Happy New Year from Taiwan － 新年快樂

Taiwan's welcome to 2018.  Fireworks at the Taipei 101.  This year in addition to the fireworks the 101 added projection to the show.  The projection depicts the 2017 Universiade Games in Taipei, in addition to special kaleidoscopic graphics.  Pictures and explosions, what more could you ask for.

Happy New Year from the Taiwan Adventure Publications!

Source:  Taiwan News via YouTube: (linked)

Birds of East Asia: A Review

I have to say at the outset that I am not a “professional” bird watcher.  Although, I could see myself at some time in the future settling down to watch birds do bird things.  My lack of mobility and limited (mobility scooter) transportation means that my main locations for watching birds are fairly specific.  Often, people think that disabilities limit your ability to be involved in something like bird watching, but it can still be a rewarding pursuit, with a few adjustments. 

Taoyuan City is “famous” for the number of parks spread throughout.  Most of them are beautiful little oases in high-rise neighborhoods.  So, my particular area of ornithological study is the urban park habitat.  Occasionally, I am able to go into the more rural areas to watch, but that requires a driver and someone who is interested in a quiet few hours.

I got involved in bird watching because I could recognize only a few of the birds I saw in trees, in rice fields and on poles near my home.  Not all of them are the same as California’s birds.  In fact, I have only seen a few that I recognized without the assistance of my trusty Field guide.

I suggested to my children that a field guide for Asian birds would be a perfect gift during the Christmas gift-giving season.  They laughed.  They told me bird watching is an old man’s sport; oh, the derision, I endured.  I was steadfast; a field guide was all I wanted.  They made other suggestions, I shrugged them off.  I really had no other needs or wants.  As Christmas got closer they got desperate, so they tricked me into revealing, once again, the name of the field guide I wanted:  Birds of East Asia, by Mark Brazil. 

So this is my review of that field guide.  In some ways, I think it is an excellent book.  There are a lot of beautiful, full-color renderings of birds in different positions.  For example, there are drawings of birds standing, flying over head, and flying at eye level.  The advantage of that is that birds rarely sit like museum exhibits for you to look at.  They are usually about some mysterious bird business, whatever it may be.

The descriptions of the habitats and ranges are quite good and the little maps are helpful.  There is some good taxonomic information; genus, and species.  Although, I have a tendency to “Google” them when I find them so that I can find out what order they come from.  For instance, I found a bird just last week called a Malayan Night Heron.  The drawing of the bird left off the crest that was obvious and visible, so to be sure of what I was seeing I used Google, which produced a large number of photos.  In addition to the corroborating photos, I found that the heron is of the order Pelecaniformes.  This is the same order as Pelicans, but according to the description and location of the bird, they are not really water birds.

The only other problem with the book is that it covers a large area:  China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia.  This is quite a large geographical area, so the range maps are a little too small to see clearly.  Remember, my children called this an old man’s sport.  I’ll cop to being a “not-as-young-as-I-used-to-be” man, I won’t go all the way to old, but even with my bifocals, the maps are a little small.  Taiwan is, after all, a tiny island in that large land mass.

Finally, the last problem, I have with this book is its size.  I think it’s a little heavy for a field guide.  My copy is paperback and I don’t like to take it out into the field because it might get destroyed.  I generally, try to photograph the bird and then come back and look it up.  It can be difficult if I come across more than a couple of birds because I have to take notes in order to remember locations and habitats.

In general, I am delighted with this book.  When I’m stuck in my office I find myself leafing through it and trying to memorize the drawings so I’ll recognize the birds immediately.  

The book is published by Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press, copyright 2009.  It is available for purchase at Amazon for $US 26.44.  Birds of East Asia link at Amazon


Other Posts you may be interested in:

Not Quite the Last of the Mountain Men
The Trees Are Alive With The Sound of Music
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  The Stink of Adventure

Not Quite the Last of the Mountain Men

In the University, many, many, many years ago I studied Biology.  My plan was to be a Wildlife Biologist:   Climbing to the tops of mountains, living with Bighorn sheep for months at a time, counting sheep, or tagging bears, something like that. 

What can I say?  It was the “mountain man” period of my life.  I wanted to be a modern day Jeremiah Johnson, without having to eat anyone’s liver.  You didn’t know about that, did you?  He fought the Crow tribe and ate their livers when he won.  Robert Redford conveniently left that part out.  He was actually called, “Liver-eating Johnson.”  Now, there’s a nickname that would inspire fear among your enemies, am I right? 

