Taipei Confucius Temple

Posted on March 13, 2017 by

On my last day in Taiwan, I checked out that morning from Chaiin Hotel and deposited my luggage in one of the metered storage/boxes at the Taipei Main Station. It was TWD 100 for I don’t remember how many hours. It was a better option than rushing back to Chaiin Hotel, which was a long walk from the Main Station, then walk back again dragging my luggage to ride the airport bus.

After depositing my luggage, I went back to our Taipei office to take photos and say goodbye to colleagues. Then I had lunch with a colleague a few stops away from the train station nearest our office. I had a few more hours to kill before I travel back to Taoyuan Airport.

I went to the Taipei Confucius Temple instead of the more popular Longshan Temple because I always avoid the touristy areas. I am suplada like that. But you know, the older I get, the more I dislike crowds.

Yes this is a selfie fail

I spent an hour or two in this place, away from crowds. It was peaceful but annoyingly hot at the same time.

A perfect way to end my birthday trip.

‘Til then, Ilha Formosa.

National Palace Museum

Posted on March 13, 2017 by

One of the reasons why I wanted to go back to Taiwan is I wanted to visit the National Palace Museum of Taiwan again. When I went there in 2007, it was a very rushed affair, only an hour or two and only the most precious exhibits were shown to us by the guide (a Filipino-Chinese who migrated to Taiwan). I barely had time to admire the paintings. When I view paintings, especially landscape paintings, I spend so much time staring at them to get the feel of the art work. So I told myself that when I get the chance to go back, I will be spending at least half a day to stare at paintings.

Well, because I am such an idiot, it took me some time before I figured out how to reach the Museum (after alighting from Shilin Station, Tamsui-Xinyi Line, I still had to look for the bus that goes directly to the museum). It was already 12 nn when I got there.

I figured that the best time to go there is between 10 am to 2 pm. By 3 pm it will be teeming with tourist groups. That can be annoying when you’re gazing at a painting and trying to contemplate the meaning of life in 10th century AD.

This Museum has an amazing collection of Chinese art since the treasures from the Imperial Palace in Beijing was carted off by Chiang Kai-shek to Taipei before the Japanese, and eventually the Communists, took over mainland China.

If I am not mistaken, this is Chiang Kai-shek

What I remember most about the exhibit there is the explanation of my guide about how jade became important to China and the origin of the Chinese character for jade (was a pictogram depicting an axe or some kind of weapon). My guide ten years ago said before the ancient Chinese discovered metals, they used jade as material for to make farming tools. Jade was just a stone, according to the guide, until a craftsman shapes it into being. A skilled artist can also use the imperfections of the jade to create something beautiful, like this lettuce jade, considered as one of the most important exhibit in the museum.

An ex-colleague of mine, who thought I was ethnic Chinese, said a woman of age must have jade jewelry in her collection so I ought to have some kind of jade bracelet or earrings. But I said I will not fork a fortune for such things. Hahaha. Real jade is expensive.

So you could only imagine how this screen must have cost. The label says this was “given” (quotations mine) to the Emperor of Japan during the war and was returned to Taiwan in 1945, after the war officially ended.

Here is a slideshow of the rest of the exhibit

I spent the longest time in the scroll paintings section of the museum. Among the different forms of visual art, I am drawn most to paintings since I dabbled in it when I was younger (charcoal, water colors, a bit of oil but was a failure in that). This painting (I forget what it’s called but the subject is a scholar in a meadow) is not the prettiest among the bunch but this has resonated with me the most. I could almost feel the wind blowing against the grasses and scholar’s robes. I was transported back in time to that meadow, to that moment when the scholar was taking his walk, contemplating about or searching for something.

Here are some paintings from the collection.

There are a lot of pretty things inside the Museum (about three floors of exhibits) and every now and then they have to take some collections out of storage because the thousands of treasures they have in their vaults cannot be displayed in the museum all at once. When I was there, they had the Tibetan Buddhist Art, Buddhism in China, The Mongol Princess collection (a collection by a Mongolian princess during a brief occupation of the Mongols) and some exhibits I didn’t bother visiting because it was already getting crowded with group tours and school children.

