The Beehive Rockets

Ever year on the Lantern Festival in a small town just north of Tainan called Yanshuei, local residents pour into the streets to fire rockets. No, this isn't a centuries old feud or a localized war zone, it's just an ancient remedy for healing the blues. In modern times, the celebration is used to ring in the final days of the Chinese New Year celebration. In Taipei, sky lanterns are released into the heavens while in Yanshuei it's a free-for-all rocket extravaganza bound to wake up the neighbors. In the next city over.

Eight intrepid volunteers, not quite understanding what we were in for, congregated at 7.30am outside Taipei Main Station on a Sunday morning ready to board a bus that would take us to the other side of the island. Coffees in hand, The China Post folded squarely under our arms, we hopped aboard and set forth on a five hour bus ride to Yanshuei. We arrived in the town just a little after noon, with still enough time to explore this unique village.


Yanshuei's fortunate proximity to Taiwan's former capital, Tainan, allows this village to boast some truly extraordinary architectural relics. We were able to tour some splendid homes, venerable temples, and one unique and antiquated "old street".


This old street was a short but windy stretch of cobblestone street lined with wooden structures dating back hundreds of years. Some were opened to the public with old fashioned Chinese goods decorating the inner halls. The highlight was a still functioning blacksmith that was out on the street producing his wares for onlookers to witness.


Around the corner was a unique structure- a mansion house of sorts made entirely of wood. The layout of the grounds reminded us of a wooden temple. Inside housed some contemporary and classical Chinese art which made for a rather surreal experience.


The city itself was lined with quaint old buidlings mixed with modern ones, making for some rather pleasant strolls around town. The temple of Guan Gong was perhaps the most densely populated with worshippers coming from all walks of life to pray. The temple was decorated with bright, warm colors, while heavy looming incense burned through the air.


But the lighthearted strolls through the city were suddenly halted with a preminisence of things to come- a rare glimpse into what was to be displayed later in the evening. As we were walking, we noticed a group of people bunching into a tented area taking pictures and murmuring amongst themselves. We walked up to the crowed and peered into the canopied structure: inside we finally saw our first Beehive Rocket Structure.


As far as beehive rockets go, this one would be considered small to medium sized. It's height was about one "me" and a half, and it's length was roughly equivalent to that of a car. It had about 15 or 20 rows of little rockets stacked neatly next to one another. All in all, there were thousands of rockets on this contraption. All we could do was look at this and say, they're gonna shoot those at us? What?


Oh, right, did I forget to mention that the rockets are shot at the crowds rather than up in the sky? That's an important detail and I think it should be mentiond. Yes, these little puppies are lit on the tail end and then go buzzing into the jumping spectators and burn, srape and explode all over the crowd. That is why we were instructed to bring safety equipment with us.

As the sun was setting and the festivities were starting, we returned back to the bus to don our evening armor. We had to wear a non flammable winter jacket (in 90 degree heat no less), a full faced helmet with a towel fastened around our neck, gloves, long pants, and shoes. Not a millimeter of skin was exposed. Dressed like knights, we strolled into the starting gates where waterfalls of fireworks were raining down. My friend and I danced back and forth through what was probably melted iron as far as we knew, until finally the first bee hive rocket appeared.

As the fuse was lit, everyone started jumping up and down. Initially I thought this was to prevent rockets from hitting you head on. (For some strange reason when rockets are being fired at you, your initial reaction is to jump up and down.) But actually, the jumping is part of the history of the festival. In years gone by, namely in the middle ages, southern Taiwan was struck with the plague. With no proper medicine to handle the epidemic, the local townspeople resorted to explosives. In what I can only imagine to be a primitive display of bombs going off around the locals, the idea was to jump up and down and shake out the bad spirits causing the plague. Evidently the ritual was a success and the bad spirits are warded off annually with loud noises and TNT.

Well, the festival began. Not knowing what was going on, and thousands of Taiwanese jumping around me, I had no choice but to jump along with them. And without warning, along came the rockets. They whizzed by me, sounding like a firefly pumped up on amphetamines and PCP. On rather frequent instances, the rocket would land on you and, what do rockets do? They explode! So, you would be standing there, crammed in with jumping Asians, dressed in full winter gear in the summer heat being bombarded by rockets exploding all around you. It was easy to lose your orientation and just wonder how you got in the predicament you were in. Realization soon came upon you that retreat was impossible.

