Globetrotting

I love tea. Being in Asia has opened me up to an entirely new world of drinking the timeless infusion. So much effort goes into the tiny bits of the carefully selected aromatic leaves, prior to getting to our pots. Before leaving Japan, Melissa and I had attempted to seek out some higher-class teas, and develop a finer appreciation. We had no idea. Chia’s father is the ultimate tea connoisseur. He was ready and waiting to open our eyes to the greater world of pou-chu (please comment on my Chinese misspellings). He busted out the finest teas in all of Taiwan. 20 year old pour cha, fancy “dragon balls”, and wonderful Taiwan High Mountain Tea. We all agreed that we could never go back to our Bigelow ignorance.

The tea rituals taught me more about Chinese culture than anything else I experienced in Taiwan. Chinese tea drinking is very ritualistic but the main emphasis is on the tea itself. The tea can be graded based on its clarity, how strong the leaves are, and of course the aroma.

After each sitting we all felt so rejuvenated and ready to go conquer Taiwan. It was as if all the energy, from the Sun, the Earth, and all the care of the growers, was inside our little cups.

The teapots are equally important. An aged teapot with a perfect coating makes for a more enjoyable experience. Chia’s father has a keen artistic taste for beautiful teapots. One in particular I remember, was a rare mountain stone formed by volcanic matter, that breaks off into the sea. Li Ba Ba sent a diver into the ocean to find this treasure. He had the perfect artist develop a relationship with the stone and craft it into a single pot. I can’t describe the feelings that over came me after this story. SO much beauty, and symbolism. So much said with so little words. Each tea session we shared was a great moment in my life.

From May 9th until May 22nd, we spent our time between these two countries with some close friends, seeing and doing as much as humanly possible. Melissa Chris and I first flew from Japan to Taiwan, to meet Adam Chia and Kyle (good friends of ours from Lincoln). We came to stay with Chia’s family and see the beautiful island, called Taiwan.

Taiwan and Japan are seemingly very similar. They are both fairly small, mountainous, tropical islands, just off mainland Asia, in the Pacific. The people of these countries have strong connections to ancient cultures, and rapidly developing modern industries. They are densely covered in vegetation, with very similar flora and fauna. On top of that the plane ride from the center of Japan, across the island, to Taiwan, is only about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Given all that, they are worlds apart.

Of course it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference. Taiwan is a Chinese culture. Many native Taiwanese have ancestors from mainland China, and many were born in mainland China themselves. Naturally, Chinese is the spoken language. When speaking of language the term Chinese is barely definitive at all, considering the vast variety of dialects. Taiwan seemed to have a bit of them all, mostly Mandarin, although there is a Taiwanese dialect also. Basically I know nothing of Chinese except that it is a beautiful language capable of amazing communication, and ideas. Unlike Japanese, it relies solely on the Chinese character set (no friendly phonetic symbols) and implements a tonal system. With the tonal system one word pronounced five different ways can have five different meanings, which can create some very amusing situations for the non-native speaker attempting to pronounce some basic phrases. There we were, not able to say a thing. Thankfully Chia and her family were there to keep us well fed, and that’s grossly understated. The Taiwanese eat like no others. When you go to a restaurant usually the meal begins with a few small dishes brought directly to the table. Everyone shares while placing the order. If your lucky you get a sort of “lazy Susan” in the middle of table, which makes for more efficient passing. After some rapid Chinese is spoken the food just comes and comes. We all share each dish, taking what we like and passing it along. I think we had just about everything at each establishment. Chias’s parents made it their personal goal to not let us leave any table until our stomachs could not hold another noodle. The food was of course delicious. There is so much more flavor than American Chinese, and it was less greasy. The easiest way to describe it is simply, authentic. There seems to be a spectrum that is Taiwanese food. On one end you have fancy, gourmet Chinese cooking, which everyone loves. On the other you have nasty, fermented, parts and pieces of veggies and animals alike, which are gross to look at, let alone bring to any proximity of your face. Intestines and various organs are for sale at many street vendors, and the smell of “stinky tofu” can nest in your clothes if you stand at a vendors cart for too long. Being vegetarian I bypassed the pressure to try many of these exotic dishes, however I did eat a “shit egg”. The shit egg looks like a hard-boiled egg, but instead of white and yellow, it’s a deep dark forest green, and brown. It’s been fermented and rotted, and smells worse than it sounds. It wasn’t that bad though, really. Typically the Taiwanese people love all this stinky stuff, and don’t think of it as gross.

