I have been to Taipei quite a number of times in the past, but I haven’t gone to Kaohsiung. So, when news broke out that the city is hosting Taiwan’s Ageless Expo this year, I made sure to calendar it—not only because the event is our agency’s (Philippine Retirement Authority’s) targeted market, but also to find out what makes the city interesting.
After arriving in Taipei, my team and I immediately took the HSR (High-Speed Rail) or bullet train to Kaohsiung. It is a city of close to 3 million people and is located in southern Taiwan. It is also known as Taiwan’s Maritime Capital or the Waterfront City, as it is the country’s biggest seaport. About 70 percent of Taiwan’s imports and exports go through this city. Naturally, it is where the headquarters of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy fleet is located.
Driving around the city is a very pleasant experience. I noticed that the streets are all so evenly paved. Whichever part of the city we drove to, we never felt the presence of potholes or humps, giving us a very smooth ride. No trash or litter on the streets made the city look spotlessly clean.
What surprised me even more was the presence of uniquely designed buildings, which reminded me of those I saw in Azerbaijan last year. The downtown skyline features many skyscrapers, the tallest of which is the 248-meter-tall Sky Tower.
The city may not be as cosmopolitan or as busy as Taipei, but it has a unique charm that fascinates visitors like me. A stark contrast to the expensive-looking structures in the downtown area is the very popular night market in another part of town. In fact, I am told that visitors come to Kaohsiung solely for the night market because this is where anything and everything is sold.
On our first night, that was our destination. Sure enough, anything imaginable is sold there, and at very affordable prices. It is like a much bigger, much cleaner, more orderly Divisoria. In fact, after an hour or so of shopping, my group and I decided to partake of the delicacies sold in the many food stalls, and we had a hearty dinner for a pittance.
The second day of our Kaohsiung visit was the Opening Day of the Ageless Expo at the humongous and very modern Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. This event is purely for senior citizens, as all exhibits were of merchandise that would be useful only for those who have reached their golden years. This is why we, the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) team, participated because this age group is precisely who we want to attract to retire in the Philippines.
The dozens of booths that filled up the entire venue, which is bigger than our World Trade Center, showcased the latest products useful for seniors. In front of our PRA booth was a company selling facial cream that erases eyebags.
Beside it was a booth that had the latest design for walkers, which also had seats in case the user got tired. There was a massive booth that sold therapeutic beds, and another one had futuristic hearing aids. I also saw one selling seat escalators that go up the banister of the staircase. There was another one that sold oxygenated water good for one’s health and one that sold rolling suitcases that could also be used as wheelchairs. It was a very interesting mix of merchandise, which, I’m afraid, may be useful to me in the coming years.
It was a very productive event for us, the PRA team. We had hundreds of Taiwanese seniors who showed interest in our Retirement Program. In fact, we had a dozen families who have already started their visa application process and are now preparing to settle down in our country.
I was privileged to have been included in the VIP list for the event’s opening ceremonies and had the opportunity to meet with the Intercon officers and the event organizer. They have committed to helping PRA get our message across to the senior communities all over Taiwan by alerting us to pocket events designed for them so that we could be a part of such events.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
