Refreshment for the soul

It's still hot in Taiwan, and it's getting to be the end of November! How is this possible?? Luckily though, it's not nearly as warm as it was a few months ago. So it's been great to head outside and take advantage of the weather before it apparently turns humidly cold and rainy.

In Cantonese, hiking is called "行山". It makes sense, it's about walking. But apparently, people in Taiwan use the term "爬山" instead, which makes me think of rock climbers scaling impossibly steep cliffs. But it means the same thing, even though one sounds so much more impressive!

So today, I went to 爬山. In reality, the hiking trails here aren't even what I would consider trails in the states. These roads are all paved, with lots of built-in wooden stairs for easy traveling. All the vegetation is neatly trimmed to stay off the paths, and little pavilions dot the landscape to give hikers a resting spot.

Still, it was very relaxing yet rejuvenating to do a little exercise on a Sunday morning. Better yet, I was able to do this with a friend, and thus I felt like I got a good workout physically, mentally, and emotionally!

Lots and lots and lots of stairs

18 Peaks Mountain is a park area located pretty smack dab in the middle of Hsinchu, a town about an hour train ride away from Taoyuan. I think the park would be prettier in the Spring, when there are flowers blooming. Still, we got some nice views as we walked upwards.

The city of Hsinchu down below

One of the many pavilions that are scattered around the park. This
one was surprisingly empty; many of the others were filled with
older residents who were out strolling for the day.

Can I randomly bump into a temple in Hsinchu? Why yes, I can.

It seems counterproductive to tire myself out physically before the start of a workweek, but a long peaceful night's sleep should take care of that. Looking forward to more outdoor activities as long as the weather permits!

Snapshots

Life has been really busy and eventful so far in Taiwan, but I never seem to have enough pictures for a full fledged entry. So here are a few random shots taken on various outings over the past few weeks.

This large temple is located near my apartment. It's interesting how in Asia, modern life can be interrupted at regular
intervals by these imposing buildings.

A pretty view of a river running through Beitou. The area is best
known for its hot springs.

Beitou's Thermal Valley, an expanse of water that is so hot that
it is literally steaming. 

Steaming!

A really interesting piece of art from the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
It looks like a messy splatter of paint, but is actually
embroidery. Spot the 'imagine' in the middle...?

Another interesting piece. The caption reads: 'between a
rock and a hard place'.

With the weather finally cooling down in Taiwan, it's definitely time to get outdoors and see more great sites. Hopefully more entries soon, with pretty pictures!

Does art have to make sense?

Another holiday in Taiwan, another long weekend filled with rainy weather. So while my dreams of exploring the beautiful outdoors of the Taipei area have to be postponed, I still was able to see some interesting things. And of course, the best thing to do when it's raining outside is to appreciate some art inside!

Arriving at the Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors are greeted by cheerfully colored loops. This is the work of Ronald Ventura, an artist from the Philippines whose work is on exhibit at the museum now.

They look like remarkably cheerful tracks for Sonic the Hedgehog to run through

Interestingly, the rest of Ventura's work wasn't nearly as happy. The name of the exhibit was called "Finding Home", and although the museum blurb spoke about themes of travel and what a home meant in a physical, mental and sociological sense... I didn't really get that.

Lots of neon-lit displays in darkened rooms.

I found the exhibit to be macabre, dark, and slightly uncomfortable. I don't know if this was the artist's intention, but if there was any home to be found, I would definitely think it was haunted! A lot of the exhibit was in dark rooms, unfortunately, so many of my pictures didn't turn out. My favorite (not pictured) was a large, life-sized wooden carving of a man whose lower body was a boat. A projector above the room projected images and sounds of waves crashing onto the boat, and the effect was quite haunting.

Creepy little girl

A mixed media work. The artist applies some graffiti-style techniques, adding details in layers

This surreal carousel featured two horses that slowly creaked
(audibly!) back and forth. It's hard to tell from this picture,
but one horse has two heads, and the other has two tails.

After winding through the maze-like proportions of this exhibit, I was ready for a change. Luckily, the second featured artist had a very different style. Leigh Wen is a Taiwanese artist currently living in the United States. She uses the same technique in all her art, but features it on different mediums. The results were very interesting and beautiful.

Here are a dozen ceramic bowls, decorated in her signature pattern
of wavy lines. A small hose above each bowl would slowly drip
water down. A light on the ceiling would then reflect the ripples,
causing an interesting visual effect.

These small paintings are done on deconstructed wine crates

I loved this collage piece; it was both beautiful and soothing

Stretched canvases in the shape of orchids. She also used the same technique to print on fabric, and then created
fancy ballgowns. I forgot to take a picture of those though.

This piece was GIGANTIC, easily spanning the length of the room. My guess would be that this is 30 feet wide

A closeup of her painting technique. The small spidery lines canvas all her artwork. In the paintings, this created a sense of movement that worked really well.

