New Year's 正月

With New Year's Day falling on a Monday this time, we took advantage of the three-day weekend by taking a family trip down to Kenting (Kending) National Park 墾丁国家公園 (こんていこっかこうえん) at the southern end of Taiwan.

正月休みは12月30日から1月1日まで台湾の南部の墾丁「ケンディーング」国家公園に行った。旅行の写真を見てください。

Amber making friends with a dog at a freeway rest area on the trip down:

We stayed at the Kenting Masalu Lakeside Resort, a small inexpensive hotel on the main road between Hengchun (こうしゅん 恒春) and Kenting. Amber enjoyed the large room, which cost NT 5600 for two nights ($170 or ￥20,000), though the unfamiliar surroundings meant she had trouble falling asleep both nights, keeping us up to past 1:30 on Saturday and 1:00 on Sunday:

 

From the small balcony there was a view of Lungluan (Longluan) Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Taiwan (which isn't saying much, really). We could also see the cooling towers of one of Taiwan's three operational nuclear power plants, so if Amber should have any two-headed siblings in the future, we'll know the reason why:

The weather all day on Sunday wasn't the greatest. It was overcast and windy the entire time, and rain fell off and on throughout the day. But that didn't prevent us from driving around the Kenting area and enjoying the scenery. Our first stop was Paisha (Baisha 白砂) Beach, where Amber got her first taste of sand and surf:

After Paisha Beach, it was on to Maopitou (Maobitou びょうびとう 猫鼻頭), the second southernmost point on Taiwan:

猫鼻頭「マオビートウ」:

Looking out towards the Pashih (Bashih) Channel:

The beach at Nanwan (なんわん 南湾), where you can swim in sight of alternative sources of energy:

Chuanfan, aka Sail Rock, is a popular spot for jumping off into the water:

Some typical beachfront Kenting architecture:

After passing through Kenting, Route 26 turns north, past some stunning scenery. One place we stopped for a look was Lungpan (Longpan), a wide grassland area with a great view of the ocean. The wind here was powerful, and it was very hard to stand up in the typhoon-like gusts to take pictures:

In my capacity as a spy for the Chinese government, I took this shot of a nearby military installation:

Soon after Lungpan, the road dropped down to sea level, and we stopped the car to have a look at the beach in the gathering darkness. Amber thought the strong wind was very exciting:

Eventually, we took Route 200 back into Hengchun, and then Kenting again, thus completing a large circle. Kenting on New Year's Eve was packed – 人山人海 all up and down the main drag:

The Kenting police station attracted a lot of picture-takers:

Amber shaking the maracas at an Italian-Mexican restaurant where we had dinner:

Examples of seafood for sale beside the road. The sign means “It's real” in Taiwanese:

Other things were for sale as well:

Everywhere we went in Kenting, Amber was the center of attention. A group of people would stop to look at her, and their cries of“Hao keai”(“How cute!”) would attract more people. Others would stop to see what everyone was looking at, and the next thing I'd know, Amber would be surrounded by people taking her picture. As one man told me, I should've been selling tickets to see her. I don't know how many people all over Taiwan have Amber's photo on their digital cameras and cell phones after this weekend, but the number must be considerable. And the little flirt enjoyed every second it! A lot of babies are shy around strangers, but ours certainly isn't one of them. Be that as it may, as she's only 11 months old, we were back at our hotel well before the New Year's reverie began on the streets on the Kenting:

On New Year's Day we checked out of our hotel and headed back to Hengchun. We first drove over to see the gas fires at Chuhuo (しゅっかきかん 出火奇観), just outside of town. Gas escapes from deep underground here, and ignites when it comes into contact with oxygen at the surface. We actually stopped by on Saturday night after checking in to our hotel and having dinner in Hengchun, but didn't linger then. One unfortunate aspect that many Taiwanese people seem to share is an almost total disregard to the effect one's actions have on those around them. On Saturday night this was demonstrated by a group of people setting off fireworks right next to the fire pit despite there being a strong wind that was blowing the fireworks close to, and in a few cases right into, the crowd of tourists. So to spare possible injury to Amber, we left quickly that night.

