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. 

Day trip to Antibes

The beautiful, perfect days keep coming! The month of May in the south of France is absolutely gorgeous; I can't stop taking pictures of it! So although the subjects are the same (sky, sea, the occasional rock formation or two), here are some photos from my weekend jaunt to Antibes, a small town right next to Cannes.

Antibes is another town located on the southern coast of France. While not as glamorous as Cannes, there's a lot to
like about this place.

Sunbathers taking a dip in the clear blue waters

I've posted so many boat pictures... it almost seems like half of the population here must own one!

One of the fortresses that line the coast. Nowadays, this one has found new life as
a museum.

I also took the time to walk around the Old Town, with its small winding roads and
cobblestone streets. Many small vendors set up shop in open squares, and there was
a farmer's market as well.

Farmer's market cheese. So much cheese.

Beautiful asparagus, in season now!

Antibes is probably only about a 15-20 minute drive from Cannes. I had the option of taking the train (10 minute ride, 3 euros each way), or the bus (30 minute ride, 1.50 euro each way). It was very convenient, and made for a great little trip on a lovely Saturday.

One more picture of the sea!

Playing dressup

As I have stated in a previous entry, thousands of tourists descend upon the small city of Cannes at this time every year, hoping for a glimpse into the world of the rich and famous. They walk along the Croisette, eating gelato, and peer into the cool magnificent windows of shops like Chanel and Gucci. Or else they stand behind the blockades at the Palais des Festivals, hoping for a glimpse of their favorite movie star. A few lucky ones stand in line, hoping to get tickets for daytime viewings of the movies.

Well, I was one of the lucky ones the other night; my sister and I got tickets to see one of the film festival movies. And it wasn't even one of the skimpy daytime showings; this was a main event, an evening premiere of a movie that is in competition for the Palme d'Or. So with fingers crossed that our normal dresses would pass the bar, we headed off for our own few seconds of fame.

My ticket to the show! As stated, formal dress was the dress code, but obviously we don't own any evening gowns. So
our regular dresses would have to do... we hoped!

Here's the crowd of fans and paparazzi, viewed from the other side. The 'main' members of the media were located
right on the red carpet itself, and they all had to dress in tuxedos as well! 

Here I am, giving my best 'nonchalant movie star' impression, with the entrance and
red carpet behind me.

On top of the stairs of the theater, looking back at the red carpet. It was difficult to actually take a picture while
walking the carpet; it's actually technically not allowed. The large crane on the right holds a camera on its end,
and swivels back and forth, capturing footage of all the important people (ie. NOT me).

An admittedly terrible shot of the theater. We sat on a balcony level, high above where
the actual stars of the movie sat down below. It was still neat to see them in person,
and obviously emotional about their movie being screened.

Many of the movies shown at Cannes are in different foreign languages. Everything not in French is subtitled in French... which doesn't help me much. So we were rather lucky to have gotten tickets for a British-American movie. The movie, called "Loving", is a semi-biographical film about an interracial couple living in Virginia back in the 1960s who were jailed for being married. It was a quiet, affecting film, and one that makes a person think about how some issues are still prevalent today.

I had a wonderful time at the festival; definitely a unique experience that I'm glad to have experienced during my year in France!

Shades of Blue

There are days of good weather, and then there are days of *perfect* weather. And it was on such a perfect day, when we took a short trip off to the Île Saint-Honorat, a small island located just a mile off the coast of Cannes. Lushly green, this island was founded by monks in the early 5th century.

The short ferry ride to the island only took abut 15 minutes, and then it was as if we were transported back in time. There were no cars, and only dirt roads circled their way around the island. The views were stunning, and it was impossible to not snap picture after picture of pretty blue skies and clear Mediterranean waters. Which is a long way of saying... no more words, here come the photos!

A secluded getaway, it makes a person feel like an explorer from the past!

Centuries of water (though I am told the tides here are minimal) must have created
these strange rock formations. Or, you know, aliens. One of those.

The lovely, quite cheery looking Lérins Abbey

The waters of the Mediterranean are crystal clear!

An eagle's eye view of the island, from atop the... fortress...? located on the island. 

Another view of the Abbey

You can practically see the fish swimming, even from a distance!

Dozens of boats docked near the island, to enjoy the nice weather and peaceful
atmosphere!

It only took us a couple hours to circle the entire island, and to have a leisurely lunch on one of the benches. It was a great way to spend a morning, though it seems like many people stayed to sunbathe on the rocks. It's easy to see, when looking at these pictures, why the south of France is such a tourist destination!