Just as it was getting more and more like spring it seems winter made a comeback because this week has been cold and rainy. Tired of coming home wet and and miserable, I suggested we go south for the weekend. Said and done, as soon as I got off work Friday, we got our bags, hopped on a high speed train south and went to the southern city Kaohsiung.

Yesterday we woke up fairly early, had a tasty breakfast, rented a scooter then headed out to explore the city. When we went to Taidong a few months ago, we spotted an old train bridge that looked interesting so we started by going there. It is the old railway bridge over the Gaoping river, originally built during the Japanese colonial period. It’s no longer in use but nowadays you can walk along the tracks to the middle point where it has been cut off.

We didn’t really know where to go after that, but a short look on the map told us there was a lake with some temples around it, which sounded interesting enough so we headed there. On the way we passed lots and lots of pineapple fields and since I’m a big fan of tropical fruit, we had to make a short stop.

A short while later we got to the lake and spent some time driving around it, stopping to visit the various temples and pavilions.

When we had more or less completed our lap around the lake we came to a place where you could try wakeboarding. Being a fan of all kinds of board sports, I of course had to try. Yini did not feel like trying so she sat down at a nearby cafe while I played. It was really fun and I was surprisingly good for my first time. I even managed to do it with just one hand on the pull rope. However,  there are no pictures, you just have to imagine me surfing on my board, one hand in the air doing the rock and roll sign of the devil.

When I was done, it was already late afternoon and there was supposed to be some fireworks at a temple outside the city, at seven pm, so we found a hotel as quickly as possible then rushed off, hoping to make it in time. Thanks to some high speed driving we got to the temple ten minutes before seven but the temple area is big and we didn’t manage to reach the correct part of it in time, which was kind of disappointing.

Since there was nothing we could do about that, we decided to get something to eat then go take a look at the small lantern festival they had going on. We got some tasty food from the vendors then wandered down towards the impressive looking main shrine. Just as I was taking a photo of the lit up buildings, Yini pointed out that she couldn’t find her phone. We started looking for it, backtracked up to the vendors but couldn’t find it and calling just got the voice mail. Sadly, we had to conclude that someone must have stolen it.

It’s a sad way to end an otherwise good day but sometimes things just don’t go like you want them to. However I did snap a few photos of the lanterns on the way down to the parking lot.

With Yini in low spirits from the loss of her phone, it didn’t feel right to continue playing. So here we are on the train home, hoping for some better luck next trip.