Trials and Tribulations of Travel

Getting to the other side of the world is not an easy feat. I found myself jumping through hoops to get paperwork done. Figuring out plane tickets was tricky. I needed the right flight at the right time, for the right price. Then of course there is packing. Then of course there is packing. For a short trip it is pretty simple, but for a long trip, let alone moving, there are a lot of things you want to bring, but you cannot take it all.

All of these were just the tip of the iceberg in frustrations. They were understood and expected. They were all things that had happened before. It is the things we do not see coming that hit the hardest. The new and unprepared for can leave you confused, scared, and angry.

My world was turned upside down when the job I had expected was yanked out from under my feet. I had gone from being a man with a plan to unemployed and homeless in a country where I did not speak the language. An unenviable situation to say the least. What should I do? I could book a return home. There was the option of seeing a bit of asia, then going home. Neither of those appealed. My final option, and the most daunting, was to try and find another job.

I chose to pick up the gage and stay.

My first and most pressing concern was for all of my belongings. That may seem trivial, but they created a logistics nightmare. I had several heavy bags that were not easy to transport. I had expected to make one or two moves once I arrived in Taiwan then settle into an apartment.

I did have encouragement though. I had made friends during the Hess training program. While the company had discarded me, they had not. As well, I had made a few Taiwanese friends who were utterly shocked by what had happened. One good friend even offered to let me stay at her place if need be. People were very supportive and offered what advice and assistance they could. Some of the most important was helping me stay in the hotel one more night without the staff noticing. That bought me time to straighten out my mind and set my priorities.

I eventually settled on the Taipei Hostel for temporary residence. I went through the gauntlet of getting my stuff there, but found the place suitable and reasonably priced. It offered me a small grasp of stability to launch my job search from.

Hunting for jobs was no easy task. There are lots of openings, but of course they want experience. I also have a good number of people to compete against for them as well. I had to go through a few rejections and each one made it harder to hope. I have never been the most diligent at hunting for employment. It requires more focus than I was imbued with. I put all effort forward that I could muster though, even as my hopes waned.

To complicate matters, I found myself sick. At first I thought it would pass and avoided the doctor. After several days I caved and went to the hospital. The visit was not bad and I walked out with a handful of prescriptions to treat my symptoms until my body adjusted to the my new region. They worked for a time, but when they ran out, I was sick again, and getting worse. I am fairly sure I was running a low grade fever for a week or so. It is hard to ascertain such things when you lack a thermometer and are in a tropical region. My second trip to the hospital the doctor declared tonsillitis and prescribed antibiotics. It took a few days, but soon I was recovered.

As my illness ended, I was finally able to find employment. A small school needed a part time teacher, six hours a week. I had to demo teaching a class that could be described as rambunctious to say the least. I succeeded though, mostly through not leaving in the middle I suspect. The pay was enough to cover my rent at the hostel and about three days worth of food.

There is still more that needs done. If I can get a few more hours I can afford an apartment. I have to keep looking and not become complacent. If i cannot get a full time job, I will have to do a visa run to stay in the country. For now, at least I can survive. That of course is provided that the children do not eat me alive.

I am known to be a jaded cynic with a low opinion of the human race. I believe, though, that individuals can overcome and rise above the nature of humanity. I owe a great deal of thanks to many people who have supported and encouraged me through all of this. Budens are easier to bear when you have others offering to lift some of the weight. It warms my heart when people show kindness to a traveler in need.

To the Hot Springs of Beitou

Perhaps one of the things that I most looked forward to about traveling to Taiwan was visiting the hot springs. For a long time I have heard about the health benefits of hot springs and how relaxing they are. I have been in hot tubs and hot showers, but they are not the same thing. Certainly, they lack the appeal that a natural pool does.

It was for that reason that I traveled to Beitou. My travel guide had placed it as the spot for the nearest hot springs along with being an important historic site. The waters were said to have particularly strong healing properties do to minerals in the water. That was something I quite needed. A week of illness had left me weak and with horrid chest congestion.

The view from the MRT station.

I got a late start, but the MRT got me to Beitou before noon. It was then that I fully realized that I would actually need to take a second line up to Xinbeitou to where the hot springs were. It was a short, comfortable ride. After finding my bearings I discarded the idea of taking a bike in favor of my own two feet.

