Takeng No. 5 大坑５番

For the first time in over a month, I was able to get up early enough on a Saturday to get myself over to Tak'eng (Dakeng) 大坑 to do some hiking. The last time (back on April 28), I climbed up the No. 2 Trail, then walked counter-clockwise along the No. 5 Trail, before returning to the No. 2 and the descent down to my parked scooter. I did the same route today, only in reverse. Here a few photos I took along the way...

 

There were a number of caterpillars 毛虫 to be seen at the beginning of the No. 2 Trail.

Despite some threatening clouds, it didn't rain the entire time I was in Takeng. The air was clear this morning, making for good views of T'aichung (Taijhong) 台中（たいちゅう）. The green area in the picture above is a golf course.

Many Taiwanese work on the first and third Saturdays of each month, so while there were still a lot of people in Takeng this morning, it wasn't as busy compared to the last time I went. I, on the other hand, work every Saturday 毎週の土曜日仕事してしまっている

Looking out at Taichung city from the top of the No. 1 Trail, which I passed on my way to the No. 5.

The routes are well-signposted in both Chinese 中国語 and English 英語. This picture was taken at the No. 1. I had just come from the No. 2, and was on my way to the No. 5-1.

I cheated a little bit by going down some stairs. These led to a narrow lane 小道 which took me to the entrance to the No. 5-1 Trail, passing some farmhouses and orchards along the way.

The top photo above is of a map showing all the hiking trails in the Takeng area. You can see the route I took this morning: 2 - 5 - 5.1 - 2. The 5/5.1 loop took about 90 minutes to walk. There were a number of cars parked along the side of the lane by the No. 5.1 trail head. I took a picture of this license plate ナンバープレート not because it was interesting, but because it occurred to me this morning just how boring they are in Taiwan. In the USA and Canada, license plates come in different colors and designs, depending on the state or province in which they were issued. Even in Japan, they have different names on them, referring to the prefecture or area in which the car was registered (eg. 品川, 三河). In Taiwan, however, all car license plates read "T'aiwan Sheng (Taiwan Sheng)" 台湾省, or "Taiwan Province" (as in "Taiwan is a province of China", which was official propaganda 中華民国の宣伝 in Taiwan for so many years). Or USED to read, I should say, as the government recently announced that new license plates will no longer carry this ridiculous name on them.

An abandoned property site along the 5-1 Trail.

The sign on top explains how a lot of work went into repairing the trails after the Chi-chi (Ji-ji) Earthquake 集集大地震 of Sept. 21, 1999, and therefore we should take care of them while walking. Underneath are some mushrooms キノコ

In Takeng, civilization is never far away.

 

For most of the way on the No. 5 Trail, you can see what I always assumed was a military base in the distance. However, Michael Turton thinks it might be a jail or a prison 刑務所. He's probably right. Just below the correctional facility is a small town, most likely Chunghsingling (Jhongsingling) 中興峰

At the end of the No. 5 Trail, I made a new friend.

A group of people enjoying a picnic ピクニック at the top.

 

More insect 虫 life.

A panoramic shot I took on the way down the No. 2 Trail.

And now for something completely different. Several stories related to Taiwan have appeared in the Japanese English-language media over the past few days. First up is an article from the Daily Yomiuri  on Lin Wei-chu 林威助, a Taiwanese outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers 阪神タイガーズ of Japan's Central League. There are several Taiwanese players plying their trade in Japan, and it's nice to see one of them getting some attention. 

Then on Friday the Japan Times carried this article, "Name game toughens Taiwanese parties", by Frank Ching. On the surface it appears to be a balanced account on the attempted renaming of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 中正祈念堂（ちゅうせいきねんど）in T'aipei (Taibei) 台北（たいほく）to "Democracy Memorial Hall". But Ching is a regular contributor to the China Post (which originally carried this article), a newspaper which often goes to ridiculous lengths to try to justify Chiang Kai-shek's 蔣介石 murderous rule over Taiwan from 1947 to 1975. Ching himself often writes overly-simplistic columns on the "rising threat" of "Japanese militarism". Never mind the fact that Japan has by far consistently acted as the most responsible nation in East Asia since the end of the Second World War.

