The Grass is Greener in Yilan: Tainan and Yilan Comparison

A year in Yilan next month; time flies!

We lived in Tainan for six years before we moved to Yilan, which is the at the very opposite direction geographically. Next month we will be in Yilan a year now.

My first impressions are still fresh and some have or have not changed within the past year. Here are some of them:

1. What are those scooter windshields? The scooters in Yilan all have big, weird windshields. I did not see these in Tainan, and I carelessly figured they were for insects (don't laugh). I now am pretty sure its for the rain.

2. Where are all the drinking water stations? In Tainan it was very easy to fill up your massive water containers for drinking water at the water stations conveniently located every other block. They look like mini gas pumps and are very cheap.  When we moved to Yilan I didn't see any and when I asked people about it they all said the same answer: "What are those? The water in Yilan is fresh." My apartment building is new so I just boil mine from the tap, which is what most people here do. I have seen 2 new water station around the Yilan area, about two months ago for the first time, but none conveniently located near me.

Speaking of water, water is everywhere; lakes, rivers, the coast, waterfalls, my dehumidifier. Aquarian shenanigans, I'm in my element. There's no chance of a drought here, for now.

Dahu Lake at dusk, nearby taro fields
大湖

3. Tainan is by far more cosmopolitan. Tainan people like to think of themselves as more country folk compared to Taipei or Kaohsiung, but actually nothing feels more backwater than a ten minute drive outside Yilan. Whip out the Chinese banjos, it gets quickly a Mandarin episode of  Deliverance. Speaking of Chinese banjos, I can't count how many people actually play Erhus here. I saw my first one from my landlady's daughter. Its a Chinese fiddle whose body is covered by (legal) python skin. At least one person in every family I've come across plays one, not to mention piano and a local reed recorder. I don't judge this as redneck at all, but an example of how traditional and rich the culture here still is.

There's lots of fishing options for Z's inner Huck Finn

 I remember one of our first out of town explorations, we were lost and my daughter asked an old lady how to get to this lake and the old lady answered, "Shut up! Go away!" My kid's feelings were hurt, we were all shocked. I told Z not to take it personally, "The old gran probably never saw a green eyed foreign kid speak impeccable Chinese before and thought you were a ghost." That made her feel slightly better.

I figured because Yilan was closer geographically to Taipei it would be like Tainan or better but the mountains are still a natural barrier and the Snow mountain tunnels to Taipei were recently built, so its still very Chinese hick, farmer mentality. When I picked up my kid at school last Friday some of the kids still wear the traditional rice paddy farmer hats to protect themselves from the sun.

Taking a break on our bike ride

4. They drive worse in Yilan. Driving and parking is a nightmare, maybe I was spoiled living and working in Anping, I hardly needed to commute. In Yilan I have to commute to Luodong for jobs here and there, for my kid's violin class. The immigration office is in Luodong. People just park in the middle of a lane and put on their hazards, while the rest of us have to squeeze through. Sure Yilan drivers heed red lights better than Tainan drivers, but other than that I'd drive in Tainan any other day.

5. I've had more job offers here. I came here for a nice job at a private boarding school Chung Dao. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I since found a great boss and set-up 5 minutes away from my house and he's promised me more afternoon hours next semester. Since then, I was offered a job at a private boarding Waldorf school in Taitung, (which I turned down). This past month I've been doing some short term contract work, doing video and voice recording for the Education department of Yilan on a new project and if all goes well, the producer will launch a project in the business market and I'll have more work. Easy money and unexpected. I thought jobs like that only existed in Taipei. I also give private yoga classes, tutor private English classes and have had to turn away people because my time is already booked.

Just last week the better private boarding school outside Yilan, Huey Deng offered me a nice contract with a higher salary than anything I've seen. We are meeting for coffee this Thursday but I'm leaning on staying with where I'm at, just because I don't want to commute (even 20 minutes) and I don't want to be a slave to a school. The biggest temptation besides the salary, is I would be teaching Social Studies with an emphasis on Peace and Social Justice, which is basically what drives me. Imagine teaching what I actually have degrees on!? Further down the line when I move on to jobs that are perhaps in this line of work (returning Stateside), it would look great on my resume. I also believe that getting kids passionate about social justice issues is a safeguard for democracy in Taiwan, which is literally threatened by China. To be continued...


