I think I have spent more time on a train this past weekend then relaxing these last few weeks. Double Ten Day or 雙十節is pretty much the celebration of Taiwan’s birthday, the equivalent of celebrating the 4th of July. There is no clear way to celebrate, its more a long weekend where people travel to take advantage of the time off. With four days off from school I spent my time in Taipei for a day and then Tainan, a south western county known for its food, for 2.5 days. To make this happen I sat on a train for 15 hours and thirty minutes roughly over the four days. I’d like to say it was all worth it. All those hours spent sitting trying not to mess with my phone to save the battery, but I don’t entirely think it was.
I originally planned to go to Taipei to see the President speak and I heard there was a parade in the city. Now there was a military parade which consisted of the military marching, but the floats for the parade didn’t move and instead were situated at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial for people to go up close and see the designs. I’m glad the parade floats were there because with my careful planning I messed up all the times and would’ve missed everything if it wasn’t for the parade floats being available all day to see. I came just as the people were cleaning up the confetti and the people were leaving the speech. The parade floats are really detailed. With a combination of Asian design and modern concepts there were trailers dedicated to the air force with fighter planes on it and a baseball float, while there was also a float with a silk covered tiger that moved. The crowds were worth it as I navigated between the different floats. Freedom Square also had tents of different foods and small knick-knacks that I think were supposed to be “aboriginal” and truly Taiwanese. Yes, I put aboriginal in quotes because I have seen truly aboriginal art and crafts and what they were selling were cheap replicas for the tourists. The people at the tents kept trying to call out to me to draw them to their store to buy something saying things like “It’s the best in Taiwan”, or “you haven’t visited Taiwan till you try this.” Well for one, I live here and for a year will be able to do or go anywhere I want to in Taiwan. And two, what makes you think your mango milk is the best in Taiwan? It’s the end of the mango season so you are either using the last of the mangos or they’ve been frozen and aren’t fresh. Either way, there is no way it’s the best in Taiwan. As you can see I have become very passionate about my fruit.
No matter the crowds, coming to Taipei gets better each time. The first time I went I was truly overwhelmed with so many places I wanted to go and the heat being so bad I ended the day feeling miserable. Now, I felt confident going around Taipei by myself, reliant on my own Chinese to ask people directions, and understanding how to take the train system made the whole visit there so much easier. Taipei also has the best pizza, so it’s a win/win situation when I visit.
Originally Sean was going to come down to Tainan with me on Friday following all the Independence Day events, but something last minute came up leaving me with the long trip down to Tainan by myself. I tried as much as I could to sleep on the train. Armed with a “bagel” from 7/11 I rode down almost the entire coast of Taiwan. I decided to go to Tainan for this long weekend because even though its location isn’t far from Taitung, where I live, there is no train across the island. Therefore, I either have to take a train south and then north or north and then south. The convoluted path to get there makes it a hard tourist destination for me. I’ve planned this trip for weeks because there is so much to do in Tainan. Tainan used to be the old capital of Taiwan. It is rich in history and known primarily for its food. On Friday, I met up with a fellow ETA, Amanda, in a little café and planned out the rest of the day. We visited what was supposed to be known as the green tunnel, a park where the mangroves have grown in such a way that you are completely covered by the leaves. Despite my careful planning one main point must’ve missed my research, in order to actually see the green tunnel, you need to have tickets for the boat ride. I was convinced there was a path or bridge you could walk to see the same thing. So, the green tunnel is still on my list of things to see because the boat rides were all sold out by the time we got there. Oh well, you live and you learn. Together we also visited Chihken Tower, an old fort built during Dutch Colonization. It was beautiful and by far the best thing I saw in Tainan. The architecture was beautiful with Lord of the Rings’ hobbit style doors and old rickety staircases. Even the parks were relaxing. The lakes had little boats in them that just moved around and turned the water so as to limit anything growing in the lake and also filling the air with the peaceful sound of a fountain.
Sean was able to get a train ticket last minute to Tainan for half the day to make up for his earlier plans. After a mix up with which train station he was set to come into, we met up and had lunch in a small bistro. The bistro was hipster and western so as one could assume, pretty expensive as well. I forgot when ordering you need to understand that what you think you are getting and what you actually get could be two different things. I ordered a hamburger with onion rings on it, bacon, and cheese. I was excited I’m not going to lie for the hamburger. When it came I took a bite to find that Taiwan’s version of a hamburger is literally anything with the hamburger bun. It can pretty much be any type of sandwich, but if the bun looks like a hamburger bun it’s a “hamburger” in their eyes. So, my burger was more or less a bacon sandwich with lots of onions and cheese. Despite the misunderstanding it wasn’t bad at all. I’ve been eager to eat any food other than Asian food right now and will jump at the chance to even have something as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a snack.
One my second day in Tainan I visited old forts dating back to the Dutch. Sean still owes me an ice cream because he was convinced the old fort was built in the Qing dynasty. We also traipsed around the Anping District, a county that has embraced and tried to hold on to its traditions. We visited the Anping Treehouse where a banyan tree has grown in such a way that it took over a warehouse. When you go it looks something out of Stranger Things or a horror film where you don’t know when the warehouse ends and the tree begins. Tainan’s acceptance of trees is unparalleled. Once a tree reaches a certain age it is required to be protected by the county, so like the tree at the Anping Treehouse, the government builds pedestals and metal contraptions so as to support the branches of older trees and keep them living. We also visited the first Department store in Taiwan. It reminded me of Harrod's in London in that they preserved as much as they could of the architecture, even having the elevator as an attraction to see the actual pieces from when it was first built. I went to the store thinking I could buy something either clothes or a trinket for a gift and walked away with nothing because everything seemed so over priced or not what I was looking for. Why would I need a pocket watch or a silk scarf right now when I can't even make sure I don't ruin my white shirts when I wash them in the washing machine because of the minerals?
When I saw this tree all I kept thinking was "Its alive!"
The night markets in Tainan are also a different story. They are bustling so much with hoards of people that it’s a little overwhelming at times. I found it easier to eat before you go so that you don’t feel pressured to eat everything and anything, but instead can be a little more picky with the stands I visit. The most interesting food I got on this trip was fresh fruit jelly balls. They took dragon fruit, pineapple, apple, peach, kiwi, grapes, and mango and put them in jello pretty much. Then they smother the balls in honey and cover them in ice. Now I don’t particularly like jello, mostly because of the texture so don’t ask me why I even tried this, but some of the fruits actually did taste quite good. I. would go back and have the peach and kiwi balls again, but I would stay away from the dragon fruit because that fruit has no taste at all in my opinion. I have come to appreciate the small night market in my town over these huge events in neighboring counties. There is something more about the vendors recognizing you and being able to have a conversation while they make your food than worrying about lines and being pushed from behind.
One more county off my bucket list. I believe there are 16 counties in all, one of which is an island off Taiwan which will be hard to visit. Nevertheless, I am trying to visit all of Taiwan’s counties before I leave at the end of July. So far I have been in Taitung (where I live), 花蓮 Hualian, 台北 Taipei, and now 台南Tainan as well. 4 down, only 12 more to go.
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