When I was submitting documents to the police about the incident, I suddenly realized that I was only allowed to stay in Taiwan for 30 days! If I overstay, I will be fined and will have to obtain a tourist visa everytime I visit. I nervously glanced at the calendar. I had 2 days left.
Within 1 hour, I had to decide where to go. I finally bought a ticket to Hong Kong - cheap flights, free lodging, and I can also get my China pass.
Then I realized that I left my HK ID in the states! Feiona accidently put it in the important documents box and left it at Mike's place. I had her fed-ex the ID to Hong Kong, and I entered as an American visitor.
That's where all the troubles began. First few days were fine - I ate my favorite Shrimp Egg Pomelo Skin, stayed at Geoff's place for the first night and went drinking with Grace and her friend.
I finally recieved my HK ID on monday, and I set out on what became a quest to obtain the elusive China pass. First of all, they told me that I had to get an HK passport first. That would take about 2 weeks, then after I get that, another 2 weeks to get my China Pass. Furthermore, they told me that if I applied for a HK passport, I would be giving up my rights as an American citizen while in China territory. I didn't like the sound of that, so I headed to China Travel to get a visitor visa instead.
I went to the first one in Central, and they told me that it would take 2 days to get an express visa. So I changed my flight, and went back. Then they told me that since I entered with an American passport, I could not use my HK ID and I was only eligible for a half-year visa, which costs the same as the 3 year visa. The lady told me that I could go to the immigration office to change my status as a visitor to resident.
So I took the train to the immigration office. There, they told me that they do not handle such requests, and suggested me to go to another China Travel. So off I went again, only to be told the same thing. They even suggested that I take a quick trip to Macau and re-enter as a HK citizen.
Having no choice, I walked towards the ferry and in the corner of my eye I spotted another China Travel. I was pretty frustrated at that point and I went inside just to complain. Before I even started, the guy at the counter calmly replied, "Oh, you want a 3 year visa? No problem! I'll do it for you right away!"
Dumbfounded, I made sure it was a real China Travel store, paid, and left. Two days later - I had my 3 year visa in hand!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
The few not-so-rainy days
Occasionally we would have a sunny day or two. I spent all of these days hiking with my parents. My dad is an hiking and outdoors enthusiast, and he would drag us to go hiking every weekend when we were kids. He also took us on a few crazy walking trips - a three-day walk from Shizhi to the shore at Jinshan, and a two-day walk from Lugu to Xitou in the south. Sometimes my mom would follow us in her car and keep asking us to get in the car, but my dad wouldn't allow it.
Somehow throughout all these events, I too became a hiking enthusiast. There is great hiking in Taipei - it's a basin surrounded by mountains. As part of a government program promoting outdoor travel, all the trails are very well-kept and nicely marked, and there are many unobtrusive information signs and resting pavillions.
This is Jinguashi, which used to be a rock quarry. It's an easy 1-2 hour hike, which descends through the modernistic Zheng Cheng Gong temple, and ends up near the National Palace Museum.
This is the 13 km round trip trek from Fengguikou to Chingtiangang. I've come here a few times in the past hoping to see one of the wild cows that roam the area, and my wish finally came true.
Finally, this is Dajianshan in Shichih.
Later we found the grave of Du Yue-Sheng, the famous gangster dubbed "The Emperor of Shanghai". As he was active in Shanghai and Hong Kong, it is strange that he is buried in Taiwan, and especially in Shichih of all places. We also met a very interesting old man who has built an entire private garden around the grave.
Somehow throughout all these events, I too became a hiking enthusiast. There is great hiking in Taipei - it's a basin surrounded by mountains. As part of a government program promoting outdoor travel, all the trails are very well-kept and nicely marked, and there are many unobtrusive information signs and resting pavillions.
This is Jinguashi, which used to be a rock quarry. It's an easy 1-2 hour hike, which descends through the modernistic Zheng Cheng Gong temple, and ends up near the National Palace Museum.
This is the 13 km round trip trek from Fengguikou to Chingtiangang. I've come here a few times in the past hoping to see one of the wild cows that roam the area, and my wish finally came true.