Look, I’m not making this up – There’s a book about him called Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver Eating Johnson by Raymond W. Thorpe.  The description of the book mentions his liver eating proclivities AND the fact that the movie Jeremiah Johnson was fictionalized and based on this guy’s life.  I've added link below.

Anyway, I thought these mountain men were pretty cool.  I longed, for the open wilderness, the solitude, cooking over an open campfire.  I actually met the “Last of the Mountain Men” in 1975 up on the Salmon River in Idaho:  Sylvan “Buckskin Bill” Hart.  I worked as a whitewater guide and we rafted right past his cabin once a year.  He was a nice, if somewhat eccentric old guy.  He was seventy-two years old at the time.  There’s also a book about him called Last of the Mountain Men by Harold Peterson.  It was actually written for Sports Illustrated.  There's a link below.

It’s amazing how my mind wanders these days; I really wanted to talk about something else.   As I was saying I wanted to be a Wildlife Biologist, so I carefully studied courses like Zoology, Invertebrate Zoology, Botany, Entomology, Ichthyology, and Ornithology.  I wasn’t particular about what kind of wildlife I counted, tagged, and generally hung out with.  As a result of all of this studying, I could pretty much recognize a lot of different wildlife. 

I moved to Taiwan from California.  In California, I knew and could identify just about any type of bird that I saw.  I even understood taxonomy and could find my way around a dichotomous key.  Those were the days before Google, baby.  I could handle the old DK, like the pro that I was.

Then I moved to Taiwan.  Guess what the birds are different here.  So I recently got a copy of Birds of East Asia; China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia by Mark Brazil.  (link below) It’s a little heavy for a field guide, but there are drawings of hundreds of birds, along with taxonomic information, range, and seasonal visitation.  So now I’m kind of figuring out local birds.  I spend some quiet time in urban parks near my home and occasionally head out to the mountains to gaze at the birds and try to identify them.  It’s interesting and peaceful.

I’m not dreaming of being a mountain man any longer.  Oh, I still read an occasional F. Pat McManus book, but personally, I’m on to other things.  Here are some birds that I've seen near my home.  I prefer to use my own pictures but I'm way too slow.  By the time I'm ready to shoot a picture, the bird is already over Mexico, just so you know.  There are links to pages of these people, who are much more skillful than I am at photography.  

Pacific Swift - Apus Pacificus

Oriental Stork - Ciconia boyciana

Little Egret - Egretta Garzetta (Summer Plumage)

Chinese Bulbul - Pycnonotus Simensis Formosae

Book Links:

Crow Killer:  The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson

The Last of the Mountain Men:

Birds of East Asia: China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia:

Photo Credits:

Buckskin Bill: 

Liver Eating Johnson: 

Robert Redford: 

Oriental Stork: 

Chinese Bulbul:  

Little Egret:  

Pacific Swift:  

Other posts you may be interested in:

More Than an Hour at Sun Moon Lake

Taiwan Travelogue:  the North Coast

The Mountains of Taiwan

More Than an Hour at Sun Moon Lake

I have a lot of trouble traveling in Taiwan.  It’s not for reasons that you would think.  It’s not because I can’t read the highway signs.  It’s not because I can’t sit comfortably in a car for long periods.  It’s not because I can’t read maps or understand the GPS.  It’s not for any of those reasons.  I have a hard time traveling because my schedule doesn’t really permit it.

I’m a pastor and guess what…Sunday is always just around the corner.  Between writing two sermons and a Bible study each week, my own personal studies, outreach, preaching, teaching, two blogs and all the other things that come up, I don’t have much time to hang out.  If where I want to go is more than a day trip away, I’m not often able to go.

For example, we have always wanted to go to Taroko Gorge.  It’s probably one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  If you’re an American, it compares favorably to Yosemite.  It is gorgeous.  I’ve been there once; I spent about an hour there. 

