Are you crazy, one friend after another, worried, when we told them we were going to Taiwan.
It's hard to put a finger on which meal, which day, that was best. Each day, we stopped at another food market, another quirky corner market, next to a temple, where food cost next to nothing. Still the vendors brought us extra fried cricket pieces or tea, meal after meal, freebies without expectation of a tip, a greeting and follow feeling -stall after all, wok after wok, of the best noodles and braised pork rice, fried rice, dumplings, one Taiwanese comfort food after another, corner after corner. Walking the streets here, the bars are few; the gambling dens plentiful, coffee joints and cell phones omnipresent, not many novels in the streets. Different cities appeared to have different proclivities, a late night club and streets full of sex workers, standing about the park, about the alleys by our hotel, in Taichung, a city with one of the most thrilling modern art museums I’ve ever seen, buildings falling apart, open for new arts, kids stumbling down the street after late night escapades. Day after day, workers bring out their food and goods, out for sale, across from Family Mark and 7/11 where everything is on sale, TV’s on in the afternoon, bringing in Dodgers games from LA.
If China is about to invade, no one seems too concerned. One friend says it’s inevitable; other shrug.. They’ve been living this way for decades, at least since the end of the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the Communists (CPC) ended in 1949. While the Nationalists hoped to establish a unified, modern China, the Communists aimed to establish a socialist state. The civil war concluded with the Communist victory in 1949, leading to the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Vanquished, the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, bringing treasures with them (that we would see inside the National Palace Museum). The PRC endured a Great Leap Forward, with mass famine killing millions, a Cultural Revolution, followed by Mao’s death and Deng Xiaopeng’s neoliberal turn. In the meantime in Taiwan, an anti-communist, White Terror followed leading to a military dictatorship, before Taiwan modernized as one of the Asian Tiger economies.
With a population estimated at some 23.1 million to 23.4 million, and a GDP of some $970 billion, Taiwan is charting its own path. Armed with the military aid from the US and the 22nd largest GDP in the world, well ahead of Ireland, Brussels, and Israel, it’s not hard to imagine a direct takeover any time soon.
Still questions about democracy lingered throughout our trip. Sunday night, flying back on Monday, the whole world’s eyes were on Hungary and its thrilling election.
My PSC CUNY Colleague, John Gallagher posted a note:“Orban was supported by both Trump and Putin. Our Vice President did a campaign rally for a man who wants to see the brave people of Ukraine under Putin’s boot. This is just who they are. Trump doesn’t want democracy. He doesn’t want Americans to live in democracy. He wants oligarchy just like Putin. Orban’s defeat is hopefully the start of something better for all of us.”
April 13th, we woke in the country in Juifen, strolling through the morning, writing a few notes, within the quiet looking at the hills below. Jiufen morning, water running from the mountain, hikers about, the temple open, incense in the air, birds chirp, laundry out, a barber shop, red lanterns, a lost cat strolls about, layers of houses, on top of each other, wrapping around the hill, steps up to Jishan Street, vines growing through cracks, two elders chat, a parlor, where god gives massages on Qingbian Rd, mist in the air, on the sea below.
We catch the bus, winding down the hill to the train to Taipei, where we met our friends at the main train station. And stop at Chengzhong Market in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei for a snack. The markets are the center of our trip and seemingly the country itself. We love most everything you find here, except the dreaded Stinky tofu (chòu dòufu), "a pungent, fermented tofu popular as a street food snack in China and Taiwan, a strong odor, often compared to rotten garbage..." Through the discount market, we explore, pick up gifts and tchotchke for friends back home. And we make our way to the airport, through security in 11 minutes, on our way back to the crazy USA. Winding our way back around the globe, past China, only a few K away, Japan, whose Colonial legacy lingers, and Russia, over the Pacific, across Canada, the lessons and transitions keep me up. We lost a day coming, gaining twelve hours arriving back, to the US and its conflicts, egg on the head of our VP who sided with Orban and by extension Putin and his anti democratic oligarchs. The whole time, I think about Taiwan and it’s uneasy struggle for autonomy. Before the pandemic, Xi offered Taiwan the same sort of special arrangement it granted Hong Kong, ‘one country, two systems.’ We saw how well that worked out. Under this policy, Hong Kong maintained its autonomy from China from 1997 to 2019. By 2020, China moved forward to erode the deal, cracking down on the pro democracy movement. Xi and Putin and Trump, Taiwan on its own path between. Still day to day life continues, in the markets and trains, cities and mountain villages came to know, if only for a few days.
