During the holiday break, we hiked up Qixingshan (Seven Star Mountain) in Yangmingshan National Park (right behind our apartment). We went with our friends Paul Jacob, Amanda Jacob and their son Theo and of course we dragged our little dogs along too. Both Jake and Scout are getting on in years (15 & 14 respectively) but they hate to be left behind and luckily they are small enough to carry when they get tired or the terrain gets too rough. It was a beautiful day for a hike – with clear skys, pleasant temperatures and breathtaking views of the city of Taipei as well as the surrounding mountain-studded landscape. We loaded the kids, dogs and hiking supplies in our two vehicles and headed for the trailhead.
Qixingshan in Yangmingshan National Park.
Qixingshan is located in the Datun Volcano Group and is the highest peak in Taipei, at the rim of the Taipei Basin and is also the highest dormant volcano in Taiwan. Thousands of years ago the Datun Volcano Group erupted and spewed huge amounts of lava that flowed to the north and became the foundation of Taiwan’s rocky north coast.
Qixingshan Trailhead
Silver grass covering the mountainside.
The north coast of Taiwan visible from the mountains.
Mountains and more mountains.
Breathtaking horizons.
Low clouds, high mountains.
Pause for a picture.
More surrounding mountains.
Mountains and more mountains.
Griffin gives Jake a lift.
Amanda Jacob takes the lead on the way up.
Bodhi perches on a rock on top.
The trail begins
Beautiful mountains of Yangmingshan National Park.
Master of all he surveys.
A lonely dog treks.
Lunch at the top.
Above the tree line, the mountain is covered with silver blooming grasses.
Looking up towards the top.
Jake takes his time.
Bodhi gives Scout a lift.
Looking up to our destination
Beautiful views on the way up.
The Klars Afar on the move.
Lunch at the top.
A wonderful day in the fresh mountain air for everyone. At the top we enjoyed packed lunch and of course a bottle of wine. Scout and Jake were the favourites of the other hikers at the top and even managed to beg some treats.
Thanks for keeping up with the Klars Afar. Remember we love and miss you all and we always have room in our home for friends to visit us in Taipei
It’s been months since a post and the last one was far from current. So as the title says, I’ve got some catching up to do. This first instalment is from our visit to Sun Moon Lake. While we were there, we rode the sky gondola over the mountains to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. This was both a shameless commercial venture AND an education on the different tribes of Aborigines – of which the Taiwan Govt. recognises 16. The shameless commercial side was an amusement park complete with overpriced, crummy food and a selection of rides. The educational part was a great walking path leading through life-sized villages of many of the tribes.
This was part of the exhibit where they showed the dependence on “fertility” gods.
Griffin tried out the bed in one of the exhibits.
Seen from the gondola ride from the lake – up and over the mountain
View of the Lake from the Gondolas.
View of the lake from the gondolas.
The Boyz strike a pose.
In front of a cool totem pole.
Griffin tries a blowgun
Of course the feeding pool was swarming
I promise to get current by New Year’s – either Chinese or Western. Until the next instalment, please remember that we love and miss you all. And there’s always a spare room for you here in Taipei. Here is your token video of a fish frenzy
While we were visiting the newly named Sun HOON Lake over the New Year’s break, we made sure to stop at WenWu Temple. While our children were more interested in sitting in our car playing on their electronic gadgets (even though we dragged them halfway around the world to expose them to stuff like this), Becky and I had a wonderful time strolling the grounds and taking lotsa pics.
A WenWu temple is unique and slightly rare in China and Taiwan because it venerates both a civil saint – Confucius – and a martial saint – Guan Yu – and there are sections of the temple dedicated to each. I, of course, was mostly interested in the martial aspect and approached the statue of Guan Yu outside the entrance where he is depicted wielding his signature weapon, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. He proceeded to cut my head off as seen in this entry’s main image. But don’t worry, Confucius was able to reattach it. Once I had my head on straight, I was able to take and share with you the following photographs.
This is when Guang Yu decided to cut my head off….was it something I said?
The entrance to WenWu Temple is guarded by two large red lions crouching on big white balls.
