Taiwan 2: A fun trip in Taipei, July 28 – August 1, 2013

Ju Ming Museum

July 28 Sunday: Taipei – Danshui – Taipei

Once we left our luggage at the hotel, we took the metro to Danshiu (which I visited and wrote about last November). We arrived just in time for a gorgeous sunset. The park facing the sea was like a fairground with families and young couples taking photos. It was a beautiful sunset. But as I had not taken my SLR camera with me, I was unable to take a good photo.

Kai suggested us take a ferry to see the Fishermen Wharf nearby. We had a leisure walk crossing the Rainbow Bridge and took a ferry back to Danshui where we had an excellent dinner in a seafood restaurant. Danshui is famous for street food and they tried squid, ice-cream and sausages. We had a good time and did not get back to the hotel till 10:30pm. I was dead tired!

May, Elsa, Regina & Judia

July 29 Monday: Excursion

We hired a minibus and had a full day sightseeing from 9am to 6pm. Our first stop was Jiufeng which has become famous after the making of a film by a Taiwanese director. The town a former mining town is about an hour’s drive from Taipei.  There are only a few streets which are now lined with souvenir shops and stalls selling street food. I can easily fill my stomach by tasting the food at each stall. There are also lots of guesthouses and teahouses. I find the place too busy and touristic. Perhaps, if I come in the evening after the day tourists have gone and I spend a night in a guesthouse, I may have a better impression of the place.

Jiufeng

Tsui, Elaine & Regina

The second stop was a waterfall on the way to Shifeng. I saw for the first time how Hung Ming lamps were released.  We walked for a kilometer and crossed a suspension bridge before reaching the park. The waterfall is not large but photogenic. The whole setting is nice and worth a visit.

Hung Ming Lamp can be dangerous!

After the waterfall, we arrived in Shifeng with a picturesque Jingan Bridge. This small town is famous for its annual Hung Ming Lamp Festival.  It is said that the tradition of releasing a Hung Ming lamp began here. There are 30-40 shops on both sides of the railway which mainly sell lamps which cost as little as T$100-120 for a lamp. It has become a popular tradition for people to buy a lamp and write their wishes before releasing it.

Shifeng Railway Station

I find such an act dangerous and objectionable. First the lamp which floats in air can cause hill fire. Second, the lamp can set buildings on fire. There have been several accidents resulting in deaths. Third, the lamp is made of plastic. When they drop in the field/forest, they pollute the environment. I am sad to see people, old and young line up to release the lamps along the railway. Can the authority and someone who cares for the environment stop this practice before it is too late?

We followed the railway line and reached Pingxi.  It’s 2:30pm and we were hungry. We had a simple noodle lunch which cost us about T$1000. The town is small and atmospheric. There are few shops and I saw many old folks sitting on the cobble-stone street in front of their house.

Our final stop was Jintong, a big mining town in the old days. There are also some traditional Japanese structures. The railway station built by the Japanese is one of the fine examples. I walked to the river and saw a picturesque orange bridge which used to be the meeting point for young workers in the area. I met a couple from Hong Kong and took a picture for them.

Jintong Railway Station

We planned to have Japanese food in the market district. But the queue was too long and we went to another one of the same chain. On the recommendation of Kai, we all had a set 6-course dinner for T$1600. We had tremendous problems when trying to find out what we could have for each course. We all speak Putonghua and the communication stems from different way of thinking and mind-set.

During dinner, we had an open sharing session. I have not done anything and have simply been a ‘taker’.  We all treasure our time together in a care-free manner and fully appreciate the efforts made by Kai, Choi, Sam and Doris in sorting out the logistics including booking the tickets, arranging land transportation, collecting the money and planning the programme.

July 30 Tuesday: Excursion

Taiwan lies on a volcanic belt and has numerous hot springs and fumaroles. On Kai’s recommendation, we visited Siaoyaukeng with several fumaroles which is part of the Yangmingshan National Park.

Then we went to a private museum which displays the works of Juming, an international acclaimed Taiwanese sculptor. Most of the exhibits are in open-air and I spent almost two hours in the touching sun. The temperature was over 37°C. I had problem with the heat and knew I might be in trouble.

Tai Chi series

Ann interesting series on ‘Middle-aged Women’

We had a brief stop at the graveyard of Teresa Tang, a famous Taiwanese singer whose sweet and beautiful voice has captured the heart of the Chinese people all over the world.

We went to Loujie for lunch before heading to Dharma Drum Monastery which I visited last November. We got there just before it closed at 4pm. We were taken to see a film on the origin of the monastery and one of main halls.

Before dinner in the food court in the 101 Skyscraper, we spent an hour and a half in a bookstore. The air at 8pm was still stuffy and hot. When I got back to the hotel, I knew I had a flu.

July 31 Wednesday: Rest Day

I would be leaving Hong Kong on August 3 to join a trekking tour in Ladakh and must stay healthy. I therefore decided to take a rest in the hotel while the group went to the zoo and Maokong.

The temperature hit 30°C again and the weather changed for the worse during the day. There was thunder and heavy rain. At the end, my friends took a gondola to Maokong and had to return by bus as the gondola service was suspended as a result of bad weather.

I spent the whole day reading and working on my travel notes in the café. I only had a piece of cake for lunch. Time passed quickly and they were back at 7pm where we had a hot-pot in a restaurant opposite the hotel. Judia insisted in treating us and we thanked her for her generosity! I had a small seafood hot-pot.

August 1 Thursday: Rest Day – Return to Hong Kong

I did not go out and stayed in the café in the hotel again. Kai, Tsui, Elaine, Choi, Rex and Elsa went out doing the shopping for us. At 2pm, we met up for lunch in a Japanese restaurant next to the hotel. The food is decent and very reasonable. The coach came to pick me up at 4pm and our flight was scheduled for 7:40pm.

Around 5pm, we were told that there was problem with the engine and the airline was arranging us to fly back to Hong Kong on other flights. It’s frustrating but Cathay Pacific Airways had done a good job. Passengers with connecting flights had priority and were transferred to other flights immediately. The rest took the 9:15pm Dragon Air flight and we were back in Hong Kong by 11:30pm.

Unfortunately, Bus A21stopped at midnight and I had to take N21. It was a big mistake as this bus was making over 20 stops before reaching Yaumatei. A21 normally takes 45 minutes but N21 took over 80 minutes. I reached home after 1:30am on August 2. What a tiring day!

Remarks

I have been a very lucky person with supporting family members and friends. I cannot believe that I have known my social work classmates for 38 years. Despite our age, we still look young and energetic. To stay close as a group for all these years and take a holiday together to celebrate the 35^th anniversary is a miracle. We all appreciate the special efforts made by May, Michelle and Caciano to come all the way from Vancouver and Melbourne to join the trip and all the hard work done by Kai, Choi, Sam and others who organised the trip.

This special occasion has given me a chance to reflect on my life since graduation in 1978 and my special relationship with this group of friends.

First, life is precarious. I lost my best friend Lillian in 2007.  Then we lost our big sister Paulina last year. Paulina had been looking forward to the trip and we talked about it when I saw her for the last time in Vancouver in April 2012.

Second, life is full of challenges. We have all fared well and have gone through many stages of development. Some of us have retired while several classmates have become grandparents. While I am not doing anything worth mentioning since retirement, I am impressed and proud of the achievements of some of the classmates who are still working feverishly for good causes.

Thirdly, my friends’ compassion and friendship have lightened up my life. I am most grateful for their concern and unfailing support.

I wish all my friends and their family happiness and health. I already look forward to the 40^th anniversary in 2018 and hope I am still around to join. God knows!