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! :)
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| 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!
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| Cat art decorated much of the village, making it seem whimsical and delightful. |
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Naturally, tourists all lined up to take a picture with these figures. Taiwanese people
apparently love kawaii things just as much as the Japanese! |
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| One of the real cats. Just lounging. 'Cause, you know, life is hard! |
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| 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.
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| Another random pretty picture. Taiwan is very lush and green outside the main cities. |
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| On a hot day, it's tempting to think about diving into that clear river! |
