A Splash of Salutations: The Season of Hello-Goodbyes

The past several months we had quite a few old friends from our Tainan days came to visit us here in Yilan. I suppose this social season began after our Taipei trip to see the Anne Frank exhibition with my dear friend Alisse and her niece. After then, we were quite busy. Most guests were in with us for a day or two. What to show these cities folk? Everything related to water of course. It was hitting the lake, river, waterfalls, the beach, hot springs and if we had time for firewater, the brewery, and distillery.

Wanglongpi Lake with the Coolidge Clan

Tony and his clan stayed at a temple near the beach. We took them to our home, to nearby Wanglonpi Lake for a hike, then headed over to Loudong for lunch at Spice Land. In the afternoon we explored Renshan Botanic Gardens and then the nearby waterfalls. It was a sweaty, active reunion. We somehow made it to Jim and Dad's brewery for a cold one.

Indian lunch at Spiceland. My kid and I  gulping chai.

There were so many macaques on our way down the Renshan trail, I was frightened. They weren't the least bit afraid of us though.

Later, my former student from kindergarten in Tainan, Emma, she just graduated from 9th grade and finished her stressful high school entrance exams. Her cool dad rewarded her with a trip to visit us. They were our good friends back then, one of the people who took my mom and us out to dinner when she came to visit.

Meeting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-Je by chance, Kavalan Distillery 

They stayed at the nearby Country Grange Guesthouse, not our first choice. The recently opened glamping Nayi Villa was fully booked. He rented a car and our first day we went to Jim and Dad's Brewery and the Kavalan Distillery. It was crazy timing, the mayor of Taipei, Ko Wen-Je, was there shaking hands.

Z and Emma catching up, Nayi Villa

Checking out Nayi Villa, the new glamping village down the road from my house.

We sampled whiskey and stayed up late drinking and catching up, the girls inside doing their thing. We also made a trip to nearby Jiaxio and had a soak in some hot springs his friend recommended. The next day we just splashed around the river near my house and ate lunch near the local fish pond.

The river by my home was a place we'd return to when my former co-worker from our kindergarten Tainan days came with his wife and young son. We ate lunch at a local restaurant (枕頭山腳快炒), my daughter and I often go for home-cooked Taiwanese food.



Then my friend Monica (my coworker from 18 years ago in our Tamsui days) was in Jiaoxi with her sister and mother at the new Hotel Mu. We had a swim and a dip in the public hot springs, catching up. My daughter happily played a racing game in the game room, while we chatted. She and her family sometimes made it down to Yilan in the past, and once we even were in Okinawa at the same time, and met up then. How lucky to maintain friendships and connection throughout the years!

Last time I saw Eric's daughter was years ago

Speaking of my Tamsui days (before my daughter was born, I lived in Tamsui for a year and a half), one of my first roommates was in town with his Taiwanese wife and daughter, visiting from LA. He happens to be the founder of Happy Cow and so we were eating all vegan, new places, for his research. It was really wonderful seeing him again, it was four years since our last rendezvous and a little more than that since I met his wife ad daughter. How shocking to see how much our daughters have grown.

I'm so proud of him and the success of Happy Cow, because when we were squatting in a condemned building in Tamsui, he was starting out working on Happy Cow, and not for the money.

My! Have they grown!

They came to my house and we lunched at a nearby, pretty cafe. It kept reminding them of Hawaii. Later we went to Wanglonpi (of course) and I dropped them off at a temple near Dahu Lake (ten minutes away) where they were visiting friends.

The next day we went to Toucheng, hit the beach and went hiking for Xinfeng Waterfall at the end of the famous Paoma Historic Trail, but we couldn't find. Thankfully we found another one (Houdongkeng) for a nice long swim. The following day, he and his daughter and my kid and I enjoyed more playing in the mineral waters in Jiaoxi. I went more times to Jiaoxi's hot springs the past 2 months, then I did all of last year. We took them to the Art Spa Hotel, for the waterslide of course, and then we had dinner at a new vegan mom and pop shop- more Happy Cow research. It was the 4th of July, and he wanted to have a beer and fireworks, but it was getting late and they were moving on to Hualien the next morning. We parted ways at Yilan train station and it was with quite a heavy heart saying goodbye again.

Saying goodbyes, and farewells with heavy hearts are something I should be getting used to as they are next on our agenda.

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.