Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Day 37

Google Earth will show you that we were on the northern side of Taiwan yesterday; today we are on the
southwest side which is more tropical. We were blessed with sunshine again and the temp and
humidity proved tropical: about 88 for both.

Again, our ship received a warm welcome to the harbor and then into the terminal with costumed
characters joyfully receiving us. We had given ourselves a tour-free day today, so our friend Bonnie
joined us for a foray into town. Kaohsiung (cow-shee-ung and speak the last two syllables as one) dates
back to about 5000 years ago as ancient civilizations and temples have been excavated. The harbor
where we sailed and anchored had its origins as a lagoon. Now it is a thriving big city, third largest in
Taiwan.

A welcome to the visitors from the ships!

Our shuttle bus dropped us at the main metro stop which was marked above ground with a tall 3-D
triangular glass structure at each of the 4 corners of the boulevard. Down under was another city with
arms extending in each direction for access to various metro routes or shopping/restaurant sections.
But what was in the center of the underground at that point was an expansive stained glass ceiling piece
supported by two wide glass-enclosed and lighted posts. Until recently, it was the largest piece of glass
in the world.

One of the photos has a legend of sorts and provides info on the composition. Our guide gave us some
more info and here it is if you’re interested: the two fat lighted posts are red (for male) and blue
(female). “These two we call Adam and Eva,” he said. Then, finding the vast blue on the ceiling and
walking clockwise is a creation story with the title: Light, Wind, Fire, and Time. Blue is the ocean and a
woman’s womb where is the origin of life. It’s vast because 70% of the earth is water. The black-
colored man signifies the deep power of Qi. Then we have some calming forms which show how the
soul spirit is improving. One whole quadrant is bright light and red fire: people fighting to get more.
Greed. Resulting in people screaming and suffering. I’m guessing that the poetic “Key” you’ll see in the photo represents it better than my attempt at translating the translator: “Time is wind, fire, emptiness, breath. Our life, a ring of light. Dream, human dream! And let the luminous dust of dreams fertilize the vast rivers of space.”

Church

We wandered underground for a bit, enjoying the coolness before heading up the long escalator to the
surface, attracted by the designation “Wedding Gown Street.” Yup, blocks of big box wedding dresses
on display (very Western!), interspersed with flower shops, tuxedo shops, etc. With a couple of
churches there, too. The tall one is an Episcopal Church. We didn’t go in. After wandering a bit and
weaving in and out of scooters parked on the sidewalks next to grocery stops and tiny tea or food stalls,
we headed back to the ship to cool off.