Back to Borneo: I let IS change my itinerary

Treetop Jungle Lodge, outside Miri

Its near to impossible to make travel plans  for Chinese New Year last minute. You'd be lucky to find an affordable flight, and the best accommodation will be booked. This requires careful planning and research months in advance. Knowing this I created my little central Javanese dream itinerary in October.

Unfortunately 2 weeks before my plane left to Jogjakarta,  IS bombed Jakarta (same island), targeting a Starbucks, killing a Canadian and six others. IS' Indonesian  leadership and support coincidentally comes from central Java (Solo) and some of their supporters are in the very cities I had planned to travel through (like Semerang).

If you know me, then you know I am not one to cower from an adventure. I volunteered teaching English in Sudan, spent a month in Kashmir and was caught in a middle of gun fire between a Pakistani separatist and Indian police. I traveled alone through Egypt for 5 months, India for 3. I (stupidly) hitched-hiked with a my friend from Barcelona to Amsterdam. And my daughter and I have traveled to Malaysia 5 or 6 times, Japan twice, Sumatra, Hong Kong and Thailand, which are safe enough places but its still no walk in the park traveling alone with a child, gender aside.

Niah Caves

 If I were alone I would so be on that plane to Java, but with my daughter, I am cautious. Traveling is my affirmation in the goodness of strangers and hopefully offering them an alternative (better) view of Americans, but I also want to be relaxed. The chances were nothing dire would of happened, we would have had another legendary exploit, but I didn't want to look at locals and suspect the worst. Maybe our taxi driver has an ISIS flag in his home or something.  ISIS also was targeting Borobudur, the 8th century Buddhist temple complex I simple had to see. Our hotel emailed me that they had stepped up security, and security at tourist places like Borobudur, but more men with guns  is hardly reassuring.

Treetop Home Stay, outside Miri. She caught 3 huge fish.

So I decided to return to Sarawak, but a different part. Sarawak is blessed with amazing national parks. There were a few on my list I still had to see and Miri was our logical base.We didn't stay in Miri the city, but 20 km south on the coast.  I probably could of axed 3 days in Miri, it didn't take long to explore the nearby region. In other words, we had a lot of non-connected to the outside world, jungle time; lounging in hammocks, fishing, lazily doing yoga or laundry. I got my adventure fix renting a standard car for 3 days of driving British style (opposite side of the road, driver sitting opposite side of the car) on the crazy roads of Borneo. People drove insanely fast and  passed one another by a hair's width. It was good bonding time with my daughter. The radio didn't work, so we talked and sang a lot.

Our home stay (Treetop Jungle Lodge) charged me 90 RM a day for using their car plus filling the tank. We stayed our first few nights in their deluxe double with hot shower (not that we needed it) and eventually migrated to the cheaper longhouse above the water. The expat Rhodesian owner, his wife and her sister made us feel well taken care of, which as I get older, I don't take for granted.

 My daughter didn't want to leave this place, and after 3 days on the road she was happy to return. There was not anything for her to do, which I suppose was the charm. Walking 10 minutes to the beach was the height of activity- if we even ventured that far. She caught 3 large fish, one Tilapia of which we ate and the other catfish I assumed they ate. My daughter was the only person to have ever caught anything and that place has been around for at least 15 years.

My first day with the car was a day trip to the nearby Lambir Hills National Park. It was kind of strange shifting gears with my left hand and the turn signals were on the opposite side too. After driving for a day I was confident I could do a longer road trip. It was empowering because my confidence in my driving was severely damaged after last years accident. We hiked to the waterfall which we had all to ourselves.

Lambir Hills National Park

The  Niah Caves were truly impressive. I was unprepared for the amount of walking and in hindsight should of brought more water. It was 3 km to the cave, after crossing a crocodile infested river (according to our boatman), 3 km back and I'd say 3-4 km exploring the caves.

 It was not an easy walk. The bat feces (guano) and dripping water made the pathway deathly slippery. Few tourists were inside, but one woman coming back slipped and just broke her wrist. She put the contorted bone in my face close to my flashlight so I could see it. Fortunately we met up with a Canadian woman at the ticket office and she  was an extra pair of helpful eyes, hands and light to help me with my kid from slipping into the abyss.  Nice single traveler, my age, we had some intimate chats, dinner and breakfast and I dropped her off at the bus stop the next morning.

