Taiwan Soil: Round Two

Landed, once again, in the land of beauty...and heat. The heat is more manageable this time around perhaps as it is expected? Who can tell. Regardless, here are some pics that we took along our way from Toronto to Taiwan, via the North Pole. Apparently Cathay Pacific was the first company, and perhaps still the only company, to fly directly over the geographic North Pole when transiting from N. America to Asia. So, from 11 000 metres in the air, we can say we have been to the North Pole! Not fit for a best seller nor a heroic memory as an adventurous and dignified accomplishment, but we did it!

And here are the photos, so far:


ABOVE: In flight real-time map of us approaching the western coast of Greenland.

BELOW: The next three pictures are of Greenland itself. As seen through the rectangular airplane window.

ABOVE: The last picture that actually has Arctic Ocean in it. This is still a few 10's of km's short of the pole itself, but soon afterward the sky clouded over (well, under, I guess). So this is our "Almost at the North Pole" moment.

ABOVE: In flight video again of us over the North Pole. Solid line already travelled, dotted line th eintended path.

ABOVE: Again the inflight video, as we cross the Russian boreal forest.

...and then we fast forward through the Hong Kong airport, the bulk of China and the China Sea...and all aerial views of Taiwan and the Taipei airport...to the "Worlds Tallest Building". And if you look into that, you see that there is no real concensus on what that really entials, but it is a nice thought.

We landed, carried our monsterous bags around Taipei in the ragged heat of the late afternoon, turned a shirt and a pair of pants into wet rags of sweat, got oogled by the masses making their way about the city, and found our way to a hotel near the train station. We planned on two days in Taipei, and then we would move southward to our next stop - Hualien. This is where we lived last time, and we would be living about 1 hour further south this time. However, Hualien was the last main city along the way to our new home so we had to stop here to get supplies, do some paper work and to relax for a few days before we left for the palcid rice paddies and towering mountains of Yuli.

ABOVE: Taipei 101...most of it.

ABOVE: Crystal at the base of Taipei 101

BELOW: The next three pictures are views from the top of Taipei 101. Taipei is a vast city, obviously, but it has its moments of pure wildnerness. The third photo has a temple in the middle of it, dedicated to Sun Yat Sen of China fame.

ABOVE: Dansui (Dan-Shway) is a nice little touristy market town in the middle of the sun. Or so it felt like as we walked along the market streets (I would say that I actually dripped allong the road, leaking vital fluids as quickly as I tried to refill them). It is actually outside of Taipei proper, on the ocean, andit was so hot....so disturbingly hot....but still beautiful.

ABOVE: After a day of tramping around Taipei, we returned to our hotel for air conditioned comfort. So.....badly......needed......

ABOVE: On the train, with all our stuff, headed southward to Hualien, and then to Yuli, our new home. We were on our way to Hualien City to meet the director of one of my schools and to get the official part of the trip rolling.

ABOVE: View along the way of Turtle Island, a piece of volcanic rock that, if you try really hard, looks like a turtle making oits way along the surf. Head is to the left.

ABOVE: In Hualien City, as in most other construction sites around Taiwan the traffic controller doesnt really have a job other than to warn people of imminent danger and that there are big machines digging big holes in the middle of the road. This electronic gadget waves its hands up and down continuously, doing its job of warning.

ABOVE: Me, in Hualien City as we made our way along the streets in search of a fruit market. So very nice to be back on the ground in our old town!

ABOVE: Crystal at said fruit market.

BELOW: Next two photos are of fruit at the market; our lovely pomelos and dragon eyes.

ABOVE: Me, on the steps of a Daoist Temple in...you guessed it...Hualien City.

ABOVE: A little English always helps; despite regaining a veritable mini-dictionary worth of vocabulary from last time, it is always a nice treat to meet somebody who can communicate a little at least in English. Especially when it comes to fixing mechanical objects....fruits, prices, school names, train tickets, museums, ordering food, small talk - all within our grasp of chinese. Shocks, disc brakes, oil change and the like are not commonly used terms and are not, therefore, commonly in my head at any given time!

ABOVE: Ahh....the food. How dearly I missed thee....

ABOVE: Ahh...the beer. How dearly I missed thee...

ABOVE: After meeting my school director - Peter - and dealing with all our paper work and the like, we had two days of nothing to do but hang out in Hualien, remember all our favourite places and things from last time, and gently ease ourselves back into the lifestyle. Here we take a moment break in a place that Crystal used to walk through during her breaks at work.