Flying I finish a novel by the Nobel Prize winner, Ivo Andric, his 1947 novel, The Bridge over the Drina, one of our friends from Slovenia recommended the summer before. "Every human generation has its own illusions with regard to civilization;" writes Andric. "Some believe they are taking part in its upsurge, others that they are witnesses of its extinction. In fact, it always flames up and smolders and is extinguished, according to the place and the angle of the view... lighting the first fires of one new civilization and extinguishing the last flickers which was burning out..."
No one is ever sure which is which.
A few takeaways, reflection on the“illusions” from our journey:
Autonomy matters.
Sovereignty counts.
Taiwan is not, has not been China.
Regarding gender and migration, ‘comfort women’ and patriarchy, the oldest conflicts, the oldest wars never really end.
Colonial legacies linger.
Refugees and inequality matter.
Conflicts are inevitable, but friends are still the best medicine.
A live and let live attitude helps a bit.
Walking about the temples here, Taiwan seems to enjoy a merging of Taoism and Confucianism, blended Buddhism, as a single, fluid worldview. But do they contradict themselves? Certainly distinct—Confucianism and its emphasis on filial piety and social order, Taoism and harmony with nature, and Buddhism on ending suffering—these traditions are seen as complementary, different tools for different times. Still, it's hard to see how Taoism is consistent with conservative power grabs.
It's ok to stand up for what's right.
Environmental laws matter. There’s too much plastic, too many pollutants.
Fortunately, people seem to love the cats you see walking the streets of Jiufin.
Still, Taiwan is finding its way. Our friends worried we were arriving at a country about to be invaded. Instead we found people living their lives.
A look back at a journey, a few notes from the road:
April 2
Woke up early in Taichung. After coffee and writing, Baby C and I made our way, past the Taichung Park and its splendid trees, full of spirits, vines, connecting, communicating, out to the Taichung City Jianguo Flea Market. Full of everything, amulets and battery chargers, statues and second hand clothes, we peruse the wares. And are off to explore the temples of Lukang, the Japan colonial era Folk Museum, a residence from 1919, and the Quin era Ting Family Historic Residence, the last remaining Quiq dynasty imperial scholar's home, a marked contrast.
Back in Taichung, we went out into the night markets, enjoying some noodles on the streets, everyone out, kids, elders, everyone it seems.
April 3
Woke up after a good rest. I walked out to the Jainguo Flea Market to haggle a bit, past the park. And kept walking through the morning, people out and about, selling their wares. Before catching our train, we found our way through a Vietnamese quarter on the way to the Qianyue Building, an old graffitied building, shut down after a fire here in Taichung. Bought a delicious banh mi vietnamese sandwich made our way to the high speed rail station, on our way South. There was an earthquake when we left, magnitude 4.6, which has affected Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and China
7 miles from Fangliao Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. And another last night. On our way into impacted areas in the latest earthquakes near Tainan, Tainan City.
April 2
News from the states, where Erin in the morning wrote:
“Throughout history, leaders have committed acts of civil disobedience to challenge unjust laws. Add Samantha Boucher to that list. Boucher walked into the Kansas Statehouse bathroom in front of police, deliberately violating one of the most extreme anti-trans law in the country.”
