Xinying Sojourn

[Shutree]

Her son is two years old. A more challenging age, in my experience. Nonetheless it is great see how much fascination a turtle can be.

[DrWilly]

Can be a challenging age, they never stop!

[Norton]

Was the Sea Dragon Club a happening place back then?

Very much so. It was the enlisted mans club. Great food, cheap beer was our daily start the night on the town place.

[katie23]

Thanks for the pics & stories, Shutree. Xinying reminds me of Hualien city, which is on the eastern side of Taiwan. The buildings & alleys look similar to the area where I stayed when I was in Hualien. Hualien is the jumpoff point if one wants to see the Taroko Gorge.

I've recently learned that one can go on a Taroko Gorge day tour via Klook - it's an online organized tour agency which operates in several countries. I've done a Klook day tour for Shifen & Jiufen (?), during another Taiwan trip. We travelled by tour bus (w/ English speaking guide) and went to maybe 7 or 8 touristy sites. It was jam-packed and a bit tiring but hassle-free. I'd recommend it if one has limited time for sightseeing.

[Shutree]

One purpose of the trip was to visit Dr. Lin and get some traditional treatment for a persistent shoulder pain. He has a good reputation and I am not the only person from overseas who makes the journey to his modest clinic south of Taichung. First step was a hike to the railway station' a very ordinary small urban station. Not the smallest, in Japanese times Xinying was a centre for cane sugar and the railway was an important link. The sugar is less important now and most of the Japanese infrastructure is gone. There is a narrow-guage train still run as a tourist attraction. No pictures this trip.



There is a local train that stops a lot but no change required for the journey. The ticket office helpfully added a note with the train number and the times.



That is less than Baht200 for a 2-hour train journey.

Most people were still wearing Covid face masks, especially on public transport. I didn't bother and no one complained about it. I felt there was some sort of inertia about dropping the masks.



My experience with Taiwan trains is that they run pretty much to schedule. There are occasional delays of a few minutes, for the most part you can go out and catch a train according to the timetable. A fair price, clean, running on time. They should be put in charge of the British trains.

[Shutree]

Hualien is the jumpoff point if one wants to see the Taroko Gorge.

I didn't plan any tourist stuff this trip. I went mainly to visit my friends. If you have time to be a tourist though the Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake would be high on my list. Sun Moon Lake is easy to do solo, there is a bus from Taichung HSR station.

[Shutree]

My trip to the quack took me to Wuri Station, a very small stop south of Taichung city. Wuri is known for only one thing, the brewery.



It's a bit of a hike from Wuri station to Dr. Lin's surgery. It is about two stops on the bus. I had plenty of time and walked because I like to walk, although the Taichung buses are well-organised, airconned, and you can see on an app where they all are in real time as well as the bus stops having live data. Exactly like Nongbualamphu. (In my dreams. )



Finally I arrived. Saw the quack, got twisted about and cupped, paid and left. It wasn't the silver bullet I'd hoped for, only some small improvement.



I have no pics of Dr. Lin's mother's shop next-door but one. The family is quite wealthy, I suspect they own a few of the units on that block. His mother spends most of her time on community projects. Years ago the locals farmed freshwater pearls, then they got into home made soap from recycled cooking oil, both of which she spent time organising. She runs something called the Maple Honest Store which is a shop on the other side of the Maple Community where the distinctive feature is that there are no staff, only an honesty box. It is a modest shop, on the tourist trail for Taiwanese visitors. I have no pictures from this trip, I borrowed this one from the Internet:

[Bettyboo]

Love a photothread - thanks.


That might be the worst gallery I've ever seen.

But, a very large and exciting wine shop!

[malmomike77]

In UK it would be full of litter with feral teenagers seeing how high they could pile the shopping trolleys.

nope, it'll have turds flowing downstream because the govt has allowed all the foreign owned water companies to make billions flouting water safety standards, which us consumers are now going to have to foot the bill to these scum to put right. You couldn't make it up.

