It is thrilling to wake up and be in a new country, a new city. And the sense of joy I experienced as I looked out on Tuesday Morning at Taipeis answer to Shibuya crossing in Tokyo was immense. Having arrived in Taiwan at midnight Monday night and not getting to bed until 2pm I took a long time to actually get going, despite waking at 7am
In the heart of the old city and with an eye on the local cuisine I sourced a breakfast place to eat that close to the hotel. Street cafes literally litter the pavements, and a suitable establishment was minutes from the hotel. On arriving I revelled in its utterly basic environment and fare. Soy milk and noodles with omelette. I enjoyed the experience of sitting in the street and eating and the pleasure it seemed to give the owners.
The first item on my agenda was to see the National Palace Museum. The history of the treasures housed in the palace, is fascinating. The Ming and Qing rulers had stored the collection spanning 8000 years in the Forbidden City and when the last of the Emperors, PuYi was ousted by the republic leaders in 1925, the collection was catalogued and protected. With the invasion of the Japanese Chaing Kai Shek began a process of hiding and moving the treasures around till the resumption of the Chinese Civil War and his eventual retreat to Taiwan, formerly Formosa, and evacuated the arts where eventually the current palace was built to house them.
I was taking a bus and I must have had a slightly confused look on my face at the bus stop as a fellow westerner decided to step in to help me. Pedro from Spain was also heading to the palace. He had an air of authority and I settled in to the journey giving deference to him though he too was simply a tourist. He was on his penultimate day and out transpired my lead on the map we needed and appreciated. I had a moment where I thought I would have to spend the visit in his company but he fortunately had a friend he was meeting and we went our separate ways. There is nothing like dancing to one’s own tune and I could enjoy the exotic, beautiful collection at my own pace.
There was so much to see of such exquisite beauty that it was almost impossible to single items out, but the prize of their collection is the jade cabbage carved from a piece of jadeite with a delicately crafted locust and grasshopper sitting in the head of its leaves. In was also enamoured to learn of the purpose and fashioning of the ink stone, an ancient tool to make ink which was ancient artefact still in use in primary schools in China during the 1980s. Not by design but by my own whimsical approach to the museum the hallowed Cabbage, the last gasp of an extremely dark gallery was the final item I saw having exhausted all other possible options on the palace. I left, discovered the palace gardens and enjoyed the warmth and semi tropical landscape.
Recording the day would not be complete if I did not mention that I had planned to get to the 101 Tower, Taipei’s tallest building and the map to get to the bus stop led me through the gardens, which was perfect till I got to the gate which was locked and the guard sent me back to the front of the park which would make me miss the bus. When I was out of his eyesight I went rogue and broke through the foliage and climbed over a wall. I did not miss the bus and got to Shilin where I then got the subway to the tower while there was still daylight.
The views from the top were spectacular and I was able to catch the sunset as it began its journey across the island. Peng had given me a mission to get some Snow Peak sunglasses from Jins which was nearby and after my descent I went to the mall and found and purchased exactly what he wanted.
My hotel was two minutes from Ningxia Night Market and it was my plan to go there and find something to eat but when I got back to the hotel, with the purpose of freshening up, I was overcome with fatigue and I stayed in to replenish my reserves of energy.
Wednesday began with one of those ‘best laid plans of Nicholas Quirke’ going accordingly awry and after having carefully planned breakfast at a vegan stall it was no surprise after standing looking at the menu and food the proprietress had laid for a good five minutes that I was informed that she was not open for business. I consulted Happy Cow and found a nearby alternative and began my way there, but not before messaging Peng who came up with firstly a cafe that sold only an egg sandwich, and then a highly rated establishment that did a wicked soy milk ensemble so I turned back and headed there. The long queue told me it was good and popular. I waited the closer I got the feeling of excitement grew as I saw the chefs preparing. When it was my turn I proffered the message in Chinese from Peng of what to ask for and instructions. The crestfallen face of the chef told me everything all food even vegetables that would be added was cooked in pork oil. Almost 30 minutes had been wasted here. I then tried my Happy Cow place but when I got there it was closed I was climbing a mountain that day and I was going to need some sustenance but I despaired after a more than an hours search.
I had missed the bus I planned to take so I had some time to wait and found a 7/11 where I bought an egg sandwich some crisps and a drink. The ride was nears an hour and a half but the countryside was worth the time. We were deposited in a carpark at the peak of Mt. Qixing, the highest in Yangmingshan National Park where you could follow trail from the north to the south of the mountains ridge. There ecological aspects of the slopes could not have been more different on one end was a post volcanic landscape with steam vents and fumaroles, from which the stench of sulphur was overwhelming. Despite a number of tourists gathered, once I embarked on my hike across the ridge, through the dense Bamboo, I did not encounter another soul. The wind was fierce and when I reached an observation deck which proudly boasted of its spectacular view of the peaks of the volcano group, I could see nothing due to a dense fog. I confess to being a little unnerved by the solitude, the sounds and sightless horizon and when I followed there arrows into the dense thicket of bamboo and saw a snake slither away through the undergrowth I lost any sense of bravery and searched for a way out of the maze I found myself in.