April 3
You talk about travels in a conflicted world, said Baby C, referring to both my research and the ever evolving conflict here, with China. You see it in the history of language and censorship, expression and repression, between voices and dialects, the Japanese occupation, when Japanese was the official tongue, then abruptly switching to Chinese Mandarin after WWII, Walking through the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, you feel the struggle over Taiwan’s language and history and its blend of indigenous roots, (Hokkien) immigration, and colonial legacies, from Japan and the Kuomintang (KMT). You feel the influences just walking; you sense Japan here. I'm sure Ridley Scott came here. And saw the future, says Baby C walking the narrow streets, with lanterns, neon, temples on corner after corner. The street of our hotel could be Tokyo. After the museum, we stopped for tea at a lovely 1950s department store, getting a sense of Tainan, one of Taiwan's oldest cities and the former capital, a modern city, a religious center, with more than a thousand temples (including Taiwan’s first Confucian temple)...
April 4
We met Mir in front of this herbal tea store at 850 am for a Tainan food and culture tour. We'd hang out the next five hours with stops at Shuixian Gong Market, Tainan Grand Queen Temple, and Snail Alley. Are you hungry, she asked, taking us for an Oyster omelet with Jordan, a Californian along for the tour. From two generations of Taiwanese, Mir had a lot to teach us. And like any great tour guide, she embellished a bit. Tell us everything, I asked. What's the history, what's the story. After omlettes, we sat for a Gua Bao (割包); "the Taiwanese Burger" she told us, as we enjoyed the renowned Taiwanese street food featuring a soft, steamed bun filled with braised pork belly. "You can't find this Gua Bao anywhere else," She paused, sharing a bit about her home. 100 years ago Tainan was the capital, she went on, telling us about a history of Dutch, Ming, and Quin dynasties here. Ming was very strong, she said, referring to 1662, when Ming loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) defeated the Dutch to establish the Kingdom of Tungning. This regime brought significant Han Chinese, Confucian-based administration, and agriculture to Taiwan before surrendering to the Qing in 1683 (1684–1895) . It was the time of business, she says. The Chinese didn't do much education wise. Just money. Japan built infrastructure. They have a bad reputation, many women enslaved as comfort women. Japan later compensated the families. We also contributed after the earthquake in China.The Chinese have no info from the media. All censored. China doesn't acknowledge Taiwan's independence. We do not want to be China, she says, taking us for a rice cake. Chiang Kai-shek was over protective, defensive scared after losing to Mao in 1949. After that he calmed down, his son led the Taiwanese economic boom, opening the door for innovation, for business, for trade.
Listening, I think of a friend in New York whose parents were punished for speaking Taiwanese during this period. People have their experiences. Not everyone was impacted, but many disappeared during the White Terror years.
We stop for rice noodles with squid and then a Ginger caramel tofu dessert, or Douhua (豆花), a tofu pudding, silky, custard-like dessert served with a ginger-infused, caramelized brown sugar syrup, enjoyed warm or chilled. And then a plum digestive. Each stop is a new conversation.
A whole family is making mochi. Mir buys us some. We walked along a small alley called Shennong Street, adorned with stunning paper lanterns, to a market, meeting a woman selling shoes with her mom.
We stop at the Grand Matsu Temple, a 17th-century place of worship dedicated to a Taoist water deity, says Mir. Sadly, the Prince of Ningjing, of the Quig time, chose to end his life prior to the arrival of the Qing forces in Taiwan to save himself from whatever they had in store for him. The prince’s five concubines hung themselves within the mansion. Why’d they kill themselves, I wonder. The next day the prince followed suit. Why did they follow, I wonder. No one understands.
On we walked about the covered market, full of fish mongers, looking at incredible prepared and raw fish.
Always turn, don't take things too seriously, says Mir. When you come to a dead end turn.
Off to Snail Alley, we walk through the rain, stopping at the bookstore and L'Escargot for a glass of wine, chatting with others pouring in, getting away from the rain. Several stop and chat. People are friendly everywhere we go. On the way out, I mispronounced thank you. Try To-siā (多謝), which is a common way to say "thank you" in Taiwanese Hokkien, in the local dialect, says the waitress.
We stroll through the rain to The Tainan Art Museum in West Central District, Tainan. And meander back home. Full of food and ideas, we make it back, to my novel, back to sleep. Back to Thomas Mann.