What was exciting about this cave was we had already some experience caving in Sarawak, outside Kuching. The Fairy cave was quite magical. Niah was even more spectacular especially knowing that the oldest human skull (40,000 BC) in Asia was found here. They had it on display at the forgotten museum at the start of the trail. It was our mission to make it to the farthest cave, to see the cave paintings of burial boats that was disappearing from view. My daughter almost didn't make it, the wooden path was that greasy and perilous. Parts of the trek were in utter darkness, the handrails covered in bat shit. It was an experience to take to the grave. Literally we felt we were on a heroic journey to the Otherworld, the abyss. The ferryboat to the cave only added to this certainty. There were magic moments of coming out of the obscurity to see holes in the ceiling revealing the outer world, life, the rain forest piercing through. The camera could not completely replicate these moments of sunlight illuminating raindrops.

Painter's Cave: Burial ships

On our road trip we headed south to the Similajau National Park on the beach. Its located 4 hours south of Miri and 30 minutes north of Bintulu. We got lost on our way here and fortunately found it. It was weird checking in.Staff was on siesta so we had to wait at the gate office with a bunch of men for 2 hours and it felt uncomfortable being the only 2 females and foreign. Eventually I just we went to the cantina for some drinks and finished waiting there.

Similijau National Park

 The park is vast. The accommodation was at the beach with a bit of green, with trees and picnic tables separating the lodging from the beach. The sound of the waves was loud. There was absolutely no one but a group of men having a BBQ. So it felt kind of lonesome. We had a dorm room all to ourselves away from anyone and I didn't sleep well. A huge family of about 30 people checked into the dorm next to us around 9pm and it was reassuring to see women and children in the dark with their flashlights and laughter. It seemed so empty I found it unbelievable that all the beds were occupied for the weekend (which was the holiday Chinese New Year weekend.) Apparently we had the only remaining room for that night, yet the dorms and chalets between us and the cantina were like a ghost town. I assumed staff didn't want to clean those up. No one had swept our floor, but for 400 NT a night I wasn't complaining. We had running water and 4 comfortable beds and the sound of the ocean .

Similijau National Park

Eventually we left the security of Treetops and stayed our last night in Miri at a 3 star hotel (Mega Hotel) in the center of town which was a treat. They had a nice pool and across the street was an Indian restaurant. It was back to civilization. We hopped on a plane the next day to Kuala Lumpur and stayed at my friend's fancy condo with the most amazing views to the Petronas Towers. Sadly my friend had to bail back to the States to her mother's deathbed. so it was pensive and surreal sitting on her sofa, sleeping in her bed, enjoying her breathtaking view, texting each other and she wasn't there in person.

Our bedroom  window view

I had a plan of day trips we could do from KL that I still hadn't done on the several previous trips. The pools were so stunning and the condo such a luxury, my kid and I just vegged by the pool. She made friends with some of the kids and I could finish a book. After a few days we went to my other friend's apartment and pretty much did the same thing. She is leaving for Jordan in a couple of months so we definitely had to catch up while she was still in the SE Asian vicinity (a trip to Jordan is planned.)

We ate well in KL. Fancy juice shops, Indian and Middle Eastern, my kid and I had lamb for lunch and lamb for dinner. Ultimately my child grew bored of paradisaical swimming pools and perfect weather and when driving in our taxi back to Yilan  in pouring bitter rain and gloomy skies she was utterly happy to be back, she in fact missed the rain and cold. I on the other hand already missed the blue skies.

Beach, 10 min walk from Treetop Jungle Lodge

My Central Java Itinerary:

2/1- 2/3 Yogykarta  Phoenix Hotel (4,351 NT /Rp 1,936,000) 
 Mount Merapi for hiking and camping. Borobudur is a Buddhist stupa and temple complex in Central Java, Indonesia dating from the 8th century, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of world's truly great ancient monuments, the single largest Buddhist structure anywhere on earth, and few who visit fail to be taken by both the scale of place, and the remarkable attention to detail that went into the construction. Set as it is in the heart of the verdant Kedu Plain, the backdrop of mighty active volcanoes only enhances the sense of awe and drama. 

2/3-2/4 Semerang Hotel Candiview Semarang (1,292 NT/ 575,000Rp) 
Semarang It takes less than 2 hours to drive from Semarang to Yogyakarta. Solo is also only a one and half hour drive from Semarang. From Semarang and Yogyakarta you can go by tourist car/rent car with 7 seaters vehicle like Central Java Transporter, ☎ (+62/0) (thejavatransporter@gmail.com),  who operates the car to Dieng Plateau.

