Tan-shui Favorites

Favorite thing: Certainly a fun way to kill time in Tanshui is to wander through the crowded waterfront market there...

On weekends this area will be jammed, and likely that you will have trouble navigating from one end to the other... Best to just follow the flow of the masses, and keep your eye open an outdoor pub to sit and have a cold beer or two...

Favorite thing: There are a few examples of colonial architecture around town which have been preserved.

Some, including this British era building, which is called the Red Castle, have been converted into tea houses, coffee shops, restaurants, and the like...

Favorite thing: Though the area around here is certainly less than pristine, you will likely have the opportunity to see some wild life around Tanshui

In particularily, the many birds which can be sighted in and around the mouth of the Tanshui River...

Favorite thing: Probably the most interesting place in town is the remnants of Fort San Domingo which was originally built by the Spanish in the 17th century...

Over the years it was taken over by the other various colonial powers that cycled through this area including the Dutch and the English...

The Chinese name for the for it "Fort of the Red Haired Barbarians" which may give you an indication of what the locals thought of their colonial guests...

Favorite thing: Though it is criss crossed with power lines and usually has many a car parked right in front of it, which takes away from the setting quite a bit, one of the original gates to the old fort is still intact....

This is the entrance that you are liely to pass through when entering the Fort San Domingo area...

Favorite thing: A prominant landmark in Tanshui is the statue of the famous old bald guy with the long beard... His name was MacKay and his claim to fame was being a doctor of some sort that probably did something that merited the statue that has now been built in his honour...

Someday I just my research this and fill in the blanks... (If I am terribly bored...) Don't hold your breath, though...

Favorite thing: A good side trip to Tanshui is a diversion to Kuantu... It is out on the same MRT line a couple stops before the Tanshui stop.

The temple was originally built in the 17th century, and consists of a long tunnel that passes through a mountain to the riverside. At the end of the tunnel, a statue of Matsu sits high above the riverbank, looking over the river. There are also a couple of walking paths that lead up to the top of a small mountain park, where there are good views of the area.

Favorite thing: The easiest way to get to Tanshui from Taipei is to ride the MRT...

Take the Tamshui MRT line from Taipei Station out to the last stop on this line. Exit the station, and follow the masses along the river to the various attractions.