April 5
We meet my old friend Kelly's friend Dave in Anping, a historic coastal district in Tainan, Taiwan. Dave knew Kelly when he was here 35 years ago but wasn't there for the barfight. Unlike Kelly, who came back to the states, Dave never returned. He’s made a home for himself in this, the country's oldest urban area and a former major port, with its waterfront, alleys, tree house, and a 17th-century Fort Zeelandia. Dave is not as optimistic about the direction things are going with Taiwan's neighbor, who seems to take parental ownership role, that Taiwan doesn't feel. We chatted about it all, the expat life, old movies, The City of Sadness, etc. Over lunch I tried out, Doh-shiah, or To-siā, trying to say thank you in the Taiwanese Hokkien. Dave laughed. In Mandarin it sounds more like I'm randomly saying how much does it cost, like I've been asking that over and over. Tomorrow I might go back to Shyeh-shyeah.
After our lovely afternoon, we bid adieu Dave, Goodbye Tainan. It was lovely to get to know you, to spend a few days with you. And we’re off to grab the super affordable high speed train. To that point, Amtrack, why are you so expensive, I’m thinking, waiting for the train. Just then, I hear someone scream: 'hey!!!!!!'l Step back!!!' the conductor marching my way. A duly deserved scold, looking out for me. I step back, chastised. Maywenti, I thought, no problem. The grin that crossed Caroline's face did not cease for a half hour. I've traveled in France and Germany. A scold here and there is part of the trip, relatively low here, so far. But I might not be hearing it.
In between our explorations, we are learning about the democracy movement here. In 2004, over a million people formed a human wall, a sort of democracy wall opposing China's threats, Xi using the same playbook as Russia. According to CNN: "On February 28, 2004, an estimated 1.2 to 2 million people formed a 500-kilometer (310-mile) human chain, known as the "228 Hand-in-Hand Rally" or "Great Wall of Taiwan's Democracy," to oppose Chinese missile threats and support President Chen Shui-bian. This peaceful demonstration spanned from Keelung to Pingtung on the 57th anniversary of the Feb. 28 Incident, significantly boosting pro-independence sentiments..."
April 6th
It had already been a full morning, meeting the little one who'd arrived via LA. We met at the Taipei Main Station. People are sitting about the station. With almost no sleep, we set out for breakfast and a stroll to the markets. The kid has not been to Asia since working in Japan, summer of 2019. We spent the morning strolling about Dihua Street's shops and Temples. One of Taipei's earliest developed areas, it has both Qing Dynasty remnants and Japanese-era architecture.
We stop for a precious coffee moment at Perfect Days Cafe, a vegan spot full of movie decor from our fave movies, grand budapest hotel, Perfect Days, getting away from the rain. The kid gives us updates from LA, taking in the generally a live and let live vibe. We walk along. One Temple advertises: need help recovering the lost spirit? Fortune telling?
I guess we all do.
We stop for some fresh noodles, prepared by two elderly women, working by a tree, a temple in the distance., sitting outside on Chon Qing Road, lush banyan trees, and the Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple in the distance. Established in 1856, it's a landmark. Dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of the sea and protector of fishermen and sailors, it serves as a reminder of the region’s history. Looking for water or a beer, a man tells me an off color joke. He’s drunk, smiles at us, assuming we’re in on the joke. We keep on walking about the Datong District, a historic, culturally rich area on the eastern shore of the Tamsui River in Taipei, Taiwan, old-world and modern mixed.
Out, we find our way to Liberated Rhythms, a vintage record and clothing shop, with Siouxie Sioux and Damned t shirts, local punk show posters, t shirts,monchhichi dolls, kitch, “vintage pieces, from the 60’s to the present —vintage fashion music， art，subculture ..toys …Nostalgia/ Modern Punk/Metal/Hippie/Psychedelic/Goth/ Mod/Rockabilly/R'nR/Hardcore/Crust..." Wearing a black beret, the owner shows me his first band t-shirt, a Damned t his girlfriend got him in Australia. Baby C asks about a no nazi pin. Are you from Germany, he asks. No, just spend time there, she says. Baby C shows him some of the Nazi pins we had seen for sale on the street the week before. A lot of people don't know about that, he says. We don't really have too many conflicts here. My mind trails off to China and the 180 km wide straight between the two countries, separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. Some metal bands think it's ok to wear nazi stuff here, he says. Not cool. What about the White Terror, asks Baby C. A lot of countries had something like that at that time, he says.