The roads were well marked with signs to point a traveler on to their destination. Passing through a scenic park provided some shade from the scorching sun. It also allowed me my first chance to spot the green rocks that rested in the creek that wound its way down the hill from the hot spring. I found myself thinking on their color, wondering if it was a property of the rocks or some kind of algae.

Green rocks and ham?

The first real stop was at the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. I have been to museums before, but this was the first time I was required to take my shoes off to enter one. Slippers were provided. The staff was amused by the way I had tied my shoelaces together and hung them over my shoulder before discovering the cubby to place my shoes.

Music and art.

The museum was originally the Beitou Public Baths. It had been built by the Japanese during their occupation in the early 20th century. Walking through I could experience the history of how hot spring bathing was first introduced to the island. My imagination played with what it would have been like back then, people filing in to clean and relax. Open air terraces let a cool breeze wafted through the building. Inside, decorated instruments, mandolins, I believe, were strung up in an interesting art gallery.

I was most fascinated by displays on the mineral properties of the area. They had samples of the green sulfur I had seen in the water earlier. More interesting though was learning about the Hokutolite that can be found on the stones of the pools. Hokutolite is a crystalline mineral that is slightly radioactive. It is fairly rare, with Beitou having a very high concentration.

Continuing up the path I finally reached the reason for primary goal of my quest. The public bath was nothing terribly elaborate. A small kiosk at the front charged NTD 40 for entrance. There was a bathing suit rental, but I had come prepared. Down a set flight of wooden steps were the waiting bathing pools. The pools were tired with the highest being the hottest and the water from it flowing down to the middle and then to the lowest. There were also two cold pools as well. I changed and made my way eagerly for the water.

No photos in the hot springs, so settle for the entrance.

It is at this point that I will take a moment to speak on hot spring etiquette, something that I never quite mastered. There were showers available, and I believe that one is intended to wash before entering the pools. As well, there were buckets that I eventually realized were for dousing ones feet before entering the pools. I am not entirely sure why, though I think it has to do with cleanliness or acclimation. Once in you are expected to find a place and sit, not stand or move around. It took a lot of whistling from the lifeguard, and someone finally explaining in English for me to figure that part out. Also, no dunking your head. Finally, while it might be nice to carry around healing mineral water on your body all day, I would recommend rinsing off afterwards, which I think most people did. The water is from a natural spring and carries sediment that you may find uncomfortable as it dries, dirt, and of course a bit of the people around you. No chlorine in this pool.

A very nice park.

I will readily admit that I underestimated the heat of the hot springs, along with my own tolerance for it. Admittedly, if it had not been a scorching day I think I would have done better. The lowest pool was almost too much for me at first. Slowly, my body acclimated though. I worked my way up to the middle pool a while later. The highest and hottest was beyond me though. I found myself vowing to try again when cooler weather came and the heat would be more bearable. I ended up spending most of my in the cool pools. They were relaxing as well, and much more weather appropriate. They left me refreshed when it was time to finally leave.

The creek I was following.

As mentioned above, I was feeling ill and heavily congested. While the radioactive water did not cure me, I do believe it helped clear my breathing up for a while. After a bit of soaking I started to feel a kind of tightness in my lungs. Later on I had to step away to expel some of the blockage from my lungs. For most of the rest of my day breathing was far superior.

Waiting at the top of the stairs as I left was a woman selling popsicles. It comes with a hearty recommendation that one buy the cool treat after being boiled for an hour. With my cool treat in hand and my health at least slightly improved, it was time to hunt up some more of what Beitou had to offer.

Yu Youren's desk, with his own caligraphy.

A short distance on I came to the Plum Garden, yet another historic site requiring me to doff my shoes. This marvel of architecture had served as the summer residence for one of the men that helped shape Taiwan. Known as the Modern Sage of Cursive Script, Yu Youren helped create modern Chinese journalism, held numerous government offices, and promoted education. The tranquil space was noteworthy for its blend of architectural designs. While the artistry of the building was not lost on me, it was the trees and shrubs outside that delighted me most. They were labeled and close enough for me to make a good study of them for future reference.

