The Big Bloom

Each year, Yangmin- shan National Park heralds the coming of Spring not with floral maidens prancing around the May Pole, but instead with a festival all its own. On the peaks of the mountains you will find hoards of folks lining up to take photo- graphs of the newly budding trees and flowers in a spectacular natural setting.

Walking along the trails of this paradise, one senses he or she is parading around the stomping grounds of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (of course, for those who have had the fortunate experience of visiting both Yangmingshan National Park and Kensington Gardens, one is bound to note that London's greenery has nothing over Taipei's).

The main event is a floral clock and with flowers acting as the numbers and large hands circulating around it.

Just behind you is the park with its dashing flowers, serene pagodas and calm, unobtrusive streams complete with the tradition stepping stones.

However, after about thirty minutes of this, it all becomes somewhat of a bore. This ennui is best reduced by escaping the calming gardens for a vigorous climb up a mountain trail. And as luck would have it, this trekking pays off as a stunning waterfall is no more than ten minutes away. Well-maintained trails and man-made bridge allow for excellent viewing points of this waterfall, and collecting pools make for ideal praying spots next to the temple at the base of the waterfall.

After the waterfall excursion, it is an easy bus ride to Yangmingshan's and Beitou's hot springs. If you don't mind walking around naked in front of other people, this is a perfect way to relax and unwind after a day spent in the mountains. There are three pools from which one can choose- a cold spring, a hot spring, and a burning hot spring. It's amazing how, after a soak in the scalding spring, the cold spring can feel like ice water.

And nothing completes a hot spring dip like noodles and beer.

So with that, your flower sniffling, waterfall gazing, hot spring junkie of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Michael.

A Regular Thursday Night

A former colleague of mine told me that Chinese New Year in Neihu, where I currently reside, is wild. "The whole city lights up with fireworks," he would tell me. Excited about spending the week in Neihu, I was was less than thrilled with the firework display. The best I saw were a few fire crackers here and there and some shot off the rooftops. Although they were very noisy, they didn't really "light up" Neihu.

Thursday night, however, Neihu lit up- and with good reason too. Thursday was the lantern festival in Taiwan and this means, for Neihu residents, setting off as many fireworks in the streets as possible.

The event started at approximately 6:30 during a Parent's Presentation day in my class. As my students were presenting, they were competing with very loud explosions right outside our window. The noise subsided and I inquired as to what the ruckus was about. My boss told me that tonight was the "Lantern Festival" and to celebrate they travel the streets between two temples and set off loads of fireworks. Luckily, our school happened to be on that route.

Well my next class went fine- and thank goodness as it was their final test. But then my 8:30 lesson showed up and with him, all the noise and fireworks one could imagine. It was so loud, we were literally shouting at each other in the school so that we could be heard!

Then, suddenly, a giant explosion set the building shaking! Screams came howling from outside as people were running in all directions. I asked my boss what was going on and she said there was a giant fireball. "Well, this sounds extremely dangerous," I remarked.

"It is!" chimed in my student, "last year a house set on fire and someone almost died!" Well, it looked like part two of the catastrophe as ambulances were rolling in to the scene. Concentration in my lesson proved to be fruitless against the ruckus outside so I let my student out five minutes early and I took to the streets with my camera and newly purchased tripod to get some photos of this lantern festival to the extreme. What I got was more than I bargained for.

The party wasn't difficult to find- you just had to follow the loud explosions and screams of people. Well, I turned a corner and ran into thousands of people lining the streets to celebrate the fireworks. Essentially, a group of firemen, dressed in bright yellow, were going down the street collecting donations from shops to put on their truck. Once they got enough firecrackers, they set them all off at once producing an enormous fireball into the sky. Here is a video of one of those fireballs below.

At one point during my shooting, I got a bit too close to the show. I was setting up my camera on its tripod when I heard a loud pop and a small firework below me went off shooting into my leg. A little nervous I checked my pant legs and fortunately, nothing was on fire. A little rattled, I positioned my camera up at the sky with a number of large fireworks going off. It was then that I noticed I had a really good shot- no one was in my way. I was really surprised by this but took advantage of the situation and continued to shoot.