Outside, an elder is walking along eating an ice cream, wearing a t- shirt that says, have the time of your life. By yourself? Enjoy yourself.
After a chill out, we go out for a quiet stroll through the Shida Night Market, by the university, stopping for real scallion pancakes, and then back to Little Tiger Cafe for aiyu cold soup. You eat it when your mouth is bored, says the owner. Some skewers and jam potato balls, walking along Longquan Street, right, left, to Shi-Da Road, noodle places, lots of hot pot spots, past the National Taiwan Normal University.
In between it, news pours in from the US. The Daily Mirror is calling the orange one "unhinged" after his Easter rant. We all live with our own nightmares, our own monsters.
Sarah Schulman writes:
“RIP Iris Long -scientist, AIDS activist, ACT UP Legend”
April 7th
It’s ten stops to Shilin to the National Palace Museum, mist and mountains in the distance. According to their website, "The history between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party contributed to the relocation of National Palace Museum (NPM) artifacts to Taiwan and the artifacts subsequently becoming a crucial part of Taiwan's culture... it has inherited China's national culture spanning thousands of years and shoulders the responsibility of preserving and publicizing artifacts."
We spend the day looking through the treasures, the jade works, rare books, scrolls, manuscripts, reflecting the history of a civilization.
"When illusion is construed as reality, reality becomes illusion" reads a quote from Dream of the Red Chamber, a novel written by Cao Xueqin, considered the pinnacle of Chinese classical fiction.
After the museum, we perused a few antique shops, exploring the Shouwamachi Market, "a nostalgic indoor antique and collectibles market tucked away ... at the southern end of Yongkang Street near Chaozhou Street, in the first floor of the Jinan Building."
And zipped out to Wanhua District, to Psycho Nerds, a punk bookstore in the basement off a night market Downstairs we walked inside to the store, full of George cox platform vintage shoes, cowboy shirts, Ultra Man dolls, and punk kitsch.
And out into the Ximending night market, with its Tokyo pop vibe, sexy people, mist in the air, a few motorcycles, out to for hot pot shabu shabu at a late night joint.
April 8th
Trip to the beach and hot springs, to Beitou, a mountainous district in northern Taipei. On the way there, we passed the Chiang Ki Shek Hotel, built in 1952, small towns, crumbling buildings.
And out for a swim. The water was warm, but debris, plastic, etc strewn across the beach. A reminder is how important our environmental protections remain.
We spent the day at a hot spring, going for hot and cold plunges. We even enjoyed the Fish spa treatment, where dozens of tiny "Nibble Fish" —typically Garra rufa—nibbled on dead skin cells on our feet, offering a distinct exfoliation treatment. Back to the baths, with views of the mountains.
Taking in the eternal misty peaks of Zhuzhi Shan, a glimpse into one of the most remote corners of northern Taiwan, views that conjure images of landscape paintings, offering a glimpse of the wildest and most remote corners of northern Taiwan.
According to the British Museum: "The Chinese term for “landscape” is made up of two characters meaning “mountains and water.” It is linked with the philosophy of Taoism, with its emphasis on harmony with the natural world.
April 8th
Are we still here, we think, waking after peculiar dreams. The kid drops by with a copy of The Solar Circus (Le Cirque Solaire, 1898) by Belgian Symbolist Gustave Kahn, a melancholic tone of "dream and melancholy". And we share some of the circus, heading out early, running into some majestic strangers from another life.
Out for the morning, we found our way to The Fuhe Bridge Flea Market, looking at the treasures, in "one of Taipei's most authentic and largest treasure-hunting spots, located underneath the Fuhe Bridge in the Yonghe District of New Taipei City....” people out selling industry electronics, antiques, second-hand clothes and talismonds, stopping for scallion pancakes, walking through the urban farm next door, a park to the right, people playing, dancing, selling their wares.
