Tucked away to the southwest of Taichung is the small town of Lugang. This past weekend, we decided to explore this town that many had mentioned as a nice place to visit. The quick drive (a rarity here) got us to the town around mid-morning. Navigating unknown areas in Taiwan can get dicey with one little turn. Our standard form of transportation is for me to drive while Krista uses the mapping program on her phone to navigate. At times, the map hiccups and forgets to update our position and at the street level many signs do not have Pinyin (a westernized expression of the Chinese characters). As we tried to find the area of town we wanted to visit, we suddenly found ourself turning right onto a small street. One small bend later and we were in the middle of a bustling market. The Freeca is a big car and we slowly lumbered through trying not to bump into fruit stands, pig snouts, scooters or pedestrians. Getting out to safety, we quickly parked and started walking.
A big draw of Lugang is that part of the older town has been preserved. Through our limited exposure here, we have found that most towns have destroyed the signs of old buildings and concrete structures or modern buildings replaced brick (or older) style construction. The narrow streets that define many older towns are widened so that cars can pass through. In Lugang, this is different. Narrow streets exists and the Lane of 9 Turns is so windy that two people could quickly lose sight of each other.
Incense fabrication seems to be common; likely it is a needed process to support the amazing temples in town. Here are bundles of incense laid out on the street:
The first official stop on our aimless shuffle was the Lung-Shang Temple. Wood construction and the use of geometric designs to create depth made this a beautiful spot.
We then found ourselves near a tiny lane. The placard on the wall explained that it was a fire lane but then went on to describe that it's name is "touch breast lane" because it is so narrow two people can barely pass (gotta be tiny!) without bumping into each other.
The old part of the time is weaved in with the hustle and bustle of a thriving market. Once out of the car, we appreciated the energy of the crowd and the stalls as we ventured from an area to the next. The meat section, a covered area with many vendors, featured anything and everything meat. Here are - I believe - pig snouts hanging down. Now, what do you do with a good pig snout? Is it grilled, put into a stew for flavor, used as a prank?
The narrow streets of Lugang were relaxing in that we did not have to constantly watch for errant scooters zipping through. We enjoyed the quiet that small lanes can bring to a city. We finished the day savoring a local delicacy known as a cow's tongue. This one was found in the pastry store, not the meat market!
