Yanchao District, Kaohsiung City 高雄市燕巢區

Yanchao is east of both Gangshan and Ciaotou.  The western half of Yanchao is a mix of factories and farms, while the eastern half is where the mountains begin. 燕巢位於岡山和橋頭的東部 。  燕巢的西部是工廠跟農地 ，東部是山區 。

According to the last census, 28,956 people live in Yanchao. 上次的人口統計表示燕巢的人口是28,956人 。

There are also pictures of the Agongdian Reservoir in the Gangshan District entry.  This reservoir is divided between the two districts. 高雄市岡山區那篇文章也有阿公店的照片 。  水庫位在岡山 和 燕巢二區。

Yanchao is where the visitor's center is located.  From the entrance there's a path leading to this suspension bridge. 水庫的遊客中心在燕巢 。  進大門就有步道連接到這座吊橋 。

There's another suspension bridge to the north, on the other side of the reservoir. 水庫的北部有另外一座吊橋 。

That greyish patch to the left is a solar panel installation that floats over the surface of the water.  In the background is Little Gang Mountain. 左邊灰色的部分是水上的太陽能板 。 後面的背景是小崗山。

This is near the Yanchao Scenic Area.  It can be a scary place to explore by car.  All of the roads are very narrow, and none of them are straight. 這在燕巢風景區附近 。  開車到這個地區很恐怖 ， 一路上道路除了狹窄之外， 也彎彎曲曲的。

Jian Mountain is the most prominent landscape feature. 尖山是這附近最顯著的地形 。

Unfortunately the trail to the top is broken.  I would've liked to walk all the way to the top.  It would have been an impressive view. 可惜這個步道斷掉了 ， 沒辦法走上去 。  山頂的風景大概不錯 。

In the same area you'll find the Yanchao Mud Volcano.  This picture isn't the mud volcano, but rather a hole dug into the soil to reveal the bubbling mud beneath. 附近也有燕巢泥火山 。  這個照片不是泥火山 ， 這是遊客可以看泥漿冒出氣泡的小洞 。

It's a dry and dusty place. 乾燥多塵的地方 。

And here's the mud volcano.  There are many similar spots in Taiwan.  We tend not to notice it, but geological forces are always changing the landscape slowly over time. 這個是泥火山 。  台灣有很多這種景點 。  我們通常沒注意到這種景象 ， 可是地質的力量一直在改變地球的面貌。

I also meant to visit Yangnu Lake while I was there -- but it's gone!  Apparently the lake just "dried up" one day.  "New Yangnu Lake" is nearby, but given the unimpressive nature of the Yanchao Mud Volcano I didn't see much point in trying to find it. 我也想去這個地區的養女湖 ， 後來發現它因為慢慢變小後，  附近就有了新養女湖 。 可是參觀完泥火山之後，覺得不用找新養女湖了 。

If you visit this place be aware that you need to sign in upon entry. 來這邊的遊客記得要當場登記。

To the west of the mud volcano is the Yu-Ho Beef Tourism Factory.  My daughter was very excited about having lunch in this place, but it turned out to be a disappointment. 泥火山西邊有裕賀牛觀光工廠 。  我的女兒很想在這裡吃午餐 ， 後來吃完了之後覺得很失望 。

I strongly urge against visiting it.  The restaurant is slow and the food is overpriced.  On top of that they have the audacity to charge an entrance fee.  It's totally not worth it. 我覺得最好不要去 。  餐廳的服務很慢 ， 料理太貴了 ，  最不可思議的是進去要買門票 ，  真是不值得 !

The first floor is a store/restaurant, while the second and third floors are an exhibition area explaining what the company does and how their products are made.  There are guided tours available. 一樓是商店跟餐廳 ， 二 、 三樓是展示館，介紹他們公司及產品製造過程 ， 也有導覽的服務 。

Related Entries 相關的文章:

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Kaohsiung in the News 高雄的新聞 (West 西) 2

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Linluo Township, Pingtung County 屏東縣麟洛鄉

Gangshan District, Kaohsiung City 高雄市岡山區

Gangshan District is north of Ciaotou.  It's a very industrial area, and has been so for a long time.  At the time of writing it's the farthest north you can go using Kaohsiung's MRT system, though there is talk of extending the red line farther north. 岡山區位於橋頭區北部 。 這個地區成為工業區已經很久了 ， 高雄最北邊的捷運站在岡山區 ，市政府還在討論是否要把捷運系統延到更北邊的地區 。

For a slightly fanciful bit of local history, click here, just be aware that the origin of Gangshan's old name, "Agongdian" is far from clear.  There's evidence that the "Agongdian" was derived from a local aboriginal language. 這地區有傳奇色彩的歷史故事在這裡 。  但是岡山的舊名阿公店來源就不清楚了，  有可能這個名稱是從平埔族語來的 。 (2)

According to the last census, 95,159 people live in Gangshan. 上次的人口統計表示 ， 岡山的人口是95,159人 。

This is Wanwangye Park in Gangshan.  It's just across the border from Ciaotou. 岡山的萬王爺公園很靠近橋頭 。

