Dave and I and John and Carol left Taiwan for Hawaii about 3:00 PM on Wednesday, April 6th by way of a three hour flight to Tokyo. After a 2 ½ hour wait in that airport we took a seven and a half hour flight to Honolulu trying to get comfortable and sleep the time away. Having crossed the International Date Line we got to Honolulu in time to catch an 11:00 AM flight to Maui on the same day we left and even earlier in the day than when we left Taiwan. Once we found out the ship would no longer be visiting Japan and we would be spending two extra days at sea the other three mentioned above wanted to jump ship and head for Hawaii to spend more time here. So here we are at our condo a week and a half earlier than we had planned. It will be nice to get rested before John’s kids arrive in another week. We have already had a night’s sleep and been to the Gazebo for breakfast this morning.
On Monday, April 4th our ship pulled into Keelung, Taiwan not too far from Taipei. Taiwan’s official name is Republic of China but they prefer to be called Taiwan so as not to get confused with The People’s Republic of China. Our guide said the weather here changes like a step mother’s face. It was raining when we arrived and the forecast was rain for our entire visit but we lucked out and the next day was cloudy but not raining. She said it rains about 200 inches a year and they get very little snow. They depend on rain to grow rice and say that water brings money. I was surprised at how lush and green the country is. Very pretty! About 2/3 of the island is covered by mountains so there isn’t a lot of livable land and most of the people live on the west coast. The east side is covered by mountains and that coast feels about 200 earthquakes a year. The east side also gets damage from typhoons. She said the country is shaped like a sweet potato.
There are about 3 million people living in Taipei and about 6 million if you take in the area surrounding the city. I don’t remember the total population of Taiwan. We took a tour the day we arrived that first took us to Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world. It has 101floors and it towers over everything in Taipei. It was built from 1997 to 2004. A taller building has been built in Dubai so Taiwan lost out on the distinction of having the tallest. We rode the world’s fastest elevator from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in only 37 seconds or about 60 miles per hour. It took 45 seconds to go back down. The world’s largest wind damper is enclosed in this building to help with swaying from wind and earthquakes. The damper weighs 660 metric tons. The first six floors of this building contain a shopping center filled with very expensive shops. It is so clean and new and looks like it belongs in New York City. The rest of the building houses offices.
Next we went to see the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square. The people of Taiwan love this man and the memorial hall is huge. They have his complete office housed in a museum just as the way it was the day he died along with two of his old Cadillac’s, one of which is bullet proof. There is a wax figure of him sitting at his desk where he is supposed to look like the age of his death of 89 years. I think the figure looked too good for 89 years. The memorial is open each day from 9 to 6 and they have guards standing at the base of a huge figure of him during those hours. We saw the changing of the guards which was quite interesting. The guards stand completely still for 50 minutes at a time without even blinking an eye. Amazing!
Next we went to see one of the oldest and most famous of Taipei’s temples called Lung-Shan or “Dragon Mountain.” The temple is a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism. When entering a temple they always go through the entrance with a dragon which brings luck and happiness and leave out the exit of the tiger. You should never enter through the mouth of a tiger. People coming to pray at the temple bring offerings of flowers or fruit. They leave the flowers but take the fruit blessed by the gods back home to share with family and friends. The worshippers all burn incense to take their prayers by way of smoke to the gods.
The day we arrived in Taiwan was children’s day and the next day, April 5th, was tomb sweeping day, so most people were off work and celebrating the holidays. People go to the cemetery to clean their ancestor’s graves and leave paper money for them as they believe the ancestors need money and everything they needed in real life for the afterlife. We saw people burning paper money on a corner in the city believing the smoke will deliver the money to their ancestors. Most people are cremated these days as land is too expensive and precious to bury bodies.
After this we went to a Mongolian Barbecue where we selected ingredients from a wide array of uncooked meats, vegetables, seasonings and spices. As you watch, the food you chose is quickly fried on hot iron plates. There was a pot of broth in the middle of our table which we could add vegetables or meat to that was very tasty. The food tasted great and I’m glad I was done eating before someone saw a rat run down one of the walls nearby. Makes one wonder what kind of meat we ate. The restaurant was pretty dirty and my feet stuck to the floor in a few spots.
Next we were off to see the night market and snake alley where we saw large snakes in tanks and food stalls selling snake dishes. There were several foot massage parlors along this street. Carol and John each had ½ hour foot massages for $15 each. Our tour today went from 1:30 to 11:00 PM and we packed a lot in that amount of time.
The following day we took a tour to the villages of Sanshia and Yingge. We thought they would be little charming towns in the country but found them to be just like other big cities. Again we visited another temple known for its intricately carved stone and bronze columns and statues. There are going to be 156 stone pillars in this temple when finished. Each pillar takes three years to complete so it will be a while before all are done. I find the temples to be very interesting but think I have seen enough to last me for quite some time. After the temple visit, we walked through the narrow winding streets with brick buildings at least a century old. All kinds of pots were bubbling with unknown foods along the way and we tried horn shaped breads that the town is known for.
Next we visited the village of Yingge which is the pottery center of Taiwan. We visited a museum where 1000 year old ceramic pots are displayed. Next we had a chance to shop for pottery along a cute street where there were plenty of tea sets, pots, vases, etc. to be had. Then we went back to the ship to finish packing for our journey to Hawaii the next morning.
My next blog will be about life aboard the MV Explorer.
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