[cyrille]

Yet again eh - something fucked in the UK that is all the fault of foreigners.

Isn't there anything ​there fucked through the fault of Brits these days?

[david44]

Isn't there anything ​there fucked through the fault of Brits these days?

Your immaculate good self sir, our grammar go to ajarn for all seasons, not just short time but the long haul, chapeau

[Shutree]

Yet again eh - something fucked in the UK that is all the fault of foreigners.

Isn't there anything ​there fucked through the fault of Brits these days?

I think we Brits can claim the fucked up domestic transport systems as truly our own. The trains in particular stand out as an example to the rest of the world how not to do it.

[Shutree]

That might be the worst gallery I've ever seen.

But, a very large and exciting wine shop!

Maybe my pics don't do it justice. I think she has done a fair job at modest cost to create the gallery. The art of course is a matter of personal taste. She doesn't really expect people to visit the gallery in this small town. She knows that to exhibit at the annual Taipei art fair her husband needs to have had a certain number of exhibitions in the year and the only way she can achieve that is by having her own gallery.

This is her first exhibition. Her husband's works are the folded canvasses. The other art is a Dutch friend of his. Sometime soon the other artist's works will be swapped out for a third Dutch artist and that will become her second exhibition. She is very organised, it is a long term plan.

For myself, I can see the shelf full of wine as a more engaging 'installation'. Probably cheaper too, those large canvasses are in the tens of thousands of Euros.

[Shutree]

There is a second larger park beside Carrefour that is home to the Tainan municipal stadium. I went every morning for a brisk walk around. In my pics I tried to avoid shots with too many adults or children as I didn't want to offend anyone, so the place looks a bit empty. In fact it was busy in the early morning, lots of different groups walking or getting their Chi together.





The stadium's overhang is popular with local swallows.

[malmomike77]

Yet again eh - something fucked in the UK that is all the fault of foreigners.

you obviously missed this

because the govt has allowed

its been all over the news for the past month.

anyway, thanks for posting Shu, its a real pain doing these threads getting mucked about with the photos etc

[Bettyboo]

Maybe my pics don't do it justice. I think she has done a fair job at modest cost to create the gallery. The art of course is a matter of personal taste. She doesn't really expect people to visit the gallery in this small town. She knows that to exhibit at the annual Taipei art fair her husband needs to have had a certain number of exhibitions in the year and the only way she can achieve that is by having her own gallery.

This is her first exhibition. Her husband's works are the folded canvasses. The other art is a Dutch friend of his. Sometime soon the other artist's works will be swapped out for a third Dutch artist and that will become her second exhibition. She is very organised, it is a long term plan.

For myself, I can see the shelf full of wine as a more engaging 'installation'. Probably cheaper too, those large canvasses are in the tens of thousands of Euros.

Perhaps I was being to cruel/crude on the art. As you say, it is very nice for local artists to exhibit their work, collaborate with others and help to develop a thriving scene. Good luck to the lady.

[Shutree]

The park has a children's play area. My host brings his son here most days and hangs out with the other yummie mummies.



We seniors also get a play area.



Many older folk exercise around the perimeter. Mostly it is paved and shaded. You might notice the general flatness of the surface that gives it away as not being Isan. Where are the missing paving blocks, the unevenly laid trip hazards?



Each morning nearly every person I passed exchanged a greeting, often in English. I do think the Taiwanese are mostly very welcoming. As compared with my lonely Isan lane where I can walk within two metres of a lone local who will ignore me completely. Of course nearly all the folks out for exercise at 0600 in Xinying are retirees, I guess I am part of the same demographic. Sad to say, the pretty young things in the coffee shops walked past as if I were part of the furniture.

[Shutree]

The park also has a large swimming pool and opposite that a sort of mirror image building which is a gymnasium.



Opposite the park is a large, steel-framed building under construction. This will be the new National Library, all part of the government strategy to spread resources outside the big cities.



Also outside the park is a garden or a very small farm. I saw this papaya tree and assumed that it was their answer to Mendip's squirrel problem. Looking at it later I didn't see how this was going to defeat any self-respecting squirrel. Still, worth a try, eh, Mendip?

