Taiwan is a busy island. The people are friendly and work together harmoniously. Some buildings are old but everything is clean. There is no litter and no agression. Even the stray dogs lounge contentedly in the sun while the odd stray cat wanders by past the birds.
We have seen no loud anything - not shirts, nor body language nor attitude (except from some Chinese tourists yelling in the forest and pushing in front of us in the line for the train yesterday).
We planned a tour - out first - and were very pleased we did so. It was packed full of interesting and varied adventures. We saw many examples of architecture, parades and fireworks, natural beauty and everyday life. Our guide asked us our favourite thing - too hard to judge, as each activity held its own charm.
When I was a child I saw a Chinese movie and I was scared. I was reminded of that momentarily when walking down the winding alleyway in one of the towns, yet that old street and the half well is one of my best memories of Taiwan.
I loved seeing the granny and grandpa making the bike horns while the grandchild slept. She had a plastic glove on to hold the soldering iron, plastic sandals, two bricks to work on and a thousand pieces to join. She worked in an open garage on the corner of a back street. It was very pleasant. As we watched and took interest in her occupation, we could tell this was an oddity to them. I asked if we could buy a piece, but grandpa was already scurrying around to make a complete horn and was polishing vigorously to present his finest work to us as a gift. No money - just a gift!!
So with a shiny horn and a piece grandma made for us, we left a parting gift for the baby and felt very honoured to have been able to see a glimpse into the lives of these beautiful people.
The temples and parades were a sea of bright colour and firework confetti. Tall figures lead a variety of representatives from the villages through the town. We were accidentally there at the right time to see the full event. Day two of our tour was very eventful.
The Widow's tree is a tree in a backyard, now walled with a house at one end and a bakery at the other. Peter told us the story.
During the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in World War 2, the Japanese were running low on soldiers to fight for them. They forced the Taiwanese men to join their army. One lady planted a tree when her husband was taken. The tree is still there, growing and waiting for his return.
Another legacy of Japanese occupation is the forests in Alishan. The magnificent high mountain cypress trees are ancient. They are prized for their fragrant wood, long straight trunks and beautiful grain. The trees take 500 years to grow one ring. One remaining tree is over 2000 years old.
It would have been a little tree when Jesus was born.
The remaining trees were left because of their imperfection. There are life lessons that the Taiwanese apply to this. One may be less beautiful or perfect but that can be the reason one survives. A slow and steady wins the race ... and the crippled boy left behind in the Pied Piper story. Each culture has its own encouragement to honour all differently created people.
The walk up the high mountain to the pagoda through the forest was peaceful and beautiful. Little spiders slung their webs between broad leaves, orchids perched high on the tree trunks, tiny flowers nestled down low and insects pottered around being polite and making way for us. We were high above the clouds and in them and around them. It rained but Mr Square had foreseen our need and was waiting with umbrellas to make our descent dry.
The indigenous tribes have an islander appearance. We saw two examples. Their dance, food and culture is fascinating. They remind me of Polynesian people but finer. They used to hunt deer in the forests. We also saw another tribal remnant in the hills. There is tea grown there now. Oolong tea. Beautiful.
As we waited for the bus to take us to the airport a team of workers were washing the bus stations - every surface. Our landlady waited with us at the bus stop to make sure we were safely settled and on the right bus. A man at the other end helped us find the floor to enter the airport.
Japan is outside my window and I am missing Taiwan. We would love to bring Mother and Pa to Taiwan for the Lantern Festival next year.......
to be continued....
We have seen no loud anything - not shirts, nor body language nor attitude (except from some Chinese tourists yelling in the forest and pushing in front of us in the line for the train yesterday).
We planned a tour - out first - and were very pleased we did so. It was packed full of interesting and varied adventures. We saw many examples of architecture, parades and fireworks, natural beauty and everyday life. Our guide asked us our favourite thing - too hard to judge, as each activity held its own charm.
When I was a child I saw a Chinese movie and I was scared. I was reminded of that momentarily when walking down the winding alleyway in one of the towns, yet that old street and the half well is one of my best memories of Taiwan.
I loved seeing the granny and grandpa making the bike horns while the grandchild slept. She had a plastic glove on to hold the soldering iron, plastic sandals, two bricks to work on and a thousand pieces to join. She worked in an open garage on the corner of a back street. It was very pleasant. As we watched and took interest in her occupation, we could tell this was an oddity to them. I asked if we could buy a piece, but grandpa was already scurrying around to make a complete horn and was polishing vigorously to present his finest work to us as a gift. No money - just a gift!!
So with a shiny horn and a piece grandma made for us, we left a parting gift for the baby and felt very honoured to have been able to see a glimpse into the lives of these beautiful people.
The temples and parades were a sea of bright colour and firework confetti. Tall figures lead a variety of representatives from the villages through the town. We were accidentally there at the right time to see the full event. Day two of our tour was very eventful.
The Widow's tree is a tree in a backyard, now walled with a house at one end and a bakery at the other. Peter told us the story.
During the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in World War 2, the Japanese were running low on soldiers to fight for them. They forced the Taiwanese men to join their army. One lady planted a tree when her husband was taken. The tree is still there, growing and waiting for his return.
Another legacy of Japanese occupation is the forests in Alishan. The magnificent high mountain cypress trees are ancient. They are prized for their fragrant wood, long straight trunks and beautiful grain. The trees take 500 years to grow one ring. One remaining tree is over 2000 years old.
It would have been a little tree when Jesus was born.
The remaining trees were left because of their imperfection. There are life lessons that the Taiwanese apply to this. One may be less beautiful or perfect but that can be the reason one survives. A slow and steady wins the race ... and the crippled boy left behind in the Pied Piper story. Each culture has its own encouragement to honour all differently created people.
The walk up the high mountain to the pagoda through the forest was peaceful and beautiful. Little spiders slung their webs between broad leaves, orchids perched high on the tree trunks, tiny flowers nestled down low and insects pottered around being polite and making way for us. We were high above the clouds and in them and around them. It rained but Mr Square had foreseen our need and was waiting with umbrellas to make our descent dry.
The indigenous tribes have an islander appearance. We saw two examples. Their dance, food and culture is fascinating. They remind me of Polynesian people but finer. They used to hunt deer in the forests. We also saw another tribal remnant in the hills. There is tea grown there now. Oolong tea. Beautiful.
As we waited for the bus to take us to the airport a team of workers were washing the bus stations - every surface. Our landlady waited with us at the bus stop to make sure we were safely settled and on the right bus. A man at the other end helped us find the floor to enter the airport.
Japan is outside my window and I am missing Taiwan. We would love to bring Mother and Pa to Taiwan for the Lantern Festival next year.......
to be continued....
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