Wednesday December 10th, 2025. Day 34 was the second of two consecutive days of walking and once again, the ‘Northerners’ had chosen to stay at the Fuward Hotel（富華大飯店). After enjoying a healthy, filling breakfast, we met Tim in the lobby at 9:30am and ordered a taxi.
The Fuward sits in the heart of old Tainan, and the early morning drive took us past a succession of historic buildings, their façades catching the clear sunlight as we chatted about football and current affairs. Although our destination lay south of the city, the driver headed east instead. It soon became apparent that he had chosen the route for his own convenience rather than ours. A brief stop at a bubble tea shop confirmed this, during which he shared some dry bread he claimed was a local delicacy; it tasted more like something intended for birds and also suggested we try some dried Chinese ‘lumps’, which had a very peculiar smell and taste.
We seemed to be driving in an ever-widening circle and, when asked why we were heading towards the freeway, he replied curtly that there were fewer traffic lights. Once on the freeway, we could see our destination to our right. His driving became increasingly erratic, constantly accelerating and then braking. He seemed to particularly enjoy driving in the middle of the road only avoiding oncoming traffic at the last minute and we were extremely relieved when he finally dropped us at the WuLinTuo Trail.(烏林投步道)
The sun was shining under a clear blue sky and not wanting to ask our clearly mentally unbalanced taxi driver to take our traditional start of walk photo we were lucky enough to encounter two very friendly female walkers who kindly fulfilled the role.
The trail began at the quirkily named “Yongan Pot noodle Earth God shrine 永安泡麵土地公”which has some interesting murals, then continues south mirroring the coast. To the north the Xingda Power Plant coal unloading terminal (興達電廠卸煤碼頭) stretched out into the sea like a gigantic floating snake. We passed a small park where concrete sea defences and traffic cones had been repurposed into vaguely “artistic” installations, alongside a circular fish sculpture and a road sign pointing improbably towards various world cities. It was one of those slightly surreal, NFT-style moments that seem to crop up regularly on these walks.
Looking out towards the Yongan LNG receiving station (永安LNG接收站), the area was busy with container lorries and tankers. A prominent “no drones” sign initially suggested a tightly controlled zone. However, when we stepped onto the beach to see if we could walk on sand rather than the hard path, we noticed a line of small fishing huts. These are used by local fishermen as shelters while drone fishing offshore, so the sign was clearly aimed at them. On this particular day, the huts were empty and the skies silent.
Hsin-Kang Fishing Harbour (永新漁港) was quiet and sleepy. The boats tied up along the sides are typically used for gill net fishing, with winter catches including grey mullet and warmer months bringing hair tail, crabs and yellowtail fish. Continuing south, we passed an unpleasant stretch where rubbish had been dumped in large quantities and was being burned, sending thick smoke across the area. Fishermen stood on the opposite bank, and we could only hope that neither they nor the fish were being harmed by the fumes.
As we hit the mouth of the river and turned eastwards , a very Indian looking building appeared to our North West. Doing a quick google search, we identified this as the Zhaoxianfu temple (照顯府）dedicated to Guanyin. Nothing new there, but whilst it incorporates the usual Taoist and folk elements of Taiwanese temples, it also includes a Buddhist hall inspired by Indian Mughal architecture. Taiwan’s own Taj Mahal…..visually arresting, especially when seen from a distance.
Walking along the Xingang Seawall (新港海堤), the landscape tells a quiet story of water, labour and adaptation. The seawall traces the lower reaches of the Agongdian River (阿公店溪), which translated means, “Grandad’s shop river”. This name has an interesting history; the indigenous people who resided in this area prior to the settlers from Fujian, called the river Agongtoan which sounds like “a-kong tiàm” in the Fujian (Taiwanese) dialect.
The sea wall offered wide views over fish ponds, canals and the flat coastal plain that has shaped life here for generations. Built both for flood control and coastal protection, it now doubles as a gentle walking route where sea breezes soften the heat and the slow rhythm of aquaculture becomes visible.
Information panels explain how Yongan Fisheries (永安漁業) developed alongside these waterways. While offshore fishing was never dominant, inland and coastal aquaculture has flourished, with grouper, milkfish, tilapia, shrimp and shellfish being raised in carefully managed ponds. This transformation from natural wetlands to productive fish farms reflects the ingenuity of local communities responding to saline soils, tidal flows and changing economic needs.
Yongan hosts an annual grouper festival, attracting groups of grouper groupies from all over Taiwan and the world. (Try saying that quickly!)
Together, the seawall, river and fisheries form a working cultural landscape — not scenic in a dramatic sense but deeply rooted in everyday survival and stewardship. Standing here, it’s easy to see how Yongan’s identity has been shaped less by monuments and more by water, patience and the steady, practical relationship between people and the land.
Until 1985, much of Yongan was dominated by salt fields. After salt production ceased, four industries came to define the area: high-tech development in the science park, manufacturing in the Yongan Industrial Zone, aquaculture along the west coast, and energy infrastructure on reclaimed land. Parts of the former wetlands have since been designated as protected areas and now support both resident and migratory birdlife.
Unfortunately, even though the opposite river bank was less than 100 meters away, there was no immediate way to get there and we were forced to follow the river inland for 2.8km and cross southwards via the Jiugang bridge.( 舊港橋). At the end of the bridge there was a house with very ornate, decorative metal work as part of its design, as well as a large ornamental, almost regal looking roller gate. Was this another NFT or simply the abode of a blacksmith?
