruise on Forggensee is possible. There are long cruises (2 hours, €11),  3 boats depart from Fussen Bootshafen at 10:00, 12:30 and 15:00 daily; and short cruises (55 min, €8), 6 boats depart from Fussen Bootshafen at 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:20, 15:30 and 16:30 daily. More infomation at http://www.tourismus-fuessen.de/schifffahrt.html

Hohenschwangau official website:  http://www.hohenschwangau.de/index.php?id=430
Neuschwanstein official website: http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/index.htm

Plitvice Lakes National Park

There are two entrances in the park, the main entrance on Plitvička Jezera and the secondary entrance at Velika Poljana. Buses from Zagreb stop at the main entrance that accomadates souvenir shops, resaurants, etc. Buses from Zadar stop at a wooden bus shelter and a skywalk that leads into the forest where 3 hotels and the secondary entrance of the park is located.

The path from the secondary entrance leads to the largest lake, KoZjak Lake,  and forms a boundary between the upper and lower lakes. The upper lakes are seperated by dolomite barriers, surrounded by dense forests and interlinked by several gushing waterfalls. The lowers lakes were formed by cavities created by the water of the upper lakes. Most of the water comes from the Bijela and Crna rivers and pool in the Proscansko Lake. There are 16 lakes in the park, all connected by well designed wooden walkways and trails.


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Useful info
Bus timetable:
To get in: seach timetable with autobusni kolodvor, the station of the Plitvice Lakes National Park is Plitvička Jezera. Another searchable timetable is Liburnija Zadar, if you are departing from Zadar (Croatian only). There are discrepancies from two search engines, it is highly recommended to re-confirm the bus schedules with the bus stations. To get out: If the bus is not full, it will take on more people. Bus schedules are posted at information stations near both entrances to the park.

Ticket: if you are staying in one of the hotels in the park, buy a one day ticket and have your hotel stamp on it that will give you unlimited access to the park and all transportation in the park during your stay.

There are many routes in the park (maps) and all are well-marked. You can choose one that fits your schedule and an easy way to see all the lakes and waterfalls is to take a shuttle bus to Okrugljak Lake at the top (St4) and then walk down (red line). Take a boat at P2 to P3 (green line) and then red line to St1. Take a shuttle bus back to St2 where the hotels are located. (Google map above)

Plitvice Lakes National Park official website: http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/eng/index.php

Sibenik & Krka National Park

Saying goodbye to Trogir, I went north to visit the Krka National Park. Located in Šibenik-Knin county, central Dalmatia, it is just about 15 kilometers away from the city of Sibenik. There are 7 daily buses that commute between Sibenik and Skradin via Lozovac (2010 timetable, intercity line, ŠIBENIK - SLAPOVI KRKE - SKRADIN). Departing from Sibenik bus station, the bus drops you outside Skradin's old town. You can pay the park admission fee at either Lozovac or Skradin entrance; the price includes a bus (from Lozovac entrance) or boat (from Skradin entrance) ride to Skradinski Buk where the walking trail starts.

I wanted to take a boat ride to Skradinski buk so I bought a ticket to Skradin. Somehow the idea that Lozovac entrance was further than Skradin stuck in my mind (maybe because Lozovac is located at the upstream of the national park?) so when I saw the first parking space of the Krka national park and all the "touristy looking" people seemed to be all getting off the bus at this stop, I was confident that I must have arrived at the Skradin entrance. I bought a ticket and was ready for the boat ride even though I couldn't see a boat. I asked the staff where could I take the boat and she told me the shuttle bus would take me there. The shuttle bus stopped in front of an information/ticket booth and the staff came out selling tickets for the boat excursion, I was totally confused, the boat ride should be included in the admission no? It wasn't until I saw the boat docking by the river bank at the other information booth at the other end of the trail that I realized I got off the bus too early and I took the Lozovac entrance instead of Skradin.

The Skradinski Buk is the longest and the loveliest waterfall on the Krka river. Wooden trails built on water take you deep into the flourishing forest making a close contact with waterfalls possible. In fact, at the bottom of the Skradinski Buk you can swim in the icey cold water with the most magnificent waterfalls in the area as background. I saw a man climb up the cliff and dove into the water; girls in bikini posed for photoshoots; babies happily tapped water in fathers arms on shore; seagulls waited by the falls for fish; a snake submerged into the water luring fish to take the bait.., it was paradise for everyone.

It takes about 2 hours to circumnavigate the Skradinski Buk (if you only stay on land) and that's just a small propotion that the Krka National Park has to offer. A boat excursion to Visovac Island, Roski slap, the Krka monastery and the Early Croatian fortresses of Trosenj and Necven is also availabe with extra price 50-130kn based on the journey you pick. Details refer to the google map and the official Krka National Park website below.


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Sibenik is often overlooked by tourists and served as a pitstop enroute to the Krka National Park. Churches and monasteries, stone houses and mansions, all are ornamented by portals and heraldic crests, Sibenik is one of the 7 UNESCO Heritage sites in Croatia and the highlight, Cathedral of St James, was constructed entirely of stone and is reputed to be the world's largest church built completely of stone without brick or wood supports. Well, after exploring the city of Dubrovnik, Split and Trogir, Sibenik seemed a bit plain at first glance. I got back to Sibenik from Lozovac and waited under eaves of the public library to open for internet access (opened at 18:00; 10kn for 2 hours) while pouring rain hit. An hour later, the rain stopped, I walked out of the library and it seemed that the historical city came back to life with the touch of golden rays from the sky, like a miracle. Jugglers and a mini circus were busy entertaining the crowds whereas a ballet was staged in between the town hall and the cathedral of St James. It was the trademark of Sibenik, International Children's Festival, that has been held during the last week of June and the first week of July annually for the past 40 years. I bought a popcorn and sat on the stone road with crowds enjoying a "mosquito movie*" in Hrvatska, even though I didn't understand what they were saying in the movie, I laughed like a kid.