No one was in my way because everyone was getting out of the way of the fireworks about to go off three inches in front of me. I didn't notice this, of course, because I was so enthralled by the fireworks up in the sky. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt by this event and I managed to get it all on tape.

I continued to follow the street party getting as many photographs and videos as possible of this exciting and dangerous display. As I made my way through this labyrinth of people and exploding TNT, it occurred to me just how stupid and dangerous it was to be there. The only conclusion I could come up with was this- these folks are crazy and dangerous. Here is further documentation to substantiate my claim.

The evening turned out to be very exciting, as the videos prove. To get a true sense of what the event was like, I suggest playing each video at once. The noise and confusion of doing so mimics the evening perfectly.

As I made my way to the end where the temple was, I got to meet some of the brave (foolish?) men in charge of setting off the fireworks. Normally, you got a bunch of smiling happy firemen like the following.


And why were they so happy? Well, it was probably the lobster dinner that was prepared for them afterwards!


I am sure my parents are thinking- Michael, this is so dangerous! Why did you go there? Well, mom, dad, don't worry, it's a family event. As I walked around, I saw plenty of parents with their children enjoying the display (although their vantage point was from a safe distance). I admit, I got a bit closer than they did, but hey, at least I didn't get as close as this guy...


So until next time, from your bombs bursting in air paladin of Nehuian culture, Michael.

From Pingxi to Heaven

They say bad times make for good stories. Well, if that is the case, I suppose this day will make a very good story.

Our tale begins on a bright, sunny, and warm Sunday afternoon. The first, might I add, in over a month. The setting is the Taipei Main Station where about eight young adventurers are about to embark to see the Sky Lantern Festival in the small town of Pingxi.

A small historical note on the Sky Lanterns. In olden times, when robbers or bandits would attack the town of Pingxi, the women and children would escape to the mountains. The brave men would remain and fight away these intruders. When it was safe again for the women to return, the sky lanterns were set off as a signal the danger had passed. Today, thousands of visitors return to the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival to set off sky lanterns of their own. On the sky lanterns are wishes written by the visitor and sent up to the heavens to be granted by the gods.

Well, it was 3:45 in the afternoon. Our tickets were purchased and we were on the train heading for a transfer station before we would arrive at our destination. During the train ride, dark clouds started to gather, throwing light droplets of rain at us. If only we knew that those dark clouds were acting as ominous oracles of the events to come.

About thirty minutes into the ride, the conductor came by and asked for our tickets. We handed him our little yellow stubs and an agitated look came over his face. He informed us we got on the wrong train and that this particular train did not stop at the transfer station we had to get to. He made a few calls over his walkie talkie and fortunately, he was able to make a stop at the station we had to be at. We would have been better off staying on that train!

We arrived at the station, darted off the train, flashed our tickets to the conductor, rushed under- neath the tracks, stair- mastered our way to the right platform and barely just made it onto the train with a few moments to spare. The new train was also full and, with a lack of available seating, we were forced to stand. About 20 minutes into the journey, my friend Kate and I were approached by another crazy woman (who was not dealing potatoes this time) when we were separated from the main herd of our friends. Kate and I politely informed her that we did not speak any Chinese and we thought that would be that. But no. For some reason she thought if she said a sentence more than once, we would understand. She kept talking about random things, and we kept trying to guess her hand motions. The greatest game of Charades if you ask me. At on point she shaped her hand in the form of a hand gun, and then without hesitation, she reached for her handbag.

"This is it!" I told Kate, "She's pulling a gun on us now!" But instead, she took out her wallet and showed us a picture of her husband in the military and her son, and how much she loved them. Seeing this as an opportunity for true interaction, I took out my wallet and showed her a few pictures of my loved ones. It was a touching moment, but she continued to talk as if we understood every word she said.

