Good morning and welcome (again? :) ) to our little blog!
I am sorry for the delay on this sequel of my trip to Taipeh, but today I will continue to introduce further lovely sights in and around Taipeh that I visited during my stay there.
The second day in Taipeh started off being pretty cool at approximately 20°C, maybe the coolest that I have experienced here so far. I never thought that I could actually feel chilly at a temperature like that, but I guess I am already accustomed to the climate here. Hopefully, I will not die of sudden freeze when back in cold Bremen in October...
Now, sadly the weather was not the best. It started raining in the morning and occasional showers would continue to to spoil our plans for the day (and make it impossible for me to get any good shots, grr....).
Nevertheless, we still went to see lots of interesting places.
To start with, we drove up the mountains encircling the Taipeh plain and went downhill on the Maokong-Gondala. The ride gave me the opportunity to experience a unique view on the plain and understand the actual magnitude of the metropolis Taipeh and its suburbs in New Taipeh City, even though the weather was trying its best to hinder me from seeing too far and much.
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| View on the suburbs of Taipeh with Taipeh's centre in the background being marked by Taipeh 101 in the right upper corner |
At least, Taipeh 101 is still visible in this picture, to give you a rough idea where the actual city of Taipeh is located.
One thing I observed about the weather in Taipeh is that while close to the ground air movement is rather sparse, producing a kind of stuffy heat, there seem to be incessant strong winds in the upper spheres causing clouds to speed by in the sky, constantly bringing change to the weather conditions.
So when we had passed all scenic spots and reached the final station, a blue sky and the bright sun were awaiting us. Just slightly annoying. :D
But next we had a guided tour through traditional Taiwanese housings of rich farmers. As the guide spoke only Chinese, I would have understood none of the explanations had it not been for my friend's parents who were really trying hard to simplify all of the guide's remarks for me.
For example, they explained the following to me: It is a fact that women's feet, starting in their childhood, in Chinese traditional culture were broken and bound to prevent growth, as small feet were considered beautiful. However, there was also another reason. Women were not allowed to leave the confines of their chambers within the family's estate. Their feet the size of a child's and too weak to carry them, made them unlikely to disobey this tradition.
Afterwards, our trip took us deeper into the mountains again to the village of Houtong. Originally a small settlement that had developed at a mining site, the population decreased rapidly after the industry's collapse. However, when leaving in search for labour in other places people left behind their pets and, eventually, human inhabitants were replaced by stray dogs and cats, the latter taking over control of the streets.
But who could possibly deny cuties like this one the total control over the village?!
One thing I observed about the weather in Taipeh is that while close to the ground air movement is rather sparse, producing a kind of stuffy heat, there seem to be incessant strong winds in the upper spheres causing clouds to speed by in the sky, constantly bringing change to the weather conditions.
So when we had passed all scenic spots and reached the final station, a blue sky and the bright sun were awaiting us. Just slightly annoying. :D
But next we had a guided tour through traditional Taiwanese housings of rich farmers. As the guide spoke only Chinese, I would have understood none of the explanations had it not been for my friend's parents who were really trying hard to simplify all of the guide's remarks for me.
For example, they explained the following to me: It is a fact that women's feet, starting in their childhood, in Chinese traditional culture were broken and bound to prevent growth, as small feet were considered beautiful. However, there was also another reason. Women were not allowed to leave the confines of their chambers within the family's estate. Their feet the size of a child's and too weak to carry them, made them unlikely to disobey this tradition.
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| Kitchen of a traditional estate in the countryside of Taiwan |
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| Relics of Houtong's former mining industry |
While, following the abolition of the local mining industry, the great number of tame, trusting and almost house-trained stray cats attracted many cat-loving tourists that compensated for the loss of the traditional trade, at the present time Houtong is facing serious problems due to the animals' continuous reproduction, that people now appearantly are unable to get under control.
But who could possibly deny cuties like this one the total control over the village?!
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| Stray cat sleeping smoothly despite dozens of tourists pass by in Houtong
Well, I assume those among you who prefer dogs over cats could. The residents of Houtong have developed a very particular way to welcome dog-loving people. Consider the message of the sign below carefully! Dogs are hopelessly outnumbered in these grounds!
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| Sign reading "We do not recommend you bring dogs on your visit" |
Houtong has its own train station and is not far away from both Taipeh and Toucheng Leisure Farm. Consequently, this place definitely is a must-visit for all cat-loving people!
Okay, seeing as this post already has pretty much overlength, I think I should try and make a third one these days.
Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Niklas
Okay, seeing as this post already has pretty much overlength, I think I should try and make a third one these days.
Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Niklas
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