Finally, this is Dajianshan in Shichih.
Later we found the grave of Du Yue-Sheng, the famous gangster dubbed "The Emperor of Shanghai". As he was active in Shanghai and Hong Kong, it is strange that he is buried in Taiwan, and especially in Shichih of all places. We also met a very interesting old man who has built an entire private garden around the grave.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Rain Season
It has been raining non-stop for most of my time here, and I think I am turning pale due to lack of sunshine. After the 2 accidents, I finally learned how to drive properly in dangerous Taiwanese traffic. I mastered the 20 minute drive to the closest commercial area to my parent's rural house: Hala Planet, which has a movie theater, Eslite bookstore, Starbucks, and countless restaurants. Every other day I would go there, read, write, and shoot hoops in the arcade next to the theater. It was relaxing, but I started to feel empty. Things have really quieted down after the HanDan Festival. Wasn't there something more exciting I wanted to do when I quit my job?
Even though I no longer had a full-time job, I still found myself looking forward to weekends - since all of my friends are working. My high school buddies discovered a pretty cool bar called Duckbill, which features dart machines and single malt whiskey - perfect for a rainy day.
I also checked out the music scene with my friend Hanching, whom I've known since the 4th grade. One of the largest venues is called The Wall, which is actually a cultural complex with a cafe, tattoo parlor, music school, indie record shop and a bar. A big sign facing the entrance says "Music Can Save Your Soul." A group of teenagers with guitars slung over their backs rushed by, and I wished that there were more places like this back in the day. All we were supposed to do was study, study and study, and it's encouraging to see that leisure and culture are valued now. That night was post-rock night, and we nodded our heads to a few pretty decent bands as we sipped on smuggled-from-7-11 Taiwan beer. Yes, rock will live on even in the most remote corners of the world.
Two weeks into the rainy season, My mom finally came back from China. She is semi-retired at home now. I was relieved to see that she had finally shed her workaholic ways, and is in a relaxed state for the first time in years. Perhaps one of the most inspirational stories I have to tell is that at age 59, she finally learned to swim, and goes to the pool every day. Thanks to the rain, there have been many days where we just stay home and talk, eat, do a bit of work, go to the gym, and cook dinner while waiting for my dad to come home. I don't think I've experienced this since elementary school. I'll be getting busy soon, and I don't know if there will be another whole-month where an unemployed son and retired mom are trapped at home by the rain.
Even though I no longer had a full-time job, I still found myself looking forward to weekends - since all of my friends are working. My high school buddies discovered a pretty cool bar called Duckbill, which features dart machines and single malt whiskey - perfect for a rainy day.
I also checked out the music scene with my friend Hanching, whom I've known since the 4th grade. One of the largest venues is called The Wall, which is actually a cultural complex with a cafe, tattoo parlor, music school, indie record shop and a bar. A big sign facing the entrance says "Music Can Save Your Soul." A group of teenagers with guitars slung over their backs rushed by, and I wished that there were more places like this back in the day. All we were supposed to do was study, study and study, and it's encouraging to see that leisure and culture are valued now. That night was post-rock night, and we nodded our heads to a few pretty decent bands as we sipped on smuggled-from-7-11 Taiwan beer. Yes, rock will live on even in the most remote corners of the world.
Two weeks into the rainy season, My mom finally came back from China. She is semi-retired at home now. I was relieved to see that she had finally shed her workaholic ways, and is in a relaxed state for the first time in years. Perhaps one of the most inspirational stories I have to tell is that at age 59, she finally learned to swim, and goes to the pool every day. Thanks to the rain, there have been many days where we just stay home and talk, eat, do a bit of work, go to the gym, and cook dinner while waiting for my dad to come home. I don't think I've experienced this since elementary school. I'll be getting busy soon, and I don't know if there will be another whole-month where an unemployed son and retired mom are trapped at home by the rain.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Car Accidents
After finally getting my drivers license on my 5th try, I was really looking forward to my Taiwan trip this time - I could actually drive to Taipei City instead of waiting for the once-per-hour bus that doesn't run past 11:00 pm and doesn't run on Sundays.