Finally, this morning the Times ran this ridiculous article by a so-called professor at a university in Nagoya 名古屋 entitled "Lee should avoid Yasukuni". The gist of the article is that if former ROC president Lee Tung-hui 李登輝 pays a visit to Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社 to pay respects to his dead brother, he will provoke China and the USA. How, the writer doesn't bother to explain. Rather, she goes on the usual rant about Yasukuni, and the "threat" Taiwan poses to China, and neglects to mention that Lee, during his time as president, brought to an end an authoritarian system of government and established a vibrant democracy in Taiwan. Lee is a private citizen. He should be extended the same courtesies and privileges as any other visitor to Japan from Taiwan. If I can visit Yasukuni (and I have on several occasions, despite the fact that I strongly disagree with how history is displayed there), then why can't Lee?

Among the greatest joys in life...

...is taking your young daughter outside for a morning in the park, which is what Amber and I did today, driving up to Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 in Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原（とよはら）. Unlike her old man, Amber didn't seem to mind the heat and humidity. 写真を見てください

Here is she is laughing in front of the memorial to the September 21, 1999 Chi-chi (Ji-ji) Earthquake 集集大地震, and enjoying herself on a slide 滑り台

 

Amber was very interested in the waterwheel that stirs up the water, thus keeping the pond oxyginated. She also tried her hand at feeding the carp コイ

After checking out the playground and the carp ponds, we crossed over the red bridge to the other side of the park. Amber was still holding on to the empty fish food roll.

These kinds of pavilions can be found in parks all over Taiwan.

Lanterns hanging in a temple.

After enjoying ourselves in the park, we drove up to the lookout near the Fengyuan Country Club, where Amber took in the view, and I zoomed in for a shot of the road that leads to the No. 4 Freeway...

...and then we took a short walk into the woods. Amber was very interested in the local flora 植物誌, while the local mosquitoes took an interest in Amber 蚊に刺された  

As with the weather, she didn't seem to be bothered by them. If only I could say the same thing...

Pool It!

"Pool It" was the title of a forgettable Monkees reunion album back in the late 80s, but I couldn't think of a better title for this post, so...so today, Amber, Pamela and I made our first visit to the local swimming hole this year. 写真をみてください.

On the way, we stopped off at a corner diner for lunch, where Amber did her best Peko-chan impersonation...

Amber vs. ペコちゃん

Lunch consisted of a fried pork cutlet and vegetables over rice for me, while Pamela had chicken-and-rice, pig's knuckle and...pig's brain soup. The latter wasn't as bad as it sounds, actually, if you could get over the fact that the texture was very similar to tofu.

The Diore Spa. From the outside, it looks like a factory, but inside are several swimming pools and a sauna/jacuzzi/hot springs area

Amber had a really great time in the pool, especially compared to her first visit last year, when she was a little unsure of herself. She spent a long time in the water, enjoying quality time with her parental units. I'd like to get her into a swimming class for infants soon.

All that fun in the water can overwhelm even the sturdiest of 16-month-olds

The sun was setting as we were leaving Diore...

...and on the way home we stopped off at a local tea shop, where I picked up some Taiwanese Oolong tea 台湾茶, which I'm planning to send to some former students of mine in Japan as a thank you gift for the help they've given in planning next month's trip

I hope they're not reading this...

A Morning in the Sun

It was hot and humid today. It's still hot and humid, in fact, at 10:00 at night. And there's no breeze blowing at all outside. I guess summer has arrived in central Taiwan. And yet, despite the heat and the stickiness, the sunshine can also make for a great day out. Like this morning, for example, when I had the pleasure of taking Michael and Thoth on a walk along some of the trails, and along a road, in the Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park area of Fengyuan (Fongyuan). Michael's two children, Sebastian and Sheridan, joined us on the mini-trek. There were plenty of butterflies and spiders to photograph, farmers were in their orchards, a hawk was flying high overhead in the clear sky, and the view of Fengyuan from the top of the road was pretty good. I know I enjoyed this morning, and I hope we can all get together again in the near future.