These lions are pretty imposing, definitely creating a mood for your temple visit.
It was a beautiful day – around 60 degrees and wispy clouds littered the sky.
Taiwan is such a mountainous place that landscapes always seem like Sumie paintings with mountains fading into the distance.
The light at Sun Moon Lake can get quite dramatic at certain times of the day…like sunset.
When you look up at the roof of the temple you see all these tiny little animals adorning the gables.
Love the lines and shapes captured in this pic…
There must be some story behind this and someday when I know it, I will tell you.
I think these tiny animals were laughing at me….or coughing.
View from up on a hill to the side of the temple.
Different structures of the temple seen from different angles bring geometry into play.
Becky standing in the arch at the highest point overlooking the lower structure roof and the setting sun.
Larger view of Becky at the Sunset Gate.
He was a real person who did some pretty important stuff. Here he is shown in the midst of that….
Here you can see the moon through the gate we were looking at the setting sun through earlier.
Mr. Demille, the moon is ready for her closeup now…
Nine Dragon Head Fountain
Incense receptacle on the second level behind the front structure.
Here Confucius and Gong Yu honored side by side with offerings of incense, fruit and cash.
Here shown to scale with average sized people in the shot.
This guy was supposed to tell your fortune…..when he wasn’t snoring.
On December 27th we welcomed our second visit from the ranks of our friends in America. The Hoon family, Zack & Jayne and their sons Clay & Carter arrived for a week-long adventure. Together we hit the Taipei Zoo, Taipei 101, The Shilin Night Market and Sun Moon Lake (now unofficially renamed Sun HOON Lake). Not only was it great to see our old friends again but Clay, who is currently studying Chinese in College, proved particularly useful as a translator and impromptu tour guide since he could read menus, ask directions and function as a nearly normal member of Taiwanese Society – a skill that still eludes many of the rest of us 外國人 (Weiguoren, the characters for foreigner in Chinese). In the photo below you see the jet-lagged Hoon Family found a little bit of home when they met up with American Marketing Icon Ronald McDonald who happened to be at the Taipei Zoo on a promotional visit.
The Hoons make the acquaintance of an American Marketing Icon who they happened to run into at the Taipei Zoo.
Even the animals got excited meeting the Hoons. Some of them even opened their eyes.
Here you can see how excited the Pandas were to see the Hoon Family. This one nearly woke up, he was so thrilled.
Then it was just a quick ride on the Taipei Metro Rail (MRT) to Taipei 101. Taipei 101 dominates the skyline of our fair city and between 2004 and 2010 it was the tallest building in the world. For just $500 NT for adults and $450 NT for children ($15 US & $13.50 US respectively) we took the elevator up to the 89th floor observatory and also gained access to the 91st floor outside deck which is sometimes closed due to high winds. Even though we had been here 7 months at that point, it took visiting friends to get us to the top. We found out Taipei 101 is green, is known as an engineering marvel in a country rife with typhoons and earthquakes and offers a hell of a great view of the city and surrounding green space. Check out these pics…
Trying to see the top of Taipei 101 just makes your neck hurt
I like the 101 logo made of 3 circles. Maybe my graphic designer friends back in the States like it too…or at least have an opinion.
This is where you wait to get to the top. Knowing this years ago could have significantly helped my career.
Haven’t been this high since I left Cleveland.
Couldn’t resist. Maybe the thinner air went to my head.
This is to remind the ladies that folks can see up their skirts when they stand over the mirrored sections of the floor. Duh…
An engineering marvel, the Taipei 101 is famous for extreme stability in a land of typhoons and earthquakes. This giant metal counterweight keeps it from falling over.
These things hold up the giant damper.
Thank god this sign was there to remind me not to jump…otherwise, who knows what might have happened.
Youngest son seems thrilled to be on top of the world with his dear old dad.
Looking up at the final ten floors from the 91st floor observation deck.
They have created a family of “Damper Baby” statues you can get your picture taken with….this is one.
