Our trip was to visit an old mining town in north of Taipei.  That place was the north tip of the island of Taiwan.  Along the coastal highway, we saw many dysfunctional gold mine outlets.  They were all small; they were more like a foxhole than a mine.  We went by near 基隆.  Taiwan has great coastal sightseeing spots.  We were told that in old times, some refuges were smuggled into inside Taiwan through this northern tip area.  That place was 瑞芬.

Our next stop was 九份.  It is a mountain area, high in elevation, and you can feel the cloud around you.  It used to be a miner's Las Vegas, at the gold mining times.  Now it is a tourist attraction.  We went through the market place.  It had a narrow stone paved path with many shops at both sides, selling all kinds of fresh fruits, dry seafood, candies, cakes, and teas.  Vendors alongside of the path invited all tourists to taste their specialty food.  I tasted some tiny dry fish; the fish was really tiny, and the taste was ok; I guess they had too much spices, kind of hot.  There were tea houses too, selling all kinds of 高山茶.

Our trip ended early and I went to an electronics market to get a flash memory card for the camera.  That market was big, and there were all kinds of computers and digital gizmos.  I bought one flash memory card right at the front of the market, and regretted right away after seeing so many varieties and good name brands.  The one I bought was Made in China (!), and with an unrecognizable name.  And I already put it into my camera, before I saw other good brands.

Next trip was to 高雄, 花莲 and 太鲁阁. It was a three-day trip.

June 2005.  It was hot and humid in Taiwan.  My trip started from Michigan, and a long flight on NWA with a short stop at Tokyo, and landed at Taipei's International Airport.  I forgot my camera when packing, and had to rush out of the hotel (Holiday Inns) to get one.  It was quite late, almost 12 midnight.  There was one mall still open not far from the hotel.  I bought a cheap one (Kodak, with no optic zoom) about $100. 

The hotel was nice, and the room I got was large (free upgrade).  The service was good, and they were quite professional.  The restaurant (I only ate at the buffet) served decent meals.  My booked tour was to go around Taipei next day. Next morning the tour guide came along with a minivan and driver. To my pleasant surprise, I was the ONLY one in that GROUP.  The tour guide let me choose wherever I would like to see: it was all MINE.

We went to 关帝庙.  Only then I found out that the camera I bought the night could only store around 8 pictures, and I had my laptop in hotel so I had to take the pictures "on budget".  What a pain!

关帝庙 was full of people. Many volunteers too. They all looked serious about worship.  The guide told me that in Taiwan about 80% people practice Taoism (道教). Less than 10% practice 佛教 and the rest are Christians, or in other religions.  Later I observed the same in 高雄 (The pictures of the temple 关帝庙 were taken at 高雄.).

My impression on the worship in Taiwan’s 关帝庙 was that people were serious.  Let’s not comment what their motivations were.

Next stop was National Palace Museum (国立故宫博物院).  It was in a major renovation. Only a portion of its collection was on display.  I was told they rotate the exhibition so I need to take at least three visits at different times in order to see them all.  After this renovation, they can put more on exhibition.  The museum does have some real treasures, but I was unable to take pictures. 

After visiting the museum, we went to National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (国立中正纪念堂).  It is grant. The Memorial Hall is huge.  White walls around. Its roof, rising 70 meters above the ground, is octagonal with blue glazed glass tiles.  I am not going to detail that hall.  It can be found on many web pages.  Outside was spacious: the grant gate, auditorium, and squares. 

Next tourist attraction was a teahouse.  Sheena asked me to bring some 高山茶 to Shenzhen.  So I was glad that the guide had arranged that attraction, otherwise I had to go out and find a decent teahouse.  The teahouse had all kinds of 高山茶 and 乌龙茶.  I taskted several teas that were picked at various mountain heights. And not to disappointing the hostess, I purchased a few bags.  Some were selected from big tea tins, and packed and fresh sealed.  It was not cheap, and comparing to top teas in China, top高山茶 were still much more expensive.   

With that, the city tour was over and I went back to the hotel.  The driver dropped me off at a restaurant next to hotel, and that restaurant was Hooters.  It was small, and Taiwan does not have the pool to select Hooters girls. (China should have some Hooters.  Many on Shenzhen streets can be good candidates.)