About Me

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Yilan, Taiwan
I just returned back to the States after 11 years in Taiwan with my daughter. Taiwan is an excellent base for us explore Asia, while living in relative (gun free) safety, while benefiting from a cheap and efficient national health care system. The people are amazing too. I have Taiwanese friendships that are 20 years old and I'm always making new ones! My coworker here in CO is from Taiwan.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Dragon Boat Festival in Kenting

The past year or so every Saturday, I'd invite my daughter's swimming coach Ivy's daughter Maggie to come over and spend the day with us while her Mom worked full-time at our gym. Ivy is also a single mom.  Ivy taught Z to swim several years ago when E-Power moved into the basement of these condos' pools.(We actually lived on the 17th floor of one of those condos when we first arrived from the States). Our daughters became instant buddies, fast friends, and played together when I took a yoga or kickboxing class. Those Saturdays were a  win-win situation for both of us; Z had a companion her own age, so I'd just bring us to the park, do some yoga or reading while they adventured on in their imaginary worlds.

Ivy and me catching the sunset
After the Anping branch of E-power closed, Ivy took a new job as a swim coach in Kaohsiung. One Saturday we came to pick up Maggie as usual and the staff told us they had moved to Kaohsiung, my daughter was gutted. We called them to wish them the best of luck with their new life and tell them we will miss them.

I was surprised when Ivy called me out of the blue and invited us to spend the Dragon Boat 3 day weekend with them in Kenting  (墾丁). I've been to Kenting maybe four or five times, and think its a bit overrated. Still, I wouldn't not think of declining such an invitation, my daughter was stoked. Her cousin Benson would join us. He happens to be fluent in English (and Afrikaans, Taiwanese, Mandarin) having grown up in S. Africa. He certainly helped when my poor Mandarin and Ivy's poor English didn't connect.


On the drive down to Kenting we stopped at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung. Sure we have been there four times, but each time Z a little older and we are with different company, so although we know where each exhibit is, its still altogether a new experience. We saw the penguin feeding this time which was a first. There we were, two strapping single mom's with our daughters on our shoulders so they could look over everyone's heads. 



 





We decided to save some money and camp it the first night. We found a campground south of the city center with a view of the beach, but alas we got there too late for prime viewing tent sites. After we set up camp we found dinner run by the French chef at Chez Papa. After our yummy dinner we drank a few beers and played cards but no one but the kids got any sleep. It was much too hot in the tents and in typical Taiwanese campgrounds, its much too loud too late. Thankfully there was no KTV, as I've experienced camping in Taiwan before, but drunk dudes did come back in the middle of the night, immune to the volume of their own voices and there were people setting up camp at 3 am next to us. With the heat, we were pretty blood shot come morning. There were quite a few foreign dudes from Tainan. I recognized their voices bright and early also complaining of the early heat. One guy, packed up and returned to the AC of his apartment back in Tainan. We fortunately booked a room in a hotel the next night, otherwise I might have joined him.


Early we left for breakfast and drove outside of Kenting to where there were some reefs. Ivy brought us all snorkel gear and the girls had life vests. It was nice to snorkel on our own terms, the way its supposed to be done and not how the locals do here, wet suits, vests, a whole group of them tied to a rope and kicking each other's masks off with their fins. It was a perfect, if not scorching day to snorkel. I was vigilant about covering up my kid most of the time, the sun was so strong. By the end of the day I was the one with a sunburned back, but the coral was lovely, I was surprised having scuba dived here before. I didn't see anything "big", just trumpet fish, parrot fish, but it was still so peaceful.



For dinner that night we hit the strip for something cheap and found a burrito stand. Of course it was burritos for a Taiwanese palate and more of a snack, than a meal, but I appreciated the effort. How nice to sleep on a bed with AC and avoid the crowded strip which was right outside our doorstep. That strip was like a glorified night market with scantily clad young Taiwanese women, the crowd moving along like a serpent at a snail's pace.

Ivy, Z and Maggie
After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and then decided to do some 4 wheeling. It was pretty mellow, not a dangerous dirt track with hills, small jumps and sharp turns. It was exhilarating catching some air. Then we hit a different track for some go-carting. Now that was worth the 20 minute wait! All the penned up aggression and road rage from 5 years of risking my life driving the "mean" streets of Tainan on scooter came spilling out. I ran people off the track into walls, spun a few out, finding satisfaction in passing people. I even rammed a dude who nicked my bumper. Every time we cut in front of someone, Z and I giggled wickedly. I highly recommend go-carting in Taiwan for therapeutic it's purposes.

Post 4-wheeling

Speed Racers
On our way back we stopped for lunch somewhere off the road at some restaurant that made their own mango ice-creams We dropped off Benson at his place in Pingtung and then we continued to the beach near my place in Anping. We met my friend with his paddle boards and relished the end of our amazing weekend with more time in the water. I felt so grateful paddle boarding into the majestic pink and lavender sunset. There must of been some kind of magic in the air that eve, because Ivy and my paddle board friend hit it off and they've been keeping good company ever since.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Little Gems and Surprising Possibilities: Yilan


Wai-ao 外澳 Beach, Toucheng, Yilan County
My former coworker told me about a job opening at his bilingual elementary school in Yilan 宜蘭 and before I knew it, I took Friday off, pulled my daughter out of school and boarded an early High-speed Train to Taipei. We took an 8 am train, then a Kamalan bus to Yilan and arrived at the school by lunchtime. I was happily surprised that the 2 demos were unlike my previous experiences, quite enjoyable, as was catching up with my old friend, his wife and new baby (which was no surprise).

