Chinese New Year Visit to Taipei

My Chinese New Year break has been great! It's been so nice having a few days off and I got to have some more adventures along the way.

First, on Wednesday (the first day of our break) one of the Taiwanese teachers at KAS (Lulu) invited a few of us to enjoy dinner with her family. What a special time that was!

Her aunt spent the day preparing for our meal and you can see the results! The food was traditional with some specialities prepared just for the holiday. In the center above is a plate of baby spinach that is cooked with the roots still attached. It is the first thing we ate (root and all) and it is meant to give you long life.

 There was local shrimp, greens and different meat dishes like pork, liver and fried fish.

 This dish below is sea cucumber (which I had never had before and found delicious).

 This is Lulu's family (dad, mom, Lulu, grandparents and other family).

I am so lucky and grateful to have had such a wonderful introduction to Chinese New Year traditions!

On Friday, my friend Dawn, her daughter Lily and I took the train up to Taipei. This little creature greeted us at the entrance to the MRT (subway station). As is evident in many of my posts, there is a certain amount of kitsch and absurdity in some of the art but I love it.

I was proud of us as we navigated from the HSR (high-speed rail) to the MRT (subway) to the shuttle that took us to the Grand Hotel. We stayed at this historic hotel that was built during the reign of Chiang Kai-shek. He wanted a grand hotel to house foreign dignitaries in Taiwan. The hotel is one of the world's tallest Chinese classical buildings and was built in 1952. People like Reagan, Nixon and Clinton have stayed here.

The lobby is pretty dramatic with the wonderful red that is a part of Chinese culture.

Now, I have to admit, that although this hotel has amazing history and is quite grand on many levels, I did not particularly enjoy my stay here. I was in a very small room without any windows (which I've never experienced before and was not a fan of).  Also, my room was too hot (had no control over the temp), I could hear everything going on in the room next to me (which was quite "interesting" at one point) and it smelled like a big fart. There is no more delicate way to say that. But, we weren't expecting to spend that much time in the hotel so we ventured toward the National Palace Museum.

The National Palace Museum houses about 700,000 ancient Chinese imperial artifacts.  We had an English tour of the museum on Friday and then returned on Sunday morning for a special exhibit.

The special exhibit (History of the World in 100 Items) was in the building below. Quite impressive but nothing in English. I met a new friend there who was able to translate some of the history for me (thanks Alex).

The buildings and exhibits were beautiful. I am so enjoying learning more about the history of both Taiwan and China. The only problem was how crowded everything was. I've never seen so many people in one museum before and after a while it did get to me. I remained patient and we made it through (with a lot of learning along the way) but I was glad to have some open air when we finally made our way out of there.

On Saturday we took the MRT to the Taipei Zoo. 

Dawn, me and Flora

Again it was so crowded that by the end of I was ready for a cold drink and a sitdown.  I did enjoy seeing some of the animals "hanging  around" the place.

I barely made it out alive! Next stop, Maokong Gondola. The line there was, of course, incredibly long with the wait being almost 2 hours. Call it good karma but Lulu (mentioned above) was already in line and urged us to join her. We did and we were seated in our own little gondola in less than 30 minutes.

The gondolas go all the way up the mountain (takes about 25 minutes) and you end up in a tea plantation area that, although was WAY TOO CROWDED, was one of my favorite places I have visited in Taipei.

This single lane takes you up and down the mountain with tea houses and food vendors on either side.

This beautiful cemetery was right next to the small garden being tended by a couple.

 Although foggy, the view of the Taipei 101 was beautiful!

We sat on the back porch of this little tea house that was overlooking the mountainside. Look at this view! I'm in love!

 We had a traditional tea ceremony while enjoying both the view and the company. I am so lucky to be living this life!! I can't wait to go back up the mountain (on a MUCH less crowded day of course).

Xīnnián kuàilè - Happy New Year on Monkey Mountain!

Today is the beginning of the new year in Taiwan and my resolution is to get more exercise. Yes, I do bike every day because it is my one mode of transportation other than walking. Yes, my school is spread out and I get exercise just by making copies. But, this aging body needs to do more exercise and I know it. Today I begin to exercise on a more regular basis!

My friends Wendy and Lee joined me on a hike up Monkey Mountain this morning. It's incredibly humid today and in the 70's so it was nice to get out there early. We went up a new path that Lee had gone on with another co-worker. Wow! It was incredible! My apologies for another pile of photos but it truly is a magical place to hike. The trees are spectacular; I feel like a T-Rex is going to come stomping around a corner at any moment.

 Most of the path was groomed and a boardwalk or stairs so although the hike is uphill most of the way, it makes for easy going.

 Little pavilions and places to stop and rest can be found along the path.

 The palm fronds are just primordial! 

 It's hard to believe that this is in a city of over 2.5 million people!

 And then there are the monkeys....

 The belief is that when another part of the tree reaches down and takes root, it brings more luck. That is one LUCKY tree!

 Up....and up....and up!

 Nature's art!

 This mountain is pretty much a humungous coral reef that was pushed up out of the ocean. You see the huge chunks of coral jutting out and surrounding you everywhere.

 Some of the leaves are so massive - more than 2-3 feet across!

 I would NOT want to wander into this cave. Just the thought of viper snakes is enough for me!

 We pay a lot of money in the states for a bunch of these flowers and here they grow in the wild.

 That is a hunk of coral reef!

 You can see the path leading us up the mountain. Isn't it amazing!?

 Wendy noticed this little path off the main one we were walking on. We ventured in and this is what we found.  Wow!

 This is at the TOP of the mountain! People have to hike up here to tend this garden!

 It was a perfect little sanctuary and one I will come to often!

 The path we were walking on is called the North Slope of Tough Guy! Ha! Translation is everything!

 A few furry friends on the path as we made our way down the mountain. Hiking up is work, going down hundreds of stairs is tough on the knees.

 That's the life. Having someone picking and grooming you as you lay in the sun.

 This is how close I was. Amazing!

 At the bottom of the mountain there are little shops selling cold drinks and snacks. There are also the "See, Hear and Speak no Evil Monkeys" reminding us of the rules to live by.

 And our journey was at an end. From the moment we left my place to bike to Monkey Mountain and return, we hiked and biked for almost 3 hours. Now that's what I call starting a New Year's resolution!

Xīnnián kuàilè (Happy New Year) to all my family and friends. Gōngxǐ fācái (happiness and prosperity)!