Useful info
Sibenik buses timetable: http://www.atpsi.hr/index-eng.asp
Krka National Park: http://www.npkrka.hr/#/pocetna/?lang=eng&p=
Sibenik time: http://www.sibenik-times.com/ 
Explore Sibenik :http://www.sibenik-tourism.hr/eng/
Grad Sibenik: http://www.sibenik.hr/index-eng.asp
Tourist board: http://www.sibenikregion.com/en.html

* In Taiwan, a mosquito movie is a humourous term for an outdoor projection at special occasions like a local temple ceremony where people tend to get bitten.

Croatia

Years ago, a similar photo was attached in an email and it claimed that the photo of such natural wonder was shot in Nantou township, Taiwan. The email was forwarded rampantly, almost everyone in Taiwan was looking for this dream world that had never been found. After a few months of searching in vain, a media found out that the photo was actually taken in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, and that's how Taiwanese got to know this country: the country of origin of the Dalmatian; Marco Polo might be a Croatian who was born on Korcula island (ref 1); the origin of the tie is actually an accessory of Croatian military frontier and the fact that there are 7 UNESCO heritages (historical complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (1979), old city of Dubrovnik (1979), Plitvice Lakes National Park (1979), Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the historic centre of Poreč (1997), historic city of Trogir (1997), the Cathedral of St. Jacob in Šibenik (2000) and the Stari Grad Plain in the island of Hvar (2008)) in a land of 1.5 times bigger than Taiwan in size.

One day in April, I got a note from my boss who asked me to paticipate in a hepatocellular carcimona conference that would be held in June in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I registered for the conference and booked the flights immediately, just in case my boss regreted it or something.  One month before my departure, I called my travel agency to remind them that it's about time to prepare visa application and that's when we all realized another common mis-understanding we had about this country: Croatia is a member of the EU.

Croatia applied for European Union membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with the screening process.
The accession process of Croatia was derailed several times due to the Irish rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon in a referendum, and then later by the insistence of Slovenia that the two countries' border issues are dealt with prior to Croatia's accession into the EU.

Quote from wikipedia

Dispite the fact that Croatia isn't a member of the EU yet, tourists from most countries don't need a visa to get in, even for people from China as long as they have a valid schengen visa, but that's not the case for Taiwanese (Visa requirements overview). There is no Croatian embassy in Taiwan. Mailing applications for a tourist visa used to work via Japan or Malaysia, isn't applicable anymore. I got 2 options: one was to transit via Vienna and apply for the visa at the embassy in Vienna city, the other option was to have a travel agency send my application to Beijing on my behalf. I couldn't afford the risk of not getting a visa for the conference after flying to Vienna, so I paid a travel agency NT$10,400 (about USD$330, the official price is USD$51) to send my application to Beijing. Four days before my departure (it took 24 days for me to get the visa), based on my itinerary, I finally got the visa that was valid only for 13 days.

Dispite the jarring experience in dealing with Customs (even the Customs officials had difficulty trying to find records of visas issued to Taiwan) I was very happy to meet locals on the street level who recognized that I was from Taiwan, not a provice of China nor a misspelling of "Tailand/Thailand". Maybe it's because we share a "similar" history of changing national status? Nice people, great histories and cultures, glamorous natural wonders, and intoxicating Adriatic ocean, traveling in Croatia was one of the best memories of my backpacking expeciences.

Every year more than 10 million visitors spend their annual holidays in Croatia (the national population of Croatia is about 4.5 million), most of them are German and Italian. In the Asian tourist polulation, Japan definately is the number one of the list. Running into a Japanese tourist group seems inevitable while traveling in Croatia, I got kids greeting to me with "ko ni ji wa" at least 3 times a day. I had a stereotype that western countries were more civilized with etiquettes for scenes such as people who don't line up for a bus or who fight for a spot to take pictures, as this takes place in Asia. Traveling in Croatia, I had the deja vu feeling of being in China. People from every direction swarmed the bus stop, regardless of if there were lines of people waiting when a bus approached; stepping on someone's toes in order to take a photo... then I realized civilization and etiquette go out the window while people are on vacation that applies to all mankind.

Even though I only planned my itinerary in 2 days, it covers 5 out of 7 UNESCO heritages in Croatia and most of the sightseeing hot spots; here are my footsteps: 

• 4 days in Dubrovnik: conference and old city sightseeing 
• Ferry to Split via Korcula island and Hvar island (Jadrolinija)
• 1 day in Split: historical complex with the Palace of Diocletian
• 1 day in Trogir: historic city and the Cathedral of St Lovro
• 1 day in Sibenik: the Cathedral of St. Jacob and Krka National Park
• 1 day in Zadar: historic city and sea organ and sun salutation
• 3 days in Plitvice Lakes National Park
• 2 days in Zagreb: upper-town sightseeing and markets

View Croatia in a larger map

Useful websites:
Croatia National Tourist Board, the offical tourist website of Croatia
Wikitravel of Croatia, general info about traveling in Croatia
Croatia traveller,  a former lonely planet author of Croatia
Visit Croatia, a travel guide
Find-Croatia, lots info such as bus map...
Croatia Homepage, hundreds of links to everything you want to know about Croatia
Balkanology, good info on travel in Croatia and southeast Europe
Adriatica. net, allows you to book lighthouses all along the coast
Autotrans, public transportation timetables
Autobusni kolodvor,  Bue lines and routes, timetables...
Hotel Accommodation,  a meta-search engine that works very well with searches and compares prices from most of the hotel booking systems.