2/4- 2/8 Karimunjawa Cocohuts Hotel  (4046NT/ 1,800,000 Rp)
Mon 2/8 Return Ferry Karimunjawa to Jepara (Express 7am- 9am) Jepara to Semerang

2/8-2/12  Semerang to Purwokerto (5USD 5x daily, 5 hours via Nusantara) + Taxi (5USD) to Baturaden

 Green Valley Resort Batu Raden Purwokerto address: Jalan Raya Baturraden KM 8, 53151 Baturaden tell: (4091 NT/ 1,820,000 Rp) f

2/12-2/13 Yogykarta: DusunJogja Village Inn (2,000 NT)

2/14 Retrun to Taipei

Monkey on Fire and Happy Lunar Year

新年的祝福，平日的希冀，愿你心境祥和、充满爱意，愿你的世界全是美满，愿你一切称心如意，快乐无比。

Xīnnián de zhùfú, píngrì de xījì, yuàn nǐ xīnjìng xiánghé, chōngmǎn ài yì, yuàn nǐ de shìjiè quán shì měimǎn, yuàn nǐ yīqiè chènxīn rúyì, kuàilè wúbǐ.

At New Year and always, may peace and love fill your heart, beauty fill your world, and contentment and joy fill your days.

Happy Lunar New Year! It's that time of year to receive blessings and bless each other. Check out  15 fabulous blessings to share or bless yourself with. If you have time read 108 Chinese New Years blessings.

The astrological predictions are a good time for expats like me to see how Taoism is acdmittadly practiced. I myself am a Tiger (apparently a brave-hearted, humanitarian loner, with a ferocious bite) and if I believed any of this I could read what a Taoist seer predicts  how the monkey year will be for me (to read yours click here). They all seems like doomsayers to me.

Prior to coming to Taiwan I was (and still am) fascinated by the words of Lao-tse and the Yi-Ching and their influences on Chinese culture and cosmology. In the years living here I have aquired immeasurable recommendations about eating and preparing food according to the weather, season, my menstrual cycle. This is Taoism and the principals of the 5 elements in practice on a very practical day to day level. The 5 elements are found everywhere and in everything, each organ, hour of the day, not to mention every year is ruled by this relationship between light and dark and the 5 elements. It gets all beyond my understanding when  I read the writings of Lao-tse which speaks nothing of deities and yet in Taiwan Taoist temples host literally hundreds of gods and goddesses.

According to experts, the year of a fire monkey is seen to bring calamity and unpredictability. Taiwan surely experienced that with the Kaohsiung earthquake and building disaster in Tainan. It was a bereaved way to begin a New Year. Taoist fortune tellers and feng-shui masters offer advice on how to avoid further catastrophe, specifically on what to wear or not wear and placing special amulets in the homes. Women this year reputably will yield more power as indicated my the recent election of Tsai Ying-wen in Taiwan and perhaps Hillary Clinton in the near future. Time will tell but I'm voting for Bernie.

As for myself, I staunchly recommend acupuncture and cupping for minor illnesses which like all Traditional Chinese Medicine is rooted in Taoism, but I deliberately draw the line about which metaphysical tutelary I consent to rule over me.

Birthday Wingding In Osaka

Infamous red bridge at the Zen Ruanji Temple

It just so happened that my Thursday and Friday classes were canceled (they had tests of course) on the weekend sandwiched between my daughter's 10th birthday and my 41st. So wasting no time I secured the approval for two personal days and promptly booked return tickets to Osaka for 3 nights and 4 days.

I researched a lot of options for excursions we could do, but our stint terse and having to balance the fancies of both me and my daughter, I didn't do everything I could of. We didn't go to the Aquarium, the Ferris Wheel or any of the zany shopping malls like Shinsaibashi or Dotonbori. (Shopping in a mall is less important on my radar and even less on hers.) I would of liked to see the iconic Glicoman, but she thought it way too touristy  (it is) which was code for her being too tired and wanting to return to our ryokan. If I had more time I would of loved to catch a traditional Edo period puppet bunraku show and see Shitennoji Temple.