After four or five hours, I went back to Shilin station and hunted for something to eat (forgot to have lunch since I had brunch). I saw a long queue for this one near the MRT station.

And decided to check it out. I just pointed to the lady flipping the “pizza” which toppings I wanted. It was greasy but not bad for a streetfood in the middle of the city.

I had enough time to kill before meeting an editor for dinner that night. A quick jaunt at the Shilin Night Market wouldn’t hurt.

It was quite early to do a night market but there was something to see already at around 6:30 pm. Some clothes, a lot of cellphone accessories, toys and some souvenirs. This market is targeting tourists. And yes, some Studio Ghibli items too.

After that quick run, I went to this shabu-shabu place along Civic Road and how I found the place, I don’t know. Google Maps saved me. I got back to my hotel at almost 12 pm. Last trains I think run at 11 pm.

This is how the subway at the Taipei Main Station looks like at 11 pm.

*to be continued

KILLING TIME IN TAIPEI

Posted on March 12, 2017 by

*ok, it took me another two months to get back to blogging about this trip again. Too much stuff happening and this moment is one of those rare times i’m at a coffee shop writing about non-work-related stuff.

I was so hungry after arriving from Jiufen that I didn’t bother going out of the subway. I just went to an underground mall (I think it was K Underground Mall) to hunt for food. Since I couldn’t read Chinese, I didn’t know what to expect. Only when my food arrived did I realize I was at a Japanese ramen shop. Which was Ok, decent enough.

A bit frustrating on my part since the thing I remember best about Taiwan of 10 years ago were the food and views. I already did the views (Jiufen and Jinguashi), which was already ok but the food part…it was a hit and miss thing. Probably food is better outside of Taipei.

I decided to book another hotel near the Taipei Main Station. Chaiin Hotel is a bit farther than Dairy of Taipei and it took me some time before finding it since it occupies a commercial building i.e. not a standalone building.

It was a bit weird since the reception area is at the basement of that building so to check in, you have to go down first. My room has no windows. It’s like living in a cave again (reminiscent of my stays in Singapore Chinatown)

I wasn’t that much interested in shopping for clothes (since I am not what you call a conventional Asian size i.e. I am fat), so I searched on Google for some alternative stuff I can do to kill time. I am a computer and electronics nut so I decided to pay Guanghua Mall a visit.

From the land of Asus, Acer and HTC, this computer and electronics mall is underwhelming. It was quite normal, with prices comparable to those in Manila. I would’ve have enjoyed Greenhills more back home, at least I could haggle.

My food must have been really blah that I couldn’t remember what I had for dinner that day. So for brunch the next day, I hunted for something to kick my taste buds. I found it a couple of blocks away from my hotel, in some hole-in-the-wall eatery.

Yup, another idiotic situation. I went to Taiwan to eat curry. *facepalm* At least this was up my alley. My food the previous day was so unmemorable that only photos remind me that I had something edible. I was texting my boss about the misses I had food-wise and she said, “San ka ba nagsususuot at bakit wala kang success sa pagkain mo? Mali ata mga pinupuntahan mong lugar!”

*to be continued

My little Studio Ghibli wonderland

Posted on November 6, 2016 by

I just discovered that Taiwan is a Studio Ghibli wonderland.

Yes, there are some stuff in Taiwan (Jiufen! Jinguashi!) with deep connections to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away but I didn’t know Studio Ghibli is popular there. Probably because of historical and cultural ties with Japan, being a former colony in the 1890s.

Anyway, on my way to our Taipei office, I noticed the yellow rental bikes called Ubikes. I didn’t have the nerve to try because 1) I was again so lost–utterly lost; 2) I was not exactly dressed to ride a bike (hello pearls!).

I had to call a colleague to give me directions. Ugh, Mondays.

One of his questions to me was, “Can you tell me where you are right now?” Of course I can’t because there was no visible street sign and I can’t read Chinese.

“But I see Taipei 101…Uhh, that does not help, does it?”

Had lunch with the colleague somewhere near our office. Another beef noodle bowl. HUGE bowl that I couldn’t even finish halfway through.

After lunch, another colleague asked me why I will be going to Jiufen. So I told her I wanted to see the inspiration for the Spirited Away setting.

