[Tainan 台南 ☼ DayTrip日游] Madou 麻豆 @ Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in Aug 2018 >

Madou 麻豆 is a Tainan district approximately 25km north of the city proper. Like Yujing 玉井 district in eastern Tainan is synonymous with mango (definitely on my to-visit list), Madou 麻豆 is known for its pomelo (文旦 - commonly referred to as 柚子, though it's more accurately a type of the latter). Admittedly, my day trip was not so much inspired by the fruit (which was not in season at my time of visit), but by my continual interest in off-city towns and from local blogs, sufficient attractions to make a day trip.

(Map taken from https://www.twtainan.net/en/statics/abouttainan)

Date of travel: Sun, 5 Aug 2018
Duration of day trip: Approx. 5 hours (12noon arrival at - 5pm departure from Madou)
Mode of travel: Cab to first attraction + on foot/cab at Madou + bus back to Tainan city

Covered for the day:
1. Tsung Yeh Arts & Cultural Center 总爷艺文中心
2. Madou Daitian Temple 麻豆代天府 (十八层地狱)
3. Miricecake 南方米造秈稻碗粿 + A-lan savoury rice pudding 阿兰碗粿 (碗粿蘭)

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My original plan was to take a bus from the vicinity of Tainan (TRA) Station 台南火车(台铁)站 to Madou Bus Terminal 麻豆转运站, an estimated 1-1.5hr ride (though Google Maps indicates 32mins).

Note: At my time of visit, the Tainan Bus Terminal 台南转运站 was not yet ready. Officially opened in Dec 2019, this now serves as a start point for many of the bus routes. In addition to other bus stops around Tainan (TRA) Station 台南火车(台铁)站, remember to confirm boarding point if you are planning to take any of the buses in Tainan.

As mentioned, the new Tainan Bus Terminal had yet to open when I visited, so I am highlighting only the bus stops near Tainan (TRA) Station 台南火车(台铁)站.

▼ South Bus Station 南站, situated beside Hotel Tainan 台南大饭店

▼ My planned bus route starts at North Bus Station 北站, situated right in front of Tie Dao (Railway) Hotel 铁道大饭店 (itself, a building of many stories). There are two bus shelters here, presumably to space out bus traffic in view of the many services weaving in and out of the entire circular zone.

▼ The modern bus stop had a USB charging port, as well as a Braille info panel.

▼ 大台南公车 O(range) 12- my original planned leisurely 1-1.5hr ride. Noting here that such inter-city routes may be less frequent, and 1-2 hour interval at certain periods of the day is not surprising. I strongly recommend you check your bus schedule prior online, if possible.

▼ There are also bus services covering other popular attractions in Tainan, such as Chimei Museum 奇美博物馆 (R4)...

... and Yujing 玉井 (Green line).

Sharing two things that happened to me (so you can avoid my mistakes):
1) I had not checked my bus schedule prior. Upon arrival at the bus stop, I realised I had missed a ride by mere minutes. The next bus was in two hours, resulting in a change in my plan (i.e to lunch in the vicinity instead of at Madou).
2) Back at the bus stop after lunch, I waited at the "wrong" shelter of the two, missing an announcement of my bus arrival at the other and watched my bus drive past. Having already "wasted" two hours earlier and not able to afford another two-hour wait, I decided to take a 30mins cab ride (no doubt an unplanned expense) to my destination.

▼ My post-blunder itinerary switched the order of attractions, optimising the cab ride to bring me to the farthest point #1, then covering #2 and #3 as I made my way back to Madou Bus Station.

☷☷☷☷☷ 1. Tsung Yeh Arts & Cultural Center 总爷艺文中心 ☷☷☷☷☷
Read more here.

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Despite the hot sunny weather, and less than sheltered walking route, I decided to make my way to the next attraction on foot. Being well-equipped for long walks under the sun has become a norm for me in Tainan, so a light brolly, hat, towel, sunblock and water are but part of my walking essentials.

Though Google Maps advised a <30min walk, I knew I would probably take longer, given my tendency to walk slowly, look around and take (many) photos along the way.

Though it was not in season, I had the privilege to see many pomelo trees along my stroll.

Eyes-only and hands-off these low lying fruits by the roadside...

▼ Other fruits along the way, though I only recognise the first - custard apple (/sugar apple/sweetsop) 释迦.

The stroll was serene, perhaps a tad quiet if you are concerned about safety even in broad daylight. As a lone traveller, I remained alert to my surroundings, while enjoying walking by locals resting in the shade, private residences and fruit trees.

Finally catching sight of my destination after an almost 2km stroll...

☷☷☷☷☷ 2. Madou Daitian Temple 麻豆代天府 (十八层地狱) ☷☷☷☷☷
Note: there is another Daitian Temple about 3km away, so it may be more accurate to Google "麻豆代天府十八层地狱" to reach this attraction.
Read more here.

