Changhua II 八卦山

Changhua (Zhanghua) redeems itself somewhat on my second outing. I head straight for the Great Buddha statue described in the 'Rough Guide to Taiwan'. Walking through the city in this direction is much easier compared to last week (see post Changhua), in fact it is possibly the best experience I have had yet in any Taiwan city. The paved arcade-like streets keep the scooters at bay and shade the sun, although I still have to walk on the road occasionally.

Walking from the main station I soon reach the park (Baguashan 八卦山) where the Buddha sits. Baguashan is a super-sized Zen-like garden of winding paths and bridges that take you high above the city (90m+). In fact once on top the Great Buddha looks over a fantastic city panorama. Here there is lots to see and do with small stalls selling interesting items such as dried fish and even ostrich eggs. Behind the Buddha is a large temple and beyond that a pagoda and smaller Zen garden with a pond full of overfed Koi.

It's a great place to spend the day and I shall certainly be returning here again when it cools down a bit.