The Final Two Months

Taipei in May was hot and seemingly hotter everyday.  The heat was only interrupted occasionally by torrential rain showers leading to many hours of teaching in soggy socks and shoes.  

Early in the may I expanded my long list of 'museums I've visited in Taiwan' by visiting the Taiwan Armed Forces Museum.  According to their own website, the museum "highlight(s) the brilliant achievements of the National Revolutionary Forces from Eastward Expedition, Northward Expedition, Communist-suppression, War of Resistance against Japan, Counterinsurgency Campaigns and construction of Taiwan, and to understand current situation of the strong Armed Forces."  

R.O.C. soldier's names signed in their blood.

Chiang Kai Shek's septor.

With no entrance fee, the museum provided some worthwhile afternoon entertainment.  To celebrate the opening of a new exhibit, complementary tours were provided, unfortunately, the soldiers guiding the tours could not speak any English. 

Mid-May, I attended a fair showcasing local Taiwan products in front of Taipei's City Hall. Lots of free samples were handed out and it was a nice opportunity to try some local foods and see what some local business have on offer.

While I was in the neighbourhood of City Hall, I paid a visit to the Taipei Discovery Center.  Housed inside of the City Hall building, the Discovery Center is a free museum that focuses on the cities recent and distant history.   The exhibits very well displayed and for the price, of nothing, it was a great little museum. 

On a particularly sunny Saturday a few weeks ago I convinced myself to ascend the city-side hike up Elephant Mountain.  The steep, 20 minute hike to the peak rewarded me with spectacular views of the Taipei city-scape and the impressive architecture on Taipei 101.  I had a pretty nice little Saturday including a post hike bike ride back home, and I could only wonder why it had taken me over a year in Taipei to finally hike Elephant Mountain.   

Among the last of my must-have experiences to be had in Taipei was to go to a KTV place.  KTV is essentially karaoke but in contrast with a karaoke bar, KTV places are divided in private rooms each equipt with their own karaoke entertainment set up. In Taiwan, KTV is a popular alternative to going to a nightclub and I'm surprised I didn't have more opportunities to sing during my stay here.  Nonetheless, when I finally did spend a night belting out classics in the private company of friends, I found it to be a fun and worthwhile experience.

Another of the thing I had been meaning to do for some time was to pay a visit to Yehliu Geopark on Taiwan's northeast cost.  Yehliu Geopark is a collection of interesting rock formations carved out by tidal erosion.  I chose a very hot day to visit and amongst the many tourists from China it seemed I was silly for not remembering to bring my umbrella for protection from the sun.  

Following a quick visit to the Geopark, I boarded a bus in the direction of FuLong Beach.  FuLong is one of the most popular beaches that is within reach of Taipei, and one I had yet to visit.  An international sand-sculpture competition that coincides with the coming of summer was a bonus and some of the sculptures were quite spectacular.  

I began the final month of my Taiwan adventure begins filled with both excitement and apprehension.   There were a great deal of fun things still on my list of things to do in Taiwan in addition to the coming of my 27th Birthday.

My second birthday in Taiwan landed on a Monday, which is typically the worst night of the week for any type of celebration in Taipei.  My birthday was a low-key affair, celebrated over dinner and beers with the people in Taipei who matter the most to me.

Two days following my birthday is a public holiday in Taiwan marking the Dragon Boat Festival.  While last year I was keen to take in the culturally relevant races I found them to be, for the most part, repetitive and boring.  This year I opted for a more entertaining option and attended an all day pool party.  I had a really fun time at the pool party an afternoon downpoor.

Whenever I'm in a foreign country, I try to take in a live sporting event that popular with the locals.  I left it nearly too late, but finally I attended a CPBL baseball game in Taipei.