Hot spring shrine

I carried on with my journey intent on seeing some hot springs that were more visually exciting than useful for bathing. Boiling sulphur springs are not recommended for taking a dip. Hiking up the road I found the path to the Thermal Valley. I could smell it almost as soon as I saw it. The brimstone stench waffed on the air. Steam rolled off of the hot pond, raising the heat and humidity to nearly unbearable levels. As I made my way around the steaming pool I found a small shrine to climb up and visit. With my pictures snapped, I beat feet for cooler ground.

A lot of very hot, very smelly water. 

I continued on my path of exploration. It was growing late, and my legs tired. When I realized it would be a good hike to the next destination, I instead turned back down the road. I followed the creek from the other side till I could have dinner from a local bakery. With my primary objective met, I headed back to the MRT and on my way home.

I did make a few stops along the way. The farmers market was interesting, but closing down. I got more food at the Shilin night market. In a moment of curiosity I tried a Taiwanese take on an American burger joint. They had the decor down pretty well. The burger was not to bad either, though light on pickles and beef and heavy on the other toppings.

All that hiking works up an appetite. 

Misadventures in Yilan

Plans have a way of rapidly changing. I had started with the plan of going on a trip down the coast until it became clear that the Taiwan equivalent of Labor Day weekend was not the best time for a last minute trip. So instead I had planned to finally hit Baitou and see the hot springs. As I woke up this morning, I was invited by another fellow in the hostel to go with him over to Yilan. With a shrug I said sure.

The bus station was chaos. Even a normally orderly place can become noisy and crowded when everyone and their mother wants to get out of the city. The bus itself, though, was calm once we boarded. The comfortable seats were made to relax a person a long, or not so long, trip.

This would be my first time really escaping Taipei since I had arrived. I watched in fascination as the city skyline faded away to be replaced with verdant mountainsides. Tropical foliage covered the landscape as we wound up the road. The scene was periodically broken by a few buildings or colorful temples.

A passing shot of a temple in the mountains

We entered a tunnel that seemed to go on forever. I hungered for more of the pretty vistas, but the bus rout was sadly lacking in that area. When we exited the tunnel though, things quickly changed. The alluvial plain stretched out before us. Rice paddies and fish farms dotted the landscape. Looking hard, I could peer past all of this to spot Turtle Island. The mass could be seen rising out of the ocean in the distance.

Art at the old train station

Off the bus and on the streets we headed into town. My companion had some errands that needed settled first. We passed by the old train station and down into the market. Fresh fruit and fish were abundantly displayed. I could see fresh catches at one stall while another hawked fruits I could not identify. While not so different from Taipei in style, it was less crowded.

With things taken care of, it was time for lunch. We ate at a restaurant known to my friend. I ended up ordering some hotpot. Not a bad meal of pork, noodles, and the mix of ingredients that get tossed in. It certainly went better than my first try. Now, the more interesting thing about the meal was a little thing that came at the end. It was a kind of gelatin called bread tea, I think. It is flower, tea, and honey.

Bread tea

It was about this time that the plan started to change in unexpected ways. The medications that my companion had picked up were not agreeing with him. So rather than continue on, I had the restaurant call a cab to take us back to the bus station. It was not until we were getting tickets that he realized that he had left his wallet in the taxi.

Vine captured my attention while waiting

Trying to get help when no one speaks English can be tough. It took some time, but we finally got across that his wallet was missing and that he needed help. A little time waiting and the police showed up, but they did not speak English either. Fortunately, I was able to contact a friend of mine to do some translating for us. A man with some excellent English showed up a bit later on to help as well.

The taxi driver was eventually found and he brought the wallet back to us. The police wanted a group photo of everyone involved and took down our names. I think they want to put it in the news to promote the honesty of the taxi driver and the the police effectiveness.

The ride back was not so unlike the ride in. I took a final glance at Turtle Island and vowed that I would be back, and next time I would make it to the coast. There was some navigational issues in that we did not get off at our stop, or possibly it was skipped. In any case, the MRT did not cost much more to get us back from where we were than if we had arrived at the Main Station.

Final view of Turtle Island. I will be back.