Luckily, at this point, a friend of ours saw this and called Kate to see if we needed any assistance. We quickly insisted we did and some Chinese speaking friends came over immediately. The woman informed them that she thought my friend's hair was very beautiful and wanted to dye it the same color. That explained why she was touching Kate's hair. And she also thought that I was very handsome and had beautiful eyes. That explains why she gave me a card with her address so that I could go to her house and teach her English lessons. When she said that she was young at heart and wanted to hang out with us all the time, we decided that it would be a good idea to move to another car on the train.

As soon as we did, we arrived at another station. At this station were hundreds of people waiting. And since there are no capacity limits in Taiwan, all those people got on the train with us! Yay! And for some stroke of luck, our train conductor decided to wait at that station for thirty minutes, while we were all packed like sardines, for more people to get on. Eventually the train rolled on, and after about an hour's wait, we were finally at Pingxi- or so we thought.

We got off the train, took a bathroom break, and moved out of the train. We were delighted to see the lanterns already taking off into the sky, although it was still daylight. We were less than delighted to see the lanterns disappearing into a very dark cloud cover. Nevertheless, we took off in search of a tea house to relieve our dehydrated bodies.

According to the map, there was a tea house not far from the station. We began to walk in that direction and became rather confused when we couldn't find it immediately. My friend stopped and asked a local where the tea house was and the man's reply was- "you got off at the wrong stop. The place you want is one more station down." So, not discouraged, we called a cab company to come pick us up. They said they would be there in about five to fifteen minutes. Well, after five to fifteen minutes of no show, we called back and they said, "Sorry, but that location is too remote. We can't go there." Great, how could this get any worse?

Rain.

As soon as no taxi showed up, it began to rain like none other- heavy downpours soaking our pants and shoes. We ran over to the bus stop hoping to catch the next bus, and stood patiently in the rain for twenty minutes. Eventually, there comes a time in one's life where you have to admit defeat. In this case, that time was now. We started to walk back towards the train station when I casually remarked, "Of course, now that we're leaving, this is the time when the bus always comes." It's amazing how sage my comments can be sometimes, for not long after that did our bus come zipping by! We turned around and ran as fast as we could back to the bus station only to watch it roll away from us in defeat.

With heads low, I suggested that we could buy a lantern here, set it off, and then return home. We went into the shop, purchased a blue balloon-like lantern, and wrote down all our wishes on it. My wish consisted of more sunny days. We then brought it out into the street, lit the fire, and despite the rain and the cold, the lantern flew up into the sky.

We cheered and gazed as the wishes took off, and then, looking beyond that, we saw other sky lanterns floating like ghosts in the distant sky. Lanterns of all sizes and colors were dotting the night like fairies floating away aimlessly toward the heavens. And suddenly the cold and rain didn't matter so much anymore as I watched these shiftless lanterns fly in the night. Instead, I was warmed in the heart by the most beautiful sight I have seen thus far in my months here in Taiwan.

I watched another group of people try to set their lantern off too. They took their's over to a porch by the river, lit the fire, and then set it off. In a few moments, the sky lantern was up and away, and then back down again. It kept descending and descending until it disappointingly hit into the river.

But the wish was too powerful because the lantern floated on the top of the river for a few moments, gathering strength, and then soared back up into the night sky.

Another lantern took off from another location that had fireworks attached to it. As it reached above the treetops and rooftops, the fireworks went off in a dazzling display of crackles and light.

We then finished our tea and trudged back to the train station. We boarded another over crowded sweaty sauna of a train, standing room only, and traveled for two hours back home. Back in the city, we met a few other friends and then went up to a place called Shilin. We went to a Thai restaurant where we ordered enormous amounts of warm delicious foods prepared to sensationalize the taste buds. And the best part was my friend knew the owner so we got a 20% discount. You could really taste the bargains.

