Author: apattington

1/6/23

Anyone who is sane loves a good beach vacay. There is something in it for everyone- water, sun, tourist shops, seafood, claw machines, or even just an air conditioned room where you can read a good book. From yesterday evening until late this morning we have gotten a mini vacation in Kenting on our research trip. At 9am we went on a short walk to a beach near the hotel. IT WAS GORGEOUS but I took only a few pictures because I was very eager to jump in the ocean. Sadly, the red flag was up and we were forced to retreat back to the sandy beach instead of enjoying the bath-like water. The baby sea turtles must have been thinking the same thing as us because we saw several of them walking to the ocean (SO cute).

After the beach, we ate lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant called Smokey Joes. This was definitely an interesting experience filled with average “American food” and inappropriate caricatures (so basically could have been any restaurant in the US). I guess it was nice to eat some spaghetti.

The 4 hour bus ride ate up the majority of the day but was made the most of! Our newly formed traveling acapella group got some much needed practice in the back of the bus while our loyal followers listened up front. (shout out to Ellie for being the only one of us that can harmonize)

We landed in Chishang at about 4 and stopped in a little museum store that sold rice products. Chishang is home to many beautiful rice fields and has become known for their rice. They have a festival every year where they invite the dance group that we saw on 5/28 to do a rice dance. After the store, we got to explore the rice fields and met many snails along the way (some of us got closer than others).

To finish the day, we ate a delicious dinner with super special desserts disguised as mushrooms. In order to show our appreciation for the chef, our acapella group gave our first ever performance to an outside audience. In my biased opinion, it was a spectacular debut.

Thanks for tuning in!

5/27/23

Another beautifully packed day (let’s pretend I’m not writing this the day after)! Today we went to the Tamsui organic farm, which is one of Tse-Xin’s farms. It was a gorgeous (read: hot) day to see the terraced rows and greenhouses at the farm. On the walk, we learned about the volcanic rock that is a building block for the terraces, walls and homes in Nanshipu. The farm itself was relatively small but was still home to many different interesting trees and crops. We saw cinnamon, lychee, and grape trees as well as loofah and gourd plants. There were also many yummy vegetables that were almost ready to be harvested such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. One of my favorite parts of the day, during a tour of the farm, was getting to see their bee hives. They taught us about the relationships and structures that honey bees create in their hives and then showed us examples of each type of bee in real life. We even got to try the honey and hold the comb!

Our visit was not only to see the functions of the organic farm (which was less of working farm and more of a learning farm) but also to do some exciting activities related to the food that was grown there. We got to be creative with shaping rice dough surrounding sweet red bean paste, which was later steamed. We also created tie-dye handkerchiefs using turmeric dye. While these activities were a blast, the best part of the visit hands down was lunch. We were given bento boxes full of different forms of rice, tofu and vegetables along with a passion fruit drink and a fruity dessert. This was certainly the most delicious meal I had for all of the trip so far (and I’ve had some very good food). There were words of approval around the whole room and we all left stuffed.

In the afternoon, we visited The National Palace Museum to see ancient Chinese artifacts that used to reside in the emperor’s palace. It had a vast collection of artifacts from Taiwan’s history that accumulated when Chiang Kai-Shek fled mainland China with his defeated Nationalist party in the late 1940s. They miraculously transported treasures all the way from the Imperial Palace, through warzones, across the sea, and to Taiwan. This feat is an incredible demonstration of cultural preservation, which differs from Western ideologies that may sacrifice culture for individuals. We observed and appreciated historic pottery, paintings, tapestries, jewelry, porcelain books, jade, bronze, and more.

We finished the day with a trip to Jiu Fen street (where the idea for the streets in Spirited Away came from!!). And collectively, we left with many yummy treats and trinkets.