Danshuei, Tamsui River and Fort San Domingo

Before heading back to Changhua a sister of my host mother suggested to show us the surroundings of Danshuei. So we went out a flat around 10 am and we were walking down a promenade where yesterday was a dazzlig and buzzling night market but today it was peaceful area with a great look to the mountains and to Tamsui river. We took a cold coffee in „Starbucks” and then we went to Fort San Domingo and surrouding historical buildings.
We reached San Domingo fort and I felt like at home in Europe because the buildings were built in the same architectural style like in Europe some centuries ago. They say that fort Domingo, is one of the most precious historical threasures in Taiwan and it is classified as a grade one historc site by the Ministery of the Interior. They say too that San Domingo site consists of two buildings: Fort Antonio, a defense first constructed by the Dutch in 1644 and later leased to and refurbished by the British as a consulate office after 1863; next to the fort stands the Former British Consular Residence, a colonial-style house first completed in 1877 and rebuilt 1891. It was a great that I had a chance to know a little bit more of Taiwan’s history and I assumed that Taiwan has been desirable place for a long time ago and for a lot of countries and their leaders. After getting know a complicated history of Taiwan then we went back to my host mother’s sister place where my host mother made a great dinner.

We took a lot of pictures where we were altogether and I felt sad as I knew that it will be the last time that we sat like that ...After the dinner, we took a rest and then we went back to Changhua but on the way we drove my hostsister’s grandmother to Taoyuan who also came to Danshuei to visit all of us and my hostsister’s friend with her guest in Taichung.

9th day: Jinguashi, Yehliu geological park and Danshuei night market

Today we woke up later as we didn’t have to go so far away to see the places which we desired to see. We ate in the breakfast a traditional soup with some fishes whose names I don’t know and after the delicious breakfast we went on a little hiking to Jinguashi scenic area where was a spectacular view to the top of a hill to the sea. There was also a great view to another hill which peaks looks like by the locals explanation a nose, breast and a pregnant stomach. Then we went to Gold ecological park nearby where in the main building we could get acquainted with the gold mining history and gold producing into the different products. For instance, I didn’t know that the gold artisans don’t make a jewellry from a pure gold because it is too soft material to work with and that’s why they add to the gold e.g. silver or capar. And there was written too that in 18 carats gold jewelry there are 25 percent silver and capar. At the end of tour in a museum we had a chance to have the photos with a real a gold’s block but of course we couldn’t touch it just to put a hand into a box where was the gold.

 After that we went to Yehliu geological park whose signature is a queen’s head. We bought the tickets and then we entered in this park which looked like unreal and of course there I saw this famous geological sculpture: the queen’s head but there was already a long que of the people who wanted to take a picture with this head. We decided that we don’t want to wait in such a long que as there were too much people so we took photos with this sculpture from another side of the geological park. After the excursion in this park we went finally to Danshuei in Taipei New city. My host mother’s sister has a flat there so we stayed there in afternoon to have a rest and then we were going to the closest night market. This was my 4th time in the night market and I still enjoyed it because I discovered more new food and other products. It seems that Taiwan has endless variety of the food...Tomorrow we plan to see a little bit of Danshuei surroundings and then we will go back to Changhua.

8th day: Salt factory, Wulai and Jioufen

Today we woke up quite early because we planned to go to the surroundings of Taipei and on a way to Taipei city’s area we wanted to take part in an excursion in a salt factory in Miaoli county. So we took our belongings and we drove to our first destination and also on a way to the salt factory we picked up my host’s friend and her guest Min Jung from Korea in Taichung. After approximately 1,5 hour we reached the salt factory and there we had a guided tour where the tour leader showed us a presentation where was explained how this factory utilize a salt from the sea into the different salt products. After the presentation we went in the factory where we could see in practice how this factory produces the products from the salt. It was really interesting to see how is a process of the salt producing after it is taken from the sea and filtred. In this tour I met a few SayTaiwan participants from Mexico, Moldova and Ukraine so it was great to see some other guests with which I haven’t yet got acquainted.