We bus across town, perusing the Huashan Market, enjoying a latte at Louisa Coffee. And off to Huashan 1914 Creative Park, "a revitalized historic site in Taipei, Taiwan, transformed from a former sake brewery and winery ...Originally built by the Japanese in 1914..." The trees are more compelling than anything.
This trip goes on and on... spas and crazy street food and flea markets, each neighborhood a new city.
Exhausted, we stop for the best sashimi, a needed respite, re energizing, perusing the catalogue for the documentary film festival. Off thrifting to PAR Store, a "popular underground lifestyle and clothing shop ... .in a basement on Chifeng Street in Taipei's Datong District…”
Where am I says the graffiti? We find ourselves in the first neighborhood we explored here our first day here, ten days ago. A temple next to a car repair shop.
Keeping on walking, we take in the scene at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Taiwan's first contemporary art museum housed in a brick former school built in the early 1900s, lots of video installations, some reconciling with the past. Others ignore it. The tea afterward is the best part. It's 5 pm. We've been walking for eight hours. Time to go home for a siesta. Maybe hit the night market. Every day, the city reveals more and more.
Large Marge or in Charge, wonders the kid, reflecting on the big cats in the store we saw hours before, as we eat at the Tonghua Night Market, or the Linjiang Street Night Market, in Taipei's Da'an District, near the Taipei 101 area. With tons of vendors and street energy, we ate cinnamon buns, found some soup and Taipei sweet potato balls (di gua qiu), an iconic Taiwanese night market snack, known for being crispy on the outside, hollow and chewy on the inside, taking in the energy of this endlessly interesting town.
It's been almost two weeks of winding our way through these streets, meeting people, looking at the world, this country finding its way, our country careening from one wreck to the next. The social safety net is intact here. Taiwan offers heavily subsidized, nearly free, childcare and highly affordable universal healthcare. Public universities are generally more affordable, while private universities are also cost-effective compared to Western nations, often costing around USD per semester.
April 10th
Koti koti, says one sign. "Bye bye sale..." another. Laughing at the funny translations, we explore the entangled lives of the people here, caught between one history and another, their sovereignty and China. "The conflict over Taiwan is primarily managed through the status quo, a fragile balance of "strategic ambiguity", posits the Council of Foreign Relations. “China seeks "reunification" as part of its "national rejuvenation," preferring peace but reserving the right to use force, while Taiwan rejects PRC sovereignty claims. Resolution is managed via diplomatic deterrence, military deterrence (Taiwanese defense and U.S. arms sales), and economic interdependencies, aiming to prevent either a unilateral declaration of independence by Taiwan or a forced takeover by Beijing."
... We walked all day, to an exhibition tracing the stories of the "comfort women" enslaved during the Japanese colonial occupation, their lives complicated by poverty, gender, and patriarchy, sharing their oral histories of stigma and struggles at the AMA Museum for Peace and Women's Human Rights.
"The museum serves as a permanent memorial, advocacy center, and educational platform to ensure that the stories of Taiwanese "Amas" (grandmas) are remembered and to advocate for justice and human rights."
Out into the city, we continue to Chaos, a punk store, stopping at Under the Bridge for a slice of meat puppet pizza, galaxy 500 playing as we leave. At ChAOS, the manager showed me some t-shirts. Is it acceptable to wear this in the US now, asks the manager, pointing to an old Vivien Westwood T shirt. I know the US is in a state of war and chaos now. Yes, it's true. Hot Taipei is a welcome respite from it.
April 10th
We met friends for a swim at an old hotel, with a view of the 101, once the tallest building in the world. And make our way out to the Cabinet of Migrants Cafe Bar, "a hidden gem in Taipei's Datong District, at No. 28, Lane 239, Nanjing W Rd..." Walking in, we are struck by the taxidermy of deer, among a wild assortment of dead exhibits of animals. Students sat about reading and working on laptops. No seats. D, T and Baby C and I rolled out to Quest, a late night cocktail bar. Upstairs we pass a DJ spinning records. Could not sit at the couch as that required a 6000 minimum, two hundred US. At the bar, the mixologists make us signature cocktails, a few complimentary hor d' oeuvres of chicken feet. And we chat into the night, news reports that, "China's Xi talks peace with Taiwan's opposition leader even as Beijing raises military pressure Cheng Li-wun avoided any public criticism of China or its military drills as she advocated for a closer relationship with Beijing, a pivot that has made her a divisive figure in Taiwan."