So what began as quite a rough day turned into, as the saying goes, a pretty good story. From your soaked to the bone, lantern wishing Thai fishing, sub-par train traveling adventurer, Michael.

Year of the Rat

Thus far, in my Chinese Language apprehension excursion, I have learned how to say "I want a bubble tea," and "I saw the the Wulai Waterfall," (which, incidentally, is pronounced Pooboo, yet I had the most unfortunate experience where I pronounced it Poopoo) and "I would like two very large glasses of Taiwan Beer without ice, thank you," and penultimately important, coming in second only to the preceding phrase, "Happy New Year."

Ah yes, the much anticipated event of the Asian calendar- Chinese New Year. A week long celebration, unabashedly so, where the entire Asian population shuts their business doors and partake in revelry unknown since the time of Chaucer. For dinner, it is customary to have pig's feet and whole chickens, and then, at the stroke of midnight- and preceding up to said stroke- blow off the largest amount of firecrackers and domestic fireworks one can get one's hands on.

Now, it has been raining non-stop here for about four weeks. And when I say non-stop, that is precisely what I mean. Excluding a half-day event when the sun was visible- that day shall not pass too far from our recent memories- it has been cold and rainy for far too long. I was not aware that it could rain this much. But yes, it has been a difficult and stumbling endeavor that could weary even the bravest of hearts.

I can only aliken this somber scene to a memory I have from childhood. When I was younger, I remember great snowstorms that would dwarf my little personage. Sadly, in middle school years, these great northern blizzards dissipated into casual snow flurries. I remember waking up every morning in hopes of arctic scenes. But, alas, I was only greeted with dead, brown, grass. Now, in Taipei, I rise from my bed each morning and draw the curtains with such anticipated exasperation that it is almost too difficult to bear the cold, raining landscape situated before me.

I draw your attention to this because, despite the rain, these crazy Taiwanese folks still go out in the dead of night to set off their fireworks in proud display. I asked someone once about the significance and tradition laden behind these crackling displays. My friend answered that these fireworks are designed to be loud, and they are, in order to scare away monsters. Well, it is now the fifth night straight that these fireworks have been going off, close to midnight might I inform you, resulting in an ear-suffering caustic noise compilation of fiery explosions bombarding one's sweet, surreal images of slumber. "In America," a friend of mine pointed out, "it is only polite to wait until a reasonable hour to mow your lawn or weedwack your garden. I think this principal should also apply to gunpowder."

Well, I believe your mission has been accomplished, brave soldiers. I see no monsters around, so I plead with you, the entire Taiwanese nation, please desist in your nocturnal explosions!!! Let a poor man sleep.

Well, we say goodbye now to the year of the pig and welcome in the year of the rat. Coincidentally, I was born in the year of the rat. Delighted by these turn of events, I asked my Taiwanese friend about the importance of my year coming up while I am teaching here. Expecting a response along the lines of, "well, people have to be nice to you," or "you get more presents on your birthday," I was dismayed to discover that this year in actually working against me. Supposedly, I am supposed to go to the Temple and pray to the Gods asking for help in these turbulent 365 days. My friend also told me it was really just a way for the Temple to make money. Such cynicism.

Well, with that, I look forward to a productive year with great happiness- and in the Taiwanese fashion- a lot of money. From you insomniac prone year of the rat writer, Michael.

La Dolce Vita

As a new year began about a month ago, a new one is just beginning tonight. But more on that later. I find it appropriate to tell you that in the new year, I have decided to start brand new. And what better way to do that than to move into a new apartment.

That's right folks, you heard it here first. After terribly lengthy commutes, frustrating transfers, and VERY long work days, I decided I needed a place closer to my school. I began searching around New Years, and after about a week of disappointing results, I came across the perfect spot for me, in which I now reside.

I moved from Daan, in the center of the city, to a bit of a more suburbanite type of location on the outskirts of Taipei. I am not living in any rice paddie, to be sure, but this offers a quieter, happier existence with plenty of comforts with which one young man needs to get by. Essentially, it is like moving from the Back Bay of Boston to Harvard Square of Cambridge. I am still in the city, but there are more residences.

