Going to Kaohsiung this weekend for a wedding party.
Can anyone recommend a good website that is full of details about this city?
Looking for some fun places to visit, must sees, must doās, etc.
Ktown is just a hotter version of Taipei city for the most part. Ktown people like to visit monkey mountain (shoushan) and also hsitsiwan beach (MRT goes there).
And also take the ferry from hsitsiwan beach a short distance to chitsin island for seafood.
And of course if u can make the time ,head over to kenting. Another 2 hours bus ride away further south.
Ktown has a nice MRT . Mini version of Taipeiās.
Dont feed the monkeys tho, New law just passed can get you a 3000nt ticket.
Oh yeah theres tons of dept stores, including one at the 75 story Tuntex tower. And people like to visit the big nite market at Lio Ho.
Excellent suggestions from tommy.
If youāre into history and old buildings, visit the old fort on Qijing island. Itās a ~10min ferry ride from the old downtown harbor. If I remember right, the fort was built in response to the Japanese invasion and occupation of southern Taiwan in the 1870s.
Around 1870 a group of Japanese castaways were killed by aborigine Formosans on the south coast. Japan asked China to do something about it. China said, sorry, that area is out of our jurisdiction. Japan decided to do something themselves. Launched a military campaign and subdued all the tribes in the very south and (according to the biased account by a pro-Japanese American diplomat of the time), even won the respect and admiration of most the inhabitants. China became alarmed at Japanās might, harnessed international pressure to get them to leave by reimbursing the cost of the expedition and agreeing to govern the southern tribes area benignly. They didnāt. But they did build a fort on Qijing to beef up security, which the Japanese later used when they governed the entire island.
Tommy really meant that you should find a 7-11 with outdoor tables, a bottle of Johnny and a bag of ice. The cup is free. Been to Ktown and thatās about the long and short of it. Tommy was just being nice. (unusual though - dude? you ok?)
The Lighthouse is the top hotspot in KS.
I hear this a lot but is this really true? I havenāt been up to Taipei yet, but it seems every time I check the weather during the summer, Taipei is a degree or two hotter. The wiki for both cities states that Taipei is on average hotter in the summer months (and colder in the winter. Sucks for you northerners). Iāve seen this on several other websites as well.
I second, or third, Qijin and Xiziwan.
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Yes i was waiting for that. Taipei is actually hotter then Ktown in the summer months but Ktown has dry , sunny , mild winters (outside of a few cold fronts). Whereas Taipei winters suck ass.
So in general, for the most part of the year, except summer, Ktown is hotter. I used to go to Ktown nearly every week for a nite or two for biz. Iv grown to really like the place. If and when I can return to live on the rock, Id pick Ktown. OF course, Taipei actually has a lot more activities going for it. Many scenic spots are closer. Whereas Ktown spots are far away, similar to the Chungle.
I like the āfeelā of Ktown. And like that captain on the sub with denzel heading out smoking that cigar. āI dont trust air i cant seeā pretty much sums up the air there 
. SO you cant breathe the air there (or if you did you should be able to identify the various elements ) and you certainly can not drink the water there. But outside of that, its awesome.
And yeah once you did monkey mountain once and the beach and went to the small local airport to watch a few planes take off and land, its really like previously said, beach yourself somewhere with a nice bottle and pleasant (female) scenery.
I say, Ktown people are a few smidges nicer then TAipei people (even if most TAipei people are imported from the various parts of the rock). Its easy to chat up sexy and cute girls working at cafes there !
There was this one cafe that was an awesome, very avant garde place with awesome coffees and chee-cha. Made from a small tiny local orange like fruit.
You pay for the drink, which was all like 150 to 180 but they would bring out cookies and cakes and you can help yourself to any of that.
And for lunch and dinner, even more novel. They provided a free bento box (you can choose one from made at their sister store nearby, priced at bout 120nt).
THis must be the only place in the world that provides a free meal with a drink.
A nice meal too, I couldnt believe it. But then like all things , it had to end.
It became some sort of big pub and then it was just another pub.