It was an eventful day to say the least. I felt fine though. Weather was alright. I saw a few interesting things. My wallet stayed in my pocket. It did give me a taste of what lies beyond Taipei though. I need to be out, to be free. I need to see the wilderness of the island experience all the Taiwan has to offer.

A Week in Taipei

I woke up full of energy that first morning in Taipei. I was in a new place. As new as new could be for me. I wanted to see and do everything. My feet hit the ground and did not come to a rest for nearly a week. I walked my feet into the ground and myself down a few pants sizes.

Taipei is a sprawling metropolis and densely populated. It is intimidating enough for any first time world traveler, let alone a country boy. The tragic speeds down the streets while herds of pedestrians go about their business. A thousand sights, sounds, smells, and more assault the senses.

Busy streets and tall buildings

Despite all of the chaos, the city is not a mess. The people have adapted to it and a canny explorer would do well to do as the Taiwanese do. The streets are clean thanks to staunch recycling. An excellent transportation infrastructure shrinks the city so that you can get from one side to the other with ease.

My first day I was already charged to go exploring. I hit the streets with my roommate, Stephenson, from the hotel. We just wandered with no real plan, stopping in any little shops that caught our attention. It is funny how something as mundane as a helmet shop can seem exciting when you are on the other side of the planet. We ended up on a small quest to find a gas station when we realized that we had not seen one. 7elevens dot the street, but none are selling fuel. Our quest was achieved, and a new one of finding our way back was set.

I made friends with another person from my training group, Isaac. He was more experienced with Taipei and we set out to see about getting SIM cards for our phones. That did not quite work out, but it was a good start. He lead me and another future teacher, Amos, to a night market near the university. A good taste of some real Taiwanese food.

The next day was more touring and socializing with the others in my group. I am not one for big group outings, but I hoped to make a good impression. We visited Liberty Square fist. This expansive plausa is the sight of three landmarks: the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial, National Theater, and National Concert Hall first. They are staggering and beautiful.

Liberty Square as seen from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial

Our erratic herd continued on with a rough plan of going to the botanical gardens. That never quite worked out. Instead we had some lunch and then meandered through the Ximen shopping district. It was a raucks of noise with shops galore. It seemed like almost everything was stamped with Hello Kitty or One Piece (or sometimes both). I had an appointment to keep, so I headed off from the rest of the group early.

My roommate Stephenson, Wendy, Nolene, and I posing before foo lion.

A friend, Wes, took me to dinner at a nearby restaurant. Potstickers are likely to be a staple of my diet along with pork buns. Nicely stuffed, it was time to meet up with the group again for a trip to another night market. It takes a while for night markets to grow old. They are like a mix of festival and boardwalk. Shops offering deals and signs with flashing lights. I even tried my hand at a little haggling. I am not sure if I was bad at it or the guy just was not going down in price. Either way, I got Finn and Jake Adventure Time rags for me and my roommate.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial

Turns out I can be a bit of an early riser at times. I woke up at five thirty in the morning to walk down to the park. The heat is not as rough in the morning. I enjoyed watching some birds and rued that I had not brought a camera to capture their morning hunt.There were other people there, mostly older people. They were exercising and doing tai-chi. I joined two older women for a short time. I should have worn a bit more insect repellent, but I also needed a shower and bath before breakfast.

The memorial park with Taipei 101 in the background

So, the third day was a bit more organized. Hess had us divided into groups to go on a tour of the city while the other half was getting their medical checks done. I ended up on the morning tour, which is probably for the best, by accident. A lot of things got pointed out to us like parks and important buildings. Important things for expats such as a bread store that sells what we would consider normal bread were also pointed out. We went back to Liberty Square. This time we saw the changing of the guards at the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial. Another fun stop was the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. I was actually more interested in the park that was part of the memorial than the building itself. It has beautiful walkways and a pond.

The next day was another planned outing. We were taken up to Tamsui. It had a beautiful boardwalk along the river. A good sight to see was the Former British Consulate. I had seen it in my guide of the island, but had not thought much of it. It actually proved quite interesting though. Sadly, by this point I was not doing to hot. I had chosen to wear my sandals, which had developed some rough spots. Thankfully I had my first aid kit in my adventure bag so I was able to stop any blisters from forming.

