It's a dog life

I got up early this morning to go for a walk in Shihgang (Shihkang) 石岡, and afterward I decided never again. The first part of the walk, from the Shihjhong Temple up to the "Divine Tree of Five Blessings" was relaxing enough, with nice views of the valley below, though it was hardly strenuous. It was the route back to the temple, along a specially-paved walking path, that was most unpleasant. The bane of walkers in Taiwan is dogs, and I had to run a gauntlet of chained and unchained, snarling, barking canines. Though I am a cat person, I have nothing against man's best friend, and I like playing with happy dogs as much as the next person. What I don't like is having to deal with aggressive beasts when I'm minding my own business. I was forced to aim a kick at one brazen beagle who came charging out at me from a fruit orchard. The most annoying part is the majority of these mutts are cowards. Oh sure, when they're chained up, they put on a brave show of "scaring" me away. The unchained ones wait until I walk past, then try to snap at my heels, only to run away when I turn around to face them (not unlike some people I've encountered in Taiwan!). If the local authorities have gone to the trouble and expense of laying out a walking course through a rural neighborhood, they could also try to persuade the locals to do a better job of keeping their dogs in check (and on leashes). Having gone through this a couple of times now on this particular walk, I've come to the conclusion that the rewards are not enough to justify the stress, and so I won't bother coming this way again.

On the ride back home, I stopped to take a photograph of a Japanese-era granary, or the "Rice Husking Barn of Shi-Kon-Shiang Farmers' Association", according to the sign in front. There seemed to be some confusion about dates, or a possible break in the space-time continuum, as it stated that the barn was "Established in 1942", yet "After Attacked by the big earthquake in 1935, the structure of the barn was reinforced". So in other words, it was repaired and strengthened seven years before it was built. The Chinese wording also included the same dates. Mysterious 不可解なあ...