The flight was brief and affordable on the budget Peach Airlines. We landed in terminal 2 and took the airport bus to terminal 1 and walked down to the buses into town. The bus was the cheapest and most convenient option. The airport bus limousine (as they call it) was pretty affordable at $13 USD a pop (1,550 yen/ 427USD adult and 780 yen for child). It took us directly to Amagasaki station which was one station away from the stop closest to our ryokan (Deyahsiki station) The airport had loads of female attendants freezing on the bus platforms who pointed the way. Yes it was bitter, around 2 C at night and 11 during the day.

Train leaving Umeda station last day

Our traditional traveler's inn Takeyaso Ryokan inconveniently is closed between the hours of 9 am -4 pm.

Z in front of Takeyaso Ryokan

We arrived around 3 on Thursday, so we just hopped into a little mom and pop cafe (literally, they were the cutest old couple) around the corner and used pointing and body language to order anything on the menu.

The only character my daughter knew was beef and they were out. What a pleasant surprise to have lunch, our first meal in Osaka being the local specialty of Okonomiyaki, savory pancakes full of everything and anything; cabbage, shrimp, fish, whale, octopus, squid, chicken and pork.

sMy daughter somehow communicated chicken for herself and I just let the old lady give me whatever she wanted. I'm not sure what my meat was, sort of tasted like kidney, but I'm afraid it might of been whale.

Lunch day one: Okonomiyaki!

 It seriously stuffed us both and by the time we finished, our little medievel ryokan was opened and waiting for us with slippers, tea and the traditional yukata robes. Our cold room had tatami mats on the floor and a piping hot communal bath.  In the evenings the inner brought is tea and from their little bar near the entrance they played soothing jazz.

Our closest communal bathroom was charming with a nippy stone walkway, requiring wooden geta sandal clogs to reach the toilet hidden behind an ancient wooden hatch door. Needless to say, the numbing toilet seat wasn't heated unlike most toilets in Osaka.

Ice skating detour, Osaka Station

Not wasting anytime after checking in we left for the city center which was easy to reach by train. At the next stop (Amagasaki) we switched our local for an express to Umeda/Osaka station which is the main heart of public transportation. I had a mind to watch the sunset from the observation deck of the Floating Gardens and eat at its basement Edo period food court but when we passed by an outdoor ice-skating rink on the way, we had to indulge. My kid had a blast. We missed the sunset view and returned to our ryokan after slurping down a piping hot bowl of noodles at a stand-up noodle bar outside Deyashiki station.  We further warmed ourselves in our sento (communal baths), before wearing all our clothes to bed.

Day 2 was all about Universal Studios. We got their shortly after they opened and hit the first rides.The lines were massive, but worth the wait. We hit all the rides we wanted to except the space ride which was changed, we certainly chose not to see any shows. It was lucky to start out at the Back to the Future ride because that was the least exciting. Then we hit the Spiderman ride, and then the big roller-coaster, the Hollywood Dream Ride. It was my kid's first, real big roller-coaster and she was so scared she was utterly silent.



Shamelessly we dorked out at the Harry Potter section which was fabulously recreated; the train, the shops, the haunted bathroom stalls, even butter beer was served. The 2 adult rides there were also good fun, despite the wait. My phone counted over 12,000 steps that day.  We had another noodle dinner at Universal City just between the train station and park entrance. There was a little bit of a stressful situation. I needed to hit an ATM, having spent all my pocket money on food in the park, I didn't have enough for the train fare back. Insanely, the 2 ATMS near the park entrance and Universal City convenience store didn't take either of my cards. We went to one of the several hotels and they also had no ATMs. I was afraid I might have to beg for coins back to our inn. Fortunately, the ATMs inside the station took all the usual, international cards. After another blessed sento bath and having the owner loan us a heater, we contentedly slept.

Day 3 was about some history and culture. To my kid's dissatisfaction we passed by the history museum, it was just too big and we hadn't enough time. So we walked around the grounds of Osaka castle, took some cheesy photos of Z with a Samurai and found our way to the empty and sublime Peace Museum.

Miro Waterdalls

It was a small space with exhibits on 3 floors showcasing World War 2's impact on the civilians of Osaka. It was certainly sobering. They had an interactive bomb raid shelter which scared my kid and yet surely wasn't realistic enough having just read the testimonies.

War sucks!

This painting resonated a powerful reaction to both my daughter and I. Its titled, " I was Lifted Up by my Grandmother."

In the afternoon we headed north out of the city to Minoh (Minoo) and meandered up a 3 km path to a waterfall- I'm a sucker for waterfalls. It was a lovely saunter along a river with shops sporadically built along the way, with forests all around and even some statuesque redwood looking conifers. There were mysterious trails everywhere and I imagined if I lived here I would certainly make weekend trips to explore them all.



