Taiwan 2014 Day 8: A day in Anping

Today, we had the pleasure of visiting Anping - a historic area of the town renowned for its harbor and old merchant houses.

 Next, we made our way to the Anping treehouse, which was an interesting sight to behold.

 The old merchant's house and warehouse were almost consumed by giant banyan trees, creating a unique and peculiar atmosphere. 

  

During our walk, we saw numerous temples with different levels of ornamentation and old Dutch defensive positions. The 17th-century cannons still in place were a testament to the area's rich history. 

We then visited the Anping Fort, where the Dutch were defeated in 1666 and evicted from the island forever. The small museum had thought-provoking antiquities and fascinating weaponry. The grounds were also beautiful, tranquil, and full of Bayan trees. 

                                                

Our day continued with a stroll through Anping's old streets - some of the oldest in all of Taiwan. We marveled at the unique stone lion masks with a sword across the mouth, which were used to protect and identify the houses. We even bought one to take home! 

The larger alleyways had market stands selling a variety of souvenirs and Tainan's famous small eats. We decided to have a light lunch by the harbor and try some big hollow crispy bread balls with treacle lining. They were delicious, but we still don't quite know what they were made of. 

We had a lovely day today and returned to our hotel for a shower and rest before going out for a look around the shops. Alanna got so many new clothes and someone found more weapons to take an interest in. 

Also lets play 

guess who again ?