Monday morning was far safer (no fireworks), but another unfortunate side of Taiwanese life was on display. Notice the sign…:

…and notice the vendor doing business right inside the enclosed, supposedly off-limits area:

I guess the wonders of nature are not interesting enough in Taiwan, because almost everybody there had bought popcorn from vendors in the parking area, resulting in this ridiculous sight:

Tourism, Taiwan-style!

Afterwards, we returned to Hengchun, and stopped off at the (so far) remarkably non-commercialized old East Gate. Hengchun was a walled city during the late stages of the Ching (Cing) Dynasty, and all four directional gates have been preserved. The East Gate also retains a section of the original wall. 

Amber was acting like a little general, looking out over the ramparts:

We also took a walk past the West Gate…:

…then had lunch at a curry restaurant. Just as we were finishing, a policeman came into the restaurant and told those whose cars were parked out front that they needed to be moved quickly as Chen Shui-bian, the president of the Republic of China (aka Taiwan), would soon be visiting. It seems the empty lot next door to the restaurant had been a house until last Tuesday (Dec. 26), when it collapsed in a strong earthquake, killing two residents. Pamela isn't Chen's biggest fan (to put it mildly), so we didn't stick around after lunch:

On the way back to the freeway to go home, we made a couple of stops. First, to buy some wax apples レンプ…:

(the view of the mountains behind the wax apple stand)

…and then at a roadside temple called “Futsai Kung (Fucai Gong)” 福財宮, or “Happiness Wealth Palace” (at least that's one way to translate it), to do 初詣 Taiwanese-style. This means praying for cash, and lots of it, and is done by buying the required offerings placing them on the table with the others…:

…lighting the incense sticks…:

…placing the incense at various locations around the temple…:

…and burning the offerings in the furnace outside after you're finished:

Fortune tellers were on hand to give you an idea of how rich you might be someday:

Many Western bloggers have waxed poetic about the beauty of temples in Taiwan:

Amber enjoyed the opportunity to stretch her young legs:

Despite some slow traffic on the freeway in a couple of places, we made it back to Fengyuan (Fongyuan とよはら 豊原) reasonably early. Daily life in Taiwan doesn't always agree with me, but I love getting out and seeing what this island has to offer.

Happy New Year!

あけましておめでとうございます。

  

 A row of tour buses at a freeway rest area

Thursday Morning 木曜日の朝

Scenes from my walk this morning.今朝の散歩の写真

In the area of Chung-cheng Park 中正公園 are some ruins. Ruins of what I'm not sure - maybe an activity center, or a school of some sort (as my wife thinks). Whatever it was, it appears to have been damaged in the September 21, 1999 Chi Chi (Jiji) Earthquake 集集大地震, and subsequently abandoned. The area is blocked off to prevent entry (though it wasn't difficult to hop over a railing to get in), but somebody goes inside because there's a Taoist temple/shrine on the grounds that is well-maintained:

"Fute Chengshen (Fude Jhengshen)" 福徳正神, the local god in these parts

On my way home I passed by this sign, in front of an apartment building on a narrow side street in Fengyuan. It appears to have been put up by someone who obviously doesn't believe in the Republic of China. "Furuton" is actually "Hulutun (Huludun)", the old name for Fengyuan (Fongyuan とよはら 豊原). Wishful thinking?:

Boxing Day ボクシングデー

Not being a Commonwealth country, Boxing Day isn't celebrated in Taiwan. But I at least had the morning free as the school where I work on Tuesday and Thursday mornings is taking the week off. And of course what better way to enjoy the absolutely beautiful morning we had today by going for a walk in the Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 area?

今朝暇があったから豊原市の丘で歩いていた。

Christmas Eve クリスマスイブ

It's only Christmas Eve today, but tomorrow isn't a holiday in Taiwan, so we celebrated Christmas a day early. This was Amber's first Christmas, and we gave her several gifts. She was very serious about the whole matter, until she heard the first notes from her music maker, and was all smiles after that for the rest of the day.

台湾には１２月２５日は休日じゃないから、今日はAmberの初めてクリスマスを祝った。

In the afternoon we drove to a section of the Tanyashen Bicycle Trail here in Shenkang (Shengang かみおか 神岡). Originally a Sugar Railway line, it has been converted into a popular bike trail linking Tantzu (Tanzih), Taya (Daya) and Shenkang. Amber, of course, is too young to go cycling, but the road is also good for strollers (as long as you're careful to stay to the side of the trail). A segment of Taiwan's high-speed rail line, aka the "Bullet Train" 新幹線, crosses the trail at the section we visited today. It was originally supposed to have started operations in 2003, but as of today (December 24, 2006) this boondoggle still hasn't received final approval from the government to go into service (though we did hear or see several test runs of the train go by while we were there). 