After the tour in the factory we went to Wulai which is famous of its hot springs, cherry blossoms garden in a spring, one of the local tribes-Atayal tribe of Taiwan and there is also a beautiful nature scenery. When we arrived in Wulai my eyes already were attracted by the colorful tourists bridges and while we passed one of them there was a great view to the tiny street with a lot of cafes and shops. We tried in one cafe the one of the local delicacies by Atayal tribe and it was a bamboo shoot filled with a sticky rice. It was very delicious and I again admitted that I liked one more new food from Taiwan. After a lunch we went with a tourism service wagons 1,6 km to Wulai waterfall and a view to this waterfall was just marvellous. After that we went to have a drink in another cafe and I was surprised that my host family offered me and the Korean girl Min Jung to go the hot springs in this cafe. As I read before a trip to Taiwan that the hot springs are very healthy then I didn’t miss a chance to attend them. We spent in the hot springs approximately 1 hour where we relaxed so much that we became sleepy and then we were heading to Jiufen.

We were there around 7 pm and a view from a top to the houses and the sea was breathtaking. After admiring the surroundings we went to the night market where we had a supper and we took a lot of pictures in the one famous spot of the old street nearby in which several popular movies have been managed. After a nice walk we were heading to the B&B house nearby where I felt like at home-we were eating in the main room, watching TV and relaxing. Tomorrow we plan to go to Jinguashi, Yehliu eco park and then we plan to start to go to Danshuei in New Taipei city where a sister of my hostmother lives.

7th day: Hiking in Dakeng scenic area

Today I went with my hostfamily to Dakeng scenia area to hike which is close to Taichung city. However before hiking I was a bit frightened if it will not be too hot and difficult to hike as I come from the country where the highest “mountain” is just 300 meters high. But despite my previous worries at the end everything went perfectly. We found a beginning of one of the trails of Dakeng scenic area and my host family said that it was also their first time hiking in this area. We left our car in a car parking place and we started our journey up to the mountain. While we were hiking, on the sides of the trail was a few kiosks and sales assistants who offered us the drinks, food, hiking equipment and even a traditional and herbal medicine but we had our own drinks and equipment. I recognized that a lot of kiosks were empty and I guess mostly hikers probably hike in this area on the weekends. However when we climbed up I recognized a few old ladies who were climbing down so we weren’t completely alone. Actually I enjoyed that there wasn’t a lot of people so that I could enjoy a beautiful nature landscape. While we were climbing up I took so many pictures because there was a lot of plants, fruits and flowers which I saw the first in my life and in addition they were so beautiful and colorful. I think that Taiwan will never stop to impress me and I hope that I have a chance to come back to travel again in this country. After approximately 2 hours with several stopovers we reached a top and after a short rest we climbed down which was the easiest task of the whole hiking trip. We climbed down to the same place where we started to hike and after that we went to the closest café to have a lunch. My host family ordered a food and repeatedly I tasted one more new food . Then we were heading back to Changhua as we spent almost half of a day in hiking but it was fine with me as I was kind of tired after hiking.

6th day: Lukang old city, glass artworks and miracles

Today I went with my family to Lukang which is very close of a place of my host family. On a way to Lukang we were in Lukang’s glass gallery which was simply amazing. So far I have been in glass exhibitions in several countries but this one is the most beautiful. When we entered on the 1st floor of the gallery there were different shops where you could buy whatever you wish so: if you want to buy something from jewelry-here it is, if you want to buy the sculptures made of glass: here they are and so on. On the second floor there were a lot of artistic sculptures made of glass and some of them were very big and most surprisingly- despite the big size every detail was precise.

Then we went to Lukang were we visited the famous Mazu temple and an old street nearby. It was great to feel an aura of Taiwan’s history so I appreciated that I have a chance to get known a little bit of Taiwan’s architecture, culture, religion from an aspect of the past.