Mr. Balagove Cafe Entrance
We had dinner at the amazing Ukrainian owned Ukrainian Restaurant, Mr. Balagov  Cafe. What an unexpected gem of a place in Yilan! The restaurant looks like a country cottage, very out of place at the end of this dingy parking lot, but once you cross the threshold into his lush garden, with geese walking around and a small brook, its apparent, that one has arrived into a little sanctuary of nature and natural food. While we waited for our food we drank a glass of Kvass. For my dinner,  I had homemade borscht, rye bread and a beef stew. My daughter had a sandwich with homemade sausage on rye with potato salad. For dessert I had apple cake and she had homemade blueberry ice-cream. It was unbelievable and such a treat to eat "real" western food, let alone authentic Ukrainian cuisine, as opposed to the plastic tasting imitations.


Homemade rye and sausage with a glass of Kvass
 I told them if I got the job I'd definitely be buying a loaf of rye and a bottle of  Kvass "bread cider" every week. (Kvass is a fermented rye drink full of probiotics and enzymes, that boosts energy, detoxifies the blood and liver and aids in all around radiant health.)




The next day after breakfast we said our goodbyes to my friend's wife and baby daughter and he drove us to Jiaoxi to see the amazing Wufengchi 五峰旗瀑布  waterfalls. (I was actually here in 2001, but it was so long ago). It was warm, there were "Beware Cobra" signs everywhere which we have never seen in Taiwan before. It takes about 5 minutes to the first falls and 5 or 10 minutes more  to the final falls.




We easily could of swam in the first falls, there was a nice pool, but we knew we'd soon be the subject of everyone's clicking camera, "look at the foreigners swim!" and to take our dip in the river near the parking lot. As we left the trail coming down, numerous tour buses and their hordes had arrived, so it was perfect timing. We left for a fish foot spa.



My friend took us to a nice hotel with indoor pools, full of what looked like your common goldfish. With classical music playing in the background, we had the dead skin on our feet nibbled off. At first it tickled, but then it was relaxing. I had wanted to do this the many times we went to Malaysia but never did. I think here in Taiwan it was cheaper at only 100NT for half an hour.

Jiaoxi Public Hot springs Park
After our fish foot treatment we said our goodbyes, my friend dropped us off near the Jiaoxi Public Hot springs, at the top of the hill was the Japanese style private hot springs 森林風呂露天溫泉 - 礁溪溫泉公園. It was less than 300NT for both me and my daughter. It was beautiful and large, mostly outside looking at trees, with bamboo enclosures and 4-5 hot pools of varying degrees, ending with one freezing pool. I have been to dozens of hot springs, and outdoor ones, and this was the best outdoor nude one. They were separated by gender and unlike most nude hot springs, you could really be outside. The other ones I've been to have walls so high and enclosed, all you see is the sky if you crane your head straight up. It was relaxing to just look at greenery. I met a nice Spanish woman who was traveling around Taiwan with her husband.



When I had enough of water, because my daughter could easily spend all day there, we walked to my friend's recommended noodle shop and then had some spicy icecream for dessert at the Jiaoxi Chili pepper shop 辣椒文創館. The flavors range in chili pepper degrees of spiciness. Having grown up eating different chilis and of course being a big fan of ice-cream, it was, um different.


From Jiaoxi we took a train to Toucheng, stayed a night in a hard to find minsu and road a bike to Wai-ao beach 外澳. It was crowded, but long enough of a stretch of black sand to accommodate the hordes which clung together, so we had some space to play in the waves and relax.

The next afternoon we took a train to Taipei (which is longer than the bus) and then THSR (High Speed Rail) back to Tainan Sunday in time for dinner. Did I get the job? YES! I start August 1st and am starting to pack right now. I still haven't found an apartment, having gone looking last weekend, with 2 different agents, but I'm planning on renting a blue truck and driving everything to Yilan next weekend, but thats another story.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Congrats to me! I'm Legal!

After 5 years of legitimate, tax paying work, a foreigner can apply for their much coveted APRC (Alien Permanent Resident Card). The benefit being I can work anywhere, like a Taiwanese person without being a slave to a school for their sponsoring my ARC (Alien Resident Card) and reapplying every year. I could of applied in September 2013, but I was saving for our visas and plane ticket to Myanmar the beginning of 2014 for Chinese New Year and simply didn't have the extra 10,000NT ($340 USD) lying around. My Chinese teacher Kevin couldn't stand it anymore and in March lend me the money which I quickly paid back. Then in April I was finally holding my APRC in my hand. I have the option of going home right now and coming back in 183 days without changing my legal, working status. I can also apply for a 2 year leave and return with the same status.

The morning I received my APRC
The story doesn't end there. Immigration didn't tell me, but through friends I learned I still wasn't "legal", I had to apply for a Work Permit, that fortunately only cost me 100NT. It was easy, I could apply from Tainan and send everything to Taipei. My work permit just came in yesterday! It took 2 working weeks to process.