That night we went to the Shilin Night Market. Sorry but I was either too tired or too drunk to take any pictures. Suffice it to say it is a packed throng of street vendors selling everything from squid on a stick to “Stinky Tofu” – a Taiwanese delicacy I have yet to drink enough to try. The next day we went to Sun “Hoon” Lake. Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of fresh water in Taiwan. Although it’s not much compared to the Great Lakes in the States, it’s still pretty damn big and the surrounding area is gorgeous. There’s a Gondola ride up the mountains, boat rides around the lake, bike paths surrounding the shore and the awesome Wen Wu Temple right on the shore overlooking the tranquil waters.
We rode a Gondola to an Aboriginal Theme Park, celebrated the New Year with old friends on the lakeshore and had an all-around great time at Sun HOON Lake – as it will forever be known henceforth in the Klar family.
These are ashtrays for sale in the village. Handicrafts like these revere the procreative forces of nature.
Klar & Hoon Males set the hearts of local girls all aflutter.
Dinner with two families is twice as nice.
Local sign warns agains buying anything from louts.
Boats on the lake decorated with tasteful restraint.
Midnight on the Lake with my old friend Zack, ringing in the new year right.
Gondola to the top of a nearby mountain.
Getting higher at Sun Moon Lake.
Clay and Carter Hoon enjoy the Gondola.
Bodhi sets his sights on the top.
Lush green forests cover the mountains of Taiwan.
Becky poses in front of the Gondola station.
The lake seen from the shore during a morning run.
Poinsettias grow wild on this island and reach the size of medium-sized trees.
Another view during a morning run.
Klar boys making waves.
One thing you occasionally regret living halfway around the world from people you’ve known most of your life is that you can’t show them the sights, point out the smells and have a laugh or two about this crazy place. It was soooooo nice to share our experience in Taiwan with such great old friends while we got to know their children better and let them get to know ours. We welcome any and all visitors to this “magic rock.” And we hope to see more of you soon.
I am terribly behind on this family blog. Please forgive me but I promise to post more regularly and eventually get up to the present. Don’t forget we love and miss you all. And feel free to post heartfelt or sarcastic comments – the more the better.
Well the Klars afar had a fantastic time during our first Christmas season here in Taipei.
We started the Holiday Season in our usual fashion when the Advent Calendars arrived from Nana & Poppa in the UK. For those of you unfamiliar with the custom, this is a 25-day calendar with a chocolate candy in a compartment behind each of the 25 dates of December leading up and including Christmas Day. This peculiarly British practice allows children to eat chocolate before breakfast for almost a month and also helps to answer 7-year old Bodhi’s daily query, “So how many more days until Christmas?” Providing the subsequent explanation affords a valuable teaching moment and builds strong math skills as we count down the days together. As parents we were able to practice patience and attempt to explain the concept of linear time when he regularly exploded, “Why can’t we just have Christmas today?”
25 pieces of chocolate spread over the whole month of December.
Griffin clearly appears bored already. Bodhi seems anxious to chomp some chocolate!
Griffin imagines the first piece of chocolate melting in his mouth while Bodhi finally realises he is holding a month’s worth of candy in his hot little hands.
We also enjoyed the Winter Wonderland event at Taipei American School. This was an all-day extravaganza with food, Santa, games, food, snowmen (yes, even here in sub-tropical Taiwan, folks), crafts, food and….did I mention the food.
Next on our agenda was a visit to Wendel’s, a local German Bakery. Each year they hold a fabulous Gingerbread Decorating workshop for kids. Skilled cake decorators assist the children so the parents are allowed to mingle and and drink.
Christmas Eve involved the normal stuff. Kids who don’t want to go to sleep, parents who want to get the presents under the tree so they can hit the sack and dad having a bit too much Christmas Spirit. We almost had the kids in bed when Bodhi suddenly realised that here in Taiwan we live in an apartment on the 6th floor with no chimney. How is Santa going to get into our home and deliver his bounty? Griffin, who at nine going on nineteen thinks he knows everything but won’t dare say he doesn’t believe in Santa as it may jeopardize his annual haul, snorted and chuckled in his wisdom as we explained to Bodhi that Santa will land on our balcony and we will leave the sliding glass door unlocked. This satisfies him enough to get him to go to bed. Finally.
