< Visited in Aug 2018 & May 2017 >
The Yancheng district (盐埕区) of today is nowhere a fraction of its heyday. Located near the coast and port, locals engaged in mullet (乌鱼) fishing and later "salt sunning" (晒盐) in the olden days. What is better known of the district now are Pier-2 Art Center 驳二艺术特区 and Kuchan (Jue Jiang) Shopping District 堀江商场, though my stroll in this blog covers the vicinity of Yanchengpu MRT station (盐埕埔站周边).
< Visited in Aug 2018 & May 2017 >
The name "simtree' is a play on the chinese term 兴趣 (hobby/interest), and indeed, the whole science and art behind coffee must be the hobby or interest of many people. 兴趣xsimtree is a coffee chain that brings together beans, roasting, brews, light meals, and coffee making apparatus and accessories under one roof. There are currently five outlets in Kaohsiung. By virtue of proximity to where I like to stay (Hotel dùa 住饭店), I visited this particular outlet mere minutes away on foot.
< Visited in Aug 2018 & Jul 2017 >
Despite being named Nanhua Tourist Night Market 南华观光购物街, this destination is neither packed with tourists, nor opened only at night. I found this gem when putting up at Hotel dùa 住饭店 and (the now-closed) The Icon Hotel 艾卡设计旅店 - both of which are within a 10-minute stroll, in addition to proximity to MRT.
Related read:
[Kaohsiung 高雄] ◈Stay宿◈ Hotel dùa 住饭店
< Visited in Aug 2018 >
Mention Pier 2 Art Center 驳二艺术特区 and many people should be aware of or have visited this cultural park. A 100-year old warehouse cluster located right beside it - the Kaohsiung Port Warehouse No. 2 or KW2 栈贰库 and Banana Pier 香蕉码头 - may be lesser known and mentioned. Redeveloped and opened to the public only in 2018, this is the fourth warehouse zone, boosting the vibrancy of Pier 2 Art Center 驳二艺术特区 in entirety.
< Visited in Aug 2018 >
Taiwan is my favourite destination for exhibitions, considering the fact that my place of origin does not offer the same variety, volume and (wallet-friendly) admission rates. From global faves like Sanrio, Ghibli Studio, Disney characters, even Starbucks, to local creators, school graduation works and pop-up exhibits, I've been to no less than thirty of them in Taiwan, big and small, paid and free. This is an activity I highly recommend for free and easy travellers.
< Visited in Aug 2018 | Jan 2018 | Jul 2017 | Dec 2016 >
Da Yong Warehouse 大勇仓库 is my favourite and most visited among the three warehouse clusters at Pier 2 驳二- not forgetting it was also the first zone I checked out. Besides being the largest cluster with retail, dining, art and exhibition spaces, the tenancy mix is a definite crowd puller, and can keep slow and easy travellers like me occupied for an entire afternoon.
< Visited in Aug 2018 | Jan 2018 | Jul 2017 >
Pier 2 驳二's strategic location along Kaohsiung Port comes with another benefit - the abundance of space that has seen some old warehouses creatively converted into cultural, retail and dining zones. Peng Lai Warehouse 蓬莱仓库 is one of the three clusters, and nearest Sizihwan MRT Station 西子湾捷運站.
< Visited in Jan 2018 >
Da Yi Warehouse 大義仓库 at Pier 2 Art Center 驳二艺术特区 is the last cluster I visited among the three, and admittedly only after I had done my shopping and dining at Da Yong Warehouse 大勇仓库.
< Visited in Aug 2018 | Jan 2018 | Jul 2017 | Dec 2016 >
If you are a fan of cultural parks (文创园区) like Songyan 松烟 and Huashan 华山 in Taipei, Pier 2 Art Center 驳二艺术特区 and KW2 栈贰库 (henceforth collectively referred to as Pier 2 驳二 in this blog) would be a highly recommended destination.
< Visited in Jan 2018 >
Though the cafe's FB appears as 描Cafe X 屋Brunch, it is probably more accurate to call it 描X屋 - loosely translated as "sketch house", and 描 (sketch) playing on the same sound as 'meow' - CafeXBrunch.
< Visited in Jan 2018 & May 2017 >
Opened in mid 2015, MLD 台铝生活商场, or MLD 台铝 in short, is a mall housing a cinema, bookstore, supermarket, eateries and weekend bazaars. The location is an old factory belonging to aluminium company 台湾铝业公司 (Metropolitan Living Development, or MLD in short), which expanded to this location as the business grew.
< Visited in May 2017 >
Fongyi Academy 凤仪书院 was constructed in 1814, during the Qing dynasty reign of Emperor Jiaqing (嘉庆). Declared a third-grade national monument back in 1985, management rights were obtained by the Kaohsiung county government in 2005, leading to a series of refurbishment and eventually opening to the public in end 2014. Accessible by MRT to Fongshan station 凤山站 followed by a leisurely stroll from exit 2, this makes an easy and favourable day excursion, including good food in the precinct - for me, lunch at picnic to go 有。野餐.
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