But Ktown? Nice weather, esxy and friendly girls working in coffee shops (and i dont mean the sex kinds). Whats not to love?
Details of a few attractions here, listed in order of interest (interest to me, anyway):
[ul][li]Former British Consular Residence[/li]
[li]Qihou (busiest part of Qijin Island)[/li]
[li]Kaohsiung Hakka Culture Park[/li]
[li]Kaohsiung Fine Arts Museum[/li]
[li]National Science & Technology Museum[/li]
[li]Holy Rosary Cathedral[/li][/ul]
Letās be honest. Kaohsiung is a nice place to live but boring to visit.
This weekend I would check out the Brickyard Beer Garden in Central Park. They are having their summer music festival. Iām a little disappointed that the lineup mostly consists of DJās but it should be packed with a mix of foreigners and locals including a lot of cute girls.
The places mentioned above are nice to visit if youāre in town but not really worth making the trip.
Thanks for the suggestions! 
I would say the StevenCrook list is a pretty good one.
I would biasedly suggest my place inside the university by the beach (Escape 41) for a restaurant. Not the most convenient but well I will let the pics speak for themselves: tw.myblog.yahoo.com/escape-41/ar ā¦ &l=f&fid=7 Scroll down to see (yeah, I know the writing is in Chinese, but we have English langauge menus etc).
For a downtown pub Brickyard and itās Garden spin off are good bets for foreigners. Likewise Bottomās up or Blackdog if you just want more sit down and talk type bars.
Today at least the weather is actually not too hot. Very windy though.
Had a great timeā¦ but just want to update this for any future readersā¦ especially Westernersā¦ laugh.
Love river was right near our hotel, ( River Hotel) I highly recommend - the breakfast was good, the rooms are clean, and fashionable decorated. ( Guys - two hardcore porn channels and the hotel even provides a condomā¦ ( Thailand made, a bit small looking. laugh. )
took the boat cruise it was quick - fun - 20 minutes at most. The guide was funny ( mandarin, no english.) people didnt answer one of his questions so asked if he should just shut up and enjoy the view. Pretty funny stuff.
It was hot as balls in the morning when we went to the Fairy to take us to the beach areaā¦ decided to take off my shirtā¦ a wee bit buff, I guessā¦ having herds of people staring at you when you realize you are the only one with your shirt off. I mean you are going to beach, right people?
Compared to asain people who are going to the beach wearing: Black skin tight jeans, long sleeve shirts, and either a hat or carrying an umbrella.
So as they thought I was crazy, I equally thought some of them were. While wearing sunglasses I believe my āpackageā was checked by over 7000 asian high school girls at any given moment.
Moving onā¦ the fairy was a delight and swiftā¦ on the other sideā¦ typical street vendors, and spots selling āpick your fish and we cook it.ā
I had lunch with my girl and paid a ridiculous $780 for a fresh red snapper fish steamed in some delicious sauce. The fish was terrific, but the price was totally pulled out the guys ass on the spot - which I think is your only chance to haggle if you really want to. There is a menu too, but I learned about that after we sat down. No big deal honestly it was a vacation so I will pay with little fuss. Just a word to the wise shoppers out there.
moving on to the āBeachāā¦ getting more and more excited as we got closer to the park that leads to the beach at the end of the main dragā¦ a huge sign saying dont swim, dont do nothingā¦ ofcourse everyone ignoring it. Then we see the sandā¦ more like a dumping ground for plastic bottles, random discarded shoes, cigarette butts, and drift woodā¦ lots and lots of drift wood. like a forest of driftwood everywhere.
Barely anyone in the water. Just people standing on the wood walk way starring at other people starring back at themā¦ all starring. My girl did not remove her skirt which had her bikini underneath. I dont blame her.
The beaches are clearly not maintained to any degree and its a shame. There is so much financial potential by the beach, but yet its stagnant in the same run of the mill street vendorsā¦ and a uncared for beach. I heard there is a private beach for $40NT or somethingā¦ but online opinions said ādont bother.ā We still had fun dipping our feet in the water for a bit.
Went to the lighthouse, that was great. Great views. The hike up really is not that bad.