The terrain was like a combination of southern California (the sunshine and dryness) with northern California (the redwoods and cold). Our first stop was an insect museum which Z was thrilled about, followed by the red bridged Zen Ruanji temple complex.

Its hard to believe this quiet bliss is only 30 min away by train from Umeda Station. I read how crowded it gets when the maple leaves blaze crimson in the fall. We  had most of the temples to ourselves and certainly most of the walk too. There were mostly old people exercising, walking briskly, jogging and a few families pushing strollers. Although there were blue skies, most of the path was shadowed in forest which made the temperature quite cold, colder than Yilan.

Ruanji's red bridge behind me

Ruanji Zen monk

Near the waterfall we splurged for the local nibble of deep friend maple leaves in sweet batter (momiji tempura).

Momiji Tempura

We dined on sushi on our last, night per request from my kid at the other mom and pop place around the corner from our ryokan. We eat sushi in Taiwan and of course miso, but even now we still rave about that simple meal.  The tuna was so fresh and the color so ruby. It was served over a bowl of rice with powdered white sesame and seaweed they pounded with a mortar, so their little diner, the size of my bedroom smelled of soothing sesame. I got a local bottle of beer to wash it down with. The miso was rich and dark barley based, so very hearty and unlike the more sweeter, lighter miso of Taiwan.   

Our last day we had to check out around 9am and with lots of time to s

pare (our return flight was at 4pm) I decided to take the train south to one of the oldest Shinto shrines, Sumiyoshi. It dates back 1800 years, with a moat and sacred bridge. It had a busy carnivalesque feeling. There were breakfast stalls and a plant market before the sacred red bridge. I was impressed by the bonsai cherry trees. What botanical superpowers!

Whats really special about these temples is because they predate the arrival of Buddhism, their architecture bears no influence from the mainland. They are quintessentially Japanese.

I had no one to explain to me the various rituals, but I guessed their holy of holies was the oldest construction in the inner courtyard. Worshipers threw coins money into the central pit and paid to walk thru this small construction which was closed by transparent plastic. Priests in traditional clothes assisted people with their short pilgrimage where of course they took of their shoes. Being a temple traditionally devoted to travelers and fishermen it seemed only fitting we should be here before our flight back to Taipei.

The Aftermath of theTaiwanese Elections

Congratulations to Taiwan and the democratic system! They are the only Chinese speaking democracy in the world and yet not formally recognized as a sovereign country (that subject deserves its own post).  The majority of my friends are ecstatic about Saturday's election results, while some coworkers are clearly less than enthused.

One would have to be living in a cave not to hear about the DPP's "landslide" victory (if 56.6% can be considered a landslide) and the election of Taiwan's first female president.  The new parliament is not only a DPP majority in power and with many new inexperienced legislators, but also has 5 legislators from the newly formed Sunflower Movement's New Power Party (時代力量).

Overall the recent election creates more questions than answers:

Q1. How did Beijing respond? How will they respond?

China called the recent election a hallucination and the DPP's goal of kick-starting the Taiwanese economy (without them) a lost cause.  Pro China supporters from the Mainland were allowed to flood the new president's Facebook page. And it comes as no surprise that the Chinese military carried out landing drills and live fire  right across the nearest Taiwanese island of Kinmen. (I predicted they would do this which really is no credit to me as much as to Beijing's predictable bullying.)

Q2. So what does  this current election mean for Taiwan? 

Fresh Blood. The face of an alternative to the stagnated 2 party dichotomy is Freddie Lim (of course an Aquarian). A cultural icon for Asian heavy metal music and Taiwanese political activism Freddie founded the pro- independent New Power Party  (NPP) among many other social justice advocacy work and won a seat in parliament. (Read the January 19th GQ article here.)

Young Taiwanese are interested in participating in politics and see the fruits of their activism.

Electric Revision: Hello  Madame President! What are some of the first things on Tsai Ing-wen's ambitious agenda?
* Reclaim KMT assets in South Korea valued at over $ 760 million.
* Have Taiwan join the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and compete with its global neighbors without keeping all of its eggs in one basket.
* Legislate transparency for all of Taiwanese- Chinese dealings. This was a major demand in the Sunflower Movement and means that Beijing will inadvertently be accountable to the Taiwanese people, which is mind blowing if you think about it.