When I was younger, I was able to hitch a ride from people living within the community, but now nobody is willing to stop for me. However it wasn't as easy as i thought - Taiwanese driving is nuts. People don't use the signal lights and may suddenly change lanes, nobody follows the speed limits, and cars might even suddenly stop in the road if the driver is not sure where they want to go. But the most dangerous are the motorcycles constantly snaking through and between cars, even on narrow roads.
So... first incident happened. I was driving to the post office, and tried to take a shortcut on a backroad. Suddenly I found myself stuck in a narrow, dead end alley with cars parked on both sides. When I tried to back out... BOOM. I smashed into one of the parked cars. The owner was playing video games inside the house, and his neighbors immediately notified him. He didn't really seem angry at all, his wife even said "wow, that's some cool damage" and carried her daughter out to look at it. However, I had to do what I had to do - we drove to the car repair shop and I paid for the damages.
All was fine until a week later - I was driving down the back road again and a motorcycle came out of nowhere and we had a head-on collision. His motorcycle was pretty much destroyed and the whole front of my car was smashed. Luckily, the guy was O.K., but he the first thing he said when he got up was "how are you going to pay for this?" He insisted that I ran a red light, while I was pretty sure that it was he who wasn't following the rules.
We called the police, but since there were no witnesses, they couldn't prove who was at fault. It is common for motorcyclists to adopt a victim attitude - obviously they suffer more serious damage. However, I would not back down, since it really came down to who ran the red light. Finally, the police did our reports, and told us to check the court's decision in 30 days. Most likely they would deem both of us at fault, and the charges would cancel each other out. After that, we still had to settle in civil court.
The next day, we went around to check if there were any cameras that caught the incident. We spotted a government one across the street, and we went to the district administrator's office to watch the tape. However, he told us that since that side of the street was outside Taipei city limits, the scope of the camera stopped just short of the accident site.
That ended our hopes of finding out what really happened, and now we just have to wait.
When I was younger, I was able to hitch a ride from people living within the community, but now nobody is willing to stop for me. However it wasn't as easy as i thought - Taiwanese driving is nuts. People don't use the signal lights and may suddenly change lanes, nobody follows the speed limits, and cars might even suddenly stop in the road if the driver is not sure where they want to go. But the most dangerous are the motorcycles constantly snaking through and between cars, even on narrow roads.
So... first incident happened. I was driving to the post office, and tried to take a shortcut on a backroad. Suddenly I found myself stuck in a narrow, dead end alley with cars parked on both sides. When I tried to back out... BOOM. I smashed into one of the parked cars. The owner was playing video games inside the house, and his neighbors immediately notified him. He didn't really seem angry at all, his wife even said "wow, that's some cool damage" and carried her daughter out to look at it. However, I had to do what I had to do - we drove to the car repair shop and I paid for the damages.
All was fine until a week later - I was driving down the back road again and a motorcycle came out of nowhere and we had a head-on collision. His motorcycle was pretty much destroyed and the whole front of my car was smashed. Luckily, the guy was O.K., but he the first thing he said when he got up was "how are you going to pay for this?" He insisted that I ran a red light, while I was pretty sure that it was he who wasn't following the rules.
We called the police, but since there were no witnesses, they couldn't prove who was at fault. It is common for motorcyclists to adopt a victim attitude - obviously they suffer more serious damage. However, I would not back down, since it really came down to who ran the red light. Finally, the police did our reports, and told us to check the court's decision in 30 days. Most likely they would deem both of us at fault, and the charges would cancel each other out. After that, we still had to settle in civil court.
The next day, we went around to check if there were any cameras that caught the incident. We spotted a government one across the street, and we went to the district administrator's office to watch the tape. However, he told us that since that side of the street was outside Taipei city limits, the scope of the camera stopped just short of the accident site.
That ended our hopes of finding out what really happened, and now we just have to wait.
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Bombing of Master HanDan (part III) - The Temple Parade
Besides the bombings, another major event was going on – the temple parade. 72 temples in the area would put together troupes and parade the streets for 2 days, stopping and performing at every temple or storefront that put out offerings.
