Screw pine

I enjoy learning about the flora and fauna of Taiwan. It's good to know about various common plants and animals when out hiking in the wilderness. We've learned to identify such trees as the camphor tree, Chinese crape myrtle, Chinese banyan, Japanese blue oak, and common machilus, and ferns like the bird's nest fern.

I'd like to briefly introduce the screw pine.



There are numerous species of screw pine in the world. A common species in Taiwan is Pandanus odoratissimus, called lin-tou (林投) by the locals. The specimen above was one we saw on the north coast. They grow in sandy coastal areas. The leaves resemble those of a palm or palmetto, and have spines along the edges. The fruit is edible, and resembles a pineapple. The appearance of the fruit changes considerably as it matures. Though called a "screw pine" it's not a pine, and though it bears a slight resemblance to a palm, it's not a palm.

Here's a detail of its fruit and leaves:

Maokong hike

A couple weeks ago we went on a hike in the Maokong area, in Muzha in southeastern Taipei.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

We met, as usual, at the Muzha MRT Station. Robert, Kate, Kitty and I took a cab to National Chengchi University, and walked across campus to a place near the the bottom of the stairway that goes up to Zhinan Temple. We met Patty at a convenience store there. After stocking up at the store, we started our trek. We hiked up the stairway, which is very long.



I've heard it rumored that the entire climb consists of 1000 steps. Up, up, up we went.


Near the top, there are some sculptures of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac on the side of the trail. The first time we hiked this way, the sculptures were hidden by overgrown vegetation. At that time someone told us of their existence, but this time someone had done a great job of clearing away the undergrowth. Here is the Rat:



When we got to the base of Zhinan Temple, we took an alternative route past a smaller temple. I noticed some old residential buildings on the side of this hill. Buildings like these are a common sight in rural areas.


We hiked down a trail to a valley to where the Zhinan Elementary School is, which is right next to the trailhead for the Tea Picker's Trail. This trail is a stairway that goes straight up to the heart of Maokong.


Here's a view of the Maokong Gondola, which goes from the zoo to Sanxuan Temple, where the tea houses are concentrated. In the foreground are some betel nut palms (Areca catechu).


We stopped by an old farmhouse, with a classic, rustic Taiwanese look to it.


Up, up, up!


On the way up, we passed a number of graves.


At the top of the trail, we came to the Maokong Gondola station. We passed right under the gondolas.


But we didn't stop there. We went past the crowds of day-trippers and trudged on, taking a trail that went up to the ridge above Maokong. Up, up, up!


From the top of the ridge we could see the Maokong Gondola station.


The trail soon left the woods and meandered through tea fields.


We passed through a flower plantation on the way to one of our favorite teahouses, Zizaitian.


Then after enjoying a refreshing and relaxing tea break, we started walking back down to the city. We passed another temple, Zhangshan Temple, on the way down to National Chengchi University. A woman was selling sausages at the temple.


We walked all the way back down to Muzha, and were rewarded with some nice views of the city below, and of the freeway.




We passed back thoug the university campus and went to have a meal at one of our favorite restaurants, a place that serves Yunnanese cuisine for cheap. A great end to a great day!

Rest of Thailand trip

Finally...some time!

Monday March 3, 2008

On this day I concentrated on visiting wats. A wat is a Thai Buddhist temple where monks reside.

I started out my day by visiting the backpacker's street, Khao San Road. It was my first destination when I visited Bangkok for the first time in 1990, and remains the place where backpackers go for cheap lodging, travel services and shopping. It has gentrified somewhat since 18 years ago, what with a McDonald's, Starbucks and Burger King, and some of the old family-run guesthouses replaced by more commercial enterprises, but it still has some of its old-time feel...the street is lined with stalls selling trinkets and clothing, and tuk tuks ply the road looking for fares. Even back in 1990 there was a 7-11 on the street, and the same hippie/backpacker crowd hangs out here as before, and the same hustlers try to draw upon their naivete. Here's a typical Khao San Road scene I happened across:



Some eager young Western backpackers talking to tuk tuk drivers, preparing for some exotic Asian adventure. Check out the guy with the guitar strapped to his back!

At Khao San Road I picked up a few souvenirs and walked around a bit. Khao San Road is very close to some of the major tourist attractions of Bangkok, particularly the Grand Palace (the former residence of the Royal Family - they now live at Chitralada Palace, farther north in the Dusit area of the city). I skipped over it (been there, done that), and headed straight to Wat Pho. Though there were plenty of street hustlers to be seen, trying to lure travelers into being victims of the Bangkok Gem Scam, none accosted me. Perhaps I exuded an air of "Yeah, yeah, I've been here a dozen times and know what you're up to."

At Wat Pho, I went into the Reclining Buddha Temple, famous for... you guessed it!



Here are some tourists dropping coins in pots for good luck:



Then I walked to Wat Ratchabophit, a lesser known temple, but one I like.



In the temple I encountered a prayer ceremony. A monk was guiding a guy in what to say in prayer. (My camera is set to make no noise when a photo is taken, plus I placed it on my mini travel tripod and used the timer to get the photo in an unobtrusive way, with a long exposure and no flash.)



After that I went to Wat Suthat, which is famous for the Giant Swing, once used in a dangerous, long-banned ceremony:



Here is the main hall of Wat Suthat:



But by that time it was starting to get late, so I headed back to Harry's place. I took the khlong boat to get to the subway station:




The rest of my stay, I hung around with Harry and Ann, shopped at Nana, wandered around Silom, and even accompanied Ann to a job interview for translation opportunities. In all I had a very productive and enjoyable visit to Thailand. I could live in Bangkok...it's a very cosmopolitan city with a lot to offer.

