Saturday May 11th, 2013
Raining and raining and raining and raining and raining,
etc. Starting from the wee hours in the morning till throughout the day, it
down poured big time. Good thing we didn’t have any outdoor activities today,
only just battling the rain getting from car to building.
First stop was a short art museum featuring an artist who
enjoys using lacquer for his paintings, trying to blend Chinese and Western
art. They were pretty good. I have no pictures because I don’t think
photography was allowed. Sorry.
Close by (also close to the National Palace Museum) was the
real gem of the day, the Shung Ye Museum Of Formosan Aborigines! In other
words, Taiwanese aboriginals! Yay! Surprisingly there were close to no people
but that gave us an easier time seeing everything. ;) Consisting of four levels
total, I LOVED every inch of this place! It’s a Taiwanese aboriginal lover
paradise! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! Inside were things from rituals to clothing to
living quarters to utensils. No pictures were allowed by I did bring back some
fun facts for y’all! ;)
-Lilies are used as a symbol of female chastity
-Tattoos for males are common on their back, arms and chest.
For women it is usually the back of their hands. Both can have them on their
face.
-Making cloth is super complicated and really difficult.
They use ramie thread from peeling off outer surface of ramie stalk, then
twisting the silks within to form threads. With the use of a horizontal
back-strap loom, they can create cloth. A video played that showed this process
and boy did it depict how strenuous it was! You really have to admire all that
hard work!
-Traditionally, alcohol was only drunk on special occasions,
hence drinking problems were rare. With the modern culture thriving along with
new conditions, addiction to alcohol is currently at a higher rate.
-There are such a thing as MAN CUPS! XD When a boy becomes
of age, he is given a special cup that stays with him even to the point of
being buried with it. Apparently the cups were viewed as being masculine. Does
that mean you can attract girls with your personal cup? XD
At the end of it all, we stopped by a petite gift shop
containing aboriginal-like items with a modern spin on them. My host parents
were so very kind and purchased four souvenirs for me, an aboriginal headband,
poncho, glass bead keychain and bobble-head phone charm. Not only did they all
relate to the Taiwanese aboriginal culture, but were also light and easy to
pack. Host father and mother knew this and wanted to give me something special
of something I love about Taiwan with no problems concerning packing…that’s so
uber thoughtful! Really, they are very, very sweet people. I love them and am
so thankful to have them as my host family! :D
We grabbed lunch at a close local place because there
weren’t any other restaurants. It may not have been a high quality
establishment but it still served its purpose with nummy food. My favorite of
our ordered dishes…
STINKY TOFU!!! WHOOP WHOOP! It’s such a beautiful sight! ^_^
The first whiff caught of this plate did have a punch of smelliness to it. Not
even a minute later it was non existent. Perhaps you get desensitized to the
smell really quickly, that and it wasn’t strong in the first place. The tofu
itself was pretty good, though not my favorite type but the pickled veggies
were spot on! LOVED THEM! I really will have to learn how to make stinky tofu
myself because I’ll sorely miss it in America if I don’t. ;P
We actually ordered two stinky tofu plates along with three
bowls of other soupy stuff. I mostly focused on the stinky tofu cuz I just love
it that much. It’s a little humorous because host mother didn’t eat much stinky
tofu at all, host father ate some but I obviously ate the most by consuming
what they didn’t. Does the American like
stinky tofu more than the Taiwanese? :P
Back to the car, we drove a bit to briefly view a small
temple. I refer to it as the ‘love temple.’ Primarily singles come here praying
for love. I’ve actually already seen this little temple before on a Rotary
trip, the day we saw the lit up Lantern Festival display. It’s very tiny with
only two rooms but accomplishes its purpose.
Another car ride away at we walked through a different
temple, Guandu Temple. It is a whole bunch bigger with more diverse features.
Now here is where I could have a photography field trip! ;D
Looking upwards at a dimensioned ceiling. Though it holds a
traditional design, very non-traditional colorful Christmas lights were
blinking away. Strange but had a sense of beauty to it.
A tunnel of a hallway including many temple arts along the
walls.
‘Mazhu,’ the beloved goddess of Taiwan accompanied by two
guardians, one with super eyesight and the other with super hearing. All very
prominent icons in Taiwan.
One of my favorite sights in this temple. Who doesn’t like a
beautiful phoenix? ;P
Chinese temple roofs! Y’all know how much I love them.
Here’s more reasons of why I do! :D
Fishy looking dragon that spits colorful stuff. Fire? Water?
Feathers? Whatever it is, I adore the colors and design! But maybe more so when
it’s alone and not to be accidentally confused with spewing another substance.
XD
Chinese phoenix!
Once finished we went back to the house and rested awhile
until 6:15 rolled around to head out again. This trip was for dinner with host
father’s sister’s family. I don’t know the name of the restaurant but it was a
little odd. It struck me as trying to mimic a club with dim lights, alcohol
consumption and English party music playing. The most bizarre thing was the
place didn’t offer a drop of water. We had to go outside to buy a large bottle
to share between us. The food though was quite spectacular.
Plate of barbecued meat. I only tasted two of the different
variations, but the best was a type of mushroom wrapped in bacon. Mmm-hmm good!
Meat of some sort.
Fishie time!
I really didn’t understand what the heck this was but my
best guess is a fishy outside with fishy eggs on the inside…maybe. Really not
sure but it tasted good.
Quite an eye-catching presentation! A wooden boat with a
selection of raw fish and two dollops of wasabi on the back. Of the couple of
fish types I tried, I enjoyed each immensely!
Adorable sushi wooden block! There are four types with a
scoop of ginger cleansing palate stuff in the middle. I only had one small
sushi roll at the top left and absolutely loved it! Sushi is so fantastic! I
might being seeing it more frequently in America compared to before just cuz I
predict cravings will be had. ;)
And miso soup to wrap up the meal. Nummy as always.
With that the night came to an end quickly, a rainy end mind
you. It seems to be that kind of wet weekend. ;P Good night all!
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