“Would you like to join the workshop?”
A few metres away from us, a man in his underwear is hanging from ropes in the middle of a bar. All we wanted was somewhere to have a drink and discover Kaohsiung’s gay scene. We had noticed it was a gay bar, but apparently we had skimmed over the “BDSM” part of the description a little too quickly. This evening is clearly not going to go quite as planned.
We have come to this major port city in southern Taiwan for three nights, without really knowing what to expect. Kaohsiung feels quieter than the other big Asian cities we have travelled through. But behind that calm exterior, we are about to discover a fascinating city, full of religious heritage, contemporary art and unexpected encounters.
Our first walk takes us to Pier-2 Art Center, a former port warehouse district transformed into a huge cultural space. The industrial buildings now house galleries, creative shops and exhibitions, while sculptures and art installations fill the outdoor areas. We wander between the warehouses before continuing to the Kaohsiung Music Center, where contemporary architecture and illuminated facades give the harbour a completely different look after dark.
The next day, we hop on YouBikes, Taiwan’s public bike-sharing system, and cycle to Lotus Pond in the Zuoying district. On the waterfront stand the famous Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, two brightly coloured seven-storey towers reached through enormous dragon and tiger mouths. Built in 1976 at the initiative of Ciji Temple, they are linked to a symbolic tradition: enter through the dragon’s mouth, a sign of good fortune in Chinese culture, and leave through the tiger’s mouth to put bad luck behind you. Naturally, we follow the route before climbing the towers to admire the lake.
The scenery all around feels almost unreal. The Spring and Autumn Pavilions, with their curved roofs, colourful columns and enormous dragon, seem to rise straight out of the water. Farther along, other shrines and monumental statues reflect the importance of Taoist and Buddhist traditions in the area. After visiting so many temples during our travels in Asia, we did not expect another religious complex to surprise us quite so much. Here, the colours, scale and intricate details almost make us feel as though we are walking through a film set.
We continue our day at Sanfong Temple, a Taoist sanctuary dedicated in part to Nezha, a protective deity. Behind its traditional facade, a series of courtyards reveals red columns, dragon carvings, richly decorated roofs and hundreds of hanging lanterns. At dusk, their red glow envelops the buildings and completely transforms the atmosphere. It is probably one of the most photogenic temples we have discovered in Taiwan.
After a full day of sightseeing, we feel like going out. We first return to Pier-2 Art Center for a drink, but quickly understand why several people had warned us that Kaohsiung is particularly quiet during the week. On this Thursday evening, there is not much happening. So we decide to try a gay bar. (Of course, we do not only go to gay bars, far from it! But when we travel, we also love discovering what life is like for the local LGBT community, meeting people and hearing about their everyday experiences. After several months travelling through Asian countries where homosexuality is sometimes less visible and places to meet are few and far between, we are especially happy to find a more active gay scene.) So we open the bar door, with no idea what is waiting for us inside.
We quickly discover that it is a BDSM bar hosting a bondage workshop. The owner gives us a warm welcome and even invites us to take part. We politely decline, amused by the situation, and strike up a conversation with a local who speaks French and used to work in France. We end up spending much of the evening chatting with him, almost forgetting about the workshop taking place just a few metres away. It goes to show that even in a bar where we did not expect to stay, you can end up meeting someone lovely.
The next day brings a change of scenery: we take the ferry to Cijin, a narrow island at the entrance to Kaohsiung’s harbour. The crossing is short and, as soon as we arrive, we climb up to Cihou Lighthouse, perched on the hill. From there, we can take in the vast port, its cargo ships and cranes, and the city districts stretching out across the water. We realise just how much Kaohsiung’s identity is shaped by the sea and its busy harbour.
We then pick up bikes to ride along the coast, past the beach, the seafront promenade and small streets. We spend much of the afternoon exploring the island before stopping by the water. We enjoy a beautiful sunset over the sea, with nothing else on the agenda but watching the sky change colour. It is a particularly lovely break after the previous day’s sightseeing.
Back in the city, we meet up with a local who follows our Instagram account and with whom we had exchanged a few messages. We start with a drink together, then he takes us to a bar where he was the resident DJ for several years. Thanks to him, we discover a little piece of local nightlife, far from the places we would have found on our own. He introduces us to his world with a generosity and warmth that really touch us. Once again in Taiwan, the welcome we receive from local people turns an ordinary evening into a lasting memory.
And since it is our last night in the country, we are not ready to call it a night just yet. We finish at Nami, a bar with drag queen shows and go-go dancers. The atmosphere is much livelier than on our first night out, and we make the most of these final hours to celebrate the end of our stay in Taiwan in our own way.
As we leave Kaohsiung the following day, we think back to our first impression of this almost-too-quiet city. We loved discovering its pagodas, temples and enormous harbour, but above all, we feel that we got to know another side of Kaohsiung, one you do not necessarily find in guidebooks. All it took was opening a few doors, letting ourselves be surprised and meeting local people to discover places and share moments we would never have experienced otherwise. And ultimately, that is what we love most about travelling: the experiences you cannot really plan.
That is also what we will remember from our weeks in Taiwan. Of course, we loved its landscapes, cities and culture, but what touched us most was the kindness and generosity of the people we met. Everywhere we went, locals took the time to help us, talk with us or simply share a little of their daily lives. So we leave Taiwan with a real sense of sadness and a desire to return. And for a city we did not quite know what to expect from, Kaohsiung turned out to be a wonderful way to end this journey.