Old Buildings New Spirits

Tainan was the first city built in Taiwan. Winding ancient streets, old lanes full of traditional snacks and elegant old style buildings that blend into the modern urban areas; these are the hidden treasures that are often overshadowed by government graded historical sites.

The Foundation of Historic City Conservation and Regeneration realizes the conflict between the contemporary urban development and historic conservation. Historical spaces constantly underwent a total reconstruction instead of renovation and ended up losing their unique historical charms. In 2008, the foundation organized the first "old buildings new spirits" series of activities in promoting 18 renovated old buildings in Tainan city, which aroused public concern for old buildings. How to get a balance between a functional modern construction and old style architecture is becoming a trend. In 2 years, 40 bulidings that met the criteria (over 30 years old and had been renovated for new use) were selected as examples for the second run of this architectural renaissance in Tainan.

I spent a few weeks wandering around the alleyways in Tainan city trying to collect comemorative stamps and take photos. As the slogan printed on the pamphlet says: "the longer you stay the more you'd discover", I've found a lot of nice surprises that I'd never have found if not for this campaign. Most of the owners were friendly even if you were just stopping by for the stamp collection. Take a look below to see some examples of these hidden treasures.

Click on the google map for detail information of each building and the exact location.


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Two days itinerary in Tainan county--winter version

In Nansi township Tainan county, a hill that used to be called Banana Mountain is now the biggest plum tree plantation in Taiwan and was re-named Meiling (梅嶺, Plum Peak) by the former vice-president Hsie Dong-Min. Every year, around New Year, Meiling attracts tons of tourists for not only the snowy white plum blossoms but also its speciality: plum chicken (梅子雞, boiled chicken with pickled plums). Facing north, you overlook the Tsengwen reservoir on a sunny day; to the south, the greenish Yunan basin is unveiled. The Meiling Scenic Area is one of the most famous hiking spots in Tainan. There are 9 hiking trails in the area and the Guanyin (2.5km, 1.2 hr, difficult) and Wulong Temple (0.9km, 80 min, easy) trails are the two most well-known. (More hiking info)

The miserable experience of my friends attempting to go to Meiling by public transportation and ending up being trapped at the Meiling Tourists Center, was an important information to share. Apparently, the bus to Meiling only goes to the tourist center which is about 5 km away from the trails and plum blossoms. Like every tourist attractions in Taiwan during the weekends, it's almost impossible to find a parking space. From the parking to Guanyin temple is a pleasant hike, plum blossoms line both sides of the concrete driveway all the way up to the temple. You can also take the stairs which lead you into the forest, away from the driveway. For those looking for a real hike, they may continue the journey by taking the trail on the side of the temple.

Wen Chuan Mei Zi Gi (文川梅子雞, add: 115, Zhong zheng rd, Nansi township, Tainan county; tel:06-5751886) is probably the biggest and the most popular plum chicken restaurant in the area. It's right next to the parking lot with a big fountain in the middle of the restaurant. The owner's daughter is married to a foreigner who sells ice cream in the restaurant on weekends. Even though there is no English menu, you don't have to worry about what/how to order in that restaurant, instead finding a table would be your biggest challenge.

After the lunch, I headed to the county highway NO 175 via provincial highway No3, and county highway 174. County highway 175, connects Baihe and Dongshan townships, is also known as 175 coffee highway as coffee trees in Dongshan township are mostly planted alongside the road. The history of coffee plantation here can be traced back 60 years, when tourism become popular in the area, many coffee shops were built right next to the coffee farms between mile marker 9k to 20k of county highway 175. Da Chua Hua Jian (大鋤花間, 109-17, Gaoyuan village, Dongshan township, veer off the hightway 175 around 11.5k; tel: 093972311) is one of the distinctive coffee shops on the road. Sipping organic coffee in the tree house was a luxurious indulgence.

County hightway 175 ends/starts at the Red Leaf Tunnel of the Guanziling Scenic Area. The King's Garden Villa, located at the upper part of the Guanziling old street away from the bristling hot spring hotels, has great male/female naked hot spring 'nude soup' (NT$300, free for tenants, 09:00-22:00) and lovely cabins to stay overnight. Guanziling hot spring belongs to alkalinity carbonate hot spring, the murky and satiny texture is a result of a mixture of shale particles, a variety of minerals, salts and sulfur when spring water gushes through the argillite. The hot spring has a temperature of around 76 degree and is regarded as one of a kind peculiar mud hot spring (Nichuan, 泥泉) in Taiwan. Currently only Japan, Italy and Guanziling has this kind of hot spring around the world.

It's easy to spend a day in Guanziling Scenic Area, the google map below marks most of the tourist attractions and 4 recommended routes in the area.

Itinerary in brief: Day 1: Meiling hiking-> lunch at Wen chuan restaurant->afternoon tea at Da Chua Hua Jian, 175 coffee highway-> dinner/hot spring/sleep at The king's Garden Villa, Guanziling. Day 2: one of the recommended routes in Guanziling Scenic Area.