I loved this one as well. It was also huge, maybe over 25 feet wide and 10 feet tall

Maybe because my expectations for this museum was low, I was very pleasantly surprised. Modern art is sometimes difficult to grasp, but both these exhibits made me feel something (even if it maybe isn't the exact feeling the artist intended). And with the low admission price of 50 NT (less than $2 US), this was a fantastic break from the dreary weather outside!

Day trip to Houtong

I've been really busy in Taiwan, getting settled in Taoyuan and starting work. It's been a lot to juggle, but hopefully I'm getting the hang of it. Luckily, a nice 4-day weekend has come about, to celebrate the mid-autumn moon festival. This is one of those holidays that I used to never remember in the states, and now it's an actual two days off from work!

Unluckily though, a couple typhoons have been blowing by just as the holiday began. Although we weren't really affected here in northern Taiwan, there was still some wind and rain. There was one beautiful day though, and some other teachers and I took advantage of that to go on a day trip. And hour and a half on the train later, and we were in Houtong (猴硐).

Houtong was originally a coal mining village, but as coal stopped being a primary energy source, the industry died and many residents moved away. About 10 years ago, a local cat lover started to take care of the strays in the village, which soon garnered attention online, and now Houtong is known as a  cat village.

The area itself is gorgeous in its own right. I've read that there are some hiking trails and a nice waterfall nearby, so I'll definitely be returning when the weather gets cooler, for some exploring. In the meantime, this scenery isn't so bad! :)

Beautiful view! No filter!

As we alighted from the train stop, various cute little cat motifs greeted us. Apparently the cats attract a lot of visitors to this village. Imagine that; stray cats helping support the economy of a village. No wonder all the cats I saw today were plump and complacently happy!

Cat art decorated much of the village, making it seem whimsical and delightful.

Naturally, tourists all lined up to take a picture with these figures. Taiwanese people
apparently love kawaii things just as much as the Japanese!

One of the real cats. Just lounging. 'Cause, you know, life is hard!

One of the little guys. Tourists can go buy cat food and feed them: win for the local economy, and win for the cats!

Besides the cats, we were able to take a short tour of an old mining facility, and 'play' with some of the tools they used back then. It was an interesting little peek into the often arduous and dangerous profession of a miner.

Another random pretty picture. Taiwan is very lush and green outside the main cities.

On a hot day, it's tempting to think about diving into that clear river!

Absorbing culture

... or better phrased as: "getting out of the damn heat"!

It's hot in Taipei. Terribly terribly hot. And humid. Walking a mere 5 minutes outside in the shade means that you're already drenched in sweat. So in hopes of escaping this weather while doing something interesting, I headed off today to one of Taipei's many museums.

The National Museum of History is not one of the larger museums in the city, but its frugal price tag of 30 NTD  ($1 USD) and its proximity to an errand I had to run made it the destination of the day. I had no idea what was being displayed, and was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few exhibitions available.

But because of my errand, I had to detour through the Taipei Botanical Gardens on the way. While this wasn't particularly pleasant temperature-wise, all was forgiven when a view of the museum's rear came into view, flanked by a giant lotus pond.

Giant expanse of lotus plants

Alas, it was a cloudy day today and therefore I had terrible lighting for the pictures. But it was really very pretty!

A picturesque pavilion amidst a jungle of lotus plants

Gorgeous lotus bloom

Unsurprisingly, there were more than several artists set up along the pond

Finally, I circled around to the entrance of the museum. About time too; I felt like I was about to melt! And after paying my dollar entry, I slipped into the soothing air conditioned halls and appreciated myself some art.

Front of museum. I had luckily JUST missed a load full of schoolkids, apparently.

There were four main exhibitions on display in addition to its permanent art. The first featured porcelain dolls painted by chiu zhou artists, depicting Chinese opera performers.

It's like... a fancy diorama

Another exhibition featured some modern jade works by an artist named Tu Kuo Wei. I have to admit, I didn't understand most of it, which featured jade carved into small cubes or rods. Frankly, I thought they totally looked like something else.......

I did like this one piece though, carved out of jade

Meandering upstairs, I ended up spending quite some time looking at the prolific works by Tsai Mao Sung, who primarily did ink paintings and calligraphy. His works were numerous, filling up several rooms. I ended up snapping way too many photos to post here, so here are just some of my favorites.

This one suggests a serene mountain scene, the mist gently dissipating as the sun rises 

Bummer, this one was framed behind glass so there's a glare. But this may have been my favorite piece! The
brooding mountains, the red trees... it's all so moody!

I found this one quite romantic, with the two small figures in the foreground, holding
hands. :)

As a huge contrast, the museum also housed some oil paintings by Chiang Long Fang, whose bold and colorful work reminded me of... an artist who I can't remember at the moment. :P I can't pretend to be an art connoisseur! He does seem to have a thing for chickens though...

Chicken! Names of pieces, left to right: Messenger of Fortune, Moving Forward No. 1, and Pride

This large piece (at least 6 feet tall) gives off a very American vibe to me!

