On either side of his monument stood the National Theatre and the National Concert Hall. Preparations were afoot for a concert in the Square renamed Liberty Square in honour of the establishment of Taiwan’s democratic state.
Eighty nine steps (the age at which Chiang died) led to the main hall ( steps undergoing maintenance st present) where there is an enormous statue of the man himself, not unlike President Lincoln in Washington, guarded by two soldiers.
There is a Changing of the Guard on the hour. It was similar to yesterday’s if not more elaborate.
After the manoeuvres that followed the Change, the uniform was adjusted to ensure it was perfect including the trouser’s stripe!
Downstairs were various exhibition halls - detailing the life of Chiang. He appears to have met almost every world leader including Johnson and Nixon. He fled to Taiwan, having failed to defeat the Communists on mainland China,
bringing with him many of the treasures to be seen in the National Palace Museum, which had they remained on mainland China would have been destroyed in Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
Among the exhibits were his office
and his two cars
in addition to the sedans
used to carry him when in mountainous regions!
We quitted the square and returned to the hotel. We crossed to the station in good time to find Platform 3A, where the train 125 departs for Chaiyi at 13.00.
The Main Station is vast and confusing. There are three types of trains: local, TRA (slow and express) and the HSR (High Speed Rail), all located in different areas of the station.
Taiwanese Rail almost vies with Japanese Rail as the most impressive Railway. One is given a carriage and seat number and the carriage stop is marked on the platform. The only difference was that the conductor was not white gloved, nor did he bow in and out of the carriage nor bow to each passenger on presentation of his ticket as the Japanese conductors do !!!!
The train, we were informed, had no catering facilities. In recent years, we have found a flask invaluable for occasions such as this. There were no Bento boxes ( Japanese) available at the station but we are able to purchase sandwiches and I never travel without Barry’s tea bags!! However, there appeared to be some snacks available, though they may not have been to our taste.
The use of the Easy card (a card similar to our Leap card) to book long journeys is not advisable as one is not guaranteed a seat and I observed passengers standing for some hours!! The Easy Card is ideal in the city. Less than €3 covered all yesterday’s transport, 3 MRT Metro) trips and 3 bus trips - some to the outer suburbs. I suggest it is a better buy than a 24/48 hour pass. One pays €2.50 for the card (non refundable) but any money left on the card is redeemable. Cash is also acceptable on the bus but one must buy one’s ticket before one enters the Metro.
The train arrived on time. Indeed the digital display informed that all trains are running on time. Boarding the train, we quickly found our seats and settled down for a 3.5 hour journey to Chaiyi city on the edge of Alishan National Park, where tomorrow we take a train up the mountains to a height in excess of 2000 metres!! We took an express train but not the high speed as the latter stops at a newly built station for the HSR trains - a 20 bus ride from the city!
We arrived on time, a short taxi ride to the hotel and went out to sample Chiayi had to offer. We taxied to Smart Fish (established 1953) restaurant -it’s signature dish is the deep fried fish heads and tails of silver carp simmered in a milky pork broth with vegetables, tofu and satay sauce. It was the most flavoursome dish I’ve tasted in Taiwan. The other speciality of the region is Turkey rice and though we weren’t eating it in its home Pen Sui Turkey Rice restaurant, I thought it rather bland. In addition we also tasted calamari and an excellent broth - with two beers the total cost €10.
The Taiwanese eat early and quickly - they don’t linger over meals and rarely drink alcohol. The restaurant closed at 10.
Last to leave st 9pm!!
After dinner, as the night market was in full swing outside,
we wandered through the streets and the returned to our hotel
Tomorrow Alishan Forest Railway. .....
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