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Supplement:
Public transportation to Guanziling: Take a train to Shinying Train Station, the Shinying Bus Station is across from the train station. The bus ride takes about 40-50 mins from Shinying to Guaziling Lingding park (NT$69).
Time table: (check official website for update)
from Shinying to Guanziling: 07:00, 07:50, 08:40, 10:00, 12:10, 14:30, 18:15
from Guanziling to Shinying: 07:50, 08:40, 09:30, 10:50, 13:00, 15:20, 19:05

From Chia Yi train station:
Take Chia Yi Bus No:7214 (NT$81)
Time table: (check official website for update)
 from Chia Yi bus station to Guanziling:
07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:30, and 17:40
from Guanzhiling to Chia Yi bus station:
08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:40, and 20:00

North America Roadtrip

The map below recorded my footsteps on a roadtrip to Canada: from JFK to woodbury outlet, Lake George, drive in at St Albans,Vermont to little towns in Lacolle and Hemmingford, Montreal and then back to JFK one week later. Click on the icons for more info of the trip.

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2009 Chihsi art festival in Tainan

All performances at Confucious temple are cancelled; performances at other venues are also cancelled on Aug. 22 (Sat) - 24 (Mon). A Charity bazaar will be held at Confucious temple area on Aug. 22 (Sat) to raise funds for Morakot typhoon victims

The 2009 Chihsi art festival and the coming of age 16 celebration will be held on Aug 22-26 in various locations in Tainan. The program schedules are traslated from the official website:

Locations:

Confucious Temple, Tainan Train Station, Fe21' Mega, Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan), Mitsukoshi (Simen) , Tainan culture center, Former Tainan Meeting Hall, Dadong night market, Anping Matsu Temple, Jhongshan junior high school,

Performance Groups:
1. TsaiShiaoBing Contemporary Ballet Group (崔笑彬現代芭蕾舞團, Korea) 2. Ten Drum (十鼓擊樂團, Taiwan) 3. Azaguno(美國阿札鼓非洲樂鼓舞團, USA) 4. HaKa (毛利哈卡戰舞團, New Zealand) 5. Liaomoshi Dance theater (廖末喜舞蹈劇場, Taiwan) 6. Tainan City Traditional Orchestra (台南市立民族管絃樂團, Taiwan) 7. East Art (東方藝術團, Taiwan) 8. Lin Long Dance Group (靈龍舞蹈團, Taiwan) 9.ChenShiang Taiwanese Oper (城鄉歌仔戲劇團, Taiwan) 10. Jhongshan Junior High Dance Class (中山國中舞蹈班，Tainan/Taiwan) 11. Sparrow Dancce (日本麻雀舞, Japan)

Schedule:
primary venue

Location*	Date	Time	Groups (in order)
Confucious Temple	8/22 (Sat)	19:20-21:30	11, 10, 4, 5, 3, 1, and 2
Confucious Temple	8/23 (Sun)	19:30~21:00	1, 2 and 5
Confucious Temple	8/24 (Mon)	19:30~21:15	6, 4 and 7
Confucious Temple	8/25 (Tue)	19:30-21:15	1, 3 and 8
Confucious Temple	8/26 (Wed)	19:30-21:20	4, 1, 3, 2 and all groups

*In case of rain: Jhongshan junior high school

Secondary venues

Location	Date	Time	Groups
Dadong night market	8/13 (Sat)	19:30-21:00	6
Tainan culture center	8/22 (Sat)	16:00-16:30	2
Tainan Culture center	8/23 (Sun)	16:00-16:30	1
Anping Matsu Temple	8/23 (Sun)	19:00-20:00	9
Tainan Train Station	8/23 (Sun)	19:30-19:50	11
Sheng Mou Gong	8/25 (Tue)	17:00-17:30	2

Other venues

Location	Date	Time	Groups
Mitsukoshi (Simen)/ Fe21' Mega	8/22 (Sat)	15:00-15:45/ 17:00-17:30	4/ 2
Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel/ Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan)/ Fe21' Mega	8/23 (Sun)	14:00-14:30/ 16:00-16:45/ 18:00-19:00	11/ 4/ 11+3
Mitsukoshi (Simen)/ Fe21' Mega	8/24 (Mon)	16:00-16:30/ 17:00-17:30	2/ 2
Fe21' Mega/ Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan)	8/25 (Mon)	16:30-17:00/ 16:00-16:45	1/ 3
Fe21' Mega/ Mitsukoshi (Simen)	8/26(Wed)	15:30-16:15/ 15:30-16:00	4/ 1

Updated: Aug.17th

Budget accommodations in Taiwan

Hotels look the same everywhere, so why not stay in some other places? Here is a list of alternatives to hotels that are not only different but sometimes even free. Included in the map listed are many temples, churches and hostels.


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It is recommended to call in advance of arrival.
Information collected from:
窮學生超省錢旅行秘笈
Backpackers

2009 Lantern Festival Fireworks in Tainan

The 2009 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held in Yilan sports park from Feb. 9 to 22. For those who can't pay a visit to this event, there are a few subsidiary activities all over Taiwan (google map below).

In Tainan, except for the most famous "beehive of fireworks" in YanShuei, the fireworks in Luermen Shenmu Miao (Matsu temple, No.160, Chengan rd., Annan District, Tainan City) is another pleasant amazement of the lantern festival celebrations. On Feb. 9th, ten sets of beehive firecrackers start shooting around 20:30, 70 min, followed by a 90 min high altitute fireworks designed by Taiwan, Japan and Switzerland. The event map below shows the parking (yellow), fireworks area (red), entering routes (blue arrows), leaving routes (red arrows) and etc. Go early and drive carefully, enjoy.