After a minute or so of this barrage, the crowd went on the move. Essentially the crowd would parade through the streets and anticipating shop keeps would bring out their beehive rocket cages and fire upon the crowd. After some aimless parading, the mob came to a halt. At this point, people set off loud firecrackers in the streets while the firework waterfalls went off in two separate locations. It's as if they were corralling us into a ranch like cattle. Well, after about fifteen minutes of these boomers going off, a silence fell upon a crowd. And then, with much suspense, an enormous garage door opened slowly and the darkly lit room inside did not reveal what was in store. The crowd watch on in hushed anticipation, as if King Kong himself were to come storming out and wreak havoc on the streets. But the reality was much worse.

From the depth of the shadows emerged a contraption so large, so complex, it put all notions of previous beehive fireworks to shame. There, parting the crowd in two, stood a beehive firework box the size of a mac truck, loaded with tens of thousands of rockets aim directly at us. Being only about ten feet away from the behemoth I knew I was in for a dangerously close encounter with the beast. If this thing couldn't ward off the bad spirits, I don't know what could.

What followed was a good twenty minutes of continued rockets flying, bouncing, exploding and all of the above all around you. This puppy was the reason my body was covered in bruises and burns when the night was out. It finished with an impressive firework display of setting off even larger rockets into the night sky. After a good half hour of this, and drenched in sweat, we decided a recuperation period was needed to nurse the wounds inflicted by this behemoth. Speaking of injury, perhaps the most interesting was one rocket found it's way up into my friend's helmet and burnt a little hole in his hair!

At this time, we met up with another friend who wisely slept in and took a train down to meet us. We put on our gear, caught back up with the parade, and jumped with the best of them. The remaining rocket cages ranged in sizes from a refrigerator to a compact car; but each one placed one hell of a punch. It should be noted in the photos that some of our clothing obtained small burned holes. One interesting anecdote was came after a particularly close encounter with a set of rockets. As I was walking away, my friend started patting the back of my head. I asked him what he was doing and he said my back was on fire. I told him to continue putting it out. As he was doing this, someone was behind him patting him on the head too. Turns out he was on fire as well!


The night was a complete riot of an evening. It was like bombs were going off at every turn. Sometimes fireworks would misfire and explode in the street, and those really smart when they hit next to you. Ambulances were going off all night, and we stopped counting after ten. But I think the most remarkable aspect of the evening was that, in a town with such historical old buildings all made of wood, it's a wonder that it hasn't burned down yet.


From your plauge shaking, pyro blasting, fire smoking beehive rocket knight of Yanshuei, Michael.

The Year of the Tiger

It is effect- ively my third Chinese New Year here in Taiwan. It also marked probably the worst week of weather I have ever seen. First- everybody didn't have to work this week except me. Second- everybody left Taipei so I was stuck in this city by myself. And third- It was nothing but downpours of rain, constantly, 24 hours a day, every day of the week. It was the Perfect Storm.


But the cold weather outside wasn't indicative of the warmth celebrated with my family for the second year in a row over in Banciao. I met up with Yuhsin's sister, her parents, brother and sister-in-law and their new daughter Jacqueline, and her two neices whom I absolutely adore. The evening started nice enough- I arrived just in time for dinner. On the menu was the whole fish (which is not eaten) white carrots, jellyfish, chinese coldcuts like sausage and fisheggs, bamboo and turnip soup, etc. I tried it all and they were delicious.


After dinner, we retired to the living room where we played a dice and punishment game. (Taiwanese love punishments! Basically, you can't just "lose" a game, you have to be punished as well.) The game was played simply, there were a set of die underneath a bowl and only one person knew the number underneath. The rest of the group had to guess numbers and whoever guessed the number was punished. Basically, if you won, you really lost! For the punishment, there was a box with a number of compartments- think ice tray. Then on top of this ice-tray like box was a paper covering. You poked through the paper and inside the compartment was a piece of paper containing your punishment. The punishments consisted of varying degrees of tourture- including giving massages, pushups, and smelling baby diapers.