At the end of the 2nd day, all the temple troupes would congregate at the main Matsu Temple and duke it out for a grand prize of $50,000. Feiona’s uncle ran a temple, so I had a chance to tag along. I was excited because they told me one of the members was going to stick a 2 story high needle into his tongue, and also there were going to be jitongs – Taoist spirit mediums that would go into often violent trances.
I set out on motorcycle around 4:00 pm and followed our temple members to town. The troupe was comprised of a few parts: a leading truck with our banner, then about 8-10 performers, a following truck full of family and friends, and finally, the infamous hand-carved penismobile.
Our performers comprised of 4 people carrying a two mini sedan chairs, a spirit medium, and a few firecracker throwers. During the parade itself the performances are quite tame - whenever we passed by an offering, they would start blasting techno-trance music while the sedan chair carriers danced back and forth facing the offering table. Two people constantly threw firecrackers at the performer's feet while they danced. Then the penismobile - handcarved by Feiona's uncle - would come along and ejaculate water onto the crowd. When I stopped to snap a photo, they aimed the penis toward me and jizzed right on my face! I did not know how to react - I hope that it symbolizes a blast of prosperity for the coming year. (no pun intended.)
I then took off to watch some other performances, which included a few child drummers, more techno-trance blasting sedan chairs, and the bajiajiang - the eight guards. Wearing demonic makeup and each wielding different weapons, they walk in "tiger steps" and are supposed to capture or ward off evil spirits.
After another excellent seafood meal, we headed to the Matsu Temple to see the final performances. Unfortunately, it was jam-packed with people even bringing ladders to sit on. I barely managed to see anything, let alone snap and decent photos. I finally settled with scaling the temple walls and watching the whole thing from atop and afar.
The festivities kicked off with firecrackers going off for 10 minutes, and then the water-spraying dragon passed through. (i guess it's a more subtle version of the penismobile) Next came the Qiye Baye - a staple of Taiwanese temple festivals - two deities represented in giant puppet form, also here to ward off evil sprits. After another 2 rounds of Handan bombing, the performances officially began.
It wasn't all that different than the daytime performances, except that the jitongs were allowed to go into their trances and to inflict wounds on their bodies with spiked clubs and other weapons. To simply things, the whole point of this is to prove that they are truly possessed by a deity and do not feel the pain.
We waited and waited and waited, but Feiona's uncle's temple troupe never showed up. It was already way past midnight, and exhausted, we went home. The next day, I found out that since there was prize money this year, each temple took its time to perform and the schedule was pushed way back. Our temple's jitong could not wait anymore and became possessed by an evil spirit. He ran around wildly and started to push the guy who had the 2-story high needle in his tongue. Screaming in pain, the needle guy turned around to retaliate but the others quickly subdued the jitong and dragged him back to the temple and tied him down. It took a few hours for the spirit to leave his body, and they never made it back to the Matsu temple.
At the end of the 2nd day, all the temple troupes would congregate at the main Matsu Temple and duke it out for a grand prize of $50,000. Feiona’s uncle ran a temple, so I had a chance to tag along. I was excited because they told me one of the members was going to stick a 2 story high needle into his tongue, and also there were going to be jitongs – Taoist spirit mediums that would go into often violent trances.
I set out on motorcycle around 4:00 pm and followed our temple members to town. The troupe was comprised of a few parts: a leading truck with our banner, then about 8-10 performers, a following truck full of family and friends, and finally, the infamous hand-carved penismobile.
Our performers comprised of 4 people carrying a two mini sedan chairs, a spirit medium, and a few firecracker throwers. During the parade itself the performances are quite tame - whenever we passed by an offering, they would start blasting techno-trance music while the sedan chair carriers danced back and forth facing the offering table. Two people constantly threw firecrackers at the performer's feet while they danced. Then the penismobile - handcarved by Feiona's uncle - would come along and ejaculate water onto the crowd. When I stopped to snap a photo, they aimed the penis toward me and jizzed right on my face! I did not know how to react - I hope that it symbolizes a blast of prosperity for the coming year. (no pun intended.)
I then took off to watch some other performances, which included a few child drummers, more techno-trance blasting sedan chairs, and the bajiajiang - the eight guards. Wearing demonic makeup and each wielding different weapons, they walk in "tiger steps" and are supposed to capture or ward off evil spirits.