Meinong

Meinong, the small village populated by over 90% of Hakka speaking Chinese was famous for tobacco, bananas, yellow butterflies, oil paper umbrellas and currently cosmos, during the Chinese new year. The settlement of Hakkas didn't start until 1736 and the name of the village was changed from Minong (literally, “overflowing and dense”) to Meinong (old name of Gifu province, Japan) by Japanese in 1920 during the Japanese colonial era. Name was not the only influence that Japanese left in Meinong: the ecosystem was changed by massive plantation of kassod trees (cassia siamea) which created a yellow butterfly valley; tobacco and banana farming sustained the economics of the villager and the money paid for the education of children, producing the most doctorates per-capita on the island.

Majestic isn't the word that I will use to describe the beauty of Meinong. It is surrouned by hills on the west, east and north. The tallest mountain in the northeast is only 823 meters above the sea level, decreasing in altitude as you move south. Layer after layer, its jagged hills always make me wonder where is the end of the hills and what's over there. The “overflowing and dense” mists fill the valley to the brim at dawn then are dispelled by the rays of the sun. The natural barrier helped the preservation of Hakka culture-- hard working and frugal are the two most common comments given.

Winter is the season for tobacco growing, one by one seedlings were planted then transfered in the fields. Before the Lunar New Year, leaves were taken and dried in the red brick tobacco houses, the light smoky pungent fragrance floating on the air became the signature of winter of my childhood memory. Earthy aroma in the spring was the preparation for banana and rice farming. Despite the fact that green is the color that never fades in Meinong, the pistachio green of newly seeded rice always overshadows the background green. Summer was ruled by worms. Countless caterpillars came out from nowhere and took over the living room overnight; hundreds of thousands of caterpillars dropped off of a banyan tree in the slightest vibration, these were my nightmare come true every summer. Yet, a fairytale scene of the overshadowed sky by yellow butterflies was a dream come true. Having my name written with yellow butterflies by using my own pee was one thing that I always was proud of.... Autumn was the joyful season, rice swayed in the breeze emitting the golden hue of the sun. Military garrisoned in elementary schools to help harvest brought energy into this quiet isolated town. BBQ sweet potatoes in the harvested rice fields was the sweetest indulgence.

A reservoir building proposal disturbed the rhythm of the lifestyle here. Kassod trees were cut off to grow mango and betel-nut trees in order to get more compensation when the lands were levied. As rumors spread rampantly, one after another, fields that used to grow rice were now mango tree dark forests. It didn't take long for the butterflies to dissapear from the valley. As the youth moved out, the name of "Kingdom of Tobacco" can only be recalled in the ruins of deserted red brick tobacco houses and the glory of the old times whispering in the Meinong Hakka Museum.

In recent years, the preservation of Hakka culture is appreciated and Meinong came into the spotlight again. A number of B&B's have opened; trails for bicycle riding were designated; colorful cosmos' were planted in the deserted fields around Chinese New Year; oil paper umbrellas and pottery making in the cultural village are popular and chefs now take orders in hakka... It’s well worth your while to while away a few days here, where you can enjoy the quiet beauty of nature in a rural setting, living in harmony with modern convenience.

2009 Cosmos festival:
Jan. 15 to Feb. 28th, shapes in google map below are the main cosmos fields.

Transportation:
By Car:
1. Freeway 1 -> Exit at the Dingjin Interchange -> National Highway 10 -> Exit at the Cishan-> follow sings to Meinong.
2. Freeway 3 -> Exit at the Yanchao Interchange -> National Highway 10 (Kaohsiung Branch) -> Exit at the Cishan -> follow sings to Meinong.

THSR:
Take the THSR to Zuoying Station, transfer to the bus.

By Bus:
1. From Kaohsiung, take Kaohsiung Bus to Meinong.
Kaohsiung Bus: 886-7-312-8140
2. From Pingtung, take Pingtung Bus to Meinong.
Pingtung Bus: 886-8-723-7131

More info:
A gourmand's visit to Meinong
Hakka Town
Meinong Township
Touring Kaohsiung County : Meinong Hakka folk village
Meinong - where making a paper umbrella is still an art


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Beijing Tour II

Mutianyu Great Wall

Badaling, Mutianyu and Jinshanling etc. are sections of the great wall that can be accessed from Beijing. Being the first portion of the great wall to open to tourists and for its well established traffic network, Badaling is the most visited section. I was indecisive of which section to visit, considering the number of tourists, accessibility, transportation and level of restoration. I chose the Mutianyu for my great wall adventure.

According to websites, to get to Mutianyu one can take bus no. 916 from Dongzhimen station in Beijing City to Huairou County then change to a taxi or minibus to the Mutianyu. The moment I walked out of the Dongzhimen subway station I saw a bus no. 916 picking up passengers at a bus stop. I ran to the bus and soon realized that it was not an express bus. The ticket collector told me that in order to get the express one I would have to go to the Dongzhimen long distance bus station which is located at No.45, Dongzhimenwai Xiejie, about 100 meters from the subway line 2 exit B. The express bus no. 916 commutes between Beijing City and Huairou County via the Jingcheng expressway (ticket can be purchased on bus from a ticket collector, RMB12, about a 40 minutes ride). I asked the ticket collector how could I go to Mutianyu from here at the Huairo bus ternimal before stepping out of the bus and she told me to take a bus no. 916 elsewhere. I was totally confused: I was on a bus no. 916 and that bus didn't pass by any places that looks like a great wall and why couldn't I take a bus from the terminal? I figured the bus no. 916 in Huairou County took a different route than the one in Beijing City so I followed her instruction and walked to a bus stop waiting for the bus. The driver of the first bus no. 916 shook his head when I asked him whether Mutianyu was one of the destinations of the bus then I walked across the road and got the same answer from the second bus driver. I walked back to the bus terminal and this time got a promising answer: take a bus no. 936. After getting another shaking head answer from the driver of bus no. 936, I surrendered to a taxi driver who had been trying to sell the service the moment I got out of the bus. According to websites, the price of a one way trip to Mutianyu is from RMB 30~50 and I made a deal with the driver in a cost of RMB80 for a round trip.

