Cijin (旗津 ) Island in Kaohsiung

1 April 2024

Cijin Island is a popular destination for a day trip from Kaohsiung. The long and narrow island is only a cheap and short ferry ride from the mainland. Cijin Island offers a mix of temples, quirky art and a lively old shopping street with restaurants serving excellent seafood. There is also a black sand beach where one can watch the sunset.

We did not have many days to explore Kaohsiung, so we allocated a day in our itinerary to see both Pier 2 Art Center and Cijin Island.

We spent the morning exploring Pier 2 Art Center. From there, we took an easy 10-minute walk to Gushan Ferry Pier from the western end of Pier 2 Art Center near the Sizihwan Station. It was already about 3 PM when we arrived at the pier.

Ferries docked at the pier.

Cyclists and motorcyclists could ride their vehicles through these gates directly into the ferry.

The ferry to Cijin Island leaves every 10 to 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night till 2 AM. Payment of the fare is by tapping the Easycard before boarding. We saw many people riding their bicycles and motor cycles up the ramp into the ferry as well.

It was a short 5 minutes journey on the ferry but we enjoyed good views of Kaohsiung City and the pier area from the deck of the ferry. 

Colourful row of houses as seen from the top deck of the ferry.

Skyscrapers in Kaohsiung City across the water.

After the ferry docked at Cijin Island, the motorcyclists and cyclists zoom off first. We turned right after leaving the ferry terminal and headed down the Old Street that lead to Cijin Beach.

A prominent temple along the way is the Cijin Tianhou Temple. The temple dedicated to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea and Patron Deity of fishermen, sailors and any occupations related to sea/ocean. This is the third temple dedicated to Mazu that we saw in the last 2 days in Taiwan and is also Kaohsiung’s oldest temple.

Figure of Mazu outside the Cijin Tianhou Temple.

Mazu at the altar inside the temple.

Beautiful decorations on the roof of the temple.

Cijin Tianhou Temple at night.

Many visitors to the island would rent bikes to explore the island faster. There are many bike shops offering rentals but we decide to only explore the northern part of the island on foot and skipped the quirky places that attracted Instagrammers, e.g. Shell Museum, Rainbow Church and Windmill Park located in the middle and southern part of Cijin Island.

We walked down the "main street" towards the beach and noted the many seafood restaurants in the area. This is where we planned to have dinner later. But first, we need to look for a restaurant that serves lunch.

One of the dishes I craved for when visiting Taiwan is their beef noodles in soup. We went to Jixiang Jie Beef Noodle, an under-rated and obscure shop located in a small street near the Cijin Tunnel. It was way past lunch time, so we were the only customers.

Beef noodles soup that is cheap and good. Tender, well cooked beef and dark flavourful broth. Highly recommended.

 

The menu posted on the wall. We ordered the standard beef noodle soup although there are options for innards, dry version of the noodles, vegetables, beef soup without noodles etc.

Small bowl costs 90 TWD. We can get the larger portion with more noodles for 10 TWD more.

Hunger and cravings satisfied, we went to the Cijin Tunnel.

The tunnel, which was excavated in the Japanese Colonial Era and passes through Cihou Mountain, was originally a military tunnel. We could see concrete guns positions just outside the entrances to the tunnel.

Old machine-gun bunker at the entrance to the Cijin Tunnel.

The tunnel has since been decorated with glow-in-the-dark paintings of marine animals, including orcas, jellyfish and corals and LED lights, transforming it into a beautifully lit passage called the Cijin Star Tunnel.

Cijin Star Tunnel’s illuminated and painted walls. The illumination throughout the tunnel changes colour every couple of seconds.

The end of the tunnel opens into an open area with views of the other side of Cihou Mountain’s limestone cliffs, incessantly battered by the choppy waves of the sea. 

The tunnel opens up to this view.

We continued along a scenic, breezy walkway, where we saw sweeping ocean views of Taiwan Strait, some unique looking cactus plants, ships entering the harbour and even a wedding couple doing a photo shoot.

Interesting to find lots of cactus on this side of the island.

