Last Week in Taiwan (through day 35)

My last week in Taiwan came so fast! After the teacher exchange program was over, I got the chance to spend the final week at my aunt and uncles home in Taipei and visit with my family - aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, my mom. 



Ximending

On the first day of the final week, my mom and I went to a district of Taipei called Ximending. It is an area known for fashion and youth culture in Taipei. Ximending has sometimes been referred to as the "Harajuku of Taiwan" (Harajuku is an area in Tokyo). The name "Ximending" comes from the words "Ximen" (meaning West Gate "ding" (meaning neighborhood in Japanese). The West gate was built during the Qing dynasty, in 1882. China, who lost the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894 to Japan, had to cede Taiwan to Japan in 1895 and thus, 50 years of Japanese rule over Taiwan began.  

Ximending has a host of restaraunts, street food, stores, pubs, and theaters. It is extremely crowded, especially on weekends. At night, the area is a festival of lights with billboards shining from above.

Ximending is also known for a theater district - movie theaters line the streets. My mom used to go here when she was a teenager as well, she used to come here to watch American films that were subtitled in Chinese. It was one of her favorite things to do.  So, we decided to watch a movie ourselves - we saw Dark Night Rises on the opening day.



Ximending at Night





Maokang Gondolas

On this day we traveled to Maokong - an area high in the mountains, known for it's plentiful tea plantations. We took the gondola ride to Maokong and experienced some amazing views of the mountains and city in the background.

Riding the gondola up to Maokong

View of Taipei below from inside the gondola

We had lunch and then stopped at a teahouse to have a tea tasting with a teagrower.  She taught us all about tea growing in Taiwan and the proper way to make and drink tea.

My mom and I at a teahouse in Maokong

Day with the family: Yilan County, plentiful seafood, a drive up the coast, and a stop in Keelung

Today was spent with a lot of my family on my mom's side: my aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. We traveled on a tour bus to Yilan county to have some fresh seafood, beautiful views, and time together. For my mom and I, it was nice to spend an entire day with so many people we haven't seen in many many years.

Family tour bus traveling south to Yilan County

We stopped at a park to take some pictures (my mom and I)



with my aunts and first and second cousins



L to R: my uncle, my aunt, my mom, me, and two of my cousins

My mom with her brother and sister-in-law

My uncles and aunt and mom

We stopped to eat some fresh seafood - crab, oysters, fish, clams, and squid...plus, the views from the restaurant were fantastic! 

View from the restaurant - you can see Turtle Island in the background

 

We took a drive up the east coast en route back to Taipei. We stopped at Keelung - this stop was special for my mom because this is the city that she was born in and spent much of her youth in.  Keelung is an important port-city in Taiwan, situated on the Keelung River. You can see the many boats docked in the pictures below.

Port city of Keelung

My mom posing with Keelung city in the background

In Keelung, we stopped at Zhongzheng Park, where a Buddhist temple is located.  In front of the temple on the mountain top, a tall white statue of Guanyin overlooks the Keelung Harbor below. This statue is the tallest depiction of Guanyin in all of Asia.  Guanyin is a Buddhist bodhisattva. These enlightened beings could have entered nirvana, but chose instead to remain in the world bringing enlightenment to others. Guanyin is associated with mercy and she protects seafarers from drowning.  Guanyin is one of the most popular Buddhist bodhisattvas in Taiwan.

Guanyin statue in Zhongzheng Park in Keelung

Taipei 101 Observation Deck at Night

One thing that is definitely on a top to-do list of Taiwan is to visit Taipei 101 at night. I went during the day, but the views from night are that much more spectacular. Although I had visited 101 previously with Jacki and Kelly, my mom had not been there yet, so it was nice to experience it with her. Each night of the week, Taipei 101 is lit up in a different color of the spectrum.

   

Previous post about Taipei 101 can be seen here: http://www.jackiekuntz.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-22-taipei-101-and-shida-night-market.html



Taipei 101 lit up at night

We also had the chance to walk up to the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor.  When I was there before, this was not open due to high winds.  I was so glad it was open the second time I went!