Baseball is one of the most-watched sports in Taiwan and Taipei's local team, the Brother Elephants, draws a feverant crowd of revelers to the Xinzhuang Stadium.  That atmosphere inside the stadium was unlike that of any baseball game I've attended in the past.  Given the small size of Taiwan, games have a high attendance of both home and away fans, each accompanied by their own noisy musical ensembles and a chant-leading hype-man with a megaphone.    Also unlike any baseball game, or any professional sports game, I've been to, spectators can bring their own food and drinks into the stadium.  Though, bringing one's own beer isn't even necessary as a convenience store within the stadium sells cold Taiwan beer at uninflated prices. The baseball game was an exciting and unforgettable experience.

Two of my adult students-come-friends invited me to join them on a one day roadtrip to the East-coast county of YiLan.  While in YiLan we visited an architecturally impressive museum about the local region as well as the popular black-sand surfing beach, WaiAo. We had a dinner of local specialties at Luodong Nightmarket, which is said by some to be one of Taiwan's best. I'm truly grateful to my students/friends for introducing me to som great new foods and places.

Another typically Taiwanese activity I had been longing to attempt was indoor shrimp fishing.  Time and time again I have seen TV travel hosts visiting these indoor shrimp swamps during Taiwan focused episodes.  I say "shrimp swamp" because the bubbling pool of water around which hopeful fishermen try their luck is invariably a cloudy green colour.

Feeling lucky, a friend and I shared a rod for 1 hour of shrimp fishing excitement. Much like baseball, the excitement level of shrimp fishing is much improved when beer is present.  With the helpful advise of an experienced shrimp-fisher we managed to catch an unimpressive single shrimp each.

In addition to the fishing itself, the dining experience of grilling and eating the shrimp on site is a bonus.  Luckily for us, the owner of the establishment took pity on our measly two shrimp and gifted us an additional four shrimp.  Once salted and grilled the shrimp were damn tasty.

I finished up my final work week in Taiwan with my last evening adult class on Thursday.  I showed up expecting a regular class followed by some brief goodbyes but was surprised and touched to be showered with gifts and heartfelt goodbyes from past and present students.

Following the emotional last class, I met up with my ABC magazine acting job coworkers for drinks and further farewells.

Yet another culinary destination I had too long neglected to visit was Modern Toilet Restaurant.  Modern Toilet is world famous for it's oddness as a toilet and bathroom themed restaurant.

Sat atop toilets aside tables made from bathtubs, diners eat curries and ice cream from toilet shaped bowls and plates.   The food was overpriced as expected but all in all the novel experience was valuable enough to make it a worthwhile meal.

My last weekend in Taiwan coincided with the coming of Canada Day.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce once again hosted a outdoor party featuring Canadian bands, food, and booze.  This year the party was one block away from my apartment and was good for some Saturday fun in the sun.


Following the Canada Day event I dined at a renowned beef noodle restaurant that has now gained a reputation abroad.  Chef Hung's Beef Noodle has a branch in my hometown, West Vancouver, so I find it necessary to compare the quality of Chef Hung's locations in my two homes.  The beef noodle at Chef Hung's here in Taipei was very good, although not the best I've had, I'll have to wait to find out about Chef Hung's WV when I return home next month.

As I finish this post, I'm in the Hong Kong Airport awaiting my connection to Bangkok. It feels strange to have left Taiwan with no certainty of when, or even if, I'll be able to return.  I am certain that I'll miss all the people with whom I shared my time in Taiwan and who helped me to have an amazing and unforgettable year and three months.  

Goodbye Taiwan, I'll miss you! 拜拜台灣，我會想你！

Tainan Tomb Sweeping

Easter in Taiwan came and went without so much as a single coloured egg.   Disappointingly, it seems the Easter bunny has forgotten about me in Taiwan for a second year in a row!   

Although Easter is left largely uncelebrated in Asia, Taiwan does seem to pack large number of holidays into the first third of the year.  While I'd often rather be working and making money than on holiday, the annual Tomb Sweeping Festival gave me a couple of days off and provided a good opportunity to see another of Taiwan's “big cities”.