☷☷☷☷☷ 3. Miricecake 南方米造秈稻碗粿 + A-lan savoury rice pudding 阿兰碗粿 (碗粿蘭) ☷☷☷☷☷
The final stop was for dinner, and wanting to make it there asap to satisfy my hunger and craving, I opted for a 10mins cab ride (via local app FindTaxi 呼叫小黄). (Alternatively, if you are still up for some walking, it would be another estimated 30mins walk from the previous spot.)

My research showed that Madou's speciality is rice cake/pudding 碗粿 - which is definitely my kind of local cuisine. There are apparently two very popular eateries, just a few steps from each other. Looking at Google Maps though, I am sure there are other good food in this area (including a central market 中央市场 nearby), which I didn't get to explore this time.

In order to savour both the popular eateries, I decided to dine in at one, and takeout from another.

Between the two, I decided Miricecake 南方米造秈稻碗粿 (FB) was more conducive for dining in, partly because it appeared to be less crowded (I found out later it was because many of their items were already sold out for the day), but primarily because of the story behind the current management. Deciding to sustain his grandmother's great flavour of 30 years, a grandson revamped the eatery's brand and image, and in the course of it, devising new flavours for the menu.

The whole eatery was pretty much mine, as the only dine-in customer that late afternoon. There was still the occasional customer walking in for takeout (whatever was left for the day). The grandma behind the brand was also seated in the eatery, a quiet and maternal figure in a corner. I didn't want to intrude her privacy by taking her photo, so I only nodded and smiled. Besides, I was genuinely hungry and all ready for the menu.

▼ A small selection of local products for sale

▼ Current menu from their FB, and available on every table.

Orders are placed at the cashier counter, for both dine-in and takeout.

▼ My dinner - Madou traditional salty rice cake 古早味碗粿 NT$35 + Tainan traditional rice dumpling 南方肉粽 NT$35 + Pig's knuckles and peanut stew 花生豬脚汤 NT$60 + Crystal sugar tremella tea 冰糖银耳茶 NT$40.
I had requested for no meat in my soup, as I was not particularly fond of eating pork knuckle - so the original serving should come with plenty of meat. A small story here - when I was served my meal, the server refunded some money to me, saying that the grandma had instructed so for my not having pork knuckle in my soup. I politely declined the kind gesture, as it was entirely my own dietary preference and I love my soup plain, but the server insisted.

It may seem quite alot to digest with the dumpling and rice cake, but I finished both easily. Would have ordered a braised side dish or two, if it had been available. The sweet and refreshing beverage helped wash the carbs down, and I bought a second bottle for supper. Departing the lovely understated eatery with a very satisfied tummy (and no, I did not take the refunded money with me, leaving it on the table but feeling very touched by the gesture), I walked to A-lan savoury rice pudding 阿兰碗粿 (碗粿蘭) two doors away. They don't seem to have an official FB, but found this webpage.

The 40-year old eatery looked to occupy four or five units, with many seats for dine-in on two floors. The ground floor seats looked all occupied when I was there. There are two separate queues for dine-in and takeout. The former is a "buffet line" displaying all the items, and customers would queue and pick what you want, paying at the cashier at the end of the line. The latter requires you to order and wait for your items to be packed (rather swiftly) while you pay at the takeout cashier. Both had running queues, proving its popularity. I only took away a supper of (yes, another) rice pudding 碗粿 NT$30 and a fish stew 鱼羹汤 NT$30, though their menu is quite extensive for a heavier meal.

Business was brisk and I did not take photos in view of the crowd (though it will not be a problem to find blogs featuring this eatery). Perhaps a next visit for dining in?

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The eateries were a 10-minute walk to Madou Bus Station 麻豆转运站.

I boarded my 大台南公车 Orange 12 after a short wait, just before it started pouring. Fare was NT$96 using my EZcard.

Just as well for my hour-ish long and comfortable ride back to the city, nodding off to sleep with my supper snugly in my thermal bag.

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❖ Tsung Yeh Arts & Cultural Center 总爷艺文中心
Web (Eng) | FB
Address --- No. 5 Zongye, Nanshi Village, Madou District, Tainan City 台南市, 麻豆区, 南勢里, 总爷5号

❖ Madou Daitian Temple 麻豆代天府 (十八层地狱)
Web
Address --- No. 60 Guandi Temple, Nanshi Village, Madou District, Tainan City 台南市, 麻豆区, 南勢里, 关帝庙60号

❖ Miricecake 南方米造秈稻碗粿
FB
Address --- No. 7 Xinsheng South Road, Madou District, Tainan City 台南市, 麻豆区, 新生南路7号

❖ A-lan savoury rice pudding 阿兰碗粿 (碗粿蘭)
Address --- No. 179-8 Zhongshan Road, Madou District, Tainan City 台南市, 麻豆区, 中山路179-8号

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