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| Strolling the Kaohsiung waterfront. That’s the music center performing arts building in the background. |
Our final port of call in Taiwan was Kaohsiung, which is located in southern Taiwan. We’ve seen quite a few cruise terminals around the world. Some have been really nice, while others resemble dilapidated warehouses. Without question the nicest one we’ve ever seen is the one in Kaohsiung. It opened on March 6, 2023 and is spectacular both inside and out.
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| The Norwegian Jewel docked beside the new cruise terminal |
Mei-Ling, our wonderful advisor for all things Taiwan had some suggestions for us. We took off on foot heading for the Pier 2 Arts Center. The Arts Center is a collection of old warehouses that have been repurposed into restaurants, shops, breweries and galleries. The walk was about 2 miles along a waterfront trail with the harbor on one side and buildings that would be an architects dream on the other. The Art Center was very interesting to roam around. Thanks to Mei-Ling we even knew to find Sunny Hill Labs, a bakery that give samples of delicious cake and tea.
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We’d walk a long way on a hot day for complimentary cake and tea!
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| The Pier 2 Arts Studio….a great example of repurposing an older area! |
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| Look closely…..they even repurposed an old water faucet and created art! |
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| There was outdoor art all along the waterfront! |
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| Pedestrian bridge near the Pier 2 Art Center |
After enjoying the Art Center we made the decision to head back towards the City Center. This turned out to be a painful decision…….possibly one of the most painful decisions of our lives!
We decided to get a foot massage. We’ve had foot massages in different places on previous trips and they have always been pleasurable and relaxing. Not this time! This was the real deal, a genuine deep tissue massage administered by two gentlemen, that although small in stature were strong. They knew how to use their strength to apply immense amounts of pressure in ways that practically reduced us to tears.
In a 50 minute massage session the first 15 minutes are devoted to the neck and shoulder area. I thought when they were working on my shoulders “this is going to be pretty nice”. Beth’s thoughts were a little different. She was thinking if she could just make it through the neck and shoulder part she could start relaxing when the foot massage started. Turns out we were both wrong!
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| Beth and Assassin #1 |
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| Me and Assassin #2. I thought if I looked like I was happy and enjoying it, he’d take it easy on me…..it didn’t work! |
Beth reported that her massage was around 98% torture and 2% pleasure. She said one time she looked over and I looked so relaxed that I appeared to be asleep. I told her that I must have passed out!
After about 50 minutes our masseuses bowed, signifying that concluded our torture session and that it was time to pay for all the fun we had. We paid and gingerly started walking back to the ship recounting our personal experiences.
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| Enjoying a post massage snack at 7-11. They’re as common and nice in Taiwan as they are in Japan. They’re also multipurpose. In addition to the typical things you expect to be able to purchase, residents can pay their bills, have online orders delivered and held for pickup and much, much more |
After it was all said and done our feet and legs did feel great. We’re not sure if it was because of the massages or if we felt better simply because the pain had stopped. Either way, since we survived, it’s another travel story to add to the collection.
Would we do it again? Given the choice between another authentic deep tissue foot massage or being water boarded…we’d have to think it over.
Our three days in Taiwan were absolutely amazing and trust me, I’d say that even if we didn’t know Mei-Ling….but we’re so happy that we do!