After another excellent seafood meal, we headed to the Matsu Temple to see the final performances. Unfortunately, it was jam-packed with people even bringing ladders to sit on. I barely managed to see anything, let alone snap and decent photos. I finally settled with scaling the temple walls and watching the whole thing from atop and afar.
The festivities kicked off with firecrackers going off for 10 minutes, and then the water-spraying dragon passed through. (i guess it's a more subtle version of the penismobile) Next came the Qiye Baye - a staple of Taiwanese temple festivals - two deities represented in giant puppet form, also here to ward off evil sprits. After another 2 rounds of Handan bombing, the performances officially began.
It wasn't all that different than the daytime performances, except that the jitongs were allowed to go into their trances and to inflict wounds on their bodies with spiked clubs and other weapons. To simply things, the whole point of this is to prove that they are truly possessed by a deity and do not feel the pain.
We waited and waited and waited, but Feiona's uncle's temple troupe never showed up. It was already way past midnight, and exhausted, we went home. The next day, I found out that since there was prize money this year, each temple took its time to perform and the schedule was pushed way back. Our temple's jitong could not wait anymore and became possessed by an evil spirit. He ran around wildly and started to push the guy who had the 2-story high needle in his tongue. Screaming in pain, the needle guy turned around to retaliate but the others quickly subdued the jitong and dragged him back to the temple and tied him down. It took a few hours for the spirit to leave his body, and they never made it back to the Matsu temple.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sidebar - fresh seafood, funky rocks, and cows
Over the 3 days we were in Taidong, we used the little time we had not attending festivals to enjoy a few more attractions in the area.
On Sunday morning we went to Fugang harbor - which boasts some of the freshest seafood on the whole island.
This decor is typical for Taiwanese seafood restaurants. We sampled the sashimi - which practically melted in your mouth, salt & pepper sea snails, stir-fried clams, and a type of unfamiliar vegetable which they said is popular among aboriginals.
We also took a side trip to "Small Yeh-liu" (it's "large" counterpart is in Taipei county) a rock & coral seashore eroded into curious formations.
Before we left, Feiona's cousin brought us to Chulu Ranch, where we indulged in pure milk ice cream, milk biscuits and milk steamed buns. Despite charging for admission, there really wasn't much to see inside besides a small petting zoo and milk processing plant.
On Sunday morning we went to Fugang harbor - which boasts some of the freshest seafood on the whole island.
This decor is typical for Taiwanese seafood restaurants. We sampled the sashimi - which practically melted in your mouth, salt & pepper sea snails, stir-fried clams, and a type of unfamiliar vegetable which they said is popular among aboriginals.
We also took a side trip to "Small Yeh-liu" (it's "large" counterpart is in Taipei county) a rock & coral seashore eroded into curious formations.
Before we left, Feiona's cousin brought us to Chulu Ranch, where we indulged in pure milk ice cream, milk biscuits and milk steamed buns. Despite charging for admission, there really wasn't much to see inside besides a small petting zoo and milk processing plant.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Bombing of Master HanDan (part II)
With all the detours, we didn't arrive in Taidong city until around 7:00 pm. Feiona's relatives live in a rural area, mostly farmers. I was amazed by the linguistic diversity - within 2 hours I heard at least 5 languages. First of all, most of the family members (including Feiona's father) are trilingual in Mandarin, Hakka and Taiwanese (culturally considered Chinese dialects, but linguistically as different as French, Spanish and Italian). Also, due to the common practice of Taiwanese farmers marrying Vietnamese brides - many with family roots in Guangdong - I also frequently heard Vietnamese, and I conversed with her uncle's wife in Cantonese. In addition, the area is also home to a few major Aboriginal tribes - each with their own language.
After a traditional Hakka meal with a Vietnamese green papaya dish, we headed downtown to see the bombing event.