View from Taipei 101 from the outdoor observatory

Hike to Elephant Mountain

My mom and I took a hike up to Elephant Mountain.  Elephant Mountain is probably the most famous of the Four Beast Mountains of Taipei.  The reason for this is because you can experience the best views of the city and Taipei 101 from the top.  We chose to go to Elephant Mountain on a scorching hot day and reached the top around high noon (soaked and exhausted) - the views were stunning and totally worth it!

Hiking up to the top of Elephant Mountain  - you have to climb many steps

Entrance of Elephant Mountain

View from the top - I was so tired I could barely lift myself up this rock

Stunning view of Taipei 101 from Elephant Mountain



Although she's tired, she managed to look happy for this photo!



That night, we were so tired from our hike that we treated ourselves to some famous Taiwanese dessert - the Mango Shaved Ice Avalance. Shaved ice is done in many parts of the world - but really, the Taiwanese truly know how to make it special.  To get our shaved ice, we went to one of the more popular establishments, known as Yongkang 15.  Here, we found the line long, as people waited for this tasty treat. 

The mangoes in Taiwan are the very best - the sweetest and most melt in your mouth mangoes I have ever had. They take a large block of frozen milk and mount it on a machine that grinds and shaves it into very VERY fine ice shavings.  They then cover the ice shavings with piles of fresh mangoes, drenched in fresh mango syrup, and finally sweetened condensed milk is poured over top. To top it off, they also put a ball of mango ice cream to finish it off! This dessert was the perfect ending to an exhausting day!



Mango Avalanche



National Palace Museum: special exhibit - “Royal Style: Qing Dynasty and Western Court Jewelry”

I journeyed back to the National Palace Museum for the third and final time to see a few more things I hadn't had the chance to see on my prior visits.  As I said in previous posts, the Palace Museum houses the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world, so it's impossible to see everything in just one visit.

On this visit, I had the chance to see a special exhibit that was featuring jewelry from the Qing Dynasty in China. The exhibit featured court jewelry from the East and West and aims to tell the story of the two regions and the interaction between them at the end of the 19th century. It really made history come alive!

Two of the major pieces that were on display is a summer court hat used for imperial concubines in the Qing Dynasty, decorated with seven Oriental Pearl-embellished phoenixes and a 1928 diamond necklace that features the seventh-largest diamond in the world. It was so amazing to see some of the court jewelry worn by China's emperors, famous concubines, and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi.

Final Night and trip back to VA:

On my last night in Taiwan, my mom and I had dinner with her brother and his wife and her sister.  My uncle and his wife cooked a spectacular dinner full of fresh shashimi, crab, and clams and the best pumpkin rice soup I have ever tasted. Yum.

My trip back to VA was almost 21 hours long, with stops in Tokyo and San Francisco. Luckily, Kelly was also on my flight back.  It was nice to have a partner to weave through the multiple security checkpoints at the airports - we ended up having to cut over 100 people in line at customs in San Francisco in order to make our connecting flight to Dulles.

Final Thoughts:

My first blog has officially come to an end. I made it back safely to my home in Centreville, Virginia and although I think fondly of my memories of Taiwan, it is good to be home. 

My trip to Taiwan was truly an adventure and journey. I wouldn't trade the experiences I had for anything in the world. I experienced history, culture, education, and family in 5 amazing weeks. I'll never forget the people I met and those I experienced this trip with - Jacki, Kelly, and Jim were four wonderful FCPS colleagues I got to know well and spend a large part of this trip with. I am so thankful for Jacki and Kelly, especially - we became very close and supported each other the entire way! They were truly the best travel pals I could ask for. My host families and the Taiwanese teachers and students I met were so gracious, kind, and I learned so much from them.

And one of the most memorable parts of the trip was experiencing Taiwan with my mom and family.  I do hope that I get a chance to visit them once again not too long into the future.

This was a teaching opportunity that I will never forget - absolutely life-changing! Good-bye Taiwan, I'll miss you!

The End.

Thanks for reading my blog :)



My mom and I outside the National Palace Museum