今朝は暑くて多湿なのに外国人友達と豊原市の中正公園に行って散歩をした。楽しかったと思っていた。

　

Japan Travels 日本旅行

It looks like I'm not the only person from Taiwan who will soon be making a visit to Japan. According to an article in today's Daily Yomiuri  (Japanese version), former Taiwan president Lee Tung-hui (Li Tenghui / Li Denghuei) 李登輝 will be making an 11-day trip to Japan at the end of May. Lee will visit Akita 秋田県, Iwate 岩手県, Miyagi 宮城県 and Tochigi 栃木県 Prefectures, as well as Tokyo 東京. What I found interesting about this article is that Lee appears to have been treated as a private citizen by the Japanese government - he will going over as a short-term visitor exempt from obtaining an entry visa. It also seems there won't be any restrictions placed on his visit, as the article says he is planning to hold a press conference before coming back to Taiwan. And finally, there is no mention made of any opposition on the part of the Chinese government.

Which is how it should be. The man is no longer a government official, and should be treated in the same manner as any other visitor to Japan (or any other country for that matter, including the USA) from Taiwan. If he makes some political comments during his visit, that should be his right. Too often countries bow to pressure from Beijing when it comes to Lee's overseas travels, and place ridiculous restrictions on his visits. I certainly hope the Japanese government won't kowtow to the Chinese this time.

My own visit to Japan will be next month, from the 17th to the 24th of June. I'm planning to visit Yoshino 吉野, Omine-san 大峰山 and Koya-san 高野山, with overnight stays in Osaka 大阪 and Kyoto 京都. It's going to be hard being away from Amber and Pamela during that week, but I really need the break from Taiwan.

日本久しぶり！

Mother's Day 母の日

Amber, Pamela and I, along with my mother-in-law 義理の母, decided to skip the almost certain to-be-crowded Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原（とよはら）restaurants, and celebrate Mother's Day 母の日 by going for a drive along the coast. So, after a quick lunch of Chinese-style fried rice チャーハン at a small eatery in Shenkang (Shengang) 神岡（かみおか）, we drove north for a short while to the seaside town of Taan (Daan) 大安.

Ta'an is a typical Taiwanese west coast seaside town - in short, it's ugly, the beach isn't very attractive and the water is no doubt very polluted. However, though the weather has started to get hot, the hordes haven't started descending on the beaches yet, so the sand at Ta'an was surprisingly free of trash. Also, when we arrived, the tide was out, WAY out, so the distance from our parked car to the sea itself (the Taiwan Straits 台湾海峡 in these parts) was vast, and Amber took advantage of the open space to run around and enjoy herself. Amber had a great time today at the seashore, and I'm looking forward to taking her for her first dip in the ocean sometime this summer.

Amber was particularly interested in the thousands of small holes dug in the sand by tiny crabs カニ

The beach at Ta'an is actually part of a "resort" that charges an admission fee. However, today it was closed. Whether that was because the season hasn't started yet, or the business had gone bankrupt, couldn't be ascertained.

For some reason, there were soldiers at the beach, lots of 'em. Even more unusual, instead of arriving in military vehicles, they were brought to Ta'an in commercial tour buses - at least a dozen were in the parking lot.

From Ta'an, we drove south for a couple of kilometers to a wetlands area and bird refuge. Even here there was some kind of military installation. The west coast is lined with observation towers (manned and unmanned), high concrete walls and pillboxes. These days, the authorities are probably looking out more for smugglers and illegal aliens than an amphibious assault from China.

Another aspect to the west coast of Taiwan is that despite the dense urban populations, the landscape close to the sea is mostly rural.

Pamela suggested we next drive to Sani (Sanyi) 三義 to see if the flowers on the Tung trees アブラギリ were still blooming. To her disappointment, they weren't. I, on the other hand, was satisfied with proving my manhood by holding up a bamboo pole with two very heavy baskets containing large pieces of wood, while simultaneously eating a roasted sausage. What a stud! Genki 元気 Amber was all over the place, leaving her mother and grandmother lagging behind her. And the late afternoon scenery was still nice, despite the absence of flowers.

Back in Fengyuan, we tried to have dinner at a Korean restaurant downtown, but the traffic was heavy and parking was scarce. Instead, we ended up going to a quiet Japanese-style diner on the other side of the tracks. The food was just OK (it always is *sigh*), but I did like what was hanging over the cash register - a display of different names of fish in 漢字, with フリガナ beside each character. Maybe Amber can get me one of these for Father's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!