Other highlights: The nightmarket that is advertised in all of the tourist guidesā¦ is NOT the place you want to visit. It was completely dead, and full of mainlanders. The locals ( the next morning, said that the Other night market is the place to be - ask a local they will tell you. At this moment I forget the name of it.
Other info: The tall building ( 75?) with observatory was excellent - you pay $150 not $200 to ride the fast elevator. Its worth it, bring binoculars to check out all the ships at sea, etc.
Dream Mall is practically where the entire city goes on the weekend. It was very crowded.
Thank you again!
You can rent rooms in the 85 building, great views over the harbor and not expensive at all.
Great report. That beach at hsichiwan some years ago was not attractive (black sand) but swimmable. Too bad its gotten so bad. But the driftwood is from Morakot probably.
It would be awesome if the city fathers were to redo that beach and get a beach cleaning machine and clean it daily. In fact they could import some nice golden sand from other places in taiwan. I understand Waikiki beach sand is actually imported from california, dont know if its true.
It would be awesome to have a clean swimmable beach at ktowns doorstep with Hsichiwan.
Bout your package. Are you self advertising or delusional?
And anyway, just like newly pregnant moms who want to know they still got it, newly married men want chicks to check out their package.
Id be only concerned with my womans goods,but yeah its nice to feel āspecialā i guess. Those with a good āweaponā dont usually need to advertise tho, just sayin. :roflmao:
I think heās talking about the Cijin Beach. Huge difference between Cijin beach and Siziwan.
ah yes, cijin beach isnt really developed I think? Its always been unkept I think.
But then thats a good reason to get some beach cleaning machines like they have in hawaii and keeping the place clean. It would be a great new place to enjoy the beach in Ktown. Even if perhaps its not swimmable. Due to currents, etc.
yes, I failed to mention the āsandā of the beachā¦ I never encountered it until that beach. It will stick to your skin like glue, and its almost like micro paper confetti or glitter. Like that annoying kind that strippers put on their chest.
Package advertisingā¦ naaa, I wasnt advertising the goodsā¦ but it was very very obvious - unless they all want to counterfeit my Ocean Pacific boarder shorts?
This is quite the thread to revisit!
Unlike some of the posters above, I think K-Town is nice place to visit. I like the vibe, I like the layout, I like the harbour, and coming from the capital, the price is right. I heard plenty of Japanese and Cantonese during my visit, and met Malaysians and Singaporeans visiting here too, so clearly Iām not alone.
While I think the people are nice here, I am less delighted by the way home owner and small businesses put their stuffāincluding motorcycles and parked carsāto block the qilous. It makes walking difficult and unpleasant. But clearly without city government leadership or intervention, this situation wonāt change. Why would it? People can store all their stuff there for free!
As I have noted elsewhere, one of the best developments in recent years is the arrival of the youbike system. I love it, and it makes zinging around Yencheng and Cijin and adjacent districts a treat. Hamasen at night utterly charmed me. Iāve never been to Malaysia but I felt I was in Georgetown or some place similar.
Delicious mango on shaved ice was available at different shops for NT$90, including at the venerable Popo Ice (é«éå©å©å°) in Yencheng. In the capital, this dish would be twice the price and half as good. Iāve written up some reviews of other places I triedāboth the good and the badāin the relevant K-Town restaurant threads.
I have since returned to Taipei, with its grey skies (in contrast to Kaohsiungās sunshine), high humidity, and people piled on top of one another. Long live K-Town! But please, clean up your messed up qilous.
Guy
The last post was from 2012. K-town wasnāt really that nice of a place to visit back then.
Thatās my hood! But may I ask what charmed you about it at night vs. the daytime? Everything closes at 8pm in Hamasen.
We donāt walk in qilous here. We walk in the streets. I thought that was the norm in all of Taiwan except maybe downtown Taipei?
So when are you moving here? 
I sure enjoyed visiting Kaohsiung before 2012. It was fascinating to see how much better it was than my northern Taiwan colleagues claimed.
Iām sure that @tommy525 also had a few good times there in that distant historical era. 
Guy
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