A friend had had an accident in Hualien and was stuck in the hospital there.  My wife and I left on a Tuesday night to go visit him.  Hualien is about four and a half hours from Taoyuan City.  We got there and visited for a while and stayed in a hotel.  I had to be in Taoyuan the next day before noon, so we got up early and drove to Taroko Gorge.  It was about twenty minutes from the hospital.  We drove a half hour into the gorge and turned around and drove back out.  For my sixtieth birthday though, my family and I took two days off and went to Sun Moon Lake. 

Sun Moon Lake is located in about the center of the island.  It’s the largest body of freshwater in Taiwan.  The scenery is spectacular.  The temperature is cool.  It’s also a relaxing resort type atmosphere.

The main entrance to the lake is Yuchi Township in Nantou County.  I’ll include a Google map at the end so you can find it.  We stayed At the Tanhui Hotel, an inexpensive hotel across the street from the lake.  We could see the lake from our hotel if we looked through the glass of the hotel across the street.  The room was very inexpensive.  It was set up for four people, (Our daughters came along with us.).  The hotel served breakfast of eggs and cooked lunchmeat.  We weren’t really expecting much for what we paid.  The staff was nice and friendly; the room was clean although I could only face one way in my wheelchair.  I had to go out into the hall to turn around, but hey, it was a good way to meet my fellow travelers.  On the whole I’d recommend the hotel if you are just looking for inexpensive. 

The lake was beautiful:  Soaring mountains, cool breezes and fresh air; all things that can be difficult to find in summertime Taiwan.  The locals are mostly aboriginal and very nice and friendly.  The only thing that was a letdown was that we went to dinner about eight and had a difficult time finding any place to eat.  We ended up eating street food from a small night market. 

The highlight of the trip was a boat ride across the lake.  These guys lifted my wheelchair onto the boat and we powered across the lake to three locations.  We could get off at any of the stops and explore.  The place we stopped had a tram that went up over the mountain.  I don’t ride on things like that for reasons that I cannot reveal, but it has to do with mountaineering and hanging around.  That sentence seems sufficiently vague.  So, if you’re adventurous you can take the ride over the mountain and discover something.  I can’t have all the fun. 

I’m certainly glad that my family arranged this trip.  It was well worth the extra work to get caught up, we went on a Monday and stayed over night, but guess what…Sunday was just around the corner.

Photo Source:  Tanhui Hotel: Booking.com 
All other photos:  Elizabeth Banducci

Other Posts You May Be Interested in:

Taiwan Travelogue:  The North Coast
Taiwan Travelogue:  The National Palace Museum
Taiwan Travelogue:  The Huaxi Night Market

Paying it Forward in Rice

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours,  got a little behind in his rice planting.  This man has been a great friend of ours over the last few years.  He’s helped us out in a number of ways.  He needed some help and we were glad to return the favor. So, one cold rainy day in April, my daughters and a number of their friends jumped in and went to work in the rice fields. 

Most of the planting is done with a tractor.  In a past article, (TaiwaneseTraditions: The Planting and Growing of Rice:  April 4, 2011) I described the vehicle and process of rice planting.  What I didn’t mention in that article is that there are areas in the rice paddies, odd-shaped spaces where a tractor cannot go.  I guess we would call these “The Final Frontier.”  Well, maybe not, but the idea is that in order to maximize the crop yield, these odd-shaped spaces must be filled with rice seedlings.  If the tractor can’t go there, then they have to be planted by hand.

For one person, alone, this can be time consuming back breaking work, but for a group of young people with energy to burn it can be knocked out in a couple of hours.  Most of them had never worked in a rice field in their lives.  Three of them even grew up in countries where rice is not a major crop.  If I had to guess I would say that some of them have never done any “blue collar” work in their lives.  But they showed up and planted by hand and finished the job in about three hours.

I think rice fields are beautiful.  As the rice grows and fills in the spaces between seedlings there s something about them that just appeals to my sense of the beautiful.  They look like a perfectly manicured lawn.  All the grass, rice is a grass is at the same height.  It waves in the breeze, like ripples across a pond.  The color is a beautiful emerald green.  My family thinks I’m nuts, but I just appreciate the beauty in farmland, I guess. 

Other Posts You may be Interested in:

Taiwan Traditions:  The Planting and Growing of Rice
Taiwanese Traditions:  The Selling and Brewing of Tea
The Origins of Wulong Tea

PS118 – Taiwan’s Newest Motovlogger

I've discovered a new Motovlogger.  Well, let’s be fair I didn't discover him, I've known him for a while. It’s just that he just recently started motovlogging.  So what is motovlogging? 