Next we went down Tamsui Old Street. A lot of stalls selling all kinds of good eats draw in the crowd. I chose to go with my preferred strategy for eating in a foreign land. I choose something that looked good and ate it. Then I tried to find out what it was. I ended up trying fishballs and squid. Not my thing, but not horrible.

Beautiful, cloudy mountains on the way to the beach. 

The group then split up, some returning to the hotel while the rest went to the beach. I went to the beach. That entailed a rather long bus ride, but the bus was nice. We arrived to find the sand scorching hot (seriously, I almost burned my feet) and the water refreshing. Unfortunately, we did not pay enough attention to local customs. August is ghost month, so no one is suppose to go swimming in water deeper than they can stand. So the swimming area was cordoned off to a rather small area. It was fun to swim though, and some of the waves had some decent size to get swept up in.

Don't swim to deep, there are ghosts about.

By Sunday, I was pretty worn out. I had hardly stopped moving since arriving on the other side of the planet. My feet were worn into the ground. Also, I had gone through most of my wardrobe. So the start of the day was getting some laundry done. That proved a chance to see a bit more of the city streets and get off of the beaten path.

Afternoon was time for another adventure. I had made friends with a very nice lady named Grace before coming to Taiwan. She was kind enough to come with me for a look around the town. It never hurts to have a local guide.

We visited the Holiday Jade and Flower Markets. They reminded me of the flea markets back home, but with some distinct twists. They are located under the MRT overpass, and the Jade Market even has temporary walls and AC. We strolled through looking at the beautiful craftsmanship. I even purchased a few small stones. The flower market was nice as well. Seeing all of the plants and produce made me hunger to come back once I have my own apartment. I see some potted aloe and flowers in my future. There was also a third craft market that had much of the same along with some additional crafts as well.

Taiwan style

After a brief rest in the park (I said I had run myself into the ground) we went to Taipei 101. We got an early dinner, or maybe it was a late lunch, at a nice restaurant down in the basement, and I got some lessons in Taiwanese table manners. After that, it was up to the top. I was excited not just for myself, but for Grace as well. She had never been to the top either! It is funny how we live near things sometimes and never go to see them.

Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world for seven years. It tends to be the centerpiece of the Taipei skyline. It provides one of the best views of the city. At the same time, I find myself often checking to see if it is part of the background when viewing other sights. One of the reasons to travel to Elephant Mountain is to get a good view of the skyscraper.

Taipei at day

The trip to the top was made in the world’s fastest elevator. My ears popped about four times. Once we were up there we were given a phone like device that would give us an audio tour as we went around the building. Thankfully, they had it in English as well. The view was breath taking. We could see all the way to the mountains. Having gone later in the day, we were able to watch the city undergo its twilight metamorphosis. The streets changed to lines of glowing light. Taipei became Tron. We observed the tuned mass damper that acts as a helps the building absorb vibrations. I found myself taking pictures, thinking my father would appreciate them. We made our way to the outside observation to view the city with the breeze brushing our skin.

Taipei at night, staring Grace

Eagle made of coral gemstone

T-rex made of coral gemstone

Ready to make our way back to terra firma, we had to pass through a very high end crafts store. They had statues of jade and coral gemstone. The exquisite detail was mesmerizing. There was a statue of an eagle with wings spread and another of a T-rex. There were huge globes with each country made out of pieces of precious stones. It amazed me even as it also terrified me given my habits of clumsiness. Somehow I made it through without doing a rather literal bull in a china shop impression. All of the stunning art was left in one piece.

On the way home, Grace decided to test me to see if I had mastered the MRT. I can happily report that I passed and was able to make all of the transfers without help. We parted company and I headed back to the hotel. My mind flitted across all that had been transpiring the last few days. So much to take in. I needed to catalog it all and make notes. There were plants and animals to identify. So much, so much to do!

Rest was first though. I was walking with a limp and thoroughly depleted of energy. My feet were actually looking forward to training the next day because sitting around in class would give them a break. There was still a lot left to see, things not done or experienced. There would be time for all of that though. You cannot see everything in a day afterall.