The Mutianyu great wall (07:30~17:30; RMB40/45 without/with CD) has 2 cable car stations, one of them also equipped with wheeled toboggans to ride down from the wall on a winding metal track. I took the cable car (RMB35 for oneway/50 for a round trip) that lifted to the No 14th watch tower; from there I turned right and climbed all the way to the tower No. 1 where the road ended. I was hoping that I could catch the tail end of autumn hues as a background but as it turned out, the withered surroundings helped the great wall to stand out in the sun and diminished the modern look of it from the renovations, creating a greater sense of time proper to the place.

Mutianyu on Wikipedia: (Chinese: 慕田峪; pinyin: Mùtiányù) is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou County 70km northeast of Beijing. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.

First built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, Mutianyu Great Wall is older than the Badaling section of the Great Wall. In the Ming dynasty, under the supervision of General Xu Da, construction of the present wall began on the foundation of the wall of Northern Qi. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and till today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall.

Built mainly with granite, the wall is 7-8 meters high and the top is 4-5 meters wide. Compared with other sections of Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction.

• Watchtowers are densely placed along this section of the Great Wall - 22 watchtowers on this 2,250-meter-long stretch.

• Both the outer and inner parapets are crenelated with merlons, so that shots could be fired at the enemy on both sides - a feature very rare on other parts of the Great Wall.

• The Mutianyu Pass consists of 3 watchtowers, one big in the center and two smaller on both sides. Standing on the same terrace, the three watchtowers are connected to each other inside and compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of Great Wall.

Besides, this section of Great Wall is surrounded by woodland and streams. The forest-coverage rate is over 90 percent.

Bird Nest and Water Cube
I think the most mentionable architecture on the planet in August 2008 was the Bird Nest (ticket selling: 09:00~17:30 at gate D, RMB 50; open hours: 09:00~18:00) and the Water Cube (09:00~18:30, RMB30) in Beijing. Getting there is best done by subway line 8 from the two stations, Olympic Sports Center and Olympic Green. There is no better station as both stations are situated in a 10 minute walk from the center of the venues.

I followed the arrow signs that were hung on the fences of the water cube to get a ticket to go in. After circumnambulating the building I still couldn't find the place for tickets. I overheard a guy asking a security about the location of the ticket booth, so I followed him to the booth that was one block over the water cube on the west side. It was 18:00 around, all the lights were off and the area looked like a construction site. I read the rule for ticket purchasing: started at 8:30AM, 5 sections would be opened daily for ticket purchasing, once tickets for one section were sold out, visitors could start purchasing tickets for the next section until all tickets were sold out. I wondered under such ticketing policy how tourtists could ever get a chance to buy tickets as scalpers teamed up to plunder. I was frustrated about the situation and my last resort to get in the water cube was the large scale symphonic concert that integrates lighting, laser and waterscapes with world music. The show started at 19:30 in the price ranged from RMB200 to 800. I read the advertisement and went back to the east-north corner of the water cube to buy a ticket. Once again, the booth was closed and after the trip to Mutianyu I decided to call it a day.

Hutong and Night life
Hutongs are narrow streets or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan--the traditional courtyard residences. The most extensive and best preserved hutongs can be found around Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng district. Situated in the center of the hutong area, the Gǔlóu (Drum Tower) and Zhōnglóu (Bell Tower) were used to tell time and became watches for the officials and civilians. Although the towers have lost their function of telling time, they could be served as a landmark and starting point for tourists in a hutong tour. The NanLuGuXiang (NLGX) and Yandai Byway (click on the blue and purple lines on the map below for more information) are the two most tourists attracting hutongs in the area. Hutongs in modern era have become tourist attractions, a place where cultures and the living styles of ancient Beijing could be unveiled. However, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars came and stationed in with tourists, despite the effort of preserving the old hutong style, the atmosphere in NLGX and Yandai Byway was never the same as in the old time.

I rented a bicycle (RMB15/hour; RMB300 for deposit) to explore the area and saw a large construction in progress on the west side of Gulou Dajie. I worried such scale of construction would create more modern hutongs as tourist attractions instead of renovating the traditional courtyard residences as hutong cultures conservation. I saw the dilemma from the point of view as a foreigner and I was curious about what the residents have to say.

There are two bar areas in Beijing, the Sanlitun Entertainment Area and the Shichahai Bar Area. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: the Xihai (west sea), Houhai (back sea) and the Qianhai (front sea). Bars are concentracted on Houhainanyan and Qianhaibeiyan (red line on the map) whereas restaurants are located on Qianhaisiyan, a pedestrian precinct(green line on the map). I was hoping to enjoy myself in a bar that has a live band performance but those who approached wanted to offer not only beers and live bands but also sex. I didn't know it was because I looked desperately horny or what, I couldn't lose those panders tailing me every corner I went. I fled the area like a chicken.