I am living in an area of Taipei called Neihu. There is an upcoming MRT station near my house, along with markets, parks, IMAX and movie theaters, the giant ferris wheel, and best of all mountain hiking. I am living down a side street close to the main road. I forsook a fourth floor, elevator and doorman equipped three bedroom apartment for a fifth floor, no doorman, no elevator, one room apartment. Why did I do it you ask? For the exercise? No, no, my good reader, I assure you I get plenty of exercise at the gym. My reasons are simple- next to, of course, it being a fifteen minute walk from my school.

First, the apartment is beautiful. But perhaps, after climbing five flights of stairs, any contraption resembling four walls and a floor- ceiling optional- will look beautiful. The flat is laid out like a spacious studio apartment. It is one large room with an adjoining bathroom. The flat is brand new, with a new king size bed, dresser, mini-fridge, cabinet, bedside table with drawers, and dressing counter with mirror. There is also a work space suitable for a computer (at which I am working at the present moment). The bathroom is also new, with a large shower, sink, and toilet, which I suppose, come standard with any bathroom these days. But in its defense, it is new.

Perhaps the most impressive furnishing inside the apartment, next to the bed of course, is the flat screen TV hanging impressively on my wall. Unfortunately, the one drawback is the lack of a kitchen. But a with a hot water faucet outside, I am turning into the iron chef of instant noodles. But seriously, I am purchasing a hotplate so boiling water or frying food will become a reality.

Now, let's take a journey outside. Picture this- you just wake up from your evening slumber. You pour yourself a cup of piping hot Oolong Tea. You collect your Chinese calligraphy tools, your writing notebooks, your magazine or current book. You step out onto the terrace, yes, the terrace, place your goods on the patio furniture, breathe in the fresh air, sip the bitter Oolong Tea and take in the vast mountain vista laid out before you. The Chi is strong here.

Logistics. How does this move benefit my life? Well, for starters, my commute has dramatically decreased in the recent weeks, saving me almost seven hours of commuting in one WEEK and over $30.00 US in traveling expenses in one month. It takes no Einstein to balance that equation. Price-wise, it is a bit more expensive. In my last flat, I was coughing up about NT$9,000 a month, including water, gas, and management. Tackle on the internet charges, cable, and the traveling, I was paying about NT$11,000 month for the apartment. In US terms, we are looking at about $330 a month. A steal, I know. In my new apartment, I pay New Taiwan $12,500 including internet, water, and management (my landlord takes out my trash for me!). Including traveling, I pay about New Taiwan $13,000, which comes out to being about $390 US per month. So, with a mountain view and available hikes that includes the comforts of the city, my very own apartment (no roommates, just me baby!) and bathroom, and a very easy commute, the choice came down to a matter of $60 per month. For me, my time is worth a lot more than that, so the choice was even easier than choosing which type of sauce to go with my lunchtime dumplings.

Other Acquisitions- In US Dollars

• A new hard drive and laptop mouse- less than $60.

• iPod Speakers- $3

• Bicycle- $0 (a gift, things aren't THAT cheap)

• Giant Bonzai Plant- which is not just a regular plant- $15. (And by not regular plant, I mean it is a large pot with a collection of artistically designed bonzai plants numbering in total to four, resulting in a refreshing and spirited Feng Shui.)
• Nifty umbrella with a telescopic plastic case perfect for unwanted dripping- $3

From your very happy, home is where the heart is kind of guy, Michael.

On a post-scripted note, I would like to comment on my last post. If you didn't catch the sardonic tone in which I wrote "Oh, the Humanity," I would like to clarify that there is no ketchup shortage in Taiwan. There are only stingy shop owners that are too cheap to give you more than one packet unless you ask for one. Well, this writer has more dignity than to beg for any ketchup. I would rather suffer and eat my ketchup plain, thank you!