Exploring Taichung

Good Morning Blog,

Where was I headed? As the title suggests, today's focus is on exploring Taichung, where numerous interesting places to be visited in a single day!

Today's weather seemed gloomy so we decided to go for breakfast on our own.

Let's go!

Motorbike is one of the most common transportation vehicles in Taiwan, similar to Malaysia.

Speaking of transportation, the streets in Taiwan City are not safe for people to walk along. We have to walk on the road to get to places because most of the vehicles park close to the side of the road.

Had a simple breakfast, kind of salty but at least it is affordable. As a bonus, I got some exercise with a long-distance walk.

Yes! Another manhole was found!

Along the way to our destination, I spotted an abandoned building and it looked like an urban choice!

Our first stop was to visit Instagram's hot spot

What a nice building with bricks

Miyahara 宮原眼科

Looks classic from the outside, a lot of visitors today.

Here is the legendary photo which you will see on Instagram - a vast library space so surreal.

The surreal moment broke when I stepped near to realise it was a mirror reflection!

I thought this place was wide and had an out-of-this-world interior with bookshelves like a school of owls would love to visit.

To be honest, it is effective enough to create such an illusion with limited space.

Even the books were fake... When I woke up from my exploration of this place, I recalled the questions I had when I first saw the pictures while researching places in Taiwan. The first question was, how do they place the books or clean the bookshelves? They are fake! 😂

The second question was, why do they have a metal scaffold in between the whole library? It is for the mirror to create this illusion! 😂 How stupid I am! 😂

Snap back to reality, I wonder what they sell here... They are selling high-grade tea...

(credit J) ...and they packed it like a vintage cassette tape or music disc. Creative! But I got stopped by the staff for posing for photos. I guess looking ugly should not represent their products, it's a sin.

But honestly, this place is very classic.

The beautiful and classic place couldn't hold me, so I stepped out first as my camera had fed enough.

The next stop was an old bank - Fourth Credit Union 台中市第四信用合作社 to loan some money.

Hmm 🤔 Where is the bank? Did we step into the wrong building? Nope, we were right. It becomes an ice cream store in a historical place that used to be a bank.

Weird setting here like this pipeline.

Looking at the lighting here, knowing these do not belong to this bank but they are used for decor.

A similar price tag to Singapore, so I just got myself an ice cream cone.

(credit QH) It tasted great, like what an ice cream is supposed to taste like.

Oooo, We got to see how the staff mass-produced wafers on the spot.

Rust plates are used to illustrate the number of floors

The second floor looks like a fusion of an old unfinished cement setting with new hype furniture and tiling, very unique!

(credit J) They still keep the safe door; the rust and wear make it look like it needs to be preserved.

A wooden moose head with a pair of beautifully crafted horns

Or replace it with other materials

There is more to the third floor

Interesting art display.

As I looked down from the 2nd floor, I saw giant ants (printed ants) coming into the store to illustrate the idea of seeing ants at home.

Looking up, I found the old bank front corner window display at the ceiling. Doesn't it look cool? Do I look cute like this? (shameless)

(credit J) I don't think I am that good-looking, so I prefer to look away to avoid any eye contact to cause others to vomit in these beautiful surroundings.

Goodbye J and thank you for joining my friends and me for a short catch-up. Take care on your next journey.

My eyes wide opened for this one... Looked abandoned! 😂

After a short walk, we came for food again...

Verdure which seems hippy

But the restaurant seemed not operationally ready, but I saw lighting and stuff. It should be operational, so we waited a bit and noticed a staff member showed up. We were lucky to have been patient; if not, we might have left for another place.

The staff told us that their air conditioning was malfunctioning, so it would be warm, but just check out this place; it looked classic.

But the dishes were prepared by the only staff, and we realized she is also the boss of this restaurant. The food tasted wonderful!

After our feast, feeling bloated, the next highlight of our itinerary was a bit too early, so we decided to go to a shopping mall to create an illusion that we cut down our fat... 🫠🫠🫠

I went back to the store where I got the cute dog (Posture Pal) and found his whole family. Oh my God! All look adorable! But I can only have one. 

The next unplanned place - Guan Gong Temple

There is a giant Guan Hong statue! That's grand!

Intricate statues up here

Bright interior compared to most of what I had visited.

Next unplanned destination

We arrived in a tranquil town, far from the busy city.

Visited one of the most popular temples among the locals - Dajia Jenn Lann Temple 大甲鎮瀾宮

This temple was built in 1730 to enshrine the Chinese Sea Goddess, Mazu. Admire the intricate statues and designs, which are rich with cultural features.

I always enjoy looking up and admiring the central part of the temple.

I pay my respects to Mazu. May she bless the locals and awaken them to manifest their inner strength, guiding them to assist others rather than treating Heaven as a wish-granting genie.

I believe Mazu will understand... She recognizes that the level of human self-awakening varies... so, she is merely assisting them in maintaining their faith at the fundamental level, so they can continue to be kind towards themselves and others. I hope Mazu can bless me with strength and wisdom to do what I need to serve Heaven.

I've observed that the streets in Taiwan are quite unique. In Singapore, we typically see three or four lanes at intersections forming T or cross shapes, whereas in Taiwan, it's common to find five-lane traffic systems like 大. I wonder how do they turn to the next lane?

Did you manage to see the 大 five-lane traffic systems here?

Someone cosplayed as something here.

After Mazu, nearby there is a Confucius Temple - 大甲文昌祠

Unfortunately, this temple doesn't receive as much attention as Mazu's, but it's understandable since March is Mazu's birthday, and the locals are focused on their worship during this time.

Taichung offers a wealth of sites to explore, and we've only sampled a few on our journey to the main destination we've been planning to visit since 2021. From photogenic spots to places of reverence, each location has its own distinct cultural history and narrative. (Wah, the co-pilot helped and improved my English to another high level, which does not sound like me... feeling inferior while reading its correction... It used words which I don't even know...)

Jeff