After the punishment game, we broke out the karaoke. I impressed everyone which my only Chinese song I can karaoke which is called "Freedom" in Chinese. There was also a deck of card so we played some card games and I dazzled the youngsters with my magic tricks.


Chinese New Year culminates about 15 days after the new year celebration with the Lantern Festival. Every year, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall and City Hall host a number of lantern sculptures to ring in the new year. This year the theme was, of course, the tiger and the lantern sculptures resprestend that.


In the center of the sculpture gardens is a giant tiger which lights up, spins and goes along with music. The tiger, cartoonish in nature, is giving the thumbs up. When first conceived, however, the angles on the hand were a bit misleading and it appeared that instead of the tiger giving a thumbs up, it looked like it was flipping the bird. As an event for families, the sculpture was of course revised.


Alas, thus culminates my third Chinese New Year in Taiwan. I have to say, this was probably the best one yet. Although, it could have been made better had my cousins Stevie and Yuhsin, and their daughter Tia come as well. From your rrrrrrrroooooooooaaaaaaarrrrrrr, Michael.

Charlie and the Dumpling Factory

When you think of the signature voice, you think of Frank Sinatra. When you think of signature cigars, you don't think too far from Havana. Now, when you think of signature Chinese cuisine, if your in Asia, think Din Tai Fung. I have written numerous posts about the quality and scrumptious taste of their dishes, so I don't need to get into that in too much detail. Instead, today I got a first hand glimpse of the behind the scene magic that goes into each and every dumpling.

I arrived at the primary store in Taipei and met up with the owner of the company. Along with two other American girls (relatives of the owner) and the CEO of Burger King (bizarre, I know), we piled into his private car and were chaufeurred over to the central kitchen in Yonghe, about 30 minutes away.

Upon arriving at the central kitchen, we were promptly shown into the small temple in the office where we briefly prayed, in Chinese called "bai bai". After which, we donned masks, hairnets, boots, and smocks that made us look like we were being prepared for a tour of a nuclear facility rather than a food factory.



Our first stop was the dumpling room. Actually, the first stop was the disinfecting room leading into the dumpling room. Only two people were allowed into this room which was essentially a giant vaccum cleaner followed by a sink adjacent to a disinfectant pool. If we weren't clean already, we were now!


We then entered into the dumpling room where we saw the doughs rolled and the meats packed. It was like watching a dream come true, seeing all these dumplings at once.


After that it was over to the noodle room. The owner doesn't trust other noodle makers to make his noodles for him, so he makes his own!


Here are some more shots from around the factory, including shipping, basket storring, meet preparation, EVA Airline preparation, and specialty prep.


A man who believes in cleanliness was present all day. The factory had more cleanliness regulations than you could imagine and you can rest easy knowing you are getting the cleanest, freshest food possible when eating at Din Tai Fung. From your golden ticket holder, Michael.

Surfin' Bird

I have never surfed before, but I have wanted to try it for a long time. Taiwan is home to some of the best surf in the world and as a result, boasts some really excellent surfing communities all around the island. For those in Taipei, there is no better day trip for surfers than to Ilan on the western coast.

The timing was right before a typhoon which always guarantees large breaks. But for someone's first time on a board, this was perhaps not such a good thing. I went with three Taiwanese buddies of mine down to Ilan at 7am in the morning. We got to a little surf shop and rented our boards. I seem to be out of touch with surfer lingo and have no idea what nicknames surfers use to call their boards, but it was gnarly.


We got down to the beach and I got a five minute introduction on how to use my board, in Chinese, before I was sent off to tackle the waves. I decided that it was best to approach this day in stages. I have been boogey boarding before, so I thought I should spend my first set riding the waves in on my stomach. It was tough at first catching a break and timing it just right to allow me to ride the wave in all the way, but it wasn't long before I got the hang ten of it.


My next time out I decided that it would be a good idea to try and stand up. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Each time I tried to hoist myself up on my surfboard, I immediately fell off into the ocean. But not to worry, I collected my board and tried, tried again. About my hundreth attempt I finally got up on the board, rode for about two seconds and fell off. I figured now I was ready to take it off the beach and into the ocean. Just kidding, I really did surf!


