Today we went to the National Taichung Theater, the Lukang Historical Town, and the Fongjia Night Market.
We got to the theater about 20ish minutes before they opened so we killed some time by having a little talent show. April showed us how she could turn her arm a full 360 degrees because she’s double jointed, Joelle and Professor Chen gave individual vocal performances, and Ayden told us a hilarious and wild story about a time he was on the New York subway.
At the theater I had a coffee with a scoop of matcha ice cream in it which was really good and the building was beautiful. Other than that, I don’t have much to say!
The Lukang Historical Town had a night market feel, but was definitely different from the night markets we’ve seen. Walking through Lukang Old Street, we saw red-brick buildings with curved tiled roofs and narrow alleys. We visited Lukang Tianhou Temple, one of Taiwan’s oldest Mazu temples, originally built in 1591. The temple’s intricate wood carvings and stone sculptures were impressive, and it seems to still be an active place of worship today.
We ended our night at the Fongjia Night Market, where a few of us stopped at 7-Eleven to get some drinks before splitting off to find dinner. Today I realized that night markets are a lot like flea markets in America and really the only difference is the time of day that they’re open. Both are crowded, full of energy, and packed with stalls selling everything from cheap accessories to clothes, snacks, and random gadgets. I think what makes the night markets special though is the way they blend shopping, entertainment street food culture. You can nibble on grilled squid, sip a fruit smoothie, play carnival games, and browse for earrings all in one go. It feels like a place where the whole city comes to hang out after dark—lively, chaotic, but fun!