In the long-term she plans on jump  starting the economy and innovation in 5 sectors including renewable energy, biotechnology and defense.

She must achieve this with the cooperation of the KMT, still maintain the "status quo" with China, while promoting Taiwanese businesses like HTC, Asus and MediaTek. Quite the cumbersome program!

Q3.) How will power be transferred from the defeated KMT to the DPP?

For now the world is watching how power will be transitioned from the KMT to the DPP and whether or not that involves a shadow gov't to assist with this handover. For now it appears there will be no temporary gov't, despite all of Ma's cabinet ministers stepping down. Ma has already insisted he will be no lame duck (ya right).

Q4.) What is the response of the US, Taiwan's biggest ally?

So far the US (Taiwan's main weapons supplier) stated they have a vested interest in maintaining peace between the two countries as well as being happy with the Taiwanese free election system, congratulating Tsai Ing-wen on her win.  Interestingly, Canada is quickly getting itself into a pickle and will have to eventually pick sides (read, "Canada's Government Looking the Other Way".)

Sources:
China Takes Aim at Taiwan
China Tells Taiwan to Abandon Independence
Meet Freddie Lim (GQ)
Pro China Posts Flood Taiwan President Elect's Facebook
China Military Reports Landing Drills Days After Taiwanese Election
Twenty Somethings in Taiwan and the Country's First Female President
Transparent Chinese Relations a Priority
How Will Mainland China Respond To Taiwan's Elections?
Canada's Government Looking the Other Way

2015: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

In the words of Poison front man Bret Michaels, "Every rose has its thorn." As for 2015 its not so much good riddance as much as, "What's next"?

The Ugly:
In the summer I had a traumatic car accident and had to pay a hefty chunk to the other driver. After that my car repair bills were killing me and the combination on just a part time pay check wasn't easy. I couldn't have made it without my boss and friends lending me here and there to get me by.  After coming back from my summer trip back home and thinking I could catch up and save a little something, my landlady  evicted me and gave me 2 weeks to move out (she was selling). There was also a couple ugly typhoons, one I missed and the other we safely endured.

Out With The Old: The year started out with me quitting my full time job at the other private elementary/junior high/high school- and not batting an eye lash, best move of 2015, but it did put a monkey wrench in my finances. I had a month of unemployment before traveling and starting a new part time job.

I worked part time for a fantastic Canadian boss in a kindergarten, but again, part time wasn't exactly working out financially. Did I teach my last kindergarten? Time will tell. The good news is I landed a fantastic job teaching a subject I studied for and care about at a prestigious private school.

I've reached out more than once to former coworkers but the epitaph of busyness has evolved to non replies. Such are expats in Yilan; unlike Tainan foreigners, those in Yilan are cliquey, exclusive, private.  In their defense, there aren't really venues to hang out like Tainan, nothing to do but eat and drink, so perhaps I am not missing out on much. I prefer to hit a hiking trail or do yoga in the park so I have made new friends at my gym and we do hit the trails. By the way, I'm not referring to expats with families and businesses, I understand life is hectic and time is a commodity; I hardly have but an hour to myself in the evenings. Its just one glaring difference from Tainan, the sunnier weather invokes communal gatherings.

Z also changed schools (again) and 3 is certainly a charm! Its a small mountain school, with a teacher all the kids adore. He is one of the most interesting people I've met, a former top emergency surgeon who was tired of telling grieving families sorry and he decided to teach (thankfully).

 The Good-Wander land:
As always, travel was the inevitable prerequisite. For my 40th birthday we returned to Sabah, Borneo for some ideallic diving and beach time. Suiting up and going under with my kid was worth it, although she wasn't comfortable enough to descend much, more like graduated snorkeling. Still its baby steps, progress. The visibility or coral wasn't great, but the experience with my kid priceless. The thorn of that trip was being attacked by a group of amphetamine induced thugs on our last night, but fortunately it all worked out.

For our Chinese New Years we went to Chang Mai in northern Thailand for 2 weeks.  Thailand is Disneyland for travelers, easy enough to get around, great food, perfect for beginners to get their feet wet or experiences travelers to have it easy.

In summer I went home for a blessed month. I took an RV trip with my folks, a brother and niece through New Mexico and Colorado. I didn't get much sleep but it was heavenly. Its getting more difficult leaving friends and family. Z and I are definitely talking about what living back in the States will look like.