I returned to Taiwan on Wednesday evening.

Graving in Bangkok

First, I'm a little behind on updating my narrative of my Thailand trip. I've been given another translation project to do, so it's taking up my time.

By the way, Tuesday nights are movie night at Nick's house, and this time we watched Kind Hearts and Coronets, a marvelously wicked black comedy about a man, a shirt-tail relative to nobility, who devises a plot to murder several noblemen (all played by Alec Guinness) in order to inherit the dukedom in revenge for the way they cut off his mother from the family because she dared marry beneath her status. In a cool and refined manner, the man plays the consummate bullshit artist in his scheme to wheedle his way into the lives of these heirs and heiresses. It's a combination of Oscar Wilde style humor with film noir, poking fun at Edwardian upper-crustiness. Definitely worth a gander.

Anyway, back to my Thailand trip.

Sunday March 2, 2008

I slept like a baby in Harry and Ann's guest bed. In the morning we had some simple breakfast and chatted a while. My plan that day was to visit the Protestant Cemetery and the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

I hopped on the MRT (Bangkok's subway), which to my delight was letting people in free that day. It was the day after the legislative elections, so it was probable part of an incentive package for voters returning to and from the provinces. (Like in Taiwan, there is no absentee voting in Thailand - people have to return to their registered home districts to vote.) Incidentally, there was a ban on service and sale of alcohol during the election. I noticed the same thing in Mexico and Peru. I wonder what the reasoning behind this is...it seems to be a hallmark of underdeveloped countries that happen to be democracies.

I took the MRT and then the Skytrain to Taksin Bridge, and then walked the 20-minute walk to the cemetery.


It's a fascinating place, which I visited on my previous trip, and I discovered that there were still hundreds of graves I had missed during my last attempt to transcribe and record the data preserved in this historic place. The cemetery is tended, but not manicured, so vegetation grows thick in some parts as the caretaker rotates from section to section in his upkeep work. Adjacent to the cemetery is an old, dilapidated factory building owned by Thailand Tobacco, which lends an additional element of atmosphere to the place. Someone with a real artistic eye would have a field day photographing this place.


This 155-year-old cemetery is a serene place, and in my visits there I have never seen another person who wasn't connected to the caretaker's family. It's definitely off the beaten tourist path.

While I was there, I noticed that the caretaker from the adjacent Jewish Cemetery (which was created in 1997) was there. Though the Protestant Cemetery is open to all in the daytime, the Jewish Cemetery is usually locked, and the caretaker was kind enough to let me in for a look-see.


Prior to the opening of the Jewish Cemetery, Jews in Bangkok were buried in the Protestant Cemetery, mostly in the southern corner.

I went back to the Protestant Cemetery and spend a few more hours exploring. Part of the time I was followed by a vicious-looking dog who kept barking at me, but the caretaker's wife said "Don worreee, he bark, he no bite."


After a while, I decided to check the time. I noticed I'd never make it to the Chatuchak Market in time for a meaningful exploration. So I decided to stay a couple more hours at the cemetery. I'm glad I did because I managed to solve numerous mysteries and correct errors from my previous transcription.

It was getting late, so I returned to Harry's house. He and Ann invited me to visit a friend, Mike, who's taking care of their other cat, and we ate at a nice little Thai place and then spent some time at his house...Mike lives in a three-story house in a lovely, quiet neighborhood, paying the same amount Kitty and I pay for our dinky apartment in Taipei! I think I could live in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai

OK, now I have time to write about my trip to Thailand, plus I finally have reliable Internet access.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

When I booked my plane ticket, I found that for a little extra I could fly up to Chiang Mai (Thailand's second-biggest city, in the north of the country). I'd love to spend more time in Chiang Mai some day, but the only reason I wanted to visit it this time (apart from just an exploratory visit) was to take the opportunity to visit the Chiang Mai Foreign Cemetery, one of the more out-of-the-way graveyards I've visited in Asia. I figure next time I'm in Chiang Mai, I'd be traveling with others, and they wouldn't have the patience to visit this charming little cemetery.


I photographed every gravestone, and will soon be uploading the information to Find A Grave. (Why do I do this? Well, this morning I received an email from a person doing family history research, and he thanked me for a photo I posted last year, which helped him to find the burial location of a long-lost relative. This is one of many reasons I'm into cemetery research.)

Then I had to go back to the airport. I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to walk the three miles to the airport, and found it a pleasant, interesting walk. Just before reaching the airport I stopped at a shopping mall to cool down.

On the way I saw a frangipani tree (Plumeria alba), with its beautiful flowers in bloom:


Then I took the flight back to Bangkok, and Harry met me at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Together we went back to his apartment in the Huai Khwang area (4 stops north of Sukhumvit on the MRT), where I met his wife Ann, his dog Tom and his cat Boo-Boo. I stayed at their place for my entire visit.

We went with some neighbors to a nearby open-air restaurant, and had a fantastic meal. Tom yum soup, curries, fish, and other wonderful things.

Sawatdee from Thailand!

I'm in Bangkok right now, staying with my friend Harry and his wife. He showed me a very nice little open-air restaurant near his place, and we had a fantastic Thai meal with his next-door neighbors.

Bangkok is as crazy as I remember...chaotic, gritty and hot, but with great people, great food and plenty to do.

Today I visited the Protestant Cemetery and the Jewish Cemetery, places filled with history and well off the beaten tourist track.

Tomorrow I plan to visit some wats.

I'll post pictures later...the Internet is really slow right now. I'll probably post them when I return to Taiwan.