We took a short break and played a pick up game of volleyball with some other surfers before going back out into the ocean. It was at this time that some guy walked by missing an entire eyeball, and instead geisers of blood were gushing out of ocular socket. Turns out he was hit in the head by another surfer and that was about time I decided to retire from the great sport.

After leaving the beach, we went into town to get some good beach food before we dashed off back home. From your bird, bird, bird, bird is the word oh well a oh well a did you know about the word, surfin bird, Michael.

The Underground River

I just recently returned back from my third encounter with the Phili- ppines. My first take on the country was in Legazpi, where I swam with whale sharks, camped on one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes and explored the black sand beaches of Santo Domingo. My second trip took me to the ancient rice terraces of Banaue where I was offered a rare glimpse into traditional Filipino life, with some villages only accessible by a two hour hike in the jungle. My third and most recent journey took me to Palawan, an island in the southwest part of the Philipines, which contains a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Subterranean River. Quite simply it is an 8.2 kilometer long river that runs underground and empties into the ocean. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I arrived early in the morning in Manilla- 3.00am to be precise. By the time I got through customs and raced through Manilla in my taxi (Manila after 3.00am is a very interesting place to be), it was already almost 5am before I plopped down in my hotel. It was a late start the next day, but I got through my work and before long, evening had arrived and I had a date with a friend.

I took a taxi over to Burgos Street where I met a friend of mine. She is the girlfriend of my friend here in Taiwan, but she is currently living in Manila. We had a few drinks at this nice little open air bar before we had some tasty Filipino barbecue. Afterward, she took me to a bar recommended by our mutual friends in Taipei, and offered me this warning- don't buy any of the girls drinks. Fair warning, I thought, but why was it necessary? Necessary, because she took me to a go-go bar where half naked women dance on a stage and, if the price is right, you can take bar fine her for the evening. I required my friend to stay by my side for the entire evening to keep up appearances that she was "with" me to prevent any of the girls coming over to ask for a drink commission. What can I say, I'm a shy guy. The plan worked and despite the seedy environment, it was actually a really fun night of bar hopping and catching up.


The next day, I took the afternoon off and spent some time around the old Spanish fort in downtown Manila. I have to say- this quarter of the city has completely refurbished my impression of Manila. I began by exploring the fort which is the original part of Manila. From here you could see where the city developed its roots.

The fort itself is a unique antiquity, an anachronistic Spanish citadel in a modern Southeast Asian city. The fort came complete with large, blasting cannons, dungeons, historical buildings, and a modern golf course. That's right, should you fancy the back nine after some historical touring, you can hit up the golf course which winds its way through the moats and barracks of living history.


One of the most interesting components of this of this area was the vantage point it provided of surrounding Manila. Manila is a city of extremes with the amazingly rich and the destitute living side by side. From here, I could see the skyscrapers of the wealthy nestled within the slums of Manila.


After the fort, I shot over to one of the more famous Cathedrals in Manila called San Augustin Church. The artwork in this monastery-now-museum and the religious relics preserved here rival any of the artwork I have seen lavishly displayed in Europe. The craftsmanship of the pieces, the architecture of the church and the overall design of the grounds were truly inspiring.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much more than 30 minutes to linger as I had a plane to catch and this was one flight I was not intending to miss. You see, this flight would result in the final destination I had wanted to visit since first planning my trip to the Philippines three years ago.


My flight, after a 30 minute delay, arrived in Peurto Princesa, Palawan- a long sliver of an island located in the southwest hemisphere of The Philippines. Coming out of the airport, I took a tricycle to my hotel, and then off to dinner at a surprisingly fancy restaurant by suggestion of my driver. However, I am glad I did as this place is actually constructed out on the ocean and connected to land by a long gangplank. The menu served up fine Filipino and western meals and you could top it all down with buko- a young coconut with a hole cut through the top and a straw inserted so you could get at the sweet waters inside.


The following morning was an early one for me. After my complimentary Filipino breakfast of sweet pork, I made my way to the bus station. Today, Palawan is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination and so the most popular method of getting to the underground river is by planned guide. I think this takes the fun out of the adventure and I had no intention of taking a guided tour. Once at the bus station (actually, more like a field in a jungle) I found out that the next jeepney to the Underground River was departing at noon. Seeing it was 8.30am, and a bus was leaving at 9am, I figured that was the best way to go.