The dj spun records, Needin' U (Original Mistake Mix) by David Morales & The Face
April 11th
Last weekend, we took a train to Ruifang (New Taipei City), a separate district in northern Taiwan. We stopped in "Shifen, located in New Taipei City's Pingxi District, with its Old Street, sky lantern releases directly on the railway tracks, and the scenic Shifen Waterfall..." Catch the late afternoon train back, past the Houtong Cat Village to Ruifang, where we bused up a windy hill, with views of Keelung Mountain, the ocean, an old temple, to Jiufen Old Street, where we stopped for the night. "Oh my god, tomorrow is our last day," said Baby C, looking out at the misty mountains and ocean below.
Morning in Jiufen, early light, the sound of birds everywhere. Frogs greeting the day.
After breakfast and an impromptu performance of traditional music, we hiked up, 900 meters, step after step, along the
he Mount Keelung Trail (基隆山步道), "a 1.2 to 1.5 km (0.75-0.9 mile) steep, paved stone staircase hike near Jiufen, to ... the 588-meter summit... an intense, direct climb providing 360-degree views of the coastline, Jiufen Old Street, and Teapot Mountain." Some hikers greeted us. One man had no shoes, greeting us, his bag open, clothes falling out, with the spirit of the road. Spent the trail, thinking about the "Live and let live" view people share. In Taoism, this seems to involve embracing wu wei (effortless action), relinquishing control over others and nature, fostering harmony, tolerance, and non-aggression…
April 12
From the train, we make our way to Keelung, a major port city, that was bombed by the US during Japanese rule in WWII, down the hill from Jiufen. It has a long history as a port city for the Spanish and the Quin Dynasty. We could see ships and containers moving supplies off the piers all day. Who knows where the materials are going? Maybe Long Beach, Ca. Our first stop, the old city bomb shelter, where I bump my head. We stroll past Saturday food venders, to the Agenna Shipyard Relics, ruins of an abandoned 1919 ship yard, where the Japanese came in to take over. We keep walking past a fish market on on the harbor, with colored buildings and boats docked. A fish monger pulls out a sea urchin for Baby C, asks if we like steamed crab, shows us his turtle eating a banana. 'Turtles have short legs not for walking,' after all, cuttle fish, eel for sale. Hopefully he's a pet not someone's turtle soup now. The vendor brings the crab to a local mom and pop shop, where they cook it on the spot. People say hi, where are you from, curious about the tall gringos in their spot. She's gorgeous, an elder grandmother said of the college kid. The crab and oysters are fresh and delicious. Thanking our hosts, we keep walking through the Port of Keelung, Keelung Harbor, looking for watering hole, its hot. We walked up a lost street, around, past the dragon eye well, over the pedestrian path to Heping Island, to the waterfront for a dip at the GeoPark, "a former military radar station, transformed with... sea view...Blue Ocean Pool...a depth of approximately 2.5 meters, this clear, azure pool is home to marine life such as clownfish and crabs." Fresh lovely sea waters with people in various forms of swimwear, a man in a green wrap from crotch up to shoulders, men in full gear, life jackets, kids in super hero outfits, babies with floaties, out and about... After swimming we stumbled upon a show, Reflections on 400 Years: Keelung's Past and Present, a photography exhibition, and a visual retrospective of the city's evolution at the local museum... and made our way back to Jiufeng...
The college kid took this pic of a man in a mankini. According to Redit, "Mankinis are not popular as mainstream swimwear in Taiwan, where beach culture generally favors more modest swimwear or rash guards for sun protection."
April 13
We grab the bus to catch the train to Taipei and our flight across the world on our way back home.
What a journey.
Thank you Taiwan.