6. Tainan has better food, international food options and a night life scene. I took it for granted until after I left and even returning for a visit, the average hole in the wall is still noticeably better in Tainan than Yilan. Even the best restaurants in Yilan are a hit or miss, with the exception to Balagov's Ukrainian Cafe which is reliably satisfying. The wonderful Italian place down the road from us Tavola is the only place in Yilan where you can eat foods with Ricotta, the food quality is excellent, but I recommend ordering to go. We ate there the other week and it was so loud, my daughter and I couldn't even hear one another over our table. People were literally shouting at each other. I told the people next to us to keep it down, but since everyone else was shouting at each other, they were soon yelling across their table again. Little things like that, being served dessert before our main plate and having to explain why that isn't what we want, (8Nanana) little things like that, I miss Tainan. When a new MexTex place, Slobber recently opened up, everyone cheered. I mistakenly ordered the worst things on the menu both times (skip the Nacho plate or 4 cheese sandwich). I will have the smoked salmon salad next time, it looked amazing. That's about as good as it gets (other than Balagov's).

7. Yilan expats are more private. In Tainan, foreigners pretty much know each other, there's a handful of bars, venues, people can congregate and like a small town everyone knew each other's business. Which can be a good thing too, because there's a kind of solidarity, network. Sure I knew some more solitary souls in Tainan who kept to themselves, but I still knew them. There are long term expats who have been in Yilan for decades who surprise each other when they meet for the first time. The number of foreign women in Yilan are even more minuscule, we are like rare Youtan Poloa flowers. I liked my occasional once every 2 years ladies night in Tainan. The single Canadian gal I work with, she goes to Taipei every weekend, the rest are older moms, my age and are busy with their kids and businesses.

1 Minute from Yilan Sports Park

8. Yilan is still the outdoor lovers paradise. Enjoying the outdoors either mountain or sea is more accessible and more convenient in Yilan than Tainan.  You don't have to drive far, but you certainly could, Yilan County is massive. That first impression hasn't changed, there are always river hideaways, aboriginal villages, almost private beaches to explore that long term expats who know seem to keep greedily to themselves.

9. Aboriginals have more fun. Having relationships with Taiwanese aboriginals is a recent benefit of living in Yilan. Our neighbors, Z's classmates and friends are Atayal tribe and it brings a richness to our lives here that we didn't have in Tainan.

10. The grass is literally greener here. It's flourishing all year, especially now when green rice paddies stretch as far as they eye can see between the coast and mountains. It smells marvelous every morning. In Tainan, the parks were more dusty than verdant, the air is full of pollutants and irritants. That alone is enough to breathe deep and be grateful about.

My classroom nemesis

11. The critters here are scarier. Included in the greener grass and generally wetter climate means I come in contact with nastier critters. Poison vipers, centipedes, gargantuan spiders, macaques. I am not a fan. Our school seems to have  these enormous wiggling centipedes and our S. African coworker is the registered critter disposable call to. Fortunately there are none in my home, but my kid found a gorgeous full snakeskin for her bizarre collection.

Its absurd to judge which place is better. I felt stuck in Tainan with my job, and lack of job options. Life there was comfortable and I needed to take a chance and get out of that comfort zone.

I tend to reckon where I am right now is the paramount place to be.