When the bus arrived, surprisingly on time, I had two options- I could ride on the roof with the cargo or be seated inside the bus on one of the hard wooden benches. Seeing as I didn't have any sun screen with me, I optioned for the inside. I plopped down next to a window, ensuring a breeze would come my way, and waited patiently for the bus driver to take off.


At about 9.45, we finally pulled out of the station to a restaurant across the street. The bus driver and crew all got off the bus, loaded cold drinks onto the bus, enjoyed a beer themselves, and then hopped back on. Only again to drive across the street and into the gas station to fill up. It was starting to get ridiculous. But the Filipinos on board were patient enough. In fact, there I was stashed into this bus complete with all sorts of locals. Families traveling back from the "city", children taking live chickens back to the farm, all walks of life.


The bus is known as a Christmas Tree Bus because of all the things that are packed on top of it, resembling a Christmas Tree. During the ride, "ornaments" from the xmas tree kept falling off and the bus would have to stop, pick it up, pack it up, and continue on. I was dreading this bus ride a bit because were taking what was known as the "abortion road"- a road so bumpy and unpaved that it was nicknamed as such for the free abortions it resulted in. I always thought this was a funny name considering The Philippines is so intensely Catholic. I was relieved to discover that this road was recently paved, making what should have only been a 9o minute drive into a four hour tour with my new family.


I arrive at around 1pm in Sabang- the harbouring port and jumping off point for the Underground River. I spent a few minutes lounging on the white sand beaches watching the waves roll in, sipping on my coconut juice straight from a coconut itself. It wasn't long before I got my permit and took off for the river. There are two ways to get there- you can either hire a boat or hike over there. Seeing as I was in no hurry, despite the very long bus ride there, I opted for the hike instead. It was a little bit difficult finding the trail head and at one point, I had to recruit a local family to paddle me through the mangroves to the start of the trail.


I finally made it to the Jungle Trail route and began my final leg to this promised destination. It was a two hour hike along the ocean side, through the jungle and up mountanious terrain. But the greatest part was the end when you had to traverse this rickety old platform through this maze of sharp, jagged rock. At the bottom, it let out to the mouth of the cave where I waited for a boat to come.


I joined a group of Filipinos who quickly became my good friends! We got into the boat and our tour guide paddled us into the cave. We went in about 2 kilometers and experienced the most amazing underground river in Asia. This cave was home to bats, stalagmites and stalagtites in the shape of religious personage, and some of the most awe-inspiring cavernous areas I have ever seen. I was really surprised at how large it was inside, and how wide the river was. It took me some time to realize that I was on a boat, underground!

We came out of the cave thus finishing our tour. I got the contact information of my new friends and we still keep in touch about our journey to the Underground River. But we soon parted ways and before we knew it, I was stuck two hours away from the pier, bloody tired and in no mood to hike back. I paid a longboatman 200 pesos to stow me away on one of his ferries back, which he did and I met some more very nice people. In fact, I met one nice guy that was a talent manager in the Philippines. I think he gave my contact information to one of his friends because I got an e-mail a few days later saying hello!

When I got back to Sabang, I found out that there were no more busses or jeepneys back to Puerto Princesa leaving me stranded in Sabang. Obviously, this was not good! Fortunately, there were lots of tour groups hanging around and after some begging, I was able to hitch a ride back with one, again meeting some really great people along the way. One common sentiment all my new friends that day shared was- they couldn't believe I was traveling alone. But I enjoy traveling alone as it really allows you to engage in conversation with lot's of people- meet the locals so to speak. Had I not gone alone that day, I would not have made such excellent friends!

Back in Puerto Princesa, I went out to eat at a local canteen called Kinabuch's. This restaurant has a lot of local and foreign specialies, but there were two things that caught my eyes! The first was a pint of draft San Miguel beer was only 35 pesos, or the equivalent of 75 cents! The second was their specialty- Ceviche Woodworm Mollusk. Essentially, this is a plate of long, raw woodworms served with a dish of vinegar.


With a strong stomach, I twirled one of the worms around my fork like past and dipped it into the vinegar. In doing so, it came unravelled and when I pulled it out, it was dangling down. I lifted it high above my head and tail end first, I lowered it into my mouth. It was terrible. It tasted like I was eating oolong noodles prepared with dirt. I washed down the worm with my cheap and necessary beer and then called it a night.


