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.

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Mother's Day Around the Island, Around the World


Mother's Day 2012, Tainan


Mother's Day is on the 14th of May which means I will have to treat myself again! Provided you want to treat a single Dad or Mom, or you want to honor your spiritual mother (or the mother of your child), treat them to one of the following specials below.

If like me your mama is across the ocean, don't fret, I just made a card with photos from Snapfish to send to my mom. I usually buy her a massage on Travelzoo, but I am thinking about adding something more humanitarian. Some ethical ideas  (assuming you know her taste) include buying handmade gifts from Ten Thousand Villages,  or Novica. If your mom is in the UK consider gifts from  the Ethical Superstore or Moral Fibers.  Supposing your mom loves scarves like I do,  buy her scarf from the Obakki Foundation which in their "Water for Scarves" campaign has already drilled 13 wells in South Sudan (500 scarves = 1 well).  Finally you can sponsor a healthy birth, emergency birth, maternity care in your mother's name through Maternity World or Pregnancy Twinning (both UK). The IRC's  Rescue Gifts offer sponsoring girl's education, school clothing, business training, food, as well as newborn baby kits and safe births.

Mother's Day 2015 Le Temps

Yilan


  • Le Temps (Yilan City) French restaurant with imported ingredients, very accessible across from the train station. I ate a Mother's Day lunch special here a few years ago and assume they will offer something again this year. You must call for a reservation.
  • Fulong Beach: Bring your mom to the sand sculpture contest, take your photo between May 8-15  upload, like the NECoast page and be entitled to win a prize draw.
  • Artemis Garden (Yuanshan) Bring your mom to make her own perfume with pure essential oils grown  from herbs on the premises. They also have a Mother's Day Dinner for 6 people May 13th 3800+ %10 (18:00-20:00). Year round they offer a garden buffet (11:30-14:00) and afternoon tea (14:00-17:00 with live piano on the weekends (more info here).
  • Hotel Royal Chiaohsi (Jiaoxi) offers 5 star hot springs with a view, a royal outdoors swimming pools and several restaurants, like the Zen Garden buffet for lunch or dinner- any day of the year is a treat.
    Card from my daughter not too long ago

Taipei

  • Flower arrangement with your mom and coffee at the Kidchen May 9th 11am.
  • Taipei Children's Amusement Park will offer free admissions for mothers on Sunday the 15th as well as discounted tickets for extra activities, theater and gift bags (bags available until May 31st) for uploading photos on FB (more info here).
Mother's Day Pampering

  • Pampering Package until May 31st including one night stay, traveler's massage, buffet breakfast, a youth serum (NT 5000 retail price), Mother;s Day cake and extra spa treatment for 10,500 at the Regent Taipei.

Lunch or Dinner
  • Italian at the Bencotto (Mandarin Oriental) for 2,500 + %10 per person or try homemade lasagna at the Marco Polo (38th Floor Shangri-La) by an Italient chef.
  • Both the Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental also offer Japanese, Cantonese restaurants with Mother's Day specials as well.
  • The Imperial Hotel offers dinner guests a special 8 set Bird's Nest and a bottle of French wine as a bonus during May 1st-14th.

Afternoon Tea:
  • The Jade Lounge (Mandarin Oriental) offers British and Oriental teas with pastries (1,300 +10% per person)
  • The Lobby Court (Shangri-La) offers free access to their health and fitness facilities with afternoon British tea.
Cakes:
  • The Mandarin Cake Shop (Mandarin Oriental) "To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, Executive Pastry Chef Gregory Doyen presents “Maman D'Amour" to spoil all mothers with the loveliest treat! Made with vanilla sponge cake and seasalt biscuit, “Maman D'Amour” is topped with raspberry cream, raspberry coulis and different layers of berries. The cake is then garnished with a handmade chocolate carnation to symbolize a mother's uncodotional love." A 7" cake is 1,850 NT. To place an order, please call +886 2 2715 6789 or email MOTPE-CakeShop@mohg.com."
  • The Cake Room (Shangri-La) "This matcha mousse cake with cherry jelly and grape fruit cream layers features a perfect combination of sweetness and sourness in six layers, providing both visual joy and gustatory delight.   The Cake Room now accepts pre- orders; orders must be made in advance."
  • The Mother's Day Garden and cake basket (Regent Taipei) has a French pastry chef who created two cakes using fruit and vegetables. The first is  a vanilla sponge with raspberry and red bell pepper jelly, with a lychee and red rose mouse. The other cake is a hazelnut sponge cake covered with a tangy yuzu lemon mousse with layers of green apple and cumber jelly. The cakes by slice or 4 inch and 8 inch sizes bare reasonably priced. 
Mandarin Oriental
Shangri-La
Regent Taipei

Taichung


Tainan


  • Sweet Treats for Dear Mummy at the Shop (Shangri-La's Far Eastern) from 4/10- 5/30. Call to make a reservation.
  • Afternoon English Tea at the Tai Landis Hotel or book your mom a room there for some pampering and inclusive breakfast buffet with their special Mother's Day offer 5/1- 5/31.

Kaohsiung

Mother's Day Jewelry Carnival (4/28- 5/1)



Monday, April 17, 2017

Tea Afoot in Jiufen 九份

I've been meaning to check out Jiufen 九份 since moving to Yilan, but the threat of swarms of tourists held me back. It's infamous for its historical tea houses and picturesque old streets that were the backdrop in such films as City of Sadness and Hayao Miyazaki's  Spirited Away 神隱少女.

Going during the 4 day Children's Festival/Tomb Festival weekend was guaranteed to be packed, but I live on the edge (joke). We hopped on a local train from Yilan to Ruifang that took about an hour.