Return To Tainan

Dinner on the veranda of King's Villa, Guanziling

It was our first time being back to Tainan since moving to Yilan. Did I miss it? Upon arrival at the highs-peed station we immediately noticed it smelled weird, and we (my daughter and I) got an immediate runny nose. At first my daughter was, "Oh lets move back to Tainan", but that didn't last long. We both found Tainan too bustling, crowded, congested. Is it Chinese New Year already? It seemed that way. Because our trip was so short and sweet we also didn't have anytime to visit with old friends which was a shame, as on Tuesday, I had to return to my daily private tutoring, a fantastic gig.

lunch at Basil Bistrot,Taipei

Being unemployed has it's benefits. I could have a 4 day weekend in Tainan. I decided to go back because Sunday there was a 6 hour Ashtanga introduction to the primary series, which would be a  refresher for me. I could practice with my old yogini gang and recommit myself to my practice again.

We left Friday noon for Taipei and decided to check out an exhibit at Galleria H after a quick bite at Basil, le Bistrot. We get excited about eating food we can't find in Yilan. In this case, open faced, filling sandwhiches on crusty bread. I got the salmon and sundried tomato and Z got a bacon and grilled chicken, we couldn't even finish our potato wedges. Both came with tons of mixed greens drizzled in balsamic vinegar and oil.

lunch at Basil Bistrot, Taipei

 The very small exhibit looks, "into the identification of races, genders and generations at a certain level. We intend to develop a set of clarified feminine writing logic through the works of these six artists and art groups. The ways of writing illustrate six different life stories, family memories and self-reflections after confronting some particular situations of races and genders." 

A Bangladeshi film of a woman marrying herself, Galleria H

My daughter embarrassed me and the curator, she was incredulous at the size of the exhibit, "This is it! It's so small!" I had wanted to see the probably more interesting Chini Gallery's exhibit of a Spanish artist's very Picasso-esque animal/human portraits, but we had to be in Tainan by a certain hour for AJ to pick us up at the high-speed station (he had a night class).

The next day we started hitting local used book stores and record shops. The whole record store scene was certainly a new part of Tainan life I hadn't seen before. By lunch time I had a bag of books and had to stop.

After lounging at AJ's big house in the East district listening to records, we drove to the nearest hot springs-- Guanziling at The King's Castle at the top of the hill. We had a light dinner there on the veranda and then went to the nearly empty pools bathing like royals. There were public outdoor baths with some inside public pools of different temperatures, a mud and massage room and some pools with steaming Chinese traditional medicinal herbs like mugwort. We ended our bathing with having our feet pecked and tickled by tiny fish and drove back to Yilan very relaxed.

Sunday was a my big day. I couldnt find the Jyoga studio at first, Google Map had me in the alley behind it, but when my friend told me the lime green building across from Starbucks, I couldn't miss it. The Ashtanga teacher  Rameshji (Ramsheesh Sheety ) is from Mysore and has studied under both Pattabhi Jois and BNS Iyengar since a teen. The event was organized by Kaosiung Yogi. He spent 2 hours just on the sun salutations, not even finishing Namaskara B when we had to break for lunch which was catered by my dear friends from Funkoo. After lunch while our food settled, my friend Tori Mitchell led us in some Yin hip openers and Farrah Furtado led a very relaxing Yoga Nidra. The last couple hours Rameshji returned to finish Namaskara B and some difficult poses upon request.

Stupid me asked him about which he expected me to be able to do. He literally was forcing me into a human pretzel (Garbha Pindasana), but at least I have some better idea how to get into it myself. Lubrication is key! Warm water or sweat, because my thighs are not skinny enough to do it without this. He also helped me with my Firefly balance (Tittibhasana).

All in all a wonderful day of yoga. It was invigorating to be near these newbies who were so passionate, most going towards their teacher certification and me who has been practicing on and off for years and basically lazy and taking what I know for granted, in comparison. I noticed all of us needede reminding to engag our Uddyana Bandas (the central energy meridian pulled in and upwards by abdominal muscles). I was definitely sore the next day! During my own personal Monday morning practice,   my flow was intuitive, it was so fluid, creative, dynamic, I just knew it was from the subtle effects of the previous day's Yoga Nidra practice.

We returned to Yilan, leaving Tainan after lunch on Monday, My daughter and I were both relieved to be back. It was colder, sure, but it seemed so fresh, our runny noses disappeared and Z was glad to be back to playing with her classmates and neighbors.