 I hope we can stay another year here, we are both happy with out life at the moment and then we will leave Taiwan. Our plan is to get a place in Yuanshan close to my school and get some chickens and a goat, try that out for a year before we return to Colorado indefinitely. The exit strategy is on the back burner, but for now I scope little houses for rent in these misty mountains overlooking Turtle Island in the distance.

Reverence and Rituals Incarnate: Christmas and New Year

It was that time of year again. If I didn't live with a little spirited elf myself,  I can't imagine Christmas being as jolly or meaningful while experiencing it in Taiwan. You certainly have to cultivate the season of holiness. Its all "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish You" and not enough "Angels We Have Heard on High".

The Yilan weather is more conducive to reflection; with it's somber, sunless skies, the nebulous storm clouds obscure the life source. One light piercing the gloom, a solitary candle in a bitter twilight rain. This is the spirit of Christmas, minus the snow and family. (I couldn't imagine Christmas south of the equator, more like a summer BBQ, but I certainly would give it a try.)

Winter in Taiwan starts with the winter solstice and everyone having to eat the traditional sweet date soup with sticky rice balls (tang yuan). Every school I worked for has served it with lunch. It supposed to mean a year of good luck. I took my 7th grade class caroling to the nearest elderly retirement home, which was a tender experience of connecting with the community for everyone. (Read about it here.)

My arms are too short for selfies!

Christmas Day was austere and subdued. My friend from Tainan made the trip north so it was more festive sharing the seasonal traditions, opening presents by the tree, meditate the blue twinkling lights at night and catch up on midnight merrymaking, Christmas ale toasts and a cornucopia of conversation.

We had a fabulous Boxing Day hike in the Yilan wonderland. The Caoling  Historic Trail (草嶺古道) has been on my list of DO's since moving here. We took the train to Gongliao, rented bikes and biked to the trail head. My kid uphill on a bike was slow going, but she was a real trooper and didn't give up.

We biked along this river for a bit

Then we hiked to Dali.  There were a few interesting rockbound places to rest.

We saw wild grouse, macaques and load of birds  I must learn their names.

A troupe of macaques live in the trees where the silver grass covers the hills

It wasn't blue skies, but it didn't rain, so it was cold enough to dry our sweat at the top and clear enough to see the ocean. Perfect hiking weather.

Views from the top, looking down onto Dali

Best of all we had the whole trail to ourselves, which was surprising considering its such a famous trail and not that far from Taipei.

The next day we decided to soak our weary bones in the hot springs of nearby Jiaoxi.  We lunched at the Slow Train Cafe . There's a reason its called slow, but the coffee was amazing. The ingredients are fresh and we ordered paninis, but it was pretty spare on the fillings- too much bread.

A Grateful Dead dinner at Slobber's

We took  a ten minute train ride and walked to one of our favorite spa hotels but they moved shop. It wasn't a far walk to their new abode but along the way we passed The Art Spa Hotel that Z and I always wanted to check out (because of their massive 4 story winding water slide) so we just decided to give this place a try.  It was mad fun. Z played with the kids in the children's area which was basically a playground submerged in a kiddie pool, while us adults  rotated to different spa treatments, pools and saunas. I got one try down the slide and my kid had 2 (it was a massive line). Living so close we we vowed to return.

The New Years Weekend was entirely a relaxing, sybaritic 3 day weekend. We couldn't rouse the energy to visit Tainan, even with the promise of catching up with old friends, better restaurant options and the Chi Mei museum. Being stuck in traffic in the tunnels on the way to Taipei and circumstancing the zoo of Taipei Main station, the jacked ticket prices for high-speed train south- nah.

New Years Eve dinner was Italian at the Caffe Grazzie in Luna Plaza. Its the only place we can get arugula and we are nuts for it.

New Years Eve dinner, Cafe Grazie. The past has gone,welcome the better year. May you achieve anything your heart desires this new year!過去已矣，來者可追，願新的一年，大家心想事成!

The first day of the year, the sun surmounted the spell of gloom like a promise. So we went to Yuanshan for a leisurely hike. There are several trails near my kid's school that they often take for an extended PE class, so she was my guide. I had a blast. We bought organic oranges from a school mate whose mom was picking them in their family orchard. We caught up on her favorite TV show "Supergirl" and drank pots of chai.  I thoroughly enjoyed her company and didn't regret spending the holiday weekend solely with her without distraction of work or chores. What an undeniable gift.