Wedding couple having a photoshoot and a ship entering the Kaohsiung Harbour in the back.

Walking back to the tunnel.

There is a lighthouse and a fort located on top of the Cihou Mountain but we did not have the desire (and energy) to climb up for a visit.

We returned via the tunnel and took a walk along the Cijin Black Sand Beach. The beach has very fine black sand, hence its name.

Having some fun on the Cijin Black Sand Beach.

We did not see anyone swimming in the sea although there was a lifeguard station with several lifeguards inside.

A quirky art piece of a lifeguard and his dog outside an actual lifeguard station along the beach.

It was almost sunset when we arrived at the popular Sunset Bar, located right on the beachfront. This is a highly recommended place for good music, cheap drinks and sunset viewing. It would be packed during the weekends but since we visited on a Monday, we managed to get seats facing the beach.

Happy hour at the Sunset Bar on Cijin Island.

We managed to get good seats facing the sea.

Perfect relaxing evening at the beach, sipping cocktails, nice music and watching the sunset.

The Sunset Bar offers spectacular views of the sunset over the ocean and the nearby Cihou Mountain.

The beach is also a great spot to watch the sunset.

Once the sun had gone down, the lights on the beach were turned on giving the whole place a different vibe.

Sunset Bar after sunset.

Romantic beach scene at Cijin Island.

We returned to the Old Street to have dinner at one of the seafood restaurants we saw earlier. I read that this place has the best seafood in Kaohsiung.

There are many seafood restaurants, with trays of seafood on ice laid out in front to entice the hungry diners. By now, our cash on hand was running low and most, if not all, of the seafood restaurants in Cijin Island do not accept credit cards.

We went to a shop with a charismatic and chatty owner who recommended the fish, prawn, vegetable and clams based on our budget. The seafood items were weighed, prices quoted and then methods of cooking was recommended by the owner and agreed with us.

The owner asked if we want to try some local vegetables only found in Taiwan and we agreed. I had a hunch that it is the bird’s nest ferns and I was right.

The restaurant was simply furnished with tables and chairs and minimal decorations.

Steamed fish with preserved cordia dichotoma. The slightly sour berries are found in Taiwan.

Boiled live prawns to be eaten with a dipping sauce.

Clam soup cooked with ginger.

Interesting vegetable found only in Taiwan. This is the young shoots of the bird’s nest ferns. I actually have this fern growing in my garden! One of the most common preparations of bird’s nest fern is fried together with red chilli, salted dried anchovies and preserved cordia dichotoma.

Curly part of the shoot. I actually had this dish in my previous trip to Hualien, Taiwan. This is a delicious dish and I will eat it again if I could.

After dinner, we took the ferry back to the mainland and took the MRT back to our hotel.  We need to change trains at the Formosa Boulevard Station MRT Station, which featured the Dome of Light. 

The dome is the world's largest public art installation made from individual pieces of colored glass.

The Dome of Light has a 30-meter diameter and covers an area of 660 square meters. Quite impressive.

My original plan was to walk to the Liuhe Night Market from the Formosa Boulevard Station, plus a quick visit to Sanfeng Temple to see the impressive lights in the temple at night. Plans were made to be changed and we went back to our hotel for an early rest instead.

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Free and easy in Kaohsiung and trying the Taiwan Railway bento set

2 April 2024

We did not really have much planned for the last day of our Taiwan trip. My original plan was to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the H2O Hotel and then perhaps go check out some street art in Kaohsiung or go explore the rest of Pier 2 Art Center. 

Our flight out from Taoyuan Airport was at 21.45 hr. This means we have to return to hotel by 3 PM, take the hotel shuttle to the Zuoying HSR (high speed rail) Station, collect our tickets before 4 PM to catch the 4.35 PM high speed rail (HSR) train.  

We planned to eat the famous Taiwan Railway bento sets during our 2 hour train ride on the High Speed Rail.

Enjoying our dinner on the HSR train on our way to the airport.

Once again, plans were made to be changed. Instead of checking out the street art in Kaohsiung, we decided to go check out some shopping areas and see if we can buy some local snacks to bring home.