「Tanyashen」という自転車の道の写真。

(in the background is the bullet train tracks)

(if you build it in Taiwan, the vendors will come)

The day wouldn't be complete without the obligatory panorama shot, this one taken at dusk and showing the elevated bullet train line

自転車の道のパノラマ

Merry Christmas!

メリークリスマス！

Kerosene 灯油

Ah, the sweet smell of a kerosene heater. Some may find it smelly, but to me it's very 懐かしい. Coming home from work this evening and stepping inside the apartment was like stepping back in time. One of the things we had sent to Taiwan from Yokkaichi was our kerosene heater, which had kept us nice and warm through a typically cold Japanese winter. However, due to Taiwan's subtropical climate and relative scarcity of kerosene, the heater remained unpacked until now. With the addition of Amber to our family and the consequent need to keep her warm, Pamela did some searching and found the local gas station sells kerosene (at a price relatively more expensive than in Yokkaichi, however). And so, for a brief moment tonight, I was transported back to Japan...

For me, the smell of kerosene will always be associated the Land of the Rising Sun. My first visit to Japan was in late January of 1989, and the ryokan 旅館 where I stayed in Tamachi 田町 upon arrival in Tokyo used a kerosene heater to keep my room warm. Thus did "toyu" 灯油 become the smell of Japan for me. Subsequent travels during Japanese winters, not to mention visits to homes in Gumma 群馬 and Nagano 長野 during the cold months, further reinforced the connection. A kerosene heater may not be a necessity during the short winter season here in Taiwan, but for this misplaced 外人 it's like seeing an old friend again.

ばからしいお父さん

After a cold, wet, windy and miserable Saturday, Sunday came in cold and windy, but sunny. The temperature in our apartment was 15 degrees centigrade (59 F) when I left for Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 for a noontime walk in the hills. 15 degrees would be a warm day in Japan during winter, but for Taiwanese it means breaking out the parkas. Despite the strong wind, I couldn't have asked for better weather - bright sunshine and clean, clear skies. Everything looked particularly nice today.

今日は寒く風が強い日けれど、とても晴れただから、中正公園に散歩に行った。

 

After returning home, we decided to take Amber out to a local park to enjoy the remaining hours of sunshine before it got too late (and colder).

うちに帰って後、ぼくたちは Amber と近い公園に連れて行くを決めた。
Here's Amber wearing her wig hat:

After arriving at the park, we put Amber into her stroller and started out. Unfortunately, disaster soon struck. While I was holding Amber in my arms so that Pamela could take a picture, I noticed the stroller moving away from us. I always lock the stroller wheels in place when it's stationary. Always, that is, except for this time. And this time the stroller, free of Amber's weight, was pushed along by the wind and propelled into a muddy pool of water! I was able to retrieve the stroller, but everything was sopping wet and coated in mud. I thought our 9000 NT stroller ($275 or ￥33,000) was going to be a write-off, but Pamela suggested we immediately go to her brother's factory nearby, where we hosed it down. It's still there, drying off. I suppose I'll soon see the humor of the situation, but at the moment I'm still feeling like a bloody idiot.

運悪く公園で事故を起こった。ぼくはベビーカーの車輪が錠をすることを忘れてしまって、ベビーカーは強い風によって汚い池に吹いた。

Although our park visit was cut short, in the end we drove up to the golf course around sunset to see the view of Fengyuan (Fongyuan とよはら 豊原)at dusk.

豊原の夕暮れ眺め。

See, I'm smiling again.

UPDATE: The stroller has been saved! In fact, it's cleaner than it's ever been, so perhaps The Incident In The Park On Sunday was actually a godsend.

Japan Times

The Japan Times had an editorial the other day on the recent mayoral elections in Taipei (たいほく 台北) and Kaohsiung (たかお 高雄). As Michael Turton notes in The View from Taiwan "...it's a simple commentary, and yet, better balanced than many". Michael has an excellent analysis of the elections ("Election Reflection") on the same site.