Today I observed that in Lukang were more tourists comparing in the places where I have been so far so that it means that Lukang is a hot spot for the tourists. However here were more tourists but again I just recognized that only few of them were not from Asia so I think that still Taiwan’s area outside from Taipei probably isn’t yet appealing or it is unknown for the tourists from Europe, North America, Australia’s continent and other places.
Then with a great dinner we finished our trip and today I was earlier at the place of my host family and tomorrow we thought about going in hiking close to Taichung.

5th day: Interesting workshops and guided tours in Taichung area

My host just told me that today we are going to meet her friend in Taichung’s area who also hosts an international guest from Korea of SayTaiwan program however this day turned out quite differently how I expected before. So we went by a bus and train from Changhua to Taichung’s area where we met my host’s friend and her guest and then we went to another place of Taichung’s district. I didn’t know what will happen and I became more and more surprised that a lot of people gathered close to us and at the end I understood that these people are other international guests with their host families.

So then came a group leader and she invited us to come in Taichung’s local bakery where was even an owner of this bakery to introduce with the bakery’s production and local baking traditions. We gained a little insight what are the Taiwanese local sweets and then we went to another part of Taichung’s district where we had the food making workshop in the restaurant. The staff was very welcoming and we learned how to make sushi with the ingredients which are mostly popular in Taiwan so that I learned that sushi is a national food not only in Japan but in several Asian countries and only the ingredients used in the sushi differ. When we finished making the sushi then we moved to another room of this restaurant where we learned how to make the sweets but I still don’t know exactly what is a name of the sweets.

After this food making workshop we had a lunch there and after that we moved to Fengyan lacquer art museum where we got acquainted with this type of art and we made a little art by ourselves using these technique. After the art workshop the tour ended and I’m so much appreciating that the host families were volunteering to show their local culture to us.

At the end I was very tired but we anyway went to Taichung’s biggest night market. And I didn’t regret that we went to this market because it was so entertaining. I was amazed by the bright colors, the huge crowds of the people, sales assistants and products. We both with a Korean girl MinJung Park admitted that we felt so alive and full of energy while we were walking trought the market. After night market we went back to Changhua and I was so exhausted but I knew that I had a day which was full of great impressions.

4th day: "Tajik tour" reunion, the sea food market and roll curtains factory

I guess that a title of this article sounds strange but it really is appropriate to what happened today.
Sometimes you think that the people which you meet in another country you will not meet anymore because of a lack of time, financial resources or of other reasons. Well, I met Maggie from Taiwan and Maniza from Tajikistan while I was an exchange participant in AIESEC development project in AIESEC's committee in Dushanbe. And participation in SayTaiwan's program made it possible that we could meet each other in Taiwan. So it procclaims that the world becomes smaller and smaller, nothing is impossible and there is no good byes but until the next time or see you soon.

It was such a luck that my friend Maggie is hosting our Tajik friend Maniza very close to my hostfamily so that we could meet up easily. So what happened today? Maggie and Maniza came to my place to pick up me and then Maggie drove us to her grandparents' place which is very close to my place, too. They made a home made dinner which was very tasty and after that we drove to Maggie's father work placement where he is an owner of the roll curtains factory.

We got introduction how this factory works, we tasted some fruits like a "dragon eye" in a backyard of the factory and after that we drove to the sea food market in Changhua's port to buy some fishes. It was an interesting experience because I have never been in such a market so I took a lot of pictures of the fishes and sea creatures which I had seen only as in a frozen variant in the freezers of the food shops. After the sea food market we drove back to factory where later a cook made a huge dinner with the previously bought fishes and also with the today's bought fishes. By the table there was not only Maggie's family but also there were her father's employees and some of his relatives so I felt that they have a impressive common sense to be together and to enjoy each other's company. After a nice dinner Maggie brought back me and her granfather to our places. In conclusion I can say that I didn't go so far away from Changhua but I spent a great day with my friends which I think it's one of the most important things in this world-to share a life with your dear and beloved ones.