“Really?! I don’t see the connection!” Then I proceeded to describe to her the scenes and the buildings (the Bathhouse = A-Mei Teahouse). She finally understood (I hope) .

Then she told me about Studio Ghibli having a Taipei tour (with the Catbus! A Catbus!!!) last September (awww shucks!) so I just missed it by a couple of weeks. But the good thing is there is a Donguri Republic at ATT4 near Taipei 101. She emailed me the directions.

“So what will you do this afternoon?” She asked me.

“I’m going there now. As in now.” I said as I gathered up my things.

It did not disappoint. I spent at least an hour there.

I found the giant Totoro!

The secret entryway to Totoro’s lair

Photos and posters on the way to the toilets

After dawdling at Donguri Republic and loitering around ATT, I met one of the colleagues for dinner at Taipei 101 who felt like eating chicken rice. Right. Chicken rice in Taiwan. But hey, we were both hankering for something Southeast Asian at that time. You can only have so much beef noodle bowls in a week, right?

While waiting for him, I took photos of Taipei at night. So peaceful compared to Manila at this hour (6:30-ish).

And trains don’t get crowded, as in Manila MRT-mandirigma-training level.

I didn’t have anything to do later that night so we decided to go home early. Plus I had to pack up again to go to Ruifang the next day.

With only 2 hours of sleep, I was able to find my way…

Posted on November 6, 2016 by

Yup, only two hours of sleep. Long story. I transferred to another room later that day.

Breakfast at the hotel was blah so I just had two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee and I was on my way.

The thing was I didn’t know where I was going. I had no plan. I only had the map my hotel provided me with and that was for the immediate vicinity. (That map was ~~my lifesaver~~ ~~extremely~~ very helpful during my entire stay though. It had the map of the Taipei train system).

So what I did was to walk. And walk. And saw this

Interesting. What is this?

Why, it’s the National Taiwan Museum. Not the museum that I was supposed to visit again but who knows? I may have extra time on my last day to see what’s inside.

I walked around for a bit and it turns out the Peace Park is just adjacent to it. Good way to kill time on a Sunday morning.

A squirrel in the middle of the city, sniffing around for food

Oldies doing tai chi on a lazy Sunday morning

Students listening to an outdoor lecture

Then I lost my digicam case. It had an extra 8GB SD card in it but the more important thing is that I lost my camera’s sole protection against the evil things in my bag that could damage the screen or lens. How I would manage in the next six days without it, I don’t know.

I retraced my steps and at the same time inspected one of the pavilions.

Then I retraced my steps again and prayed for a miracle that a good soul was able to pick it up and leave it somewhere for me to see.

And yes, a good soul there was. He/She left my camera case hanging in one of the posts in one of the decorative bridges in the park. God was watching over me.

I left the park through the other exit on the opposite end. And saw this.

I don’t know what it is but the map says it’s one of the government buildings dotting the area.

When I was walking back to my hotel, I saw a rare thing: a telephone booth. And they’re still working. Apparently, Taipei’s population is NOT entirely tethered to mobile phones, unlike Manila. Which is a nice thing. The high mobile phone penetration rate (almost or already 100%) in Manila rendered payphones obsolete. Remember Dingdong Avanzado’s song, Tatlong Beinte Singko?

I think in some parts of Taipei these are also wifi zones.

And I tried learning the bus routes. Really, I tried.

But it seemed like I have to stick to trains in the meantime. I’m not afraid of walking that far anyway.

On my way back to my hotel, I almost got myself into trouble. I landed in the camera street of Taipei a.k.a. Hankou Street.

But self control I had, Master Yoda. It took a lot of self control, though. I promised I will not go over budget on this trip because of some stupid purchase like a new mirrorless digital camera and all the lenses I can stick in it *heart flutters*. That could easily run up to PHP 100,000 (USD 2,000) in one go. Good thing too that most of them are closed on Sundays.

I hurried back to my hotel to banish temptation and rest up a bit. I studied the map and saw that Ximending commercial centre was not far. I knew I won’t be able to buy any clothes or whatnot (not really into shopping for clothes anyway and I won’t be able to fit into their clothes) but it seemed to be the place where the young Taiwanese go. I wanted to watch people.

