Taipei Dragon Boat Race and Tittot Glass Museum

I went to Taipei a couple of weeks ago. Many of the foreign teachers with the Ministry of Education met in Taipei for the Dragon Boat Race. We had a team that raced a boat. The Taiwanese were very impressed by the waigourens who came in last but managed to finish. Most teams train for weeks before the race. The team had no time to get together to train, but they kept the boat going straight and grabbed  the flag. No small feat since some of the other boats did go in circles or didn't finish. We came in last, but we were proud of our accomplishment all the same. And, it's always cool to participate in the local holidays and customs. It's good to be a positive ambassador. 

So, with my free time in Taipei I had a chance to visit with some the foreign English teachers I've come to know so well and see some of Taipei. I visited the Tittot glass museum. Tittot is a very famous glass manufacturer of detailed glass castings. They have also collected some excellent glass art from around the world. The museum also provides a great historical perspective of the history and process of glass and has many examples of antique glass.

This is a glass casting made by Tittot.

This is another glass casting made by Tittot.

Some of the examples of antique glass. The origins of glass can be traced back to 3500 BC in Mesopotamia.

Going Away BBQ

Well, it's hard to believe that I've been in Taiwan almost a year. Well, 11 months to be exact. It's a bitter sweet feeling for me. I have made some good friends and had many wonderful experiences. Spend a year anywhere and you are bound to leave some of yourself behind.

Some teachers from my school had a going away BBQ for me a couple of weeks ago. The table has holes cut into the middle where small grills fit. Everyone sits around the table and you just keep throwing food on the grill. We drank beer and ate for over four hours. A short list of the foods on the menu: sausage, beef, pork, oysters, fish, corn, peppers, mushrooms, and stuffed rice sausage. Instead of wrapping meat in bread they wrap food in romaine lettuce and top with veggies. Yummy!

Weekend In Kenting

A picture from the bluffs about 25 kilometers up the coast from Kenting

Flowers on the beach

A little resort town near Sail Rock

I'm a happy man. Relying on buses, taxis, and my bicycle for a year it was great to have my own motorized transportation.

Sail Rock

Me and Peter Ferguson on the bluffs. Like me, Peter is a teacher working for the Taiwan Ministry of Education but he lives in Hengchung (a city near Kenting). He and his girlfriend were nice enough to let me sleep in their spare bedroom. I've learned a lot about gestures over the years. Brits would be offended by this gesture.

A gang of English teachers taking over a breakfast shop on Sunday morning. One of Peter's students wanted to get in the picture too. Our Taiwanese director and her niece are sitting at the back of the table.

Peter, Andrea (Peter's girlfriend), and me giving the obligatory Taiwanese 'V' gesture. In Taiwan it's not a gesture for 'peace' but seen as making a 'Y' as in "Oh, yeah!"

How To Fight A Snake?

So, as you know from previous posts, there is a strong drinking culture in Taiwan. Occasionally, I have lunch with teachers, retired teachers, and other members of the community. A retired teacher is very fond of making me 'gambei', or finish my drink (that's why they drink beer out of shot glasses). In my circle of Taiwanese teachers he is known as the snake teacher. He is a small dragon, if you will, as he has influence and likes to assert his power when drinking. Well, I told a Taiwanese friend about my situation and she told me to 'gambei' him first and then 'gambei' him again and, just to make sure, hit him with a third to make sure he knows you're not playing. Well, last time we had lunch I tried it. He eyes were open with amazement when I hit him with the first 'gambei'. The second one he gave me a thumbs up. When I hit him with the third 'gambei' he waved me off. So, how do you fight a snake? You bite the snake first.

The Earthquake Truck Comes To Wuchi

So, I came to school the other day to find all the students crowded around the front steps and smiling broadly at a truck shaking in the parking lot. The earthquake truck made a visit to Wuchi. It's a small box truck that opens on one side with a mock room setup inside. The small room has a table and chairs and a small screen on the wall that tells you how hard you're shaking (it doesn't shake above 6.0 which is fine). There's room for about 5 to 7 people and then they make the room shake. Well, the students were having a great time. I mean, it was like an amusement ride, and they were getting out of class so you can understand their excitement. Now, I'm all for a little fun, but the educational value escaped me. I've lived in Taiwan for 9 months and been through 2 big and several small earthquakes. Why do you need a truck to shake you around? Just wait a few months and you'll feel the real thing.

Ralley Race Up Jinhen Mountain Near Taitung

This is a ralley race came across by chance while cycling around Taitung. I was planning to bike up Jinhen Mountain but found there was a race up the mountain instead. I like the Citroen burning up the rubber at the end.

Cycling Around Taitung

Well, it's good to have some Taiwanese friends reading my posts. I have edited some information on this post.

I took the bus about 50 km away from the hot springs resort where we were staying. I rode part of the way back with a couple of cyclists, but got turned around and rode about 5 km in the wrong direction. I was starting to have doubts when Teacher Chen and his family pulled up next to me and said, "Where are you going?" They set me in the right direction, but it turned out for the best since I arrived in a small town down the road just as a small parade was starting. I would have missed it if I hadn't gone the wrong way. Isn't life like that sometimes.


Many of the roads have very large bicycle and scooter lanes, but you don't want to go off the road. That culvert is about two and half feet deep. Talk about hard shoulder.



Falun Dafa is a kind of exercise. Yes, exercise is good!


A video of the parade in 'I-don't-know-where'. You gotta love the drummer in the pink afro. I also get a kick out of the guy walking with a box of fireworks and holding some hot ones in his hand. I guess he's living the motto 'a life without risk', eh. Also, I don't know why they're spraying the 'marching' guy with water. (Okay, I got informed. The guy is a shaman and he's 'beating' himself to channel the power of the gods. The water is magical and blessed and gives him power. Yeah, you go man!)

Weekend In Taitung-Chulu Ranch

Some students, teachers, and parents went to Taitung, a small city on the east coast, for a table tennis tournament. I tagged along with my bicycle on the bus. This was our first stop on Saturday. A ranch in the mountains with gift shops, painted cows, and walking trails. It was very beautiful. It was great to get to know some of my students outside of class too.





Flowers growing on trees.
The river stones embedded in the middle of the path are for massaging your feet. Some people will take off their shoes and walk over the smooth stones. It feel good enough through my sandals.









These flowers look like something from Star Trek. They are as delicate as they look.

Relaxing and Watching Snakes Fight

It's been a long time since my last post, but this will be a short post. There is a strong drinking culture in Taiwan. Occasionally, I go out for dinner with teachers, retired teachers, and other community and business people. The Taiwanese culture is very welcoming to foreigners. So, when I go out for dinner everyone wants to toast me as this is an acknowledgment of respect. "Gambei" is a common toast and it means "bottoms up". Many people will respect my liver as they respect me and say "cheers" and we will take a sip of whatever alcoholic beverage we are drinking. But, some of the older members of community really like to assert their positions of power (as older members of the community) and make the younger members of the community drink. It's also a chance to them to flex their 'drinking' muscles and show that they can still keep up with the younger guys. Anyway, there is a retired teacher that always likes to toast me with "gambei". He has been nicknamed the 'snake' teacher (when I see him I get bit). But, at our last dinner, there was another 'snake' from the business community. So, I got to relax at dinner and watch the snakes "gambei" each other as they were more interested in each other. Like so many things that happen in our lives, our stories have larger meanings and applications. But, I'll leave the interpretations to the reader.