Safely back on the path I began my descent through an ever-changing beautiful landscape. I met one couple of hikers who assured me I was on the right path but aside from them and a pair of dogs I encountered no one. Once I was back in the city I went to try one of the deserts Taiwan is famed for. I had a mango on shaved ice and a peanut and red bean soup. My evening was spent searching vegan food, which turned out to be plentiful in the Ningxia Night market, and chatting with interested locals.
I was determined on Thursday not to repeat the trials of the day before and found another nearby stall selling Radish gao and wrap stuffed with veg. I was close to a number of important sites and the day was spent learning the history of Taiwan in their National Museum and the visiting the extraordinary vast Chaing Kai Shek Memorial Hall. I was in time to capture a small parade with one of the most quirky march steps I have seen. I was starting to flag and a planned trip to Treasure Hill was postponed in favour of a trip to a cinema to see Heretic as it was likely to get a release in China.
Treasure Hill is an old military base that has been appropriated by a colony of artists and I really wanted to take a look, My flight to Tokyo was not till 4.30pm so I had time Friday Morning, once I had eaten breakfast and checked out of the hotel. Taiwan is known for the combination of sandwich fillings and having found a cafe that was recommended I went first thing. I made my order which looked delicious and then realised I did not have any means of payment so it was back to the hotel, checked out and left my bags and went back to have the Egg and Taro sandwich, with a winter gourd and lemon juice, that had tantalised my taste buds.
On my way to treasure hill I had the pleasure of first meeting an old Taiwanese man at a crossing where we stood and chatted. Having learned a little about the make up of the population at the museum I was able to ask about his roots. There is a majority of Chinese that migrated to the Island following the outcome of the China civil war but the gentleman I met was Formosan, an original islander. As I continued my journey and nearing the colony I started talking to Danny who was also on his way to Treasure Hill. As has happened in the past on my trips around China I had a companion for my visit to the Artists hill. I enjoyed the dystopia of the buildings and the location, but I was disappointed to not find more art. There was however, a Temple there and Danny encouraged me to make a prayer and blessing for my future, which included, asking Buddha a question then picking a random stick from a bundle then throwing apple sliced wood blocks till it signified I had my answer. the characters on the stick corresponded to a poetic passage. Needless to say my future looked bright.
Danny accompanied me back to my hotel to collect my bags and then to the station to get to the Airport. I followed his directions and got on the train but I sensed something was not right as I seemed to be heading a long way from the city. I asked some girls on the train and they told me I was wrong train. Never trust a stranger came to mind. I went back to the station I left from and was now quite late and got a taxi to take me the 4km. Everything else went smoothly. I got on the plane, enjoyed the meal and watched the splendid ‘Rosalie’ and before I knew it I was in another land and another City.
The Highlight of my trip was always going to be meeting up with Cole and the first item on our agenda was to meet at the Tokyo photographic museum. I was early and so found a nearby cafe to wait. I messaged Cole to tell him where I was and within seconds he was at my side. He too was early and had found the same cafe. We enjoyed the work in the museum, though it was a little like a library where a dignified silence was maintained which we both found difficult. I also found a moment to transgress when in one gallery there was no photographs of video allowed but the camera on my head was on and I captured some of the work thought I had turned it off before a guard came over to question me. ‘It’s off” I said, there was no red light, ‘It’s on’ flashing read light, capturing her apology. Next stop was of course the famed Shubuya Crossing where for a good 20 minutes I crossed and filmed the experience. We shopped for some birthday presents and as the sun set, enjoyed the vivid neon night. It was quite extraordinary to see the powerful modernity of Tokyo compared to the tawdriness of Taipei.
After a coffee and just wandering the streets, enjoying each others company, we went to eat. Cole had found a vegan restaurant which turned out to be very popular and we did have to wait. A small group of Americans joined the queue and I took against the posturing and sense of entitlement they displayed. The vegan ramen was excellent. We went to see the Christmas lights at Roppongi and then Cole came back to the hotel and stayed the night. I was shocked when we got back to the hotel to see that the room had not been cleaned and the bed was unmade. I was not happy and wasted time raging to and about the hotel. Naturally I was in the wrong and had not seen the magnetic sign to put on the door if you want it serviced. We watched a poor documentary on Mubi and went to sleep.
Sunday began with a trip to a mall to get some coffee for Peng that was unobtainable in China. We went back to Shibuya to get the presents we had sourced. Cole’s friend Yota had recommended a restaurant where we could get a vegan soup curry and we sat there enjoying the food and conversation for ages. We then decided to go to the Imperial Palace but when we got there it was closing and so we went to the temple in Asakusa instead. Its was good to see a more authentic side to Tokyo and the highlight had to be a decades old somewhat seedy cafe where I enjoyed a Matcha tea and cake. Our cameras were out on the journey back to capture the colourful feet and characters of a young football team. We said goodnight and I went back to the hotel where I was hit with the horrible realisation that I had forgotten and missed going to see my friend Joanna, who was in Tokyo and performing that afternoon. We had intended to go and while we were eating and wasting time with a visit to the closed palace, we should have been sitting supporting and enjoying my friend from afar.
It was hard to believe it was less than a week since I had ventured from Beijing. In six days I had been to two places that have loomed large in my imagination for many years. The landscapes of Taiwanese films from Hou Hsiao-Hsien to Edward Yang and beyond had now come a alive for me and to move through the world of ‘Tokyo Story’ a capital capital which had shimmered in so many films and TV series was another ambition fully realised.