It is a rather new art form.  Currently, the most highly watched motovlogger is Mordeth13, more commonly known as M13.  He rides through Taiwan and records his thoughts on a wide range of subjects, all while filming through his helmet.  Recently, M13 had a terrible accident in Hualien and will be laid up for several more months.  I’m sure, though, when he gets back on His feet, he’ll begin vlogging again. 

The new motovlogger that I want to write about today is called PS118.  He’s a motorcycle blogger that uses a little different twist.  On Tuesdays he uploads a video about driving a scooter in Taiwan.  So far all of these videos have been instructional in nature.

In his first “scooter tutorial” he explains the two-point left turn that is required at many intersections in Taiwan.  In heavily trafficked intersections where there are multiple lanes, there is a blue sign directing scooters to make a two-point turn.  In the intersection itself there is a small box, in front of the crosswalk where you pull your scooter in and wait for the light to change.   If you follow this rule you can avoid some serious scooter squishing.

The interesting thing is that this rule seems to be pretty effectively enforced which, is unusual for traffic violations in Taoyuan City.  The police seem to have this method of enforcement where they pick a traffic rule and enforce it for a month, then move on to another rule.  However, I often see police officers about a half block from the intersection with a video camera filming people violating the two-point turn rule and then waving them over and ticketing them.

I, of course, strictly obey all traffic laws.  I have no desire to die in the street.  Okay, so I went off and talked about driving a scooter in Taiwan and didn't mention the “different twist.” 

What makes him different begins with his channel name PS 118.  This is a reference to Psalm 118 in the Bible.  On Fridays, instead of a scooter riding tutorial He uploads a devotional.  In other words, he discusses a specific passage of scripture and tells us how it applies to his life.  He’s only just begun but his intention is to be faithful to do these weekly. His first shot at this is a devotional on Jesus’ walking on the water.  He analyzes what is happening from a spiritual perspective and them makes it personal by relating it to his own life. 

I have to applaud him on what he’s trying to do.  When I first came to Taiwan, there were things I didn’t understand about riding a scooter, here.  I figured it out on my own, but I believe that what he’s doing is helpful, to visitors or newcomers from other countries.  It is also refreshing to hear someone unabashedly put out what they believe on YouTube. 

The nature of YouTube comments makes putting your beliefs out there, sort of dangerous.  Whatever your beliefs are about anything.  If you have an opinion there is a troll out there somewhere ready and waiting to tell you your stupid, among other things.

So check out PS 118.  Taiwan’s newest Motovlogger.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Random Asianess:  Driving in Taiwan
Random Asianess:  the Written Driver's License Test
Traveling with M13:  Custom Scooters of Taiwan

Photo Source:  http://chinesehacks.com/usage/chinese-traffic-signs/

http://article.wn.com/view/2014/09/29/Hightech_system_exposes_jaywalkers_who_ignore_red_light/

Construction Boom

We live in a pretty new neighborhood.  By pretty new I mean that most of the apartments weren't here a year ago.  In fact, just in one section of street by our house there are seven apartments and one mall being built.

It’s amazing.  I see all these articles about how the population of Taiwan is declining and I wonder who’s going to live in all these places.  There is room for probably forty thousand new residents, and that’s just in my neighborhood.  The apartments that are for sale here are in about the US $450,000 to US $500,000 range.  That's a lot of Mazoola, but they're pretty luxurious.  You can rent one for about US $650 per month.  That's what we pay for a fairly large 4 bedroom apartment, that's less than a year old.  That's in Taoyuan City though, prices in Taipei are much, much higher.  

We see apartments being built all over Taoyuan and Bade Cities.  Growth is huge.  One of the reasons for that is that it is convenient for people who work in Taipei to live in Taoyuan and commute.  It’s going to get even more convenient as the MRT extends to Taoyuan. You won’t need to ride the train and switch to the MRT or a bus to get to your location.  You will be able jump on the MRT and find your way to anyplace in Taipei. 

I think the real problem with all this growth will be the local roads.  Don’t get me wrong the roads are modern and easy to drive.  Well, the roads are easy to drive on but the traffic is not easy to get through.  I think traffic will become much worse as the construction boom continues, because I notice all of the building but not any widening of the streets.  Small two lane roads serving all these apartment complexes and the mall are bound to become congested. 