It seems like Yilan is home-- at least for now anyways.

So long 2014

 Tung Flower Festival, Sanzhi

In this 4 day weekend, today my Saturday, I for once didn't do much of anything, which is kind of strange, and irregular for me, but necessary. I took pause to reflect on the year that's just faded into memories and photo albums. It was a busy year, but there are just a couple of stand out experiences I am forever grateful for. In chronological order:



1. Chinese New Year in Myanmar

Just getting there was a trip, I missed our flight from Singapore into Yangoon. I loved Burma, the people, so many ethnicities, and the food was better than I expected. It was hard traveling for Z, we covered a lot of distance in a short amount of time, which meant night buses galore coming into town at 5am. She's a seasoned trooper, literally the best travel buddy I've ever had. (Full Myanmar photo album here).

 In Myanmar, I have to say my 39th birthday was amazing. We went into a teak plantation and hung out with working elephants who were making a camp for that spring until the rainy season came. We rode their little troupe and watched a mom play with her baby (she is free from work the for 3 years while caring for her baby).

The elephants and their handlers were making a temporary damn for the elephants while they worked there for that logging season. They cut down a majestic, old grandfather tree by hand, which pained me to see such a grand old tree fall, then the elephant dragged it back to their little damn. We watched from the elephants back, their handlers were kind, there were no canes or whips, just clucking and speaking to them. They are handlers of the same elephants for life and its the elephants who pick their handlers. Their wives and children all live together in a little camp of 2 or 3 huts by the river. As for "tourists" there was just me, my daughter and a French lady. It was hardly the kind of elephant set up "rehab" I've seen in Thailand. This was no walk in the park. We were tagging along while they worked-and this was their day off, making a little damn. There were no trails in this teak rainforest, the elephants were bush-wacking with us on their backs. I was just worried the tree would land on us as we were right next to it while they used muscle and an ax, but they were experts. They have been loggin teak with elephants since ancient Thai and Burmese kings considered it the royal wood for palaces and temples, since British colonials increased the demand. Unfortunately the demand for teak continues. Though the handlers told us they replant so as to not over log, I fear money and the military junta's hand will continue to play a negative part in order to feed the insatiable demand by Scandinavian furniture makers.

For lunch we went to a little auntie's place across from the local school; a one room dirt floor, 3 bamboo walled hut with 3 classes, big kids, little kids and those in between. Being surrounded by their smiles made my incredible birthday.

Z putting thenaka on my face while lunch is cooking

The school house 

Of course Inle Lake was amazing, colder than we expected but an adventure exploring by boat. Then there was Bagan and exploring the endless tamarind tree fields littered with old temples,  and Mt Popa, the Burmese Mt. Olympus. One day we rented a horse cart and the driver gave Z the reigns the whole day. It was great fun.

One of the most memorable Burmese experiences was our "hell train" adventure. We took what I thought would be a 6 hour scenic train from outside of Inle Lake (Shwenyaung) through the mountains to Thazi.

All smiles as our "hell train" left in the morning

It took 15 hours, our train was at a standstill in the middle of nowhere for sometime as a train further down the line broke down. The last 4 hours were freezing. The train was a living relic from the British Empire, wooden, and looked like it hadn't been cleaned since colonial times, it was covered in rust, dust, open windows, the toilet was a muddy hole cut into the car.

 I was nursing a kidney infection and met a friendly and knowledgeable Israeli acupuncturist who smartly got out in the next stop 4 hours from Inle.





We pulled into Thazi at midnight and were stepping over sleeping bodies in the dark sprawled all over that station. The stars were amazing. We walked to a roadside motel and crashed hard after a hot shower. The next morning early we took a local bus (van packed like sardines) to Lake Meiktila. I paid few pennies extra to sit in front with the driver, Z got car sick and he slowed down, but we made it.

