The hot pot eating was an experience in itself! It is a very social meal that can linger for hours as you add more ingredients. I really want to learn how to make them at home and have friends over to try, but the vegetables we use here are very different. First, they heat a soup broth mixed with salt and garlic, very basic, on a hot burner. We chose whether we wanted rice or noodles, and we chose rice, so that comes in a bowl on the side. Then, they bring a giant bowl of vegetables, etc to gradually add to the soup mixture. We had cabbage, several kinds of chinese mushrooms, pumpkin, melons, and probably more. Then, we selected our meats. We ordered seafood and beef. Alaina and I freaked out when they brought the raw beef rolls, but learned quickly that when you add them to the hot liquid they cook right up and are quite delicious. We tried some shrimp and various fish cakes, which are thinly sliced and have colorful designs. They are smooth, and might have a flower or other picture on the side. I am not a huge fan of the seafood, or as Alaina and I always say, "I can eat it, but it's nothing I would choose to eat." Anyhow, I love the concept of sharing the main bowl and gradually adding what you want to eat as you want to eat it, then transferring it to your own small bowl! Oh, also, big news: We tried the PIG'S BLOOD CAKE (blood coated rice)! I wanted to wait until my birthday, but seized the opportunity when it came along. It was kind of anti-climactic because it was not a strong taste at all, just basically, it tasted like rice. Alright, I will move on before I need to create a separate blog just for food!
And then the adventures began....
Alaina and I traveled first by MRT and then by train to Hualien, Taiwan early Saturday morning. We would be staying at the "Crossing the Rainbow Bridge Bed and Breakfast" right inside the Taroko Gorge National park. We weren't sure exactly how long the train ride would be, or when we should get off. Then, after a couple hours, a man approached Alaina and told her she was in his seat. We then realized that it was the stop we were supposed to get off at, and he was taking over her spot. So, we jumped up and headed quickly towards the exit. We deliberated whether or not to get off....it is so hard to determine since our ticket was mostly in Chinese, and the stop was not called "Hualien" as we had anticipated. A man near the exit explained we should get off, and we got out just in time; my right foot was still in the train as it began moving!
Once at the train station, we were picked up by the owner of our bed & breakfast and her daughter. It turns out that the daughter is going to grad school in St. Louis, and is considering transferring to Case Western...."Have you ever heard much about Cleveland?" was her first question, and so of course, conversation took off from there as I told her all about my city and she reciprocated by telling us about Hualien and their hometown. These were the NICEST people ever! The bed & breakfast was absolutely adorable, and it was located at the entrance to Taroko National Park, where we would be spending most of our time, so we felt right at home but quickly headed out to do some exploring.
We took a shuttle bus through the gorge, winding up and around the mountains. It was SO beautiful! Having never really explored the natural wonders of the west, I was even more amazed by the breathtaking views and wondrous rock formations. Although our map was well marked, the stops were not. So, when we felt we should hop off of the bus at a semi-populated spot, we did! Alaina and I enjoyed a lovely hike and took lots of pictures along the scenic trail. After a couple of hours of following our map on the hiking trail, we passed through a very dark road tunnel. And then another, and another. We realized something just wasn't right as the traffic was zooming past and we were inching our way through the darkness. After several tunnels, we didn't know what to do. Without any phone reception or any clue how much longer our tunneling would last, we needed to decide if we should just turn back. We were both a little panicked as we envisioned ourselves getting pummeled by oncoming traffic, but we decided of two not-so-great options, we should turn around. So, back we went, the way we came, and we still don't know where we went wrong. But we survived!
Once we got back to our starting point, we were still puzzled as to when the bus would come/where it would be. It was all very confusing. Then, we ran into two familiar faces from the earlier shuttle ride. The two guys were also confused and their hike didn't seem to follow either, so it really must be bad marking. One was from LA and the other guy was from Australia, both backpacking across Asia. They were so interesting and we had a lot of fun and ended up heading to another trail to hike with them.
Together we visited a bamboo grove trail, which was cool but very short. And then we ran into someone we knew! Yes, in Taiwan! All of a sudden, I heard "Teacher! Teacher!" Sure enough, we were passing the entire group of Singapore students that our school had housed two weeks earlier. They were out east continuing their tour of Taiwan. We know maybe fifteen people in this country....WHAT IS THE CHANCE THAT WE RUN INTO A GROUP OF STUDENTS THREE HOURS FROM WHERE WE MET THEM ON A SMALL, UNPOPULAR TRAIL? So funny, and they asked Alain, "Teacher, do you have the essays we wrote? Can we have them?" She had to say, "No, sorry, I don't have them with me?" Too funny.
After a long day of hiking, the owner of our bed & breakfast asked Alaina and I if we would like to join him for dinner at a local restaurant. So, we said sure and went along. The owners are indigenous Taroko people, as are most residents of the area. So, we had soup and dumplings, and he of course commented on my poor chopstick skills, which was embarrassing but I'm getting used to it! He introduced us to all the locals. It was kind of funny because we felt like celebrities there at times. It also felt strange because there were other guests at the b&b and they were not getting special treatment....
Sunday morning, we decided to wake up EARLY for the sunrise. If we walked outside of our door and across the Rainbow Bridge, we would have the perfect view. So, off we went only to find the sunrise was completely blocked by a gigantic cloud...how disappointing!
Later, we borrowed the bikes from the B&B and rode to another trail that was highly recommended by several people. I thought we were going to DIE...nobody told us we would be winding up and down and through the steep mountains. No wonder Dr. Myers laughed at us when I mentioned we planned to "bike through the gorge..." we barely made it to the trail! But we survived, and it was an awesome hike! The sign at the entrance read: Beware of Killer Bees and Poisonous Snakes....eeek! But we didn't see any. However, once a little bit along the trail I saw the biggest spider of my entire life, blocking the way. I mean, it must have been four inches in diameter! It was jump into the river or cross the spider, so I did what I had to do! As we traveled onward, we passed several aboriginal villages. I was kind of surprised that the aboriginal people were permitted to live inside the national park, but I guess there were several areas set aside as reservations. And by villages, I mean two or three little campsites clustered together with a couple animals....very primitive, but so interesting! The view of the river was lovely, and the water was the clearest, prettiest blue I have ever seen! Ironically, we ran into our hiking friends from the day before on this trail, too!
After a weekend that was both relaxing and long, we were exhausted. The break from the city was nice, but we were ready to get back and still had lesson planning to do. We arrived in Taipei around 7:30 pm. Again, I was so amazed by the kindness and generosity of the people at the Taroko Gorge, and it is always nice to see different areas of Taiwan.
This week will be my last full week of teaching. Today I gave my eighth graders a "speaking test," which is required by the school but the format is up to me. I chose to do interview questions, both personal and content based. I was SO glad to have done this activity because it gave students a chance to practice their speaking and allowed me a change to interact with them one-on-one, and get to know them better. I would say it went really well and was very worthwhile!
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