 

 I’m kind of looking forward to the completion of the construction because the buildings are beautiful and modern.  I’m tired of the construction dirt and noise, and all the blue trucks.  For the uninitiated, blue trucks are the scourges of traffic in Taiwan.  They drive fast and it seems like they go out of their way to violate traffic laws and startle pedestrians and motorists.  They make taxi drivers look like concerned and careful drivers. 

Taoyuan City is an urban environment by American standards.  When I was young I always thought that I wanted to live in the country.  Away from the city and enjoying the natural scenery.  But in the US for a time, I lived in Dunsmuir, which is a small town of 1,500 near Mount Shasta in California.  I fished, I hiked, I did all the things the country dwellers did.  But since being in Taiwan and living in this type of urban environment I have discovered that I’m really more comfortable in the city.  I like having a lot of people around.  I enjoy the fact that something is happening all the time.  I liked Dunsmuir well enough, but give me that old hustle and bustle.  I guess I’m just a city guy.  

Other Posts you may be interested in:

On The Move:  Changing Places in Taiwan

On the Move:  Finding a Home in Taiwan

Random Asianess:  Driving in Taiwan

On the Road, Again: Hualien

Editor's Note:  After a long hiatus I've begun to work on this again.  I just wasn't feeling like writing.  It’s a long story, better left untold, but my mind is back in the right place now, so I think we can expect regular Taiwan Adventure Blog posts again.  I apologize for the hiatus but it was needed.

The Virtually Indestructible M13

Recently, my friend You Tube Motovlogger M13 had a serious accident on his scooter.  He ended up going over a cliff, breaking both legs and having to have part of his hand amputated.  The accident happened right outside of Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan, about four and one half hours from where we both live.  My wife and I went to visit him.  We had never been to Hualien before, so we stayed for the night and did a little sightseeing on the way home.

Hualien is located about a third of the way down the east coast of Taiwan, about 177 km (about 110 miles) from Taipei.  But those 110 miles take about four and one half hours.  From the perspective of the drive Highway 9 is horrendous.  The road is narrow and traveled heavily by quarry trucks and tour buses.  There are also those intelligent drivers who have no fear of passing on a blind corner over a double yellow line.  Caution is required.

From the Nan ao Overlook

It’s a long, tiring trip but very worth the effort.  The vistas of the Pacific Ocean are spectacular.  There are a number of overlooks where one can stop, take in the scenery, and get a few photos. 

In Hualien, we stayed at a motel called the Taiwan Best Hotel.  The hotel was comfortable and clean and rented for about $2600 NTD (about 90 USD) per night.  This isn't bad considering Hualien is one of the premiere tourist locations in all of Taiwan, because of it’s proximity to Taroko Gorge.. 

The Entrance to Taroko Gorge

So, even though we were in a hurry to get back, (I had to finish up working on my Bible Study for the evening) we took a short detour to Taroko Gorge.  The road through the Gorge is one of the three most scenic roads in the WORLD; not Taiwan, but the ENTIRE world.  We were there only for a short time but were awed by the beauty of that place.  We will definitely make another trip to Hualien and to the Gorge to see it all.  This is just a taste of The Road to Hualien.

The day was pretty hazy, due to high humidity, and the photos aren't the greatest, but we’ll do better when we go again.

Taroko Gorge

Chung Chan Temple

Su ao Overlook:

Su ao harbor

The Port of Su ao

The Mountains of Taiwan

We recently took a trip to the mountains of Taiwan to a small picnic area above the city of Sanxia.  We got lucky, in terms of the weather , which is pretty unpredictable this time of year.  The Plum Rains have started and we are seeing thunderstorms on an almost daily basis.  But last Saturday was just about as perfect as weather can be.  Temperatures were cool, but not cold.  There was no rain, just a slight refreshing breeze.  As an added bonus, because of the terrible weather for the last week, everyone stayed home, expecting the weather to repeat, so we had the place virtually to our selves.  Only lifeguards were milling around.  That doesn't happen often on a weekend in the Taiwanese mountains.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Taiwan Travelogue: Lala Shan la拉拉山
Taiwan Travelogue:  The North Coast
Taiwan Travelogue:  Driving to Hawaii

Photos:  Elizabeth and Emily Banducci