Life Starts Now...: A step back in time

September 12th marked an official full month since my arrival in Taiwan. I am rather proud to say that I am adapting quite nicely to the new environment and lifestyle here. Even though I do miss my friends and family from time to time, I have to say that I am actually less homesick than I thought I would be. In fact, I really don't miss my old life too much. This new lifestyle, I feel, has given me much more zest and energy. I feel much more alive and real than I have ever felt before. It's a simple lifestyle here, yet I feel so rich in knowledge and experience compared to the past. Of course, everything has its ups and down, but flexibility and an open mind is the key and have helped me immensely in my transition into this new life. Work has been tough, as expected, and I have come home almost everyday exhausted thus far. Part of it must come from the unfamiliarity of the school culture and the new teaching materials here, along with all the amount of extra work that is involved. Still, I am holding a positive outlook that it will get easier as I become more comfortable with the system. Nevertheless, what has really been getting me through the work days are all my elaborate weekends spent exploring the different parts of Taiwan. So far, I have been to nine different cities and townships, counting the one I'm living in. With each new place come new delights and insights, keeping me motivated to get through the week.

The past few weekends of exploring big cities, busy streets, and bustling shopping malls sure were fun, yet I felt rather lacking in some aspect. I love the energy and vibrancy of the city life, but I realized that what I have been looking forward to the most coming to Taiwan is to be able to explore the root of the culture, the natural environment, scenery, and the remnant of the past that still lingers beneath the surface of its modern counterpart.

How delighted I was that I finally got a chance to encounter that part of Taiwan this past weekend on our excursion to the township of Sanyi, only one train stop south of Tongluo (where I live). The town itself is beautiful, in the middle of grand mountains and lush greenery. It is a charming, quiet little town, most well known for its wood carving industry and its historical sites. With the help of our friend Ben, we visited the Shengxing Old Train Station, which is no longer in use and is opened as a tourist attraction. We also visited the Lonteng Broken Bridge (remains from the earthquake in 1935), and the Chateau in the Air (a restaurant inspired by the anime Castle in the Sky, built on the side of a mountain, overlooking a beautiful view below). I have done a lot of travel research prior to my arrival in Taiwan, and all three of these locations has been at the top of my list of places to go, so you can imagine the thrill I got from the experience. All I have to say is that I felt like I have stepped into another world, another time. The rest is beyond words of description, so I will let my photos speak for themselves...

Miaoli county is most well known for its Tung Flower Festival every May

Old Shengxing train tracks

Inside the tunnel, now open for people to walk to the other side. Not much there, but we did find a bunch of bats.

Street performer

The old train station

Stinky tofu, anyone?

Authentic Hakka style noodle for lunch

Longteng Broken Bridge due to a major earthquake in 1935

Board documenting the earthquake

Chateau in the Air

What a view!

On Sunday, some colleagues and I took another trip to the city of Hsinchu to do some shopping. I finally got the chance to meet up with one of my good friends here, Adriana, who is currently teaching near Hsinchu. We had our little reunion/girls' day out, which was a lot of fun, despite a small mishap which landed Shannon and I on a wrong train, stranded in the middle of nowhere. However, we figured it out and got home ok, just 2 hours later than anticipated. It was quite an adventure!