Friday 22 July 2011

TAIWAN (2)

On Wednesday, we toured various monuments of Taipei including watching the changing of the guard at Chiang Kai-shek's monument. Much throwing about of rifles and stamping of feet. After which we went to Din Tai Fung' s original shop. This is a chain of dumpling cafes and we patronise one in KL. I have to say the food here was much better although it is good in KL. The place was three floors of humanity scoffing dumplings. In the evening we attended a Taiwanese Cultural Event which was 90 minutes of acrobatics done in gorgeous costumes and to very loud music - dominated by someone crashing pan lids together. I clearly did not appreciate this!

Thursday was much more fun. Ruth had organised a cookery class in dumplings for everyone so we went in two taxis to a four storey building perched on the side of a mountain. We were taught how to make the dumpling dough and the fillings and how to assemble and cook them. Then we ate them!  We also had some salads of which the most notable was fresh pineapple with a spicey sauce. I managed to get a recipe for this out of the teacher. So at 3 pm we were all full of food and it then turned out that the next item on Ruth's agenda was walking up to the top of the mountain!!! And the sun was blazing down and the temperature was 33 degrees.  But we made it on a path through really thick jungle with the kind of plants that cost a lot of money in Uk florists. When we  came out of the jungly bit, we walked down hill through the suburbs which are interesting. There are few houses for one family. Mostly the people of Taipei live in 3 to 5 storied blocks but they all love plants because everyone has a balcony  full of greenery. Our teacher grew some herbs and vegetables on her balcony which was the full width of the house.

The first thing everyone wanted back at the hotel was a shower and a rest. Later on some of us went out to a Taiwanese restaurant nearby. This was sensational - long-braised pigs trottters, ditto chicken and whole fish done in a salt-crust which Robin said was the best fish he had ever eaten. We were served tea at the very beginning of the meal. Perhaps because we were ordering the specialities, at the very end we were served a cup of something hot which the waitress called 'tea'. But it was very delicious. Her English was minimal although she had been very helpful about the dishes when ordering but my query about the tea defeated her and she commanded Wait! and disappeared. She brought back another waitress whose command of English was first rate and she explained that we were drinking 'plum tea' and described how it was made. I reckon that, living in a plum district, I can replicate that!! I can't recommend it too highly.

If it sounds as though we do nothing but eat, you are wrong. It is just that the most interesting thing about Taiwan is the food. And the people. They are so helpful.

And just to prove we do more than eat, we had a great time this morning - at some Hot Springs at Beitou which is on the  mountains. We took the Metro out to the mountains and then changed onto a small train which panted up a steep hill to XinBeitou. The whole complex is based on a one very hot spring which is at the top of the valley so we walked up there first. There was a small lake steaming and stinking and said to be at 100 degrees. It runs away down hill and various run-offs from the hill join it so the temperature gets lower. There are a number of hotels with private access to the water but Ruth took us to the public springs which were full of Taiwanese, who were all helpful and indicated with gestures what we should be doing. After a very cold shower, you get into the first pool which is at 40 degrees C, then after 15 minutes into the second which is at 45, then into the third which is even hotter, then you get into a cold pool and after that start all over. I never got beyond the first pool. My argument was that the first pool was full of elderly gossiping Taiwanese ladies who never went into a hotter pool so why should I?  What I mean about the people being helpful is that someone would give you  hand into and out of the pools (the steps were very slippery) and people would shift so that you could get a seat in the pools.

Now we are back at the hotel and I think everyone is in bed except me! Tonight we are going to a night market. Tomorrow we go home but until late afternoon, so Robin and I are going back to the Palace Museum to look at a few galleries more carefully. I do have a lot of photos and will download them tomorrow or Sunday and post a few.

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I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.