By now, we were feeling somewhat thirsty and stopped at a small Ma and Pa shop opposite the Jiugang temple (舊港福德祠) , bought some drinks, then walked into the center of the village to find some seating and rest at the local, exceedingly ornate, Mituo Old Port Three Thousand Palaces Temple ( 彌陀舊港口三千宮).
Setting off again through the numerous aquaculture ponds, a solitary god statue and a truckload of dead fish prompted some dark speculation about divine wrath or questionable aquaculture practices. Two questions: Had this solo warrior been on a rampage? And / or had the similar dead fish we had seen earlier been fed to live fish – Piranha breeding perhaps??
A dried-out pond nearby held a huge flock of egrets and one clap of the hands sent them exploding into the air. On we marched towards the Wenan bridge (文南橋）along another stretch of coast on the Luodi seawall (漯底海堤) with acres of solar panels to our left, then over the Haiwei ( Not Highway!) (還尾橋) bridge, where locals were catching their dinner.
With no direct route across Mituo Harbour, we were forced inland again, resting in the shade of an old tree outside Mituo Nantian Temple (南天宮). Locals watched us with expressions that suggested they thought we were entirely lost..
Our next destination was Love Ocean (愛琴海岸海景渡假農場) which was on the coast, but the easiest way seemed to be to head inland and then out again towards the ocean. We ambled towards the Kaohsiung Nanliao Daitian Temple (高雄南寮代天宮) hoping there would be a path to the sea, but unfortunately there was no access to the coast from that point – we were so near, yet so far, so returned to the main drag passing a myriad of small and medium enterprises, whilst container lorries swished past, narrowly missing us.
The sign to Love Ocean pointed us towards to narrow winding road and on we trundled. There was a wide open space and an area with tables and umbrellas looking out to sea. A member of staff approached and asked where we were going, we said we just wanted access to the beach, to which he replied, we had to purchase tickets – NTD500 each!! That’s very expensive for Taiwan and seemed a ridiculous amount to pay just to get down to the sea, so we declined and headed out, once again to the main drag.
Highlights continued regardless. An iguana unexpectedly launched itself into a pond, providing a wonderful photographic moment which was expertly captured by Rich and this led to some alliteration from Tim, who summed up the incident by saying “a lizard lying lethargically by the lido, leapt leisurely into the little lagoon and lightened our leaden limbs”.
Back on the main road, Elaine was delighted to spot the Jiuda Power Tools store (久大電動工具行), an OEM manufacturer for Makita. Time, unfortunately, was not on our side, and the visit was postponed to a hypothetical “next time” — a phrase that has become something of a recurring theme on this journey.
We reached Chikan(赤崁) to find ourselves welcomed by temples and an inventive art installation that made clever use of a derelict building. Painted a bold blue with white detailing, the façade was overlaid with simple perspective line drawings that recreated the building’s original interior. It was both playful and thoughtful — a small but effective attempt to honour the past while acknowledging its absence. Directly opposite stood Hu’s Coffee (誰的咖啡), its name a neat linguistic joke, playing on similar sounds in Mandarin and inviting the inevitable question: whose coffee, exactly?
Along the promenade, a series of public artworks and colourful murals enlivened the space. Several buildings had been thoughtfully painted, giving the impression that real effort had been made to connect historical identity with contemporary life rather than erase it. The result felt genuine rather than forced.
Deeper into the town, we encountered additional temples and a number of richly ornamented merchant houses, many dating back more than a century. These merchants had once made their fortunes trading across the Taiwan Strait, and the street names still quietly reflect this earlier maritime life. History here does not shout; it lingers.
Beneath the town’s largest temple — occupying the entire ground floor — sat the local wet market. This arrangement struck us as particularly unusual and was something we had not encountered elsewhere. Commerce, ritual, and daily life stacked quite literally on top of one another.
A short detour brought us to the nearest 7-Eleven, where cold drinks were gratefully consumed. For a moment, we considered calling it a day, but momentum — or stubbornness — prevailed, and we pressed on a few more kilometres towards Oyster Liao.
Leaving Chikan, we passed clusters of local men perched on motorbikes, deeply engaged in discussion about ongoing temple renovations. It appeared that neither helmet regulations nor warnings about betel nut consumption had gained much traction here. Some traditions, clearly, are harder to shift than others.
We moved past a palanquin storage shop and a man hand-painting temple signage — trades now rarely seen and gentle reminders of how quickly Taiwan continues to change. These fleeting scenes felt increasingly precious.
The day concluded perfectly. A warm sunset bathed the fishing boats in soft light as the local seafood market buzzed into evening life, the air thick with conversation and anticipation.
We located yet another 7-Eleven and called a taxi to take us to BaiTaoTang Stir-Fry Restaurant (百炒堂熱炒) en route to Zuoying HSR Station. Our cheerful driver confirmed he knew the place well and had delivered many satisfied customers there — always reassuring.
Dinner did not disappoint. The food was excellent, karaoke echoed enthusiastically from the back room, and the resident dog — proudly named 帥哥, “Handsome Brother” — supervised proceedings with quiet authority. Fully restored in both energy and spirits, we took our third and final taxi of the day to the HSR station.
A fast, smooth ride home neatly brought an end to a long, varied, and thoroughly rewarding Day 34.
End of Day 34. By Elaine.
Total Distance Walked Today 22.8 km.
Total Distance Walked in Total 707.9 km.