This is the triple decker cookie Bodhi decorated at the Winter Wonderland event. Believe it or not, Santa ate it…well most of it anyway.
Even though it seemed like it took a million years (Cue Bodhi screaming, “WHY CAN’T IT JUST BE CHRISTMAS TODAY?”), the sun finally rose for two anxious little boys on December 25th. And boy did they make out!
So we all had a magical time during the holidays and we hope you did too. Thanks for reading our blog and don’t ever forget we love and miss you all.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,200 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
Taiwan celebrates national Taiwan Day each year on October 10th (10/10) and there are always extra days off for the entire island. The trouble with traveling during that time is that the whole population is likely doing it too. Roads are jammed, trains, busses and planes are completely booked and the crowds can be unbearable. So you’re often better off staying at home. Unless, of course, your timing is perfect.
Since Becky and the boys had Monday off school, we decided to hang out around home Friday and Saturday and travel early on Sunday. My theory was that we would be going somewhere at exactly the same time everyone else in Taipei was coming home from somewhere . Turns out I was right. Throughout our drive on Sunday, we saw traffic jams on the opposite side of the road.
We opted for Hualien – roughly halfway down Taiwan’s Rocky East Coast – since many of our new friends here have raved about the beauty of the drive there and it’s close to Taroko Gorge which we’ve wanted to see since we’ve been here.
The 4-hour drive to Hualien was just as dramatic as described. Taiwan’s rocky east coast has fabulous green mountains that go right up to the sea. The road is carved into the side of cliffs and offers breathtaking views of surf crashing on rocks.
The Coastal Highway has stunning views of Taiwan’s east coast. The Coastal Highway has stunning views of Taiwan’s east coast. I admit to stealing this photo since I couldn’t use the camera and drive at the same time.
Once we arrived, we settled into our accommodations and hit the shoreline. Hualien has a rocky beach with many beautiful views of the ocean and what was on that day a pounding surf. This was when Bodhi discovered that he is actually the god of the sea able to summon large waves at his leisure, as this video shows.
We captured and observed a tiny crab, walked with the dogs on the boulder-strewn shoreline and enjoyed the fresh air and crashing waves for a few hours before heading out to dinner.
Second son is fascinated by the waves. Comes from his seagoing gypsy heritage on his mother’s side, I’m told.
Few things are more fun at the seashore than finding a good stick.
While we were walking past, a local man held out his hand to me and said “Give to your son,” handing me this tiny crab he had found.
Most of the family is shown here with me behind the camera and Bodhi off in the distance.
Nice art in the seaside park.
Buddhist-themed art abounds in Taiwan.
Large boulders and small children nearly as far as the eye could see.
Later that night we went out for dinner and explored the city at night. Hualien has a very laid-back vibe, almost hippyish compared to Taipei. The Klars Afar approved.
A frozen watermelon juice drink from a street vendor put Bodhi in a stupor.
Becky and the boys pose with local rockers in Hualien.
The next day we packed a lunch, stopped for breakfast and headed out early to Taroko Gorge. Taroko Gorge is one of the most stunningly beautiful parts of Taiwan and certainly has an interesting history. It is named after the Truku People, one of the many tribes of aborigines present in Taiwan when the Chinese arrived over 400 years ago. For hundreds of years the aborigines lived in relative harmony with the Chinese who tended to live in cities on the coast while the aborigines were given free reign over much of the mountains.
According to Wikipedia, there were good reasons why most of the Chinese-descended residents of Taiwan tried their best to stay the hell away from the Truku. They were renowned for their skill in headhunting, which was a symbol of bravery and valor. A headhunting raid would often strike at workers in the fields, or employ the ruse of setting a dwelling alight and then decapitating the inhabitants as they fled the burning structure. Once the victims had been dispatched the heads were taken then boiled and left to dry, often hanging from trees or shelves constructed for the purpose. A party returning with a head was cause for celebration, as it would bring good luck. Some tribes took prisoners and inscribed prayers or messages to their dead on arrows, then shot their prisoner with the hope their prayers would be carried to the dead. These guys (and gals) were scary.