[Shutree]

I lived in Hsinying back in the early 90s.

I'm sure this town has grown a lot in 30 years. Anything you recognise?

[malmomike77]

Where are the missing paving blocks, the unevenly laid trip hazards?

As compared with my lonely Isan lane

i'm noticing a theme throughout this thread Shu

Where are the food pics

[Shutree]

One day my hosts drove us west towards the mountains to visit friends there. It was an overcast day and the mountains were invisible. The friends have created a sort of Bohemian life in an old house.



They have created an interesting garden. Everything in the garden he built himself, from barbecue to summer houses.

[Shutree]

The only clues to the nearby mountains were the cooler breezes and the occasional screeches that he assured me were eagles.
There were some interesting plants. One tree has flowers which pass through three phases of colour, from purple through violet to white. They called it 'Yesterday, today and tomorrow'.



Then a tree that I thought was an unusual mango.



It turned out to be canistel. I don't think I'd ever heard of this fruit before. A distinctive taste that is difficult to describe.

[Shutree]

Finally we had tea. I'd expected Taiwan mountain tea, which can be excellent. However, he served up Yunnan tea that comes from old trees. Delicious.



Before we left, his friend turned up, the supplier of the Yunnan tea. It seems he spends a lot of time going back and forth and is something of an expert, having wandered through Yunnan into Laos looking for old trees. He brought with him some tea that he said came from a tree over a thousand years old. I never knew about these ancient Yunnan tea trees. I spent time later on Google where you can find pictures of these large tea trees dating back centuries.

[katie23]

I didn't plan any tourist stuff this trip. I went mainly to visit my friends. If you have time to be a tourist though the Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake would be high on my list. Sun Moon Lake is easy to do solo, there is a bus from Taichung HSR station.

If ever I visit Taiwan again, I'd like to re-do Taroko Gorge. Will get a 2-day ticket so that it's more leisurely. I got the 1-day ticket last time and I felt rushed - wasn't able to walk along the trails or see the other temples.

I haven't been to Sun Moon Lake, so that's on the list too. Maybe will also do Genting National Park & revisit Kaohsioung. I liked Kaohsiuong - it didn't seem as busy and fast-paced as Taipei.

I've found the Taiwanese friendly and polite but a bit reserved. Their train system is great and mostly runs on time.

Edit: we have that fruit here in PH - we call it tiesa/ chesa (cheh - sah). It's rich in Vit A. I used to hate it when I was a kid & my mom forced us to eat it (so that you'll have good eyesight!) But now, I have grown to like it. It's an acquired taste.

Cheers!

[Shutree]

Where are the food pics

A fair question. Taiwan does have some great food, although I think it can be difficult to access if you are a foreigner alone. You know how it is with Chinese food, many dishes have names that don't give many clues to what they are made from. I spent most of my time with my hosts, who are vegetarian. She is super busy, managing a budding real estate business and her husband's art gallery with two young children - so she doesn't spend much time in the kitchen. Her mother comes over to cook most days and her husband cooks too. It would be unkind in the face of their generosity to say more than that there wasn't anything worth a picture. I did find some black pepper in the back of a cupboard, however there were no onions, no garlic, no chillies to be seen.
I used to think of vegetarian food as a healthy option. However, I found they ate a lot of processed food, particulary tofu masquerading as ham or sausages or stuff.
In an effort to eat better I invited them out for dinner, vegetarian obviously. It was a decent restaurant, I ended up with another plate of spaghetti, supposedly Arrabbiata because I was pining for some flavour. They seemed concerned that it was 'very spicy' and asked twice if I was sure. I was sure. I think maybe they waved a chilli over the pan or something.
After my morning exercise I took to stopping by one of the many small breakfast shops, usually for a lump of meat in a bun. Then I'd return to house ready for a plate of muesli.



Nil desperandum, there was a decent meal, yet to post.

This wasn't it: