The moment we arrived, it was clear the city of Tainan is a place of rich history and amazing architecture. But ask a local, and they’ll probably tell you this town is all about the food. For day 1 of our visit, we were fortunate to have our Taiwanese friends with us, including Joanne who lives in Tainan. So we spent our first afternoon eating and exploring the city center.

Between all the eating we did squeeze in some sightseeing, including a visit to the Confucian temple. We had a chance to rest our feet, people watch, and observe the F16s flying overhead.

After the hiatus, we went back to eating.

As the day turned to night and our bellies filled, we parted ways with friends, who were headed out of town for a wedding. It was hard saying goodbye to Steph, our dear Seattle friend and amazing tour guide/host/interpreter.

On day 2 in Tainan, we hopped on the bus to nearby Anping to see Fort Zeelandia. It did not dissappoint. We realized how much we love trees, especially Taiwan’s banyan, which clearly thrives here.

Later that day, we rode back into the city center, did some shopping (Amanda’s looking for shorts, and we needed coffee beans for our pour-over), then stumbled upon this gem.

That evening we also had a chance to finally try some bao. We found the place Joanne had recommended to us, so we got 4 and scarfed them down. Amanda thankfully remembered to shoot some photos.

We were sad to leave Tainan so soon, and totally see the appeal of this great place. But having booked our rental car for the next morning, we were off to Kenting for some beach time and other adventures in the mountains over the following week. More on that soon!