#flathal #flatstanleyproject #taiwan
From Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in the South, our ship sailed around the west side of the island, to the northern port city of Keelung.
A 30 minute bus ride from the port city of Keelung is Taipei. The Taipei-Keelung “metroplex” (a huge area that combines both cities) is home to around 7 million people. Our guide for the day lived in Keelung when she was a kid, but attended elementary school in Taipei, half an hour away!
In Taipei we saw a garden and two temples.
Flat Halena was excited to see flowers and birds when she heard we were going to Zhishan Garden in Taipei. We did see a few birds.
But flowers were not the focus of this garden. This place was about creating a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city! There were walking paths, gentle waterfalls, and koi ponds, hiding in the middle of the busy city, just waiting to be discovered.
At Zhishan Gardens we walked around multiple ponds, connected by small streams and waterfalls made by people instead of nature. Bridges allowed us to wander at will, moving aimlessly, looking for the Koi (fish) swimming in the ponds. Most of the koi were black, swimming in dark water, so Flat Hal was bummed to not get any good photos to share.
The Flat Friends discovered Dragon Pond is named for a fountain where a dragon spews (shoots) water into the pond. As soon as we saw it, any disappointments were quickly left behind!
Even with several bus loads of people in the garden, it was quiet and calm—just feet from tall buildings, and the busy city outside the gardens protective walls.
Our next post will have more from our Taipei tour!
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