Lots and lots of cellphone accessories

And Studio Ghibli stuff

These items are breakable so I thought it wasn’t wise to start accumulating Totoro and No Face items.

Street performer from Japan

Students from a nearby music school, I think

~~I don’t remember where I had dinner (it was probably too blah that I easily forgot about it)~~. I had a beef noodle bowl in a restaurant near a foot massage place a few blocks away from my hotel. I had the foot massage first (a promo before 6 pm, TWD 800 [PHP 1,237] for 60 mins for shoulder, back and foot). I remember the massage, not the dinner.

Overall, this is one of the best birthdays I ever had. Alone. I own my time. I’m not taking care of someone else. Everything is according to my own terms. No plan. Nice surprises. No big spending.

Ilha Formosa

Posted on November 5, 2016 by

Green and blue.

That’s how I remembered Taiwan when I first visited the country in 2007. Blue skies and green mountains. Nicer people compared to those in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Taipei felt like Makati in the 1980s and was teeming with scooters.

It still felt like it but it was much more than what I thought it was back then.

This time I got to know the country better without the trappings of being a princess pampered by TECO, which was trying to promote Taiwan to Filipino tourists that time via Philippine journalists writing about anything under the sun (I was and still am a business journo).

I came back to Ilha Formosa (“beautiful island” in Portugese) last week after nine years. Took me a year to plan this one with a friend who went there last year around the same month (if I remember it right, October).

So I spent my birthday half-asleep, half-awake since I was only able to find my hotel at 3 am that day after arriving at the Taoyuan International Airport at an ungodly hour of 12 am. I queued for an hour (only one salesperson manning the counter) to buy the special prepaid mobile phone SIM (Far East Tone Telecom) for tourists (I think it was free 4G access my entire 6-day stay there) that can be bought only at the airport. I think I spent TWD 300 (PHP 464) for that SIM with free 4G and TWD 50 (PHP 77) worth of airtime/SMS. My Taipei-based editor said it was surprisingly cheap.

So before I left Manila, I called up my hotel, Diary of Taipei – Main Station, to ask what mode of transportation I can use at 2 am-ish to reach them. The receptionist said to take the bus 1819 (station is just outside the airport to my left) and it’ll drop me off at the Main Station. Ok, seemed simple enough.

It was around TWD 125 (PHP 193) for a one-way, hour-long trip from the airport to Taipei Main Station. I was tempted to hire a taxi cab but the rate was TWD 400 (PHP 618.5) and I was not prepared to part with that kind of money when my brain was barely functioning because there may be hidden charges and end up paying TWD 1,000 (PHP 1,546). Plus I do not trust cabbies at 2 am.

So at 2 am I was on my way to Taipei and I tried not to fall asleep lest I miss my stop or something. Unfortunately, it seemed like the bus dropped me off on the other side of the Taipei Main Station (which was faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar) and I had to ask at least five people (one receptionist at the train station and four policemen who had trouble giving me directions in English at 3 am). So I was told to go to the ShinKong Mitsukoshi Department Store Taipei Main Station branch and my hotel is just at the back of that tall building.

So I dragged my sorry butt and luggage and walked to reach the back of that building. Went left, then right, no sign of that Kaifong/Kaifeng Street where my hotel was supposed to be. I was lost. At freaking 3 am. I thank God that Taipei is a very safe place to get lost in. At freaking 3 am. A lone non-Mandarin speaking female foreigner stuck in the middle of downtown Taipei at freaking 3 am.

I was getting desperate and went inside a Family Mart and asked the guy at the counter if my hotel was somewhere near. I showed him my hotel voucher with the address and phone number in it. He couldn’t speak English that well so what he did was to call somebody who can using his own cellphone. He was so nice!

So I explained my situation to the guy on the other line. Then the guy at the counter told me to stay there at Family Mart. About 10 minutes later a heavily perspiring guy introduced himself and got my luggage and he told me to follow him…

Only then did I realize that the Family Mart guy called my hotel and told them to pick me up at the convenience store. How nice of him! He even called out to me that he hopes I enjoy my stay in Taiwan when we were leaving the store.

I told myself I really would enjoy this trip.

*to be continued*

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