Only the occupying Japanese were able to battle the Truku people into submission and force them to abandon their decapitating ways. And (sigh) head-hunting was completely abolished by the 1930s. Otherwise we might have stayed home. Taroko Gorge is incredibly beautiful, just check out this gallery for proof.
The road through Taroko Gorge starts in Hualien and goes all the way across the island to the West Coast. This was no easy task and many workers died during its construction. In their honor, The Shrine of the Eternal Spring was created and we stopped there to enjoy its beauty.
After visiting the shrine, we motored home, enjoying once again the beautiful views along the way. Sorry for the long time between posts. Thanks again for reading and please post comments and questions. That’s it for now, please remember we love and miss you all…
River Tracing (or River Trekking as it is called in Wikipedia), is a relatively new and very popular sport in Japan and Taiwan. In the simplest terms, it involves putting on shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting wet and wading, walking, swimming and sometimes hiking up a clean refreshing fresh water river in the midst of the Summer heat.
We went with Monique Lee, her children and some friends of hers and I must admit, it was a hell of a good time. The place she took us is called WuLai, a beautiful, remote area South of Taipei. Until then most of our adventures had been to the North so we were anxious to check it out.
As you can see from this map, WuLai is substantially south of Taipei City.
As an escape from the high temperatures of Taiwan, this is similar to playing in the sprinkler on a hot day, except it involves the entire family and lots of animals, amphibians and fish…
Click on the images below to view a Wet & Wild Gallery.
Didn’t take long for all the kids – Griff, Bo, Molly, Uma & Samuel – to get in the swim of our new sport.
Clearly something interesting has been captured. No animals were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Samuel rides the chilling but refreshing current.
Clearly Gerald is ready for his close-up, Mr. Demille.
Kids on The Rocks
Towering Griffin
Guess who got to blow up the raft? Thankfully I took enough breaks not to pass out.
The kids took plenty of chances in what they thought were some pretty risky rapids as you can see from this video.
Even the Butterflies were frisky that day. Check it out.
Well a fun (and wet) day was had by all and we look forward to sharing many adventures with Monique and her clan so stay tuned.
Sundays are set aside as “Family Day” for the Klars afar in Taiwan. And now that we have a vehicle large enough for kids, snacks, dogs and adults, we hit the beach or the mountains (both great opportunities to beat the heat) at least once a week. We had noticed a few weeks ago that dogs seemed welcome on the beach here so we decided to take old Jake & Scout (now clocking in at 14 & 13 years of age respectively) along for the ride and a swim. Now they’re not as frisky as they used to be but you can see from the headline photo that they still manage to learn a new trick occasionally.
This was actually a few weeks ago and we made some new friends – which we accomplish on almost every trip. Monique Lee and her three kids – Molly, Samuel & Uma. They made us feel right at home and even let us borrow their inflatable raft so we could play “Rescue” with Jake & Scout. (Click an image below to launch the gallery of larger images).
Once we were in sight of the water, Jake & Scout, Griff and Bo made a bee line to the shore.
The only thing Jake likes better than swimming is rolling in dirt after swimming.
You can usually find Jake in the water or in the dirt.
Scout prefers to wade into the depths at her own pace and rarely goes deeper than her tummy – which is not very deep.
Sometimes lunch tastes better when you’re sitting on Mommy’s lap.
Dogs adrift searching for shore
Ahoy, Matey! Have you any Scoobie Snacks on board?
It appears they like to snuggle when they’re afraid of drowning.
Jake & Scout ride the curl much to the delight of their captive audience.
Jake rarely likes to be far from Becky if he can help it. Here he swims out to rescue her from the Boogie Board.
Bodhi decides to take a shot at the Boogie Board. It did not end well.
Our new friends let us play with their raft so it seemed only fair that we let them fly our kite.
It was a great afternoon and reassuring that we didn’t have to leave Jake & Scout at home alone while we had fun. Plus they helped us meet Monique and the gang with whom we have since had more adventures…but that’s another post. Hope you enjoyed this one.
Remember to post any comments and questions and that we love and miss you all.
The Klars Afar 