By the time we checked out, left our luggage with the concierge and head for the Kaohsiung Arena MRT Station, it was already 10.45 AM. We could not decide where to go. It was either Dreammall or SKM Outlets.

We were was on the MRT heading to SKM Outlet when we heard announcement "next stop is Sanduo Shopping Street". We made a split second decision to alight and explore the area.

Leaving the MRT Station, we found ourselves along a busy road called the Sanduo 3rd Street and saw several places such as Mega, Poya and a Sogo Department Store to explore. We also went to a few local convenience store to check out the pineapple cakes that Taiwan is famous for. We found none on sale.

From the Sanduo shopping area, we took a bus back to our hotel as planned.

Once again, we enjoyed a luxurious car ride to the HSR Station, courtesy of the H2O Hotel.

We had a little time to do some shopping at the HSR Station. At the 7-11 store in the HSR Station, we finally got our hands on some pineapple cakes! We bought the Chia Te pineapple cakes as advised by a helpful and friendly local lady in the 7-11 store. She said there would be long queues in Taipei for them.

570 TWD per box with 12 individual packed pieces.  We bought 3 boxes (for ourselves and also as gifts).

It was a 2 hour journey from Kaohsiung to Taoyuan on the High Speed Rail. This was a perfect time to eat the famous Taiwan Railway Bentos. It is estimated that five million of these boxed meals are sold per annum.

There were a few stalls selling bentos at the HSR station. We made sure we bought the bentos from Taiwan Railway (TR) stall. In fact, the TR bento sets seems to be the cheapest.

TR Bento 80 TWD only.

For 80 TWD, this bento set is really value for money. It contains pork chop and rice. In addition, there are a variety of side dishes, including a braised egg, dried tofu, and some vegetables.

The bentos are also sold on board the train. Staff on the train would go round to collect the used containers and other rubbish periodically.

     

Overall, like the rest of our stay in Taiwan, our last day in Taiwan went pretty well. We will be back!

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Our stay at the H2O Hotel in Kaohsiung

31 March to 3 April 2024

We had a comfortable and enjoyable 3 days stay in the H2O Hotel Kaohsiung. Although H2O was the chemical name for “water”, the name of the hotel actually means your “Home and 2nd Office”.

Location

There were a few 5 star hotels that I considered when planning my trip. I finally chose H2O Hotel because of its proximity to the Zuoying HSR Station and Xin Zuoying TRA Station.

It is also within walking distance to the Kaohsiung Arena MRT Station and the Hanshin Arena Shopping Mall. Ruifeng Night Market is only a 7 minutes walk away and the Lotus Pond Scenic Area which I wanted to visit is also a short taxi ride away.

 Cutesy decorations at the ground floor entrance to the H2O Hotel.

Free shuttle service to and from the Kaohsiung HSR Station.

The hotel provides free shuttle service from the HSR Station if you informed them of your arrival details at least 1 day in advance.

On the day of our arrival in Kaohsiung by HSR from Chiayi, we were met by a representative of the hotel at the platform of the HSR Station.

We were pleasantly surprised that he came to the train platform to meet us.  

The young man, smartly dressed in a silvery long tailed coat, helped us with our luggage and drove us to the hotel in a luxurious SUV. Cold towels and drinks were offered to us while we rode to the hotel in style.

On our day of departure, we booked the same shuttle service to send us to the HSR Station.

H2O Hotel Lobby

The concierge took care of our luggage from the moment we arrived by SUV to the hotel. We were ushered to the lobby on the 20th floor for check-in.

View from the hotel lobby.

Another cutesy spot for photos at the lobby.

Unfortunately, our room was not ready at our check in. We were told that we could go explore Kaohsiung first and we will be notified by SMS or email once our room is ready.

There are 3 restaurants in the hotel. Dim-Sum located on the lobby floor serves classic Chinese cuisine, while Ripple offers a selection of Western dishes. I was considering the Capstone Steakhouse on the ground floor that serves one of the best steaks in town but chose otherwise.

We decided to take a slow and short walk to Hanshin Arena for lunch and thereafter, go explore the Lotus Pond Scenic Area.

