Adventures in Taichung

Last week was long, fabulous yet full with classes and lesson planning. So on Saturday, Amy and I were determined to get everything done in time to have some serious fun. And did we ever. We went exploring with our awesome new friend Kevyn, from Taichung (a neighboring city, the third largest in Taiwan). He graciously showed us around the nooks and crannies of his hometown. It was one of those days where you say, "Can life get any better than this? I submit that it cannot." :)

We started off our adventures by treating our taste buds to some of Kevyn's favorite noodles in all of Taichung. 好吃! (hǎochī, or delicious)

Kevyn and I went on a bit of a wild goose chase to hunt down the "lucky" scooter his friend was letting us borrow. The reason I say lucky is because the scooter license plate sports the auspicious number 888. Eight is a lucky number in this culture. In Chinese, the number eight sounds a lot like the word for "wealth." (The Beijing Olympics, if you will recall, began on 8/8/08 at 8:08 and 8 seconds.) I drove this lucky scooter around for a whole day...just imagine the luck heading my way this year!

After finally spotting the lucky number, we set off to discover more of the wonderful sights, smells, and tastes of Taichung.

Kevyn showed us around a Buddhist temple and a Daoist temple near his home. He also told us of his own spiritual journey. He mentioned that most Taiwanese children are not taught religion in the home, and his was no exception. Neither Buddhism nor Daoism teach of an omnipotent Heavenly Father who knows you individually, loves you, or wants more than anything to bless you. According to Kevyn, most Taiwanese believe there is a god/many gods, but based on their ideas of religion, they don't see how that belief will necessarily improve the quality of their life.

Kevyn rubbing Buddha's big belly. :)

part of the Buddhist temple

Daoist temple

A Daoist goddess, 觀音 (guān yīn). She is revered for her unconditional love, compassion, and mercy. She is a fertility goddess, and the champion of the unfortunate, the sick, the disabled, the poor, and anyone in trouble. For centuries, 觀音 has been known as the protector of fishermen and others at sea. She is also associated with the Great Flood, after which she sent down a dog holding rice grains in its tail. Thus she is also worshipped as a rice goddess.

Buddhist temple

As we were embarking on the next leg of our adventure, our lucky scooter wouldn't start. Fortunately, we weren't too far from the scooter shop Kevyn frequents, so we just wheeled it right on over. The serviceman was checking things out for us, when all of a sudden, I heard, "Whinny! Whinny!" My first thought was, "Who could that be? I don't know that many people in this city." I looked left and right, quickly dismissing the sound, assuming it must be some word in Chinese that just happened to sound like my name. "Whinny!" There it was again, louder this time. I looked in the direction of the voice, only to see one of my favorite people on the whole island of Taiwan. "Wala!" I shouted, and ran over to the car. I hadn't seen him in a year and a half. "Whinny! I going to the gym, and I see two American girls. And one of them is you!" :) After chatting for a minute and documenting an unforgettable meeting, all was well with our lucky scooter and we set off into the sunset (literally) to explore more of the beauties of this island. I drove off into the sunset with a huge grin. I love my life. I love the people in my life.

Bundled up for the drive. I was super excited to be at the wheel of a scooter again. Too much fun.

After about an hour, we reached our desired destination. Kevyn had wanted to show us these wetlands. They're really pretty...I've seen a pic. We're going to go back when it's warmer (and lighter out), and I'll take pictures then. But it was still beautiful to watch the lights bounce off the water. And...just about anything's fun when you're in great company, 對不對 (duìbùduì, or right)?

Just before arriving at the wetlands, we had made a delightful discovery after a wrong turn. Ta dah! Gorgeous! So after checking out the wetlands, we returned to do a little exploring.

We entered this stunning Daoist temple, making sure not to step on a certain ledge (Kevyn told us that would be disrespectful). He was explaining to us how Daoists pray. They stand in front of the "gods" (they pray to a different god depending on what they need, wealth, help with tests/school, dating, health, etc.), ask their question, and then throw these two moon-shaped blocks. If the blocks land on two different sides, the answer is yes. If they land on matching sides, the answer is no. If it's a no, they will change their question around until they get a yes. (For example, if a girl asks, "Should I marry this guy?" and she gets a no answer, she will ask, "Should I marry someone else?" and see what answer she gets.) So once the answer is yes, they throw the blocks two more times. If they get three yeses in a row, the answer is most definitely a yes. Interesting, no?

These two cute kids (who we had seen playing outside the temple) came up and started praying. I think they really just wanted to talk to us. It was wonderful because we could really communicate with them (through Kevyn, of course), instead of being limited by the amount of Chinese I can speak and understand. They were adorable. They told us if we come back this summer, they will take us out into the wetlands and show us around. They were thrilled to try out the little English they know. As always, we were charmed by the sweetness so characteristic of the Taiwanese. There are many, many reasons why I love Taiwan, but the Taiwanese are what make this country so lovable. There is something so very special about them.

We made the trek back to Taichung, where Kevyn introduced us to some new food (shame on me for not documenting better...Steve and Sara, where are you when I need you?!). We stopped at a night market near a university in Taichung to pick up some snacks. Kevyn pointed to a stand. "That's my favorite," he told us. "You have to try it." We hesitantly asked what it was, but he refused to tell us. "Trust me. It's so good." I was uncharacteristically brave (for not knowing what was inside), and popped the unknown food in my mouth. Not bad! Not bad at all. "What is it?" I asked after swallowing. "Octopus! Good, huh?" I had to concur. We picked up a yummy bacon and cheese omelet, as well as a Japanese dish Kevyn had been wanting to try (pork and noodles in a hot dog bun...it may sound strange, but it was 好吃!). We got our snacks to go and rode up to an overlook of Taichung, where we sat and enjoyed delightful conversation and tasty food.

Kevyn, Amy and I rode back into the city. Kevyn wanted to take us to one of two Mexican places. It was getting late, and both restaurants were closing. We saw another Mexican place, so we figured we'd try it out. But when we sat down and looked at the menu, there were no Mexican dishes to be found. We asked why that was, and they said they had just bought the place, and hadn't had time to change the sign yet. :) We were tired and didn't want to look for another place, so we stayed put. As we were finishing our meal, the manager came and chatted with us for a while. She offered Amy and me these beautiful homemade cell phone charms that are supposed to ward off bad guys. So now I'm safe! No worries, Mom. I've got my trusty charm. :)


After a most wonderful day, we parked the lucky scooter where we had found it, said goodbye to our new friend Kevyn, and Amy and I took the train home in the early hours of the morning, exhausted, but more than content with the day's adventures.

I love, love, love my life in Taiwan.