Haňule z Kyjova

My first plan was to go to Kaoshiong however I was already getting tired and so I decided just to visit a monastery Fo Guan Shan in northern part of Kaoshiong county.

I did not know what to expect I’ve only read that it is huge buddhist place and the largest monastery in Taiwan. Just to mention how did I get there from Maolin. Yes there are some buses going there but I tried to hitchhike again which is also a great way to get around the Maolin valley.

Fo Guan Shan – is a new religious movement based in Taiwan. SO it is not only a monastery but an extraordinary Buddha memorial centre. Fo Guan Shan has many branches all around the world practicing so called humanist buddhism. It means that they try to get closer to people, make even more popular things to entertain people and get them like buddhism just because it can be normal part of their lives and not just going to temple and praying. It is also a charity organisation. They have an orphan house, schools, university, building a library for Dharma words. You can go there to volunteer for few months and help in the temples, monastery and memorial doing many different jobs.

I spent one night there for 300 NTD in a clean dorm and met a girl from France, Marjorie, which is now a volunteer there. She showed me around and explained more about the work in the monastery. She also took me in the morning for the prayers to the main shrine. That was again a nice experience. I could not understand the words but the prayers are kind of calming your mind.

After that I joined the breakfast with the nuns and monks. There are certain things you can and cannot do during the meal. It is forbidden to talk only in the beginning and in the end you say some prayer. You are served some vegetable, tofu, rice and soy bean milk. If you want to add something you have to place the bowl to certain place that the “waiters” will understand which dish you want to add. All people are served and finish eating in about 20 minutes (and there was about 150 people).

The monastery and memorial are really sooo big and there are so many people. It makes you think about the buddhism and their ways. But as I said this is a a different new way of buddhism, more concentrated on people so you have to take it that way. People want some entertainment, they want fun… Just visit and have a look….

The last destination I wanted to go is Maolin. It is a place in the southern part of the Central mountain area. There is a river valley where a lot of butterflies fly from the whole Taiwan to hibernate during winter. In this place there is also Rukai tribe located.

In the first village Maolin, you can see the butterflies areas. The main species is violet butterfly, which can gather here in thousands and thousands. If you visit a museum they will be very happy to play you a short video about the valley in English.

If you continue further there are two other villages the second one is Duona village, which is famous for the aboriginal tribe and the special way they built their houses using the black stone slates.

I stayed in a camp site in between the villages called Da En Gorge. The place is nice and for 500 NTD I got a nice room, for 4 people but stayed there just by myself. The young owners can speak english so dont worry to ask them. The place is good for camping and they are making their own bread and you can taste some good food in their restaurant. I met there a professor from Tainan university who took me in the morning to nearby waterfall. You have to walk maybe 5 km but the place is really nice and in summer you can have also nice swim in the little pond.

Unfortunately during the big typhoon in 2009 all the hot springs were destroyed so it is no longer possible to go have a rest in there.

My next stop was Tainan, which is the oldest city in Taiwan with more than 200 years history. Tainan was initially established by Dutch, who were the first Europeans to settle in this area. There are still some dutch buildings in the town. You can visit Anping fort, which lies in the west coastal area. To these days only some walls remain and there is a small tower from which you can have a nice view (entrance fee about 50 NTD).

After visiting Anping I headed back to the city centre. Famous place is Confucius temple, built in 17th century. One thing that surprised me is that in Tainan many sights are not for free (like Anping fortress, or Fort Provincia), and also the entrance to the temples are payed. But then you go visit National Museum of Taiwan history and the entrance is free…

The National Museum is a nice place, very calm and there are some exhibitions about history, literature. In the time I visited there was also exhibition about William Shakespeare.

Tainan is famous for various snacks and many typical taiwanese dishes originated here. Unfortunately I cannot read and I am not familiar with the area so I just tasted some dried mangos and had wonderful glutinous rice dumpling (zhong zi, the kind steamed in bamboo leaves). Next time I really have to go there with someone native and taste everything.

I stayed at a friends house but she could not take me around as she was working on the weekend. However she took me on saturday night to a great event. It was a buddhist temple celebration. This kind of celebration is just one in 20 years. The main part of the celebrations begins at midnight but before that there are a lot of fireworks and people watch different shows, dancing, singing, taiwanese operas and puppet shows. On a field outside the town they prepared a huge place for people to gather and see all these shows. There were also long tables with donations to the gods. Food, drinks, meat, sweets, and different decorations put on the table. Moving dragons, statues from ice, dancing nearly naked girls… Every one wants to show off their wealth and how good buddhists they are.