The bus from Ruifang station was standing room only for us as we held on for dear life, speeding up the curving road to Jiufen. Our hotel was surprisingly easy to find on a climbing stone path that deviated from the old street bazaar chaos.

Pu-er 普洱茶 Princess

After checking in (YuanYee Homestay), around 4pm we gathered our courage and braved the currents of the crowds. I spied the famous old 九份茶坊  tea house and whisked my kid into the found refuge and quiet. It was a different world and time from the stampede of the old street. As you enter there is a row of boiling kettles on a long bed of coals, tea cups and sets, moss, a pond, waterfall and ceramics shop in the basement. I wanted to sit outside with the view, she wanted to sit on the antique wooden table, so we sat inside. (We ended up coming back again our second day after our hike, it was such a priceless atmosphere.)
At the start of the trail to Teapot Mt.
My daughter was in heaven. Our hostess explained how to make our tea according to tradition, soon my kid  was in charge of all the tea preparation. We were starving having not eaten since breakfast but we stayed at the tea shop til dusk, stopped at a noodle hole in the wall along the way for dinner and back to our hotel, played cards in our room. Living in Taiwan we had friends who regularly served us tea when we came over, we drink tea at home too (oolong, Chai, British style) so tea is important. We took a class on Korean tea preparation when we were in Busan and now here we were finally in Jiufen. Z quipped, "Mom can I have a new hobby of drinking tea?" An emphatic YES!

Post hike tea



My plan was to get up bright and early to take photos of the famous cross streets in front of the old Theater.  We had such terrible sleep from the young group across from us partying through the night, we didn't make it early enough for my photo opp. Instead we did make it early (first in line at the ticket counter) for the Gold Museum (formally the Gold Ecological Park) in Jinguashi 金瓜石. Just take the Jiufen bus to the end of the line. The museum grounds are extensive and require a ticket plus extra fees if you want to go inside one of the tunnels or pan for gold (which we did).

The blissfully empty shinto shrine

I was ecstatic being there before the crowds because it eventually was like a festival. I really wanted to see the Japanese relics of the old shinto shrine. All that's left were 2 stone torii gates, the foundation, some pillars and some stone lanterns. It was a nice 20 minute hike with an incredible view. We were the only ones there (for a while).

Teapot Mountain
That little hike wasn't enough for me. I saw Teapot Mountain like a sandstone and shale crown across the valley and I was determined to check it out. My daughter was less enthused. After she panned for gold (and yes there were flecks of probably fake gold) and went inside the tunnels, she was so appreciative she hiked Teapot without complaint. We were both energized. At the top you can rock climb in the crags with a rope. The views along the way were exceptional. The path starts behind the bridge at the far end of the Gold Mining park, below where the air pumps are displayed.

So many nice views on the way up Teapot

You could drive to the last bit to the peak, there's a road and trail starting from the beach, driving would be cheating. It was only a 75 minute walk up and with several covered rest areas to admire the view, which she needed. We returned to the old tea house in Jiufen and sampled a different variety, sitting outside to please me.

We had better sleep that night and took our time the next morning. After our complimentary breakfast we decided to walk up Jilong Mountain 九份雞籠山. before checking out. The path begins not far from where we were staying just beside the cemetery. People were already cleaning their family tombs as we passed them. The hike up Jilong was crowded and unshaded. It was all steps. Fortunately for us the path forked and we took the longer route (go left). It was the right choice. We had supreme views of the sea, it was shaded and even better, was devoid of walkers. The top was also crowded but not massed, we could enjoy the view for a good twenty minutes or so munching on apricots. We decided again to take the long way back through the shade and with the views.

Quick hike after breakfast before checking out 九份雞籠山.

After checking out of our hotel, we went to the train station and bought a ticket to Houtong to check out the infamous Cat Village. The train was about to leave but so many bodies were smashed together, I don't think we could of possibly squeezed in, nor did we want to try. We'll save Cat Village for another day. I imagine its more of a tourist trap than even Jiufen. Yet, for being a notorious tourist trap, my daughter and I were rewarded with more excellent memories. It was worth giving Jiufen a chance.







Friday, April 14, 2017

There is a Remedy for Everything Except

My Grandma and my daughter
A month ago, I woke up on a mid March morning with yet again another solemn message from my Dad.

 My grandma passed. 

It was so soon after the tragedy of niece and ex sister in law (previous post). My father was exhausted emotionally, and physically from driving to New Mexico every other weekend. I saw all the photos of my brothers and cousins, aunts and uncles at her memorial and funeral. It was rotten being here alone. I couldn't afford a ticket or missing more classes when I'd only just return from Emma's memorial. 








We were closer to my paternal grandparents. She suffered her last years with undeserved pain, so in many ways, her death was also a blessing. My aunt and uncle were there with her at her last moments which is a beautiful solace for all of us.

I definitely got my love of travel from my grandma. She and my grandpa went to Europe and N. Africa more than once when I was a kid. She often told me she wished she was in the service so she could see the world. She was a wonderful independent woman, and a working single mom most of the time because my grandpa was often deployed abroad. She spoke her mind and was tolerant and kind. 





My grandma was hard working and observant of human behavior. She worked the night shift as a nurse at a mental hospital and then took care of 4 kids at home during the day. She hardly slept. I loved the stories of her childhood, the severity of being the eldest daughter of 11 kids on a ranch, of the abundance of nature during the Great Depression, how she met my grandpa (funny story). Her handmade tortillas and chocolate cake are legend. Her children loved her fiercely. 

Now Emma can delight in being with both her great-grandmas.


Z, Grandma, Grandpa and Emma