Our Room

Lift lobby on the Room floors.

Our room is the Deluxe Double Room that came with a large King-size bed, a flat-screen TV, a sofa and a working desk.

Very comfortable King-size bed in the spacious Deluxe Double Room.

A flat screen TV is provided in all rooms. The TV has an external HDMI connection port on the desk that I used to connect my Android TV box that I brought from home.

Like most hotels, standard items like towels, free toiletries, bathrobes, slippers and a hairdryer are provided.

Unlike most hotels, the mini-bar items at H2O are complimentary (i.e. included in the hotel price). I think this should be the standard in all hotels. Why provide overpriced mini-bar items that turn people off when these could be included in the overall price for the room and presented as a form of excellent service.

Pantry with Nespresso coffee maker and capsules, bottled water and kettle.

Complimentary cold drinks and snacks are also provided.

The bathroom has a bath tub and a walk-in shower, as well as an electronic bidet (a typical feature in most Japanese hotels and homes).

It was nice to soak in the hot tub after a long day of sightseeing. The water pressure is good, so it was fast to fill.

Bathtub with small TV but I doubt many would make use of it.

The “not-so-private” bathroom is transparent and could be seen from the bed. Fortunately, there is a venetian blind that you can close so your partner need not see you naked.

Breakfast

One of the things that I enjoyed most at the H2O Hotel is their excellent breakfast that is served in the Ripple restaurant.

In addition to the buffet spread, there are also carte items that we can order. Small pegs with our table number are provided and we could just pin the pegs on the ala carte items we wanted. This include beef steak with Paraguay beef, Singapore laksa, French toast, porridge with scallops and abalone, fish burger, Japanese style vegetarian noodle soup (vegan), omelette, over-easy eggs or hard-boiled eggs.

Selection of ala carte dishes.

Standard buffet breakfast items like noodle soup, bread, toast, ham, bacon, sausages and salad.

Over the 3 mornings, we tried almost all of the ala carte items.

One of our favourite items – beef steak that is medium done, juicy and tender. I had this on all 3 days! The beef is from Paraguay and the doneness is fixed by the chef.

Scallop and Abalone porridge. Quite tasty seafood rice porridge.

On the first morning, we were able to order a special crab porridge that was not on the menu.

Crab porridge.

Plastic gloves are provided. These were dispensed from a machine. Just place your hands in and out came the gloves!

French toast.

Singapore laksa. The laksa came with ingredients like fried tofu, meatballs, shrimps, mussels, bean sprouts and thick rice noodles. The broth tasted more like a Thai curry dish than a Singapore laksa. Fail as a Singapore laksa but pass with flying colours if you think it is a Thai curry dish!

Fish burger. This was not surprisingly good.

Another photo of our favourite dish on another morning – the beef steak.

Trying out the standard buffet breakfast items.

Selection of desserts, juices, soft drinks and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

Fruit selection at the breakfast buffet was quite standard. It would be better if it included more local fruits that are in season.

Overall, the breakfast service in this hotel is amazing. It is truly value for money to book a room that included breakfast.

Rooftop Bar and Pool

The hotel pool is located on the rooftop.  Getting out from the elevator, we were greeted with a walkway that is quite beautiful decorated.

Walkway leading to the hotel’s rooftop pool and bar.

The design of the swimming pool is something you either like or hate. The elevated pool has glass on one side facing the pool bar.

I hated it.

It reminded me of an aquarium, except that this time, you are watching people.

Swimming pool with glass on the side.

It was quite breezy in the day but still too warm to linger for long.

We patronised the pool bar on one of the evening. I was enticed by a drink coupon that came with our room. I thought it was a  “1 for 1” coupon, but the coupon was actually for a 50% discount for the 2nd drink. My bad.

Loud music video were projected on a large screen and I did not really enjoyed the environment. In fact, there were mosquitoes making a meal out of us.

This was the only item that failed to meet our expectations during our stay.

Summary

Overall, we had a wonderful stay at this luxury hotel in Kaohsiung. The standard and service of this hotel is really worth the price!

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