While staying in Taichung (台中), I made a day trip to the historical town of Lukang (鹿港, literally ‘deer harbor’), an hour or so away by bus.  The most interesting part of Lukang is its historic street, well-preserved and filled with old shops selling old products.

Lukang itself is quite unremarkable though.  It a very basic city, but you can see the lanterns announcing the historical district.  I traveled to Lukang with a couple of friends I had met at Taichung, and together we stepped back in time, into historical Taiwan.

But making a quick turn, you suddenly find yourself in historical Lukang, very different from the hustle and bustle of the city.   From a wide street filled with cars and advertisements, you turn into a large courtyard, then a narrow street filled with pedestrians.  The buildings become smaller, older.  And you step back in time, to an older Taiwan.

I tried old-style ice cream!  It makes me quite appreciate the progress we’ve made in producing tastier ice cream over the years – this ice cream was essentially ice, with some ever so slight flavoring.  I suppose it would be nostalgic to somebody who grew up with this stuff, but to me it was just boring.

Half a well!  As the legend goes, some kind soul dug a well in his yard, but left half of it outside his front gates, to share with this neighbors.

Oh, and old-time arcade games, from the 50s!  Before pac-man, before space invaders, before pong, these are arcade games in Taiwan.

A bakery!  I really like the presentation of the store, as well as its wares.  I don’t know why, but I found it… homely?

I bought some of the bakery products – I actually have no idea what this is, but it’s pretty good.  It’s some kind of flavored… grain?  In any case, the boxes come in a variety of flavors – green tea, peanut, chocolate, taro, sesame, etc, and you can arrange them into flowers before eating.  The green tea flavored ones were my favorite.