Another Adventure up to the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park

Hopefully you aren't sick of my posts yet and want to read about my trip outside of Kaohsiung City and into the mountains.  Once school starts, I'm sure I'll be posting less because I'll be working and crazy busy so I want to post as much as possible until that time.

Today we met early so we could take a bus into the mountains about an hour outside of Kaohsiung.  What's amazing is that in just minutes, we were travelling across beautiful green fields and into a more country-like setting.  Every possible piece of land that is available has something growing on it (bananas, shrimp, rice, millet, pineapple, etc.) so it's quite a site as you travel through the area.
 

Once we got into the mountains, which are lush and green and incredibly high, we drove to this village called Sandimen where there is this artistic village.  One of the indigenous peoples here make glass beads and we actually got to watch them and then make our own bead (with a lot of help and guidance).  I made a glass bead that they then made into a bracelet.

The shop and village itself was extraordinary. I took a few photos along the way.

 Because this village and tribe is known for their glass beads, they are embedded all over the place like sidewalks, walls, hangings, art, etc.

 These flowers are growing everywhere...along paths, on stone walls and along the roads.

 This is the entry into the shop. See that giant mosquito up there?  The mosquito is not my friend...I got quite a few bites last night at the night market.  Hate those blood-sucking %#*@!

 This is a spider that had spun a web right outside the entrance to the shop.  I kid you not when I say it was the size of my hand.

 Here is the woman who helped me make a bead.  She is making the basic base of the bead that I will then decorate with some of those thin glass pieces sitting to her right.  They make it look so easy but it takes 2 years of training before they are considered good enough to make beads.

 This was the bathroom water and basin to wash my hands.  I know, so unbelievable.  Some of he bathrooms in this area didn't have toilets but had low squatting things that you had to get creative with.  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

 These two photos show you the wall and entrance to the shop. So beautiful!

We had lunch upstairs from the workshop and it was fantastic.  The area is known for millet so it's in everything.  There was millet cooked in the rice and it was also part of the local sausage, which was delicious.  They made this gelatin out of millet that was served with ice and lime and sweetened with local honey.  I WILL learn how to make it - so light and refreshing.  The meal also included roasted pumpkin (also local), taro, local greens, a spicy local mushroom and fresh pineapple, guava and grape tomatoes.  Tomatoes are eaten as a fruit here and are commonly part of dessert.  It was the best meal I've had in Taiwan and it was all foods from this indigenous region and tribe.  After that, we got back on the little bus and travelled to the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park located in Pingtung County.

This park is all about the 14 indigenous peoples of Taiwan and their culture, dress, traditions, arts, etc.  It was such an interesting and informative place.  When you are there you truly see the connection between all of the indigenous peoples of the the world - Alaska, Native Americans, New Zealand, Australia, etc. I've included a link if you are at all interested in learning more. The first is a website of photographs of what the local tribes look and dress like. 

 http://thetaiwanphotographer.com/projects/taiwanese-aboriginal-tribes-%E8%87%BA%E7%81%A3%E5%8E%9F%E4%BD%8F%E6%B0%9114%E6%97%8F/

The second is a link to the park from trip advisor because it has some great photos and also some video of the performance that we went to at the theater there.  

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297909-d1211691-Reviews-Taiwan_Indigenous_Peoples_Culture_Park-Pingtung.html#LIGHTBOXVIEW

I learned so much about what each tribe was known for, how they dress, how they lived, their housing and even their traditional music and dances.  The hour long performance we saw of tribe dances and music was beautiful and awe inspiring.  I can't wait to take my daughters there!

 This is at the main building leading into the park.  There are snakes represented everywhere because they are one of the tribe's symbols.

 This is leading to one of the suspension bridges in the park and area.

There is original art, jewelry and items that represent each tribe.  I ended up buying a few things from two tribes and I bought a liquor made from millet.  I had to buy that!

We only saw a tiny part of this region and we were told that the eastern part of Taiwan is some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  Can't wait!