The Tomb Sweeping Festival (清明節)is a time when families pay respects to their ancestors.  As the name implies, the cleaning and sweeping of graves and tombs is an important holiday tradition.  Most families migrate to the locale of their family burial ground and make offerings to their departed relations.

To best utilize the short break, I planned a trip down south to Tainan.  Tainan was the last of Taiwan's "big cities" I had yet to visit and as Taiwan's first and oldest city, it was a must-do on my Taiwan tourist itinerary.

Tainan was the landing point of Taiwan's first Western settlers, the Dutch and where they established their initial trading base.  Tainan has a great deal of historical sites, most of which surround the seaside historical heart of Tainan (and all of Taiwan), Anping.

The woman on the right's shirt says "Ipad" on the back...

Anping is a district which features both Dutch and Chinese architectural remnants in addition to Taiwan's oldest street. The center point of the area is the Dutch-built Anping Fort (originally Fort Zeelandia).

Other attractions in the area include the Anping Tree house, an abandoned warehouse that was engulfed by a massive banyan tree; numerous archaic merchant houses; and of course, many old temples.

Taiwan's Oldest Street

Away from the Anping District, in Tainan's city center are many more historical attractions.  Numerous old temples and religious sites can be found along Tainan's streets including some of Taiwan’s oldest.  Tainan also retains portions of its ancient city walls and a massive city gate that once protected the city from invaders. 

Chihkan Tower is Tainan’s most famous historic site and tourist attraction. Constructed by the Dutch as "Fort Provedentia" in 1653, the Chinese nicknamed it "Tower of Savages" or "Tower of Red-haired Barbarians". The tower has since been named Chihkan Tower, after an aboriginal settlement that once inhabited the area. 

Tainan is a nice city with a great mix of old and new and the size of the city center made it very manageable to explore on foot, which is a good thing, given that Tainan's public transit system is a far-cry from the convenience of Taipei's.

Hand-painted movie posters.

Tainan is also home to some of Taiwan's most famous night-markets.  Unlike Taipei, the night-markets in Tainan operate on alternating nights of the week.  Luckily for me, the largest night-market  and the one I was most keen to visit was open on Saturday evening. 

The Garden Night Market (花園夜市) was not like any others I had visited in Taipei; rather than lining a narrow city street, Tainan's Garden night market sprawls across a large open parking lot.  Despite its more open plan, the night-market was equally as crowded and congested as Taipei's best. The market was an ideal place to have dinner and try out some of Tainan's famous foods.  

One dish that is claimed as a Tainan original has a distinctly Western flavour.  Coffin bread (棺材板) is made from a thick slice of bread that has been deep-fried, cooled, and cut open to form a box and lid. The inside is then filled with a thick chowder, essentially conforming to the soup in a bread-bowl idea ("and then I ate the bowl!").  

Tainan also has a fairly good nightlife.  The HaiAn Road bar district is lined with patio bars, something Taipei certainly lacks.  There are also several bars housed in turn of the century shop-houses giving them an interesting atmosphere.

It's no secret that I am a beer enthusiast. I was excited to find that a Craft Beer festival was to take place in Taipei in mid-April. Although the event sold out long in advance I was able to acquire a scalped ticket over the internet. The event ticket included unlimited samples of craft beers from around the world. I was one of fewer than 10 foreigners in attendance and the event was clearly aimed at Chinese speakers. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed myself and my only disappointment was that only one Taiwanese brewery was present at the event.

Over a year here in Taipei now and I am still enjoying myself.  The end of my time here is quickly approaching so I'll need to start making an effort to cross off the last remaining items on my Taiwan to-do list.  As my departure date becomes more imminent, I am feeling the pressure to study more Chinese.  I wish I had been this motivated to learn during my entire stay here as I don't think I'll be as proficient in Chinese when I leave here as I had hoped.  That said, I'll do the best I can with my remaining time here.