 






2. I got my APRC!

Finally after 5 years I could apply for my coveted Alien residence card. Thanks to my friend and Chinese tutor Kevin for fronting me the 10,000NT in March to get it.(See Congrats To Me! I'm legal!)

3. A Family Visit

My parents and brother Ed visited Taiwan for the first time in July 2014. It was the first time my mom and bro have been out of North America. Unfortunately, when they visited there was a heat wave and it was the hottest at the suburb of Taiwan (Banciao) we were staying at. Of course they were troopers, sweating buckets but just grateful to be together again, to be with their granddaughter.

They really didnt have enough time to learn to appreciate the local food. My Dad and bro only stayed a week, my mom stayed a few weeks longer and helped watch my daughter and pack my things while I worked my last weeks at Share Fun.

After a few days exploring Taipei we went to Jiaoxi for a few days exploring the local waterfalls, hot springs and we took a boat to Turtle Island to see the dolphins. Then my Dad rented a car and we drove to Taroko along the scenic but dangerous Suhua Highway. Afterwards, we all headed south to Tainan.

In Tainan I showed them the Confucius Temple, they enjoyed eating at the western food restaurants by local expats (Funkoo, Tin Pan Diner). It was crowded at my little apartment, and hot, so my Dad moved my mom and bro down the road to the Tai Landis Hotel next to Mitzuokoshi. Before my Dad and bro took the highspeed back to Taoyuan, we did a family group photo session which was good fun, at least my daughter was in her element.

4. Starting a new life in Yilan

Thanks to my co-worker Steve for getting me this job. He was a big help during the interview process, settling here and getting into the swing of things at school.

Moving was not easy, in fact it was harder than I expected- and I moved around my whole life so I thought I was used to these things. I went through bags of books, clothes, giving them away and still I had so many things I had accumulated from 6 years of living in Tainan. It felt great to say goodbye to my job as I felt stuck there, and yet compared to my job now in Yilan, my job down south was so much easier, less stress. I loved teaching the kids there and building relationships with families, with the community there. That was hard turning my back on, and yet life is temporary, our lives in Taiwan are temporary. 

We took a chance on Yilan and getting used to the life here was also more difficult than I expected. I knew it wasnt going to be easy, that it would take a few months to find my groove, learn a new system, but I think for all the increase in workload, I am more productive and am learning a helluva lot in terms of teaching and planning. I'm teaching junior high, elementary and kindergarten of all levels which requires a lot more planning, prepping and flexibility. There is good and bad at every job, of course this one is no exception, but when I stop learning then its time to change my outlook or change my scenery. As for my daughter she is learning English and Chinese. Her Mandarin is fluent, but I was starting to get concerned for her English writing, so I hope she can improve in this area.

Exploring Yilan has been good fun and having a car, finally after 6 years is so much more convenient than my grass cutter scooter. Parking in Yilan City is no picnic, but at least we are dry when it rains. Speaking of the rain, I don't have enough fingers to count how many people warned me of winters here, that I wont see the sun for months, and yet the weather has been pretty good, good enough to explore on the weekends. Living in Anping I didn't really see the mountains like I do every day here. On my way to work I look at those mountains everyday and every day they look different, I also see Turtle Island and the ocean right before I pull into work, cant beat that. Its a small dose of positive energy before I have the dreadful task of parking.

I should mention the apartment I have now is a big step up from the old one I had in Anping. This place is outside the congested, small laned city center across from the massive park on the grounds of the County Government Building and is 3 years old, furnished and bright. My drive to work is a straight shot down a non residential-commercial area. I feel blessed.

5. My Santa Cruz Consort

My dearest was my neighbor in Anping, my good friend and this past year he continued to be my kind, patient, sacrificial partner when I needed him most. Andrew helped me move, he helped my buy my car and drove it here from Tainan, he visits on weekends whenever he can. He is a great blessing and positive male energy for me and my daughter.

For these 5 above blessings, 2014 has been a predominately positive year. Other standout experiences of 2014; visiting my old friend of 14 years north in her home in Sanzhi, Saturday yoga with the ladies in Anping and a Single Mom and Daughter Dragon Boat Weekend in Kenting.