At midnight we went back to the main temple. There were many processions coming to greet the God and pay him their respect. There is a kind of ritual dance that men performed in front of the god. After that the God himself walked outside of the temple to greet his guests. I cannot describe the feeling. There were so many people, so many small gods carried in their litters. Some people high on betel nuts or alcohol or whatever. Some really in a little religious trans. We got into the crowd and it took us one hour to get out of there as the people were just pressed together.

I am really grateful that I could experience this kind of celebrations. It was really special. We got back home at 3 am, but the people would continue till the morning and all next day. So if you go to Taiwan I recommend to check if there is by chance some similar celebration.

So I ended up taking a train from Changhua to Chiayi and then a bus towards Alishan, one of the must see in Taiwan places. But first as my friend recommended me to go to a small village Fenqihu in the area I decided to go there as it seemed the accommodation there might be cheaper.
So I took a bus which stopped at one crossroads and from there I decided to stop a car. and how lucky I was again, the first truck that stopped me, there were two lovely ladies and one could speak english. they took me all the way to the village as they were going to sell fruit and tea there. They asked me where I am going to stay and as I did not know they insisted that I will sleep in their house with them.

I walked around the village, it is an old place which was halfway to Alishan and so the trains stopped here for lunch. Their lunch box is very famous, so if you go here dont forget to taste one. The village has one shopping street where you can taste some local dishes and snacks. If you go downhill you can walk one of the trails through cypruss forest. It is not very difficult and will take you maybe one hour, but there are not many tourists so it is really peaceful and the air is very fresh.

Above the village you can climb to some wonderful bamboo forests. This is the kind of bamboo which is growing seperately so I really felt like stepping into one of the chinese movies where they fight and fly in the bamboo! very cool! and the green color of the bamboo is just wonderful. After walking around the village I decided that I will help the ladies to sell fruit. They had some tasty guava and percimon, very sweet and delicious. Its awesome when you can eat as much fruit as you want all day

The next day I took a bus in the morning to Alishan. This place is much more crowded and full of chinese tourists which are very noisy and shouting everywhere. So you cannot seek any peace here which got me a bit disappointed. There are some wonderful places, the most breathtaking are the huge cedar trees. Some of them are 2000 years old and their trunks are huge. another nice place is a small lake which is very peaceful to look upon. But my experience here was not that good so I returned much earlier back to the village and spend the rest of the day and also the next day selling fruit.

The ladies were so nice that on Friday they took me back to CHiayi and we went to KTV together with their family. Unfortunately I cannot give you any tips how to survive in Alishan and get accommodation as again I had a good luck meeting nice people who took care of me…

On Saturday afternoon May’s boss, the daughter of the old grandpa, took us to the centre of Puli and we took a bus to Taichung (about 120 NTD). May wanted to see a friend in Taichung and stay at her place, however in the end she said it is not possible and we had to find a hotel. We realy did not want to spend much money so we found a super cheap hotel, a room for 600 NTD, where was just one bed and the bathroom was outside in the corridor. The hotel was really nothing special however for one night it was OK.

May was going to meet a man, an Iranian guy who is a proffessor at the Tsaichung university. They met on the internet chatting somewhere and agreed on going for a dinner together. Then she announced him that she will bring her friend a young girl from czech. I was glad he agreed as I would not know what to do in the evening. So we took a bus to the business centre of Taichung to find so called Tiger city, a department store building. When we met the proffesour, Massoud, and talked for a while, I knew he did not mind my company at all. We talked a lot actually, about me and my travels.
He is also very interesting person, born in Iran, studied in Spain, worked in USA and got married to Taiwanese, Now he has been living in Taiwan for 15 years, however he got divorced with tis wife and lives by himself in Changhua.

As I saw the opportunity to have somewhere to stay in Changhua, as it was my next planned destination, I asked him if I can go there tomorrow and stay at his house. Luckily he agreed. After the dinner we walked to a small park with a lake in the centre of Taichung, very interesting place as the park takes almost the splace of one block of buildings and is a bit under the level of all streets. Afterwards we went back to the train station and then quickly to a nearby nightmarket to taste local stinky tofu to add another one to my stinky tofu collection.