The following day I decided to do some island hopping. I got on the tour this time as tours were absolutely needed for the island hopping. We did some excellent snorkeling along a stunning coral reef, laid in the sand on white sand beaches, took up sun, swimming, bbqing and really just unwound as the sun and splash made for one of the nicest, most relaxing days I have had in a long time.


The prepared food was to die for, which is odd for the Filipino cuisine. There were green mangos, pork, fresh fish, plantanes, roasted eggplants- all served along the ocean front. Here you can see the food being prepared.


And here is the presentation!


Getting back to Peurto Princessa, I went to the local market where I was sure to purchase my favorite filipino snack- bananaque (fried sweet bananas), then hopped on a plane back to Manila where I caught a connecting flight back to Taipei.


It was a short weekend trip, but it was a great thing for the state of mind. From your river riding spelunker in Palawan, Michael.

One Hundredth Post

This is my one hundredth post! It seems like only yesterday I arrived in Taiwan- an eager youth in his prime ready to tackle on the greatest curve balls Asia had in store for me. Now, almost three years later, I am reflecting on 100 vignettes that I have decided to share with you about my time in Taiwan.

I have never been one for clip shows, so I would like to give you some suggested reading instead. Here are my top ten favorite blog postings that I have made over the last third of a decade. Happy reading!

Bugs on the Teeth- Here in my first fews days in Taiwan, I found myself very lost on the streets of Taipei. It wasn't long before a friendly Taiwanese man came up to me and offered me a ride home. He plopped me on the back of his scooter and before long I was zooming around Taipei in my first ever scooter ride. I knew then I had to get me one of those babies!

One Squid, Two Squid- Ah, my first adventure down to Taroko National Park and Hualien. What an adventure! But the real fun came as the sun set and my friends, Kate and Tony, and I creatively spent the better part of an hour disposing of squids we never wanted. It should be noted that squid balls are processed calamari in the shape of a ball, not a mollusk's reproductive organ!

A Regular Thursday Night- A war zone? Not quite but almost. I got to ring in the Chinese Lantern Festival with a bang, literally, as I went out into a free-for-all fireworks bash that shook buildings, set off fireworks and even sent some folks to the ER. As these videos show, there were some close calls!

Whitewater-Ho! We saved the lives of these whitewater rafters and it was almost as if we got shafted for doing so. Well, at least I got the whole thing on video. Please forgive my shaking video taping, it was half capturing the event half heroic deeds!

The Good Concert- I spent one marvelous weekend with World Vision, the company for which I taught English Private Lessons, down in Sun Moon Lake. We toured aboriginal villages, explored butterfly gardens and the lake itself, and I even gave a speech at the benefit concert itself. But the best part was the private tour of the organic tea farm!

The Bridge on the River Kwai- History and excitement abounded for me on my first trip to Thailand! While it was difficult to choose one specific part of that amazing two week journey into the land of smiles, I decided on my time in Kanchanaburi where I posed with tigers, rode elephants, and saw the death railway. If you have time, be sure to check out my other posts on Thailand too!

The Crazy Lady Returns- I don't think any story I have quite compares to the strangeness and creepiness of the Crazy Lady on my balcony. I also don't think anyone quite sums up Taiwan's quirkiness quite like her as well! I have to say, though, thanks for the dinner!

The Rice Terraces of Banaue- There is nothing I love more than vacationing in the Philippines. I love the people, the scenery, and increasinly Manilla. Here I took off to the 2,000 year old rice terraces on the northern edge of the country. Truly my favorite place to be.

The Din Tai Fung Club- I don't think I will take away a greater memory than all the joy, happiness and dumplings I have had at Din Tai Fung. I have made strong and lasting friends at this restaurant and I hope to maintain these friends for all my life to come.

A Man and His Mortorcycle Part 4- I don't think I can say with utmost certainty that I preferred any leg of my motorcycle trip around the island more than another part, but when push comes to shove, the trip over the mountains on the Southern Cross Island was like nothing I have ever seen before. A trip of a lifetime!

Here's to another 100 posts that comprise the big and small moments making up what I call my life on this island. From your David Letterman counting down in the Far East, Michael.