ABOVE: Ok, so fast forward through a few days of living it up in Hualien, an hour and a half drive south to our new home in Yuli Township (the village is actually called Song-Pu). And here we are. Setting up our new home, in our new village.

ABOVE: With our new wet-room style bathroom....I have fallen in love with these all over again!

ABOVE: Crystal setting up our new bookcase (to those who took our old ones, you know who you are....we can call these the grandchildren bookcases. I hope our old ones are doing well and are not hiding grounds of any bibles or fish biology texts.... )

....did I mention that the beer here is awsome?

ABOVE and BELOW: And here we are, the view from our new home.

ABOVE: We intend to do many bike trips this time round, and were elated to find out that not only did the bike I bought last time re-emerge and return to us (I loaned it to a friend at my old school, and did not in any manner think that she would insist I take it back), but my new school also gave us a spare one they had. Already with a few trips under ourt belts, they seem to be holding up well and have saved us both a huge chunk of time and money.

ABOVE: Our new home! Three floors, all ours. With internet, and, I am given to believe, one of the best views inthe world from our roof. Absolutely gorgeous all around us.

ABOVE: Speaking of bike rides, here is a picture to proive just such an adventure.

BELOW: The next two pics are of Day Lillies drying. These flowers are picked just before they are to bloom (which they do only for one day, hence the name) and are used for either soup or tea. They have become both a delicacy and a traditional food for the people here, and Taiwanese travel from all over to both look at the fields of the flowers (imagine a sea of beautiful orange/yellow flowers in an otherwise endless sea of green rice, palms, grass and forest) and to taste the many treats made form them.

ABOVE: More views from around our house. The mountains are begging to be climbed...just begging us to try them out!

ABOVE: Trevor, taking a break on the aforementioned bike ride. Yes, my bike has a basket. And it rocks. Sort of.

ABOVE: Crystal, again, with the bikes and the scenery.

...and one final scenic view.

As it stands, Crystal is on the search for cram schools, online tutoring and finishing UNBC thangs, and I am meeting and greeting my new principals and students. I think next week the heavy "work" will begin for me, and this weekend....off on an adventure to the Islands, perhaps. We'll let you know.

Adios for now! Miss y'all, but rest assured that we are having an awsome time and are loving our new home and our new village. More on the specifics of where we live later on, I suppose.

East to Ontario...East Again to Taiwan

At last, in the sticky comfort of a humid Ontario summer, I type these words and placate one of the nagging items on the to-do list.

I never really thought that it would be allowed, to be granted freedom to carry out the modus operandi of the school district - Learning for Life - and take on an exceptional experience abroad with the insured understanding that I would bring back and share these experiences and accomplishments. Learning, through experience, is what drives me, and it has driven me away from the kind and wonderful life that I dug out for myself in Prince George and aimed me towards Asia.

But to get to Asia, I had to leave BC and make it back to my homeland of Ontario. What follows is the brief version of that 8 day journey.

ABOVE and BELOW: Leaving home, leaving our memories behind.


ABOVE: You all know this peak, and despite its commonplace addition to the life of a Northern BC'er, it was a moving thought to realize that this would be the last time I would see its towering presence for a real long while.

ABOVE and BELOW: Before we could rightfully say our goodbye to the Rockies themselves and face due East, we had to have our last moments together. one stop in Jasper to rock climb.


ABOVE: And finally to the top of Parker Ridge....after all these years, we finally took the time.

ABOVE: Camping each night among the towering peaks, the endless flatness of the Prairies and the rocky outcrops of northern Ontario...

ABOVE: One last scramble among the inhabitants of the glorious alpine

ABOVE: Running out of gas at the absolute most completely and utterly wrong time. Lesson learned. When we finally did make it to a gas station for a renewal of our cars vitality, we we welcomed by a man who just filled his diesel truck with pure, 100% petrol. He was a bit, um, upset.

ABOVE: Sometimes we didnt make it to camp before the pangs of a nighttime meal hit, and we ended up shucking peas and stewing our meal on the side of the road.

ABOVE: So flat. So beautifully flat.

ABOVE: And finally home to see my nephew again...9 months old and learning how to deal with teeth.
ABOVE: And helping to build a new house for my sister, brother in law and nephew. We are, at the time of typing this, far past the point in the picture. Tomorrow we should be on to the interior walls.



...and here we are. Taiwan is on our minds, our bags are packed and waiting. Saturday we leave for Toronto, stay overnight and catch an early morning flight. 15 hours to Hong Kong, 2 more to Taiwan. Then the new life and the beauty of Taiwan begins for us, once again.

Ill keep you posted....