I finally found the bus station to get to Lugang鹿港 the next day. You have to take the Ho-Hsin Bus to Lugang and their bus station is at the Gancheng 干城 bus stop (a bus stop away from train station) you can take from the 朝马Chaoma bus station as well and I think from the High speed railway station of Taichung.
Lugang is a town in Changhua彰化 county. It's located on the West Coast of central Taiwan. It is one of the 3 major historic sights (other 2 being Tainan and Wanhua/Mongka district of Taipei) It was a flourishing trading port during the Qing Dynasty as it was and still is located quite near to China... There are MANY historical sites and structures and cultural sites that one can visit when here.
The bus ride didn't take very long - about 1 hour plus max considering it stopped at a few stops along the way.
So after dropping and trying to get orientated, (somehow that day my map reading skills were not there), I walked towards Lugang Mazu Temple 鹿港天后宫. That place is touristy to the max. Food stalls, trishaw pullers all crowding around trying to tout for business. Neh didn't look very historical to me.
Didn't bother going in cos I'm not exactly very into temples...besides the incense smell really gets to me.
Some history on this temple just FYI (copied from brochure ya): Built during the late Ming-early Qing dynasty period for the worship of Mazu妈祖-Taoist Goddess of the sea. This temple was relocated in 1725 (her image was brought over from China) and was renovated in 1815,1874 and again in 1936. It has 3 principal buildings - front, main and rear halls.
Now my exploring nature kicked in cos I got fed up of reading the tiny map I have. So 误打误撞 and I got myself to the
The black and white didn't turn out that well...
Oh well. So here it's just houses of the past - old and nice.....
This is the half sided well- this well belonged to a rich family (only at that time, rich people have the ability to dig wells) This family was being generous as they ensured that half the well was outside so the poorer families could have water as well :) So one half outside, other half inside.
Obviously this is not historical..
Nine turns Lane 九曲巷 - when the inhabitants built their houses then, somehow or rather, they built it along the winding streams and the lane somehow got wind-y (not blow wind windy), curvy. And so it got it's name but thtat doesn't mean it really has nine turns it just means that the lane was curvy. SOmehow, being a winding lane, the houses were then also protected against the wind from the sea. I was lazy (don't forget I climbed/hiked at least 8km day before - my quads were already yelling bloody murder) so I didn't walk into it... a picture to show u one curve! :P hehe.
Got out of the old street and walked towards 龙山寺Longshan Temple is the oldest intact 'Longshan temple' in Taiwan (FYI there is a longshan temple in almost every county)
Along the way, I was already hearing explosions and firecrackers going on, and this was what I saw on the road
Scary know esp the black face god. There was a pickup truck ahead of him setting off firecrackers.... wonder what occasion it was.
Longshan temple - worships Guanyin, Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. This temple was moved to its present location in 1786. Poor temple was damaged in 2 earthquakes! One during 1848 and the more recent 921 one and thankfully now, it has been restored.
This is the last temple I went to take a look at in Lugang as I said, I'm not very big on temples.
If you are interested in temples and its architecture etc, there are at least 10 old temples in Lugang... ! Wow. All worshiping different deities.
Longshan temple is actually on the way to 摸乳巷Gentlemen's Alley.
This alley is very narrow - it's only 60cm wide at it's narrowest. So if one man and one woman cross paths in this alley - man would be able to touch woman's boobs and thus it's chinese name (which is touch boobs lane direct translation) I think it's quite dumb because why can't they walk past each other back to back instead of facing each other?
A pig with a very big head - I think it's underfed..not fat at all... owned by the shop opposite where it was tied to... owner was sweeping it's excretion when I walked past... poor little pig.
Walked towards the Lugang Folk Arts Museum but didn't go in - read that it wasn't fantastic so I wasn't game to pay NT 130 to go in. but I took a picture from the outside!
Think it was previously someone's residence - and the family donated the house eventually.
Just next/nearby to this folk arts museum, is the Ding Mansion 丁家古厝- obviously belonged to the Ding family who ran a general store, which expanded into a shipping and trade business.
It was like another residence/museum showing how life was like etc etc.. didn't take much pics cos it all started to look the same to me.
took this one though. Liked the 痴人论茶，无茶无命 part... ;P
I left Lugang shortly after. Didn't want to walk anymore my legs were going on strike already.:S
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