 I also have to mention that this year we were divinely free from sickness and robustly healthy, so we were physically able to enjoy these blessings, which is something not to be taken for granted. You can eat clean, exercise, meditate, sleep well and then have what the news headlines recently called, "bad luck." As for us, it's more than good luck that sustained us this past year, it was lots of prayers by family and friends back home, simple prayers by us here and busy angels raining heavenly love. 

Yilan or Bust, Moving House

At the end of July while I worked my last week, my mom and daughter helped pack boxes. The whole month I was giving away and throwing away bags of clothes, toys, books. And I wouldn't consider myself materialistic or a pack rat, so I'm not sure what happened except six years with a kid at the same place  I had amassed a whole lot of crap.

AJ, Andrew and my Mom

When it was time to move my friend AJ and I rented a truck (he has a local driver's license) and together with one of his friends Andrew, they quickly and efficiently packed. I went to get some lunch and drinks for everyone, I was gone maybe 15 minutes and was astounded to find they were nearly done when I returned. What a strange coincidental blessing that Andrew for one miserable summer, worked as a professional mover, so he pretty much managed the whole packing of the truck. All 6 years of my life took an hour and a lot of sweat to pack into one truck.

Renting the truck was probably the easiest part of the whole move. Unfortunately the company is located in Yongkong district, but the man Yo-yo spoke perfect English and they were all very fast, efficient and professional. (Tainan Car Plus rental offvce in Yongkang 06-243-6655, No 169, Zhongzheng N. Rd, Yongkang 71081). It cost around 3,200 to rent the truck for 24 hours and after so many miles it was 4 nt a mile that added up, plus all the tolls that are automatically scanned by blue lights, that added up to 800. All in all, it was significantly cheaper to do it ourselves. (A moving company would be around 15,000 or more).

I'm very thankful for my dear friend AJ, who significantly helped be there to pack, move, get boxes, drive the truck, which wasn't easy. We played good music and were following this double rainbow between Chiayi and Chunghua, were caught in a thunderstorm around Miaoli, and stuck in Friday eve traffic between Hsinchu and Taipei. We arrived in Yilan around 830 pm but lost didn't find the new apartment until 9:30. It was a long day. My friend Steve who helped find me a temporary place was there with my new landlady and we all busted ass for twenty minutes  until our little studio was filled with boxes.

The next day bright and early AJ and I gassed up the truck and head back to Tainan to drop off the truck and the following day bring my mom to the airport. As you can see from the above map, Yilan at the northeast is in the exact opposite direction of Tainan in the southwest. It took about 6 hours one way.

Yoginis in the Castle Park

Within the last year or two, it seems Tainan has been blessed with more foreign women, than previous years. Or maybe its because suddenly I met up with ladies who love yoga as much as I do. Whatever the case we have this good thing going for us. We meet Saturday mornings in the park for yoga.

You are all welcomed to join us. We meet around 10, end around 12 inside the Eternal Golden Castle (Yìzǎi Jīn Chéng 億載金城). If you are a Tainan resident, entrance is free with an ID card, or pay the 50NT entrance fee. After you enter, go through the tunnel, turn left, keeping walking until you see the stairs. There is a flat, cemented surface where we practice. As the days get longer, the shadow of the trees is bigger on the grass in front of this and we have been there as of late.

Its pleasant from that spot, the view of the moat, the sun on the water, surrounded by so many trees. We see cranes and the black swans while we practice. Tourists walk by and  leave us alone. It doesn't ever seem to be crowded despite the tour buses parked out front.

Two of us are certified Yoga Instructors and two of us are getting certification this summer. We usually go with the flow. Someone might make suggestions, we chat before see what we want to work on, where we are at that morning. We share leading flows, we have followed flows online from Kino or Do Yoga With Me. We have done Ashtanga to Kundalini and usually we end with some acroyoga and just play around.  Its joyful when the bugs don't bite, so if you join us, bring a mat and repellent!