In Taiwan everyday was booked. With only a week, we all felt we should do as much as possible. We would usually wake up to a delicious breakfast prepared by Li Ma, who has magical powers in the kitchen. (She has the ability to prepare any amount of food in virtually no time, and what came to the Li family table was the best food we ate in Taiwan.) After breakfast we set out for the day. A great aspect of the Li family apartment, is that once you ride down from the 8th floor, you’re right in the heart of the city. So many great attractions are within walking distance, and if you need to ride the MRT (subway) it’s incredibly cheap. After a lot of walking here and there, we always had the option to head back for a recharge, nap, or some cups of tea. After a long day we usually went to the grocery store and bought as much Taiwan draft beer as we could carry. Cracking brew after brew we would walk around, shopping at the street vendors, or sitting in small park areas. Watching the street vendors, is almost more fun that shopping at them. They have very cheap prices, but the clientele of side walkers comes with a price. Anytime a cop comes walking the beat, they all scramble. It’s amazing how quick they can throw everything onto a small cart and book! Three seconds and a dozen of them are racing around the corner. The funniest part is as soon as the cop turns the corner, they’re right back as quick as they left.

In Taipei we went to two temples, Lung Shan, and Sunyetsen. The detail in the architecture was absolutely amazing. Unlike some Japanese temples, the small ornaments were richly colored in blues, turquoise and other bright colors. Seeing such meticulous created structures was mind blowing. Li Ba pointed out many aspects of Chinese culture that lie within the building. Each figure and every flower, carved out of wood or stone, has meaning. Years could be spent studying the mysteries locked inside the woodworking, we only had a couple of hours. I would say the Taiwanese temples were slightly less touristy than their Japanese counterparts. However they were defiantly more functional. Students come to make offerings to the god that will help them pass their test, and many hopeless romantics come to ask for a better love life. However beautiful and moving these ancient buildings are, it was disheartening to see people in need. Many people come to with the hope of total salvation. The tears running down their face prove the troubles that are plaguing their life. The temple can be a crutch, offering the people a way to perform a ritual, throw in some money, and hope for the best, without actually looking inside themselves for the true nature of their sorrows. Not so unlike home.

Taipei 101 is a must see for any tourist in Taiwan. It is the world’s tallest building. Adam and Chia (Taipei experts) had not yet taken the elevator to the top. To the native Taiwanese the building is somewhat of a symbol of new modernism and not really a part of their home. Regardless of the building, the view from 92 floors up is amazing. From each side you could see the entire city, all the way to the mountains. The observation room was also full of amazing coral carvings to complement the spectacular view. In the center of this floor is Damper baby. Damper baby is a weight damper that has been given a name and character, and is an attraction in and of himself. It (or he) is a 660-ton weight suspended by giant gold ropes. He holds the building in place dampening the wind that would otherwise send the tower to the world’s biggest plummet. The cherry on this steel cake was not the building or the baby, but the elevator. To get to the top of the world’s tallest building you must ride the world’s fastest elevator. It travels 1010 m/min, that’s about 40 MPH! We went form floor 1 to floor 92 in 38 seconds. The elevator is of course state of the art, and is pressurized to lessen the popping in your ears. Maybe it’s a tourist site relying on a novelty, but 101 floors up will impress about anybody.

To be continued…

Our trip to Taiwan was such an incredible experience. The aspect that blew us away the most was Chia's incredible family. Her entire family gave such a warm welcome. They took a great bit of time out of their lives ... [Continue reading this entry]

Well we are headed to Taiwan. Another stamp in the passport!!! Be back in a week. I leave you with THIS, an inspirational film made by a man on a travel community we belong too. Check it out.