Taiwan and its capital, Taipei
Taipei, the capital of the island nation of Taiwan, is the heart of a metropolitan area of nearly ten million people, which stretches from Taoyuan to Keelung at the northern end of the island. Landing at the airport after a sixteen-hour direct flight from Toronto, I was soon immersed in a dynamic, well-organized, and well-maintained urban environment that could serve as a model for cities like mine. Three weeks later, I left Taiwan even more impressed by the high standard of living the Taiwanese have created on their island, not especially blessed with primary products like oil, minerals, and agricultural surpluses that Canada’s wealth is built on.
Greater Taipei Area – Google Earth view
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Before I set off on my sixteen-day bike ride around the island, I had set aside three nights in Taipei to recover from jet lag and acclimate to the temperature (25ºC+ higher than Toronto I left!) and local culture. I booked a room at the Hotel Papa Whale in the Ximending area of Wanhua, where the origins of Taipei began with Han immigrants from the Mainland about 300 years ago. That makes Taipei a younger city than Quebec City or Montreal! As with the Canadian story, a key element in Taiwan’s history is the displacement of the Indigenous Peoples, whose island it was before 1600.
Ximending and Wanhua District
Wanhua and the Ximending Neighbourhood
The Ximending area is a neighbourhood whose streets are mostly pedestrian-only. Hotels, restaurants, food stands, tea and coffee houses, bars, street performers…it is a massive outdoor shopping mall that is a favourite of locals and tourists alike. On the map above, it is shaded in pale yellow. I spent three nights at the Hotel Papa Whale on Kaifeng Street on its northern perimeter before my bike ride and another one on my return, sixteen days later.
audience taking in a street performance at in Ximending
Typical scene in Ximending – night shopping is a big thing in Taiwan!
a street at the edge of the Ximen neighbourhood
The Ubiquitous Ubike Stands
Ubike is a public bicycle-sharing service started by Taipei’s municipal government and the bike manufacturer Giant in 2009. It has grown to such an extent that there are now about 8000 rental stations in the country!
As you look at the following images, note the complete lack of litter and graffiti. In the shopping areas, sidewalks are usually covered with a roof or a second-floor balcony, which provides shade. Shopkeepers keep their sections of sidewalk tidy and clean.
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek is the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the history of modern Taiwan. When he died in 1975, the 24-hectare grounds of an army barracks in Zhongzheng district were repurposed to create a fitting memorial. The result was a set of dramatic structures in classical Chinese style framing a large public square in the heart of Taipei just to the east of Wanhua. I walked over early one morning to check it out and waited long enough to see the day’s first ceremonial military drill/changing of the guard at the bottom of the 89 stairs (one for each of Chiang’s years of life) leading up to the actual hall.
Taipei’s districts
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall – access the Google Earth view here
I walked under one of the archways. Up ahead was Democracy Square (rededicated as such in 2007 after Taiwan’s successful transition to democracy). To my left was the National Concert Hall as I made my way to the Memorial Hall. Across from the National Concert Hall is the National Theater. Both buildings were completed in 1987.
The National Concert Hall from the top step of the Memorial Hall
the view of the Archway at the far end of the square from the Memorial Hall
One of the minor gateways behind the Memorial Hall
streetscape with bicycle and motorcycle markers
a street on the edge of the Ximending district
locals doing taichi on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery in Wanhua
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Temple Visits – Longshan and Others
I’ve had a lifelong fascination with spiritual places of all sorts. Taiwan has an incredible supply of temples and shrines to visit. In the Wanhua district, the Longshan Temple is the #1 attraction. I would visit it on a couple of occasions – at night and during the day – to take in some of its energy. On the way, I also stopped in at a couple of neighbourhood temples that also attracted devotees and petitioners.
The waterfalls near the entrance to the Longshan Temple in Wanhua
a nighttime shot of those artificial waterfalls
My textbook knowledge of Chinese spirituality is based on a basic understanding of Confucius and Lao Tzu, two sages who lived about 2500 years ago. Add in the Buddhist element, the Mahayana version imported into China around 1500 years ago, and you have a uniquely Chinese blend of spiritual beliefs that often had me totally baffled. Baffled because I had no idea of the identities and stories of the various figures. Anyone from within the culture would be quite familiar with the symbolism and meaning each statue was meant to convey.
perhaps a Kwan Yin figure – the Chinese female version of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
Step 1 of Po-e divination: throwing the wooden wedge-shaped pieces
When I got back to my room, I googled for more info on the ritual I had seen a young man perform. Scroll down to Point 3 of this article to see the complete explanation!
You throw two red crescent-shaped wooden pieces and ask whether it’s okay to draw an omikuji. If one piece shows the front side and the other shows the back side, it’s a yes. However, if both pieces show either the front or the back, you need to change your question and throw the pieces again. It’s important to say your name and address during this process.
I was left wondering whether these religious practices have survived in Mainland China, given the Communist Party’s hostility to any form of religious expression and its destruction of those temples and shrines where they were practised during the Red Guard/Cultural Revolution years. The thought also came to mind that the USA is going through a similar Red Guard moment!
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Sampling Vegan/Vegetarian Eateries
Other than recuperating from the 16-hour flight, finding my way in Ximending, visiting the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and spending some time in a few of the many temples, a daily concern was finding a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. This was made much easier thanks to the Happy Cow app I had downloaded to my iPhone.
Happy Cow app – access here
At heart, I am a fuelie as opposed to a foodie. I was quite content with what I found at the traditional Taiwanese vegetarian restaurants and was always able to put together a filling supper from the various buffet-style offerings.
The following three pics are a good indication of what I loaded onto my plate. You pay by the weight of your dish, and the rice – brown or white – is often free, as is soup. As I cycled around the island, a decent supper would usually include a takeaway box that would serve as my breakfast. 7/Eleven often became the go-to place to pick up some prepared vegan food if nothing else was available.
Still, thanks to burning 3000-4000 calories a day on the saddle, at the end of my bike ride, I had lost 3 kg of weight, from 68 to 65.
See the report below for Part 1 of the actual ride. It deals with the ride down the west coast to Kenting; Part 2 will cover the ride back up to Taipei.
A Bike Ride Around Taiwan: Part 1 – The West Coast
Soon To Come!
A Bike Ride Around Taiwan: Part 2- The East Coast
