Another Saturday Drive

Actually, this drive happened quite a while ago, on Saturday July 20. We drove out to the port of Taichung where people had told us there was a very interesting fish market (with restaurants) and a boat ride. Teresa was interested in taking the ride, so off we went.

The drive was unusual in that many roads pointed in the direction we wanted to go, we had a map with directions, and we had our GPS on, but we drove for two hours and still could not find the port and market. We were close several times and then headed parallel to the coast (in the wrong direction). Finally, after circling twice, we did find the port. If had a wonderful fish market with everything coming directly from the boats which were docked immediately outside. Here are some pictures from the market.

And here are some pictures from the boat ride. I should say the ride was pretty uninteresting - for anyone thinking to do this, it is short and not very scenic. You see the Taichung harbor which is some commercial fishing and then the port which is very industrial. And you have a good view of the wind power farm slightly south of the port.

Saturday drive to Sanyi

We decided on July 26 to take a drive to Sanyi, a town north of Taichung about 45 minutes. It is an island center fro woodworking and has a wood sculpture museum in addition to many shops and studios. 

We wandered up and down the main street. Many of the shops have a huge range of pieces from small "touristy" things to huge, ornate tables and desks that require cranes and other machinery to move. All of the wood is beautiful and much (I think) is local, though some articles now talk about importing of Chinese wood sculpture. There are a couple of interesting articles here and here on the town.  We bought a couple of small items.  I would like to know more about one of the gods depicted in many of the sculptures. He is variously hidden and in full view, often in a powerful stance. We took pictures so we could ask more about him. We bumped into one shop owner, Michael, who had obviously lived and studied in the US. His English was great and he explained many of the wood types to us.

We also knew there was a restaurant in the area called the Crescent Phoenix which is part of a group of five restaurants. We have eaten at two in Taichung (Santorini's and Jardin Giverny) and had great meals. The view from Crescent Phoenix was beautiful and the food delicious (though I would pass on the aloe appetizer myself). There is a good review of the place in Compass magazine, one of the great publications for expats in Taiwan. 

All in all, a very relaxing and fun day. We would like to go back and visit another little area nearby with an historic train station.