View Beijing Hutong in a larger map

Lama Temple
According to travel books, Yōnghégōng (Lama temple, 09:00~17:00, RMB25, Subeway line 2/5 Yonghegong Station) is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world; the building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. The Buddhism in China (as well as in Taiwan) is a combination of Mahayana and Taoism, I was curious to see what kind of fusion would be when the influence of Tibetan Buddhism was introduced.

The architecture looked like any buildings in the imperial palace, I couldn't tell the true identity of this court as a temple without censers and cushions in front of the buildings for worshipers. Most of deities worshipped here were commonly seen in Buddhist temples, it seemed the influence of Tibetan Buddhism was limited, I couldn't find a new style of Buddhism that combines Mahayana, Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism as expected. A huge statue of Maitreya (18 meters) was positioned in the Pavilion of Infinite Happiness, the last main hall, won a position in Guinness Book of World Records for being carved out out of a single piece of sandalwood.

2008/2009 Purple Crow Butterfly Watching Activity

The 2008/9 Purple Crow Butterfly Watching Activity will be held during the weekends between 6 Dec 2008 and 7 Mar 2009. Those interested can make reservations for a butterfly watching guided tour online (free gifts offered). At the special exhibition room in Maolin Tourist Center, Chen Wen-Long Specimen Painting Exhibition, Purple Crow Butterfly Instant Image Display, and The World’s Two Largest Over-wintering Butterfly Valleys Exhibition will be held. Moreover, with the local community participating, a weekend crafts market will also be launched to improve local economy. Ecological tour lovers are welcome to appreciate the beauty of butterflies at Maolin.

An opening hiking activity will be held at 0830am, 6 December. The route starts from the Administration of Maolin National Scenic Area to Maolin Ecological Park along the 132 Highway. All are welcome to participate. Reservation hotline: 07-3452942.

Started from Dec. 6th, 5 purple crow butterfly hiking tours will be held at 08:40, 09:10, 09:40, 10:10 and 10:40 on every Saturday and Sunday (not including Jan. 24th and 25th, 2009, the Chinese New Year period). Reservations will be closed before Friday for the up coming weekend tours, each section has a maximum 50 person restriction.

For more information, visit the Maolin National Scenic Area website
http://www.maolin-nsa.gov.tw/maolin/index.php?lang=en&style=style2

http://www.maolin-nsa.gov.tw/maolin/purple-butterfly/indexen.html

Erliao and Hill 308

Moon World is a classic example of a chalk badlands terrain. In geological terms it comprises highly saline limestone with a sandstone and shale structure, so that in an area of several hundred hectares no plants grow and the highly eroded ground is bare, creating a "lunar" landscape. The area is also interspersed with mudstone strata containing large amounts of natural gas that forces mud out of the ground in "mud volcanoes." In winter, moisture evaporating from the chalk leaves behind patches of powdery white salt crystals on the surface. Well known scenic spots in Moon World include Erliao Pavilion, Hill 308, Mt. Tsao Suspension Bridge, the Crocodile, and the Lion's Head. At Erliao Pavilion at dawn, when the first rays of sunshine fall upon the chalk, moisture starts to evaporate out of it to form mist which shrouds the hills, creating a scene like a Chinese ink-wash painting.
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/gogo/goen_44.htm

For this dreamy picture, I woke up at 3:00AM and drove about 16km on confusing foggy country roads to Erliao Pavilion where photographers have to bear the fierce mosquito attack and fight for a good spot among a bunch of tripods, and those aren't the only challenges for photoshooting in Erliao. The timing is the trickiest part, it is believed that 2-3 days after a pouring rain during May to September is the best time to make the trip: too much moisture evaporation veils the tiering hills leaving nothing but a white mist in sight; without mist shrouding the hills, the masterpiece of a Chinese ink-wash painting washes away into a barren land.

Hill 308, named after its height above sea level, is famous for its magnificent panorama over a huge area of barren, eroded soil--a Grand Canyon landscape that comprises countless gullies, ravines and peaks. The 308 meters in altitude doesn't diminish the majestic sea of clouds wafting up and down the peaks at dawn, nor make it more easily accessiable.

Sunrise in Erlaio is good practice for High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, whereas Hill 308 is best visited in late afternoon, when the sun brings out the red orange hue of the cliffs. Open Invitation to anyone interested, just send me an email or leave a comment with your contact information, and you can join me (free ride!) the next time I plan to go.

Routes to Erliao and Hill 308

View Erliao and Hill 308 in a larger map

Fun HCM City

Despite the fact that I was staying in HCM City only for 3 days, I still managed to try out two restaurants in town and watched a water puppet show in a brand new theatre.

Water puppet show
The origination of the water puppet show can be traced back to the Ly Dynasty, 1010-1225. Given the geographic advantages, the water puppetry set stages on natural lakes in northern Vietnam where audiences could sit around the stages to enjoy the shows and wonder how puppeteers could breath and control the puppets under water. This unique art form has become one of the cultural heritages of Vietnam and stages can now be found not only in northern Vietnam such as Hanoi but also in HCM City.