When we arrived, the mayor was making a speech, and when she announced "Let the festival begin!" the whole crowd rushed towards the stage. People climbed onto on ladders and bleachers, and we couldn't see a thing! Scanning my surroundings, I found an opening - there was just enough space under a large metal platform to crawl through to the very front of the crowd. Without really thinking, we squeezed in. When I looked up, BOOM! A firecracker exploded right in front of me. I couldn't breathe, and I thought I was going to go deaf. What I saw, though, was too unbelievable for me to turn back - a topless man tied to a high seat was being paraded around in circles while people mercilessly threw firecrackers at his body. The only protection he had was goggles, a red cloth around his mouth and nose, and a banyan tree branch to shield his face.
They would stop every 10 minutes, let the poor guy down, and another man would take over. It was seriously the craziest thing I'd ever seen. After about 3 or 4 rounds, my ears and lungs couldn't take it anymore, and we crawled back out of the circle.
I heard a few versions of this festival's origins. According to one legend, HanDan is one of the 5 gods of wealth in the heavens. He is extremely afraid of the cold, so whenever he comes to the earth, people have to throw firecrackers at him to keep him warm. Another legend says that HanDan was a local gangster who made life miserable for the residents. One day, he realized his wrongdoings and decided to redeem himself by walking around the streets naked while the angry locals threw firecrackers at him. Finally, he died from the wounds and became a god of wealth. Nowadays, people believe that the bigger and louder the explosions, the more wealth he will bring.
So besides the sake of tradition, why do so many young men volunteer to partake in such a dangerous and painful activity? I had a chance to speak with one of the "bombed" - one of Feiona's uncles went through 2 rounds the night before. He was on his way to the hospital to get a tetanus shot, and he proudly showed me his wounds.
"The first time I volunteered was last year," he said. "I prayed to gods for $30,000 (about $1000 USD) in my bank account if I went through the bombing. 2 days later, my uncle who owed me $50,000 suddenly paid me back! So of course I volunteered again this year!"
Staring at the wounds all over his body, I asked him whether it's too painful of a price to pay. "No, because it didn't hurt at all!"
After a traditional Hakka meal with a Vietnamese green papaya dish, we headed downtown to see the bombing event.
When we arrived, the mayor was making a speech, and when she announced "Let the festival begin!" the whole crowd rushed towards the stage. People climbed onto on ladders and bleachers, and we couldn't see a thing! Scanning my surroundings, I found an opening - there was just enough space under a large metal platform to crawl through to the very front of the crowd. Without really thinking, we squeezed in. When I looked up, BOOM! A firecracker exploded right in front of me. I couldn't breathe, and I thought I was going to go deaf. What I saw, though, was too unbelievable for me to turn back - a topless man tied to a high seat was being paraded around in circles while people mercilessly threw firecrackers at his body. The only protection he had was goggles, a red cloth around his mouth and nose, and a banyan tree branch to shield his face.
They would stop every 10 minutes, let the poor guy down, and another man would take over. It was seriously the craziest thing I'd ever seen. After about 3 or 4 rounds, my ears and lungs couldn't take it anymore, and we crawled back out of the circle.
I heard a few versions of this festival's origins. According to one legend, HanDan is one of the 5 gods of wealth in the heavens. He is extremely afraid of the cold, so whenever he comes to the earth, people have to throw firecrackers at him to keep him warm. Another legend says that HanDan was a local gangster who made life miserable for the residents. One day, he realized his wrongdoings and decided to redeem himself by walking around the streets naked while the angry locals threw firecrackers at him. Finally, he died from the wounds and became a god of wealth. Nowadays, people believe that the bigger and louder the explosions, the more wealth he will bring.
So besides the sake of tradition, why do so many young men volunteer to partake in such a dangerous and painful activity? I had a chance to speak with one of the "bombed" - one of Feiona's uncles went through 2 rounds the night before. He was on his way to the hospital to get a tetanus shot, and he proudly showed me his wounds.
"The first time I volunteered was last year," he said. "I prayed to gods for $30,000 (about $1000 USD) in my bank account if I went through the bombing. 2 days later, my uncle who owed me $50,000 suddenly paid me back! So of course I volunteered again this year!"
Staring at the wounds all over his body, I asked him whether it's too painful of a price to pay. "No, because it didn't hurt at all!"
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