Day 5:Going to Kaohsiung's Lotus Pond/5日目：高雄の蓮池潭へ

In the afternoon, I visited to the Lotus Pond where the seven-story pagodas aka. Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, a symbol of the city of Kaohsiung are located. This is a freshwater lake which lotus flowers bloom on the surface of the lake. There are some vivid colors of towers and temples stand still stay right there.
午後は高雄のシンボル的存在龍虎塔がある蓮池潭へ。ここは蓮の花が湖面に咲く淡水湖で湖畔には極彩色の塔や廟が佇みます。

Getting off a bus at Xinzuoying Station, I walked to the statue of Taoist god in the Lake Lotus. It's the height of 22 meters which is the largest Taoist god for water in South East Asia.
新左営駅でバスを降りて蓮池潭にある道教の神様の像、北極玄天上帝像まで歩きました。高さは22mあり、水上神像としては東南アジア最大級です。

Next I visited to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Here you'll see a very bright figure Kannon is riding on a dragon. It consists of two towers of the same size of both pavilions which was built in 1953. It is dedicated to Wu Shen and Guan Yu. There is a sitting dragon statue between the two pavilions, so that Bodhisattva appeared riding a dragon from between the clouds. There is a legend that was ordered to make an image of the form to the current position for believers. It's possible to go inside from the dragon's mouth. When you enter into the dragon, it has been drawn Buddha's disciples and preaching etc.in a little three-dimensional picture.
次は春秋閣を訪れてみました。ここは観音様が龍に乗っている姿がとてもまぶしく見えます。春閣・秋閣同じ大きさの二つの塔からなり、1953年に武聖、関羽を祭って建てられました。春閣と秋閣の間には騎龍観音像があり、観音菩薩が雲の間から龍に乗って現れ、信者にその姿の像を現在の位置に立てるよう命じたという伝説があるようです。龍の口から中へ入ることができ、内部には少し立体的な絵で釈迦の弟子たちや説法などが描かれています。

If you go to the long bridge towards the back of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, there is a three-story Chinese style pavilion, called Wuli-ting (五里亭) which was built in 1978. A resting place is provided on the 2nd floor. Going up stairs and let's take a breather! 
春秋閣の奥のほうにある長い橋を進んでいくとそこには1978年に建てられた3階建て中国式東屋の「五里亭」があります。2階へに上がるととても心地よい風を感じながら一息つくことができます。

Then I was coming to the Dragon and Tiger pavilions. Located on the southernmost tip of the lake which was built in 1976. There are towers of Dragon and Tiger standing facing each other, and  waiting for you to open the big mouths of both animals. It is the most popular sightseeing spot in Kaohsiung so that many tourists must go there first.
そして有名な観光スポットである龍虎塔へ。蓮池潭の最南端にあり、1976年に建てられた龍と虎が大きな口を開けて待っている塔です。高雄を訪れた観光客のほとんどがまずここに見に行くというほどの人気スポットです。

Going to the gate of a pavilion wouldn't not to be easier: It's a zigzag road, while bending twist many times to the left to the right. Finally, you'll take closer to the animals. Why such a complicated road like a maze? The devil even walk straight in, but it is not possible to go this way while turning. So as not to be coming the devil, it seems to become a twisted gateway. 
To bear fangs, both animals are bearing their fangs and opened a big mouth. It become a cavity, so you can go inside. Before going into the pavilion, you'll get worried whether attempting to enter from either of the mouth. Don't forget, you must go inside from the dragon's mouth on the left side always! There is a direction board with an arrow in front of the entrance, you should follow the way to go there.
In the mouths of both animals, it has been expressed in a colorful distinctive Chinese style. The dragon pavilion is drawn the twenty-four filial child that has been a model of China and a diagram of imprisonment received from the dozen referees and ten Demon Kings to go after the death hell. The tiger pavilion is depicted twelve sages and a description of the thirty-six temples of the Emperor Jade to represent the paradise life of heaven. First, through the inside of dragon and let's going up the 7-story tower. In the center of the tower there is a spiral staircase, a colorful pattern is also decorated the ceiling of the stairs part, you won't get tired. From the top of the tower, you can see a panorama view of the lake, and feel the good wind of very pleasant. Going back to the first floor again, and let's go to the tiger side. You can also go up to the tower, but most of the people already feeling tired legs. I went up to the top of the tower. I saw great views of the entire lake too. If you still have a power, you'll try this. Then you'll pass through the tiger, and come out to the exit.
通路はジグザグになっていて右へ左とくねくね何度も曲がりながらようやく龍と虎に近付けます。悪魔はまっすぐ歩けたとしてもこのように曲がりながら進むことができないと言われていたのでこのようにくねくねとした入り口になっているようです。
口をむき出しに、大きく口を開けた龍と虎の中はそれぞれ空洞となっていて通ることができ、どちらから入ろうと悩んでしまいそうですが、必ず左側の龍の口から入らなければなりません。入り口手前には矢印の看板で表示されていて順路どおりに進むことになります。
龍と虎の中の空洞壁にはカラフルな色彩で中国独特の風格が表現されています。龍塔には中国で孝行の模範とされている24孝子や、罪人が死後地獄に行き10人の閻魔王から受ける審判と刑罰の図が描かれており、また虎塔には12賢人や天国生活を代表する玉皇大帝の36宮将図が描かれています。まずは龍の中を通って7層建ての塔へ昇って見てはいかがでしょうか。塔の中央には螺旋階段があり、階段部分の天井にも色鮮やかな模様が施されていて観光客を飽きさせません。塔の上から湖が一望できてとても心地よい風を感じることができます。再度1階に戻って今度は虎側へ。まだまだ気力があったので一番上まで上がって見ました。もしまだまだ気力があればぜひ挑戦してみてください。そして今度は虎の中を通り出口へ。

After that I was waiting for a bus to Kaohsiung Station. When arrived at a bus stop, I really don't know how to get a bus to the station. Then a middle-aged kind man talked me in Japanese. He told me "You take a No.301 bus". The bus went through the suburbs of the city north and takes about 30 minutes to the station. I took a taxi to hotel to pick up my luggage first, and then took to the High-speed Rail Zuoying Station in a different taxi.
その後近くのバス停から301番バスで高雄駅へ。駅に行くバスがわからなかったのでそこにいた親切な中年のおじさんが日本語で話しかけてきて教えてくれました。その後タクシーでホテルへ向かい手荷物を引き取ってから別のタクシーで高鉄左営駅へ。