Danshui

The port town of Danshui lies north of Taipei, where the Danshui River meets the ocean.  The name is usually pronounced Dan-Shway, however it is spelled in Pinyin English many different ways, including Danshui, Tamsui, Danshuei and others.  Taiwanese Chinese can be confusing.  The city was settled by the Spanish in the early seventeenth century and was more important than Taipei for several hundred years.   The Taipei MRT system runs the entire way to Danshui and due to the transportation ease; it is a popular weekend travel location for the people of Taipei.

The red brick Fort San Domingo was constructed by the Spanish in 1629 and later occupied by the Dutch, Chinese and British.  It was the British consulate until 1980.  Scottish Canadian missionary George Mackay was highly respected for his work in the 19^th century.  He constructed hospitals, churches and universities around Taiwan and spent much of his time in Danshui or Tamsui, whatever the city is called.  The red brick Aletheia University, also called Oxford, is now a museum dedicated to Mackay’s work.  A bust of Mackay is featured in the town center.

Fisherman use the port to access the Straits of Taiwan and Pacific Ocean.  As you can see by the picture, it is important to plan your fishing excursion based on the tides.  There is some commercial port activity nearby. 

As in any Taiwan city, the street foods are fantastic.  We ate little quail eggs, deep fried animal body parts and the most wonderful ice cream dish I have ever tasted.  A thin rice “tortilla” is filled with ground peanuts, cilantro and ice cream, and then rolled like a burrito and it becomes a nice handheld treat.

Our day trip to Danshuei or Tamsui or whatever the city is called was one of many discoveries that my wonderful wife has made possible.

 

Tea Culture of Taiwan

Taiwan has a significant history of tea consumption and it is an important part of their culture.  Certain green tea species are native to Taiwan and were found growing wild in the central part of the island by Europeans.  In the early 17^th century, the Dutch controlled Taiwan and the lucrative tea trading routes from Asia to Europe.  The Dutch encouraged Chinese to immigrate to Taiwan as farmers, including tea cultivation. In 1683, Taiwan came under the loose control of the Chinese Qing Dynasty and tea cultivation continued to expand.  In 1895, the Japanese took control of the island and introduced black teas.

There are numerous small towns in Taiwan that cater to tea industry tourism.  We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain and then hiked down into a tea plantation to watch the farmers harvest tea.  Local restaurants serve tea, but also cook with the plant.  I enjoy the fried rice with tea leaves. 

Visiting the towns where tea is grown reminds me of visiting wine regions around the world.  Tea is found drying on tarps in the streets, “fermenting” or oxidizing in yards and for sale at hundreds of tea shops.  A “Tea Master” has a museum dedicated to the tea trade, and of course offers tastings and tea for sale.  My favorite tea of Taiwan is Oolong , which has a following around the world. 

Taiwan exports green tea to the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong and Great Britain and the black teas are shipped primarily to Russia and Turkey.  I enjoy tea almost as much as wine, so living in Taiwan has been a treat.

Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is the largest lake in Taiwan and a popular tourist attraction for Taiwanese and mainland Chinese, and at least one American.  There are small towns on both sides of the lake, with numerous hotels and restaurants, and a number of boats that take passengers back and forth.  The lake is important to the aboriginal people that have lived in this area and a burial ground is located on the small island of Lalu. Much of the island is now submerged due to the raised lake level created by a hydroelectric dam.

After Chiang Kai-shek fled China and established his government in Taiwan, the dictator spent considerable time at Sun Moon Lake.   During the time he spent there, government decision making officials also transferred from Taipei to the resort area.  Chiang Kai-shek had a pagoda built as a memorial to his mother, which creates a nice photo.

In 1999, a strong earthquake struck the area, toppling buildings in Taipei 150 km away.  More than 2,400 people were killed.  This is significantly less than the number of Taiwanese that Chiang Kai-shek murdered, however it is a reminder of the earthquake danger of the island.  A photo of a collapsed temple nearby Sun Moon Lake is posted below.

It is the banana season in Taiwan and I never realized how many different times of bananas there are.  This is one of my favorite fruits, though I am more cautious since biting into a banana and finding a live worm.

The day trip to Sun Moon Lake was very enjoyable and of course we ate numerous foods from the street vendors.  The street is my wife’s restaurant and I love it too.

Motor Scooters of Taipei

Taipei and all of Taiwan has an ingrained motor scooter culture.  The majority of adults ride inexpensive 2-stroke engine scooters as their primary transportation.   There are over 11 million registered scooters in Taiwan for a population of 23 million, and many more unregistered.  That suggests the Taipei area with a population of 8 million has over 4 million scooters.  The primary negatives of living in Taipei are the air and noise pollution, both mostly attributable to scooters.  I used to ride Harley Davidsons, so I’m not really an anti-bike guy, but the scooters are obnoxious.

The government of Taipei understands the issues; however they have trouble getting the people to change.  For many years, scooters were the only reasonable way to travel inexpensively.   Taipei installed their mass rapid transit system over the past 10+ years and it is really a great system.  However, most citizens of Taipei still ride their scooters.  Taiwan subsidizes electric scooter purchases, but more than 95% of the scooters sold are the noisy, polluting fossil fuel burning variety.  It will take a major government policy change to move the culture.

The scooters are used by all ages.  You will see a 75 year old man and wife riding, a teenager with his girlfriend, a women with her two small children, etc.  I expected I would see many scooter accidents, but have seen only two so far. The riders go wherever they want.  They take over sidewalks; sidewalks are not for pedestrians.

Scooters are an important business.  In our neighborhood, we have a Yamaha dealer, several repair shops, a seat refurbishment shop and the Best Helmet Plaza.   How can they call themselves the Best?  Well they have the largest selection of Hello Kitty helmets in Taipei, which I think makes them the best.  The seat refurbishment business is amazing to watch.  I walk by the shop several times per day and it is run by a family (father, mother and son), and it is open 7 days per week 12 hours per day.  Scooter riders hang out at the shop similar to HD riders in the U.S. at the dealerships.  The most popular selection for an after-market seat is the Playboy rabbit logo.

Motorcycle gear is a fashion statement in Taiwan.  The picture of the man in full leathers on the beach is a common sight.  Leather jackets with laughable designs keep me entertained.  The funniest leather jacket I have seen is a Johnny Depp looking pirate with two thumbs up.  Below the pirate was the “gang” name of Happy Twinkie.  There are real gangs in Taiwan.  The anti-gangster unit of the government has taken down three gangs so far: The Heavenly Way, the Bamboo Union and the Four Seas.  The police have some very fast scooters, to chase the gangs. So far I haven’t read about any impact to the Happy Twinkies.