Located at 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street District 1, the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre together with the Labor Cultural Palace form a complex recreation ground where not only water puppetry is performed; you can work out in the gym, play tennis and volleyball etc. in the backyard of the theatre. The theatre started its business in August 2007 with a seating capacity of 200. The show is played at 18:30 and 20:00 daily for a duration of 50 minutes with no intermission (VND$65,000, USD$4, 10% discount for groups). Daytime performances can be arranged by contacting the theatre at http://www.goldendragonwaterpuppet.com/

Staff wearing traditional costumes usher audiences to their seats and give them brochures in which programmes are printed in Vietnamese, English, French, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. Traditional Vietnamese living styles, customs and fairytales are told by 17 acts that begin with raising the festival flag then, Teu, dragon dance, on a buffalo with a flute, argriculture, catching frogs, rearing ducks and catching foxes, fishing, returning to the native land after winning the first place of nationwide exam, lion dance, king Le Loi on boat tour or the legend about "restored sword", children playing in water, boat racing, unicorns play with ball, fairy dance and dance of four holy animals. 3 folk music performers on each side of the stage dub for puppets in Vietnamese and with traditional instruments that accomodate the movements of puppets harmoniously.

I don't know how these puppeteers control puppets in open areas where the water level of lakes were high back in the Ly Dynasty. I do know that in this theatre puppeteers control puppets behind dark green colored curtains on the stage with cloudy water to disguise the movements of puppets by poles and strings under water.

The Vietnam House
Located on bustling Dong Khoi street with English speaking staff, English menus with photographs for each dish and live-music performences by girls wearing traditional costumes makes the Vietnam House one of the popular foreigner gathering restaurants for Vietnmese cuisine in HCM City. The restaurant is one block from my hotel and I was invited to a free dinner by Dr. Wang from the department of pediatrics NCKUH on my last day staying in town.

This restaurant is a 3 level restored French colonial house with large French windows that allow diners to watch the bustling street from the relaxed air-conditioned room. Photographs of George Bush Sr. and Former Philippine President Cory Aquino were hung on the wall of the staircase to the second floor where a stage for live traditional instruments performence is set.

Comparatively it’s more expensive than the average Vietnamese cuisine restaurant and the food was mediocre. I wonder whether the restaurant tried to westernize the flavor of these Vietnamese cuisine to fit foreigner's appetite. I had a delicious lotus root with shimp and pork salad in Mekong Delta once and the dish here was not comparable.

Address: 93-95 Dong Khoi street, District 1, HCMC.
Tel: 8291623

The Refinery
The area enclosed by Hai Ba Trung, Le Thanh Ton, Thi Sach and Nguyen Sieu was the legal opium manufactory in the early 20th century. The Refinery was one of the prestige opium manufacturers in Saigon and the sign of Manufacture d'Opium was hung on the entrance arch blatantly. It was until 1954 when the French military retreated from Vietnam that brought a closure to the factory and now the only hint that tells its secret past is the poppy symbol of the restaurant and the metal poppy ornament on the yellowish arch.

Over shadowed by the neighboring constructions and distractions, it takes courage to walk under the arch that seperates the bustling street from a quiet atrium that hosts 3 adjacent restaurants and the refinery is the middle one. I was disappointed with decoration in the restaurant--it looks no different from a cozy bistro in Paris. The poppy symbol on block prints, napkins and T-shirts of waiters is trying to unfold the history of this venue, however, without help from other accessories such as smoking pipes or opium refiners, the message vanished in the air leaving people to wonder why the restaurant would choose this unknown flower as its symbol.

English speaking staff, English menus and delicious European dishes, the refinery is the place to go when you are sick of eating Vietnmese cuisine all the time even though the price is relatively high. It's easy to spend a half day sitting on the terrace drinking beer while surfing online via wireless connection. I ordered a pudding with melted chocolate covering the plate and with a final touch of ice cream and roasted almonds on top, for dessert. I was hoping it would taste like the Fondue au Chocolate that I had before, but the overwhelming sweetness kills all the flavor and the unique texture of the pudding that is made of almond dregs.

Address: 74 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, HCMC (across from the Park Hyatt Hotel)
Tel: 8230509
Fax:8248046
Email: therefineraysaigon@gmail.com

Palace Hotel
The inflation rate in Vietnam is rampant (25% in May) that's what I've been told and the impact of inflation hit when I realized that the price of hotels in HCM City has risen almost double from last year. By screening from my hotel survey posted in Hotels in HCM City and Hotels in HCM City 2, the Palace Hotel is chosen for its location, amenities and of course price. Palace hotel is one of the various businesses owned by the Bong Sen Corporation. Built in 1968, the hotel has been under several times of renovation and the latest renovation was as the end of 2006 and still going.

I reserved a suite room via their website but I didn't get a confirmation a week after the reservation. I wrote an email to the hotel and got a reply telling me that the room has been reserved, however there is no wireless internet access in a suite room. I told them on their website the WiFi is listed in the amenities of suite rooms and would like to amend my booking to a cheaper superior room which also has no access to WiFi system. The staff gave me a prompt reply telling me that they would upgrade my room to a signature superior which has wireless in room with the same price as my original booking. It's strange that nowhere could I find an electric kettle or tea bags for tea making, yet 2 tea cup sets were placed nicely in the room. The air conditioning wasn't cool enough and I didn't bother to complain that there was no bathrobes in the room as listed in the amenities.

The room was spacious and comfy. A high tech magnetic card is the key to the room. Be aware of the demagnetization; don't put the card anywhere near your mobile phone or you might ended up being locked out of the room. An open-air bar with outdoor swiming pool and gym on the roof top provides a panoramic view of Saigon river and leisure ambience for guests. The opening hours of the pool are from 6:00 to 20:00 daily. I enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze in the pool all by myself after work during my stay.


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