The Taiwan Soya-Mixed Meat Museum has appeared in this blog before.  It's on the other side of Gangshan, across the border from Luzhu. 台灣滷味博物館在這個blog出現過，  它在岡山另外一邊  ，比較靠近路竹 。

I assume this "restaurant" is used for DIY activities.  It feels like the kind of place local kids would visit on field trips. 這個餐廳大概是DIY活動用的 ，很像這附近地區的國小戶外教學會來的地方。

This factory processes many different kinds of food, everything from fish to tofu, and their products can be purchased all over Taiwan.  The first floor is a store where you can buy their products. 這個工廠加工的食品很多 ， 從魚到豆干都有， 臺灣到處都買得到 。 一樓的商店賣工廠生產的產品 。

Central Gangshan is in the middle of the district.  This pond is in Gangshan Embankment Park.  As you can tell from the photo, the air quality in this part of Taiwan was not good that day. 岡山市區在岡山區的中心 ， 這個水池在河堤公園裡面 。  你從照片可以看出來那一天的空氣品質不佳。

The playground here looked really fun.  Subtract 40 years from my age and I'd be all over it. 這裡的遊樂器材看起來很好玩 ， 可惜我的年紀太大了 !

This is Jungshan Road near the center of town.  Nearby Highway 1 is where the train station is, though the South Gangshan MRT stop is actually south of here, on the other side of Embankment Park. 市區的中山路 ， 在台1線附近，也有岡山火車站 ， 然而南邊的南崗山捷運站在河堤公園的另外一邊。

Don't bother with Gangshan's old street.  The market near there is interesting, but the old street itself isn't worth visiting. 岡山老街沒有什麼特殊的， 但是附近的菜市場很熱鬧。

Mutton is popular in Gangshan.  This picture was taken at Daxin Mutton Restaurant next to the Wenxian Market.  You can order the meat stir fried or served in a hot pot. 羊肉在岡山很受歡迎 。  這張照片是在文賢市場旁的大新羊肉店拍的 。 你可以點熱炒羊肉或是羊肉爐 。 (1)

Central Gangshan still feels very much like a small town.  Yes, it's in Kaohsiung City, but downtown Kaohsiung is very far away. 岡山市區感覺很像個小鄉鎮 ， 它在高雄市沒錯 ，可是高雄市區離這裡很遠 。

"The Eye of Gangshan" sits atop Little Gang Mountain near the eastern edge of the district.  Again, air pollution was heavy that day. 岡山之眼位於小崗山上 ， 岡山區的東部 。 那一天的空氣很差 。

Visitors to this place should park their cars at the foot of the mountain and take a shuttle bus to the top.  We didn't know this at the time, got slightly lost on the way up there, and ended up taking a small but terrifying road to the top.  My advice: take the shuttle bus. 遊客要在山下的停車場停車 ，然後坐小區間車到上面 。  我們到的時候有點迷路 ， 不懂狀況 ， 最後開車走一條恐怖的農路上去 。 我的建議:  坐區間車上去一定比較好 。

This is looking south toward Ciaotou.  I think going there at night or early in the morning would have been a better choice.  As it was we couldn't see much. 往橋頭的方向看過去 ，  早晨或是晚上去應該更好 ，中午看不到風景 。

I will say, however, that parts of Little Gang Mountain are surprisingly scenic.  Up until visiting this area I thought Gangshan was all factories, but the parts near Yanchao have a lot more trees. 我最驚訝的就是小崗山部分的風景很不錯 。 我以前以為岡山都是工廠 ，現在發現它靠近燕巢的部分還有森林 。

This pond is near Agongdian Reservoir.  There's a suspension bridge near here that's locally famous, but we decided to skip it.  I've been to a lot of suspension bridges. 這個水池靠近阿公店水庫 。  附近的吊橋很有名 ， 可是我們決定不要去了 ，  我已經去過很多的吊橋了!

That hill in the background is Little Gang Mountain.  If you're driving around this area be careful.  People get lost and do crazy things on the road. 背景是小岡山 。  在這附近開車要小心 ， 很多駕駛迷路後會亂開車 。

Agongdian Reservoir.  It reminded me a bit of Sun Moon Lake.  The land begins to rise up on the other side of the water, and the mountains aren't far away. 阿公店水庫讓我想到日月潭 。  水庫另外一邊漸高的山丘離中央山脈不遠 。

Related Entries 相關的文章:

台灣地名故事 Taiwanese Place Name Stories 11 (最後一個 The Last One)

Kaohsiung in the News 高雄的新聞 (East 東) 2

Pingtung City, Pingtung County 屏東縣屏東市遊記

台灣地名故事 Taiwanese Place Name Stories 10

1. Is "mutton" lamb meat or goat meat?  Or sheep meat?  "Mutton" is defined as meat from older sheep, whereas a sheep in its first year is defined as a lamb, and thus its meat is lamb meat.  It depends, in other words, on the age of the sheep/lamb when it was slaughtered.  To make things more confusing, the "mutton" served in many parts of Asia is actually goat, and you'll see goats both pictured on the sign and kept near the restaurant.  In the case of goat it's better to say "goat mutton," but not every restaurant observes this practice.

2. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B2%A1%E5%B1%B1%E5%8D%80