All in all, this was a pleasant and cool way to spend a few hours. It's nice that Taipei has quite a few museums to choose from, and I'll try to go to another one before the week is out and I am back on the grind.

Did I mention I'm always hungry...?

So! I am on a brand new adventure. I have left the continent of Europe, to travel back to Asia. I am in Taiwan this time, and my poor waistline (so newly reacquired after vigorous dedication to a New Year's resolution) is probably on the verge of disappearing again. But it's Taiwan! The island of food!

I've been in Taipei for less than a week, and have mostly been seeking out small local places for my meals. I haven't even cracked open the pandora's box that are the night markets, and there is already more than plenty to keep my belly full. Is it surprising then, that my photos so far are 98% food?

So far, the takeaway I've received from this week's meals is that Taiwanese food is unexpectedly heavy for such a warm climate (and it is WARM. and HUMID).

One of my first meals back to celebrate my return to Asia involved rice balls. I missed those little suckers so much when I was in France, which was funny because I had eaten them so much in Japan that I was sick of them.

YUM!

Another trip down memory lane is Ah Chung Mee Sua, is a rather famous place located near where I'm staying in Ximending. I visited last time I was in Taiwan, and it hasn't changed at all. The broth was thick and tasted heavily of bonito, while the braised intestines added an earthy flavor. I have to admit, I felt really full and needed a nap after eating the whole large bowl. This meal set me back 110 NTD (65 for the mee sua, 40 for the drink), or $3.50 USD.

Hearty, and rich, this would make a really good winter
meal/snack

Rats; the picture below really doesn't make the dumplings look appetizing. But rest assured; they were plump and juicy and best of all, CHEAP. This restaurant sells dumplings by the piece: all pork-based dumplings cost 7 NTD (22 cents USD), and all shrimp-based dumplings cost 8 NTD (25 cents USD). Each protein was paired with different veggies, so there were about 10 different types of dumplings in all. I stuck with the pork base, and had pork-cabbage, pork-leek, and pork-radish. 7 dumplings in all, for a cheap dinner of 49 NTD, or $1.56 USD. Next time I'll try the shrimp!

Maybe I'll get 10 dumplings next time... splurge!

I was walking along one day when I noticed a small open-air restaurant with about 5 items total on its menu. They specialized in zongzi (粽子), sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. The Taiwanese version of this yummy treat involves pouring a gravy over the whole thing before serving. This certainly sounded interesting, and so I had to try. Taste-wise, this was more like a Cantonese 糯米雞... it was stuffed with fatty pork, peanuts, a salted egg yolk, shitake mushroom, and chestnuts. Paired with the savory gravy, it was delicious and filling. And at 65 NTD (just a smidge over $2 USD), another cheap meal!

Not pictured: the lumps of fatty fatty pork.

For dinner one night, I tried to balance out the heavy food with something a little lighter. I found a place serving Fujian-style fish balls, and decided to try them out. These fish balls were stuffed with bits of meat and served in a light broth. The fish ball portion was a little bland, but the meat inside was generously flavored. Add a simple dish of greens in an attempt to be healthy, and I had a 75 NTD ($2.40 USD) meal.

See? So healthy.

The menu. Everything's so cheap!

Of course, I had to go get a Taiwanese breakfast one morning. I ended up ordering way too much food... a nice large cup of sweet soy milk, a Taiwanese rice roll (stuffed with 油條, pork floss, and pickled radish), a fried fritter filled with lotus bean paste, and some fried turnip cake. This was enough for me for two meals, and only cost me 95 NTD ($3 USD).

A bounty of food for three bucks.

After all these meals, spending anything more than two or three dollars seems outright frivolous! Like I mentioned before though, I'm finding the food surprisingly heavy and unsuited for hot weather. One thing that does make sense though, is the plethora of drinks available in Taiwan. With this weather, it's imperative to stay hydrated! I finally broke down after a few days, and got my first shaved ice. It was from a pricier spot, and cost more than any of my meals so far (120 NTD, $3.82 USD)!

The first. Of many.

There is still a long loooooong list of food I want to eat, so perhaps it's good that I'll be spending a year here. It's tempting to cram it all in now though! The juicy fried pork chops! The night market street food!

... maybe I should look into joining a gym or something....

Village of Mougins

Perhaps time goes by faster as a person gets older. That is the only reason I can think of, because this past year has flown by. I am now at the end of my time in France, and I leave with many great memories. 

Before leaving, one more trip then, to a small village set on top of a hill. Quaint, with tiny winding streets and loads of old-world charm, it's definitely easy to believe that time has stopped in Mougins. 

The village is circular in shape, and it was easy to take a leisurely stroll around

Tiny pedestrian streets look like something out of a fairy tale

In the light of so many violent things happening in this country, French pride is at an
all-time high.

Classic French porch, complete with a Siamese cat!

And next up, more adventures, more travel! It's amazing to think that so much has happened in the last four years, and the journey is still continuing. 

I'm still always hungry, after all.