In the morning we had to take a train and then a shuttle bus to go ot the Agriculture expo. Actually I have to say it was not that special, there were big fields of flowers, but the kind that you can find also in my country. Some pavilions with expositions about agriculture in taiwan. However it was very hot and sooo crowded there that you could not enjoy it very much. And this is so taiwanes, makin something really big and many people come as they want to see it , but they will not admit it is not that special..
Around noon we took the shuttle bus bck to the city, however the traffic was so horrible as so many people went there that tit took maybe “ hours just to get back to the train station. Truly, this kind of event , never again!
We had a lunch together and then I had to say goodbye to May and take the train to Changhua. The proffesor was awaiting me!

He rode his scooter to take me to his house from the train station and suggested to go to the big Buddha and the temple which is on a small hill overlooking the city. The place was very nice so we waited there for the sunset which was really spectacular that day.
We rode around the hill which is mostly covered by trees making a small oasa in the middle of the town. After we went shopping and made some fresh salad at home. In the morning professor prepared splendid breakfast, having some vegetable, eggs, meat and tea for me to have enough energy to roam around the city for whole day.

I planned to go to Lukang, which is a part near the sea, and is an old town full of historical buildings and temples. I took a bus there, which took maybe 30 minutes. Lukang is really worth a visit, its streats are made of red bricks and there are a plenty of stores where you can buy soe snacks. The most beautiful place is the old wooden Longshan temple. Mostly it still remains wooden and the place breaths with history. It is one of the oldest temples in Taiwan. There are many other temples and places in Lukang, the best way is just to go through the streets, wlak slowly and maybe get a little lost there.

I took a bike from the Ubike stand back home to Changhua. (Yes you xan fet a free 30 minutes ride in a bike if you have a yoyo card and activate it fir tge Ubike facility) It was about 12 km far and took me by the side roads about 1 hour to get back. In the evening we just watched a movie (I can reccommend Begin again, a little moving story but very nice). In the morning I decided I will take the train and go to Chiayi and then towards Alishan, the must see in Taiwan.

The time spent with Massoud was really nice, he totally knows how to speak with younger people and I think his students must like him a lot. He invited me to come a gain and that maybe I can go to somme of his lessons at university to talk with students and introduce my country and my traveling to them. Would love to do so, maybe if I have time to go there again!

The Phillipino woman I called May, her true name however is Vilma. She is an interesting person. She is now working in this community taking care of one of the grandpas. The grandpa has Alzheimer, so he is acting like a small baby sometimes, sometimes gets very angry. He liked me the first time we met, smiling all time and making faces on me, then the other day he woke up and he did not recognize anyone at all. He could be also very dangerous as May said sometimes he used to hit her or be angry at her for no reason. I am really glad that my grandparents in their age still have their wits as this is one of the worse things that can happen to you when getting old…

May has 5 kids. Her first husband died many years ago and her first two daughters live in Phillipines. Then she found a new partner and had another 3 kids however they did not get married as her partner was undergoing a process how to get to USA and if he changed his marital status he would need to start anew. Now he is in US with the younger children and she is in Taiwan working hard to get some money for the two older daughters with are still studying at universities. She does not know if the relationship will continue or not. She had the dream of coming to USA too, however now it seems that maybe she wont be able. But she is a strong woman, she learned a lot chinese, before working in Japan also can speak Japanese, so I think she will find her way.
The community is donated by many companies around, and also by different temples and monasteries. So they have a lot of food given to them all the time. They also have a bakery and a tofu factory so people can order these products. Those who are still able can work at their gardens.
Houses are very small, always two small rooms and one kitchen and small bathroom. Buildings make three streets, there is a cafe, a dining room and a small room for prayers. Some students from university come here to volunteer and help. The place is really peaceful and so I decided to stay one extra night here and take some rest.

The second day I helped in the restaurant to prepare food for some workshop which was taking place in there. In the afternoon I had time to ride a bike to the giant golden Buddha statue which I could see in the mountain opposite the monastery. It took me maybe 40 minutes to get there as the bike was old and slow. The statue is really huge, and there was a nice view of the surroundings however I could not find the kind of peace there. I thaught why people need to build such huge things. I remembered our cathedrals and that they are also built to make people feel how small they are… Maybe the same feeling here…
In the evening May suggested that I can go with her on Saturday to Taichung that there is a kind of flower festival and she is going to meet some friend which is a professor at a university. I had no other plans so I agreed.

The day in a temple starts very early. From 5 o’clock the monks esemble in the main worship hall and pray and chant till 6 am. Than there is a breakfast. I was awakened by the bells and drums also very early and then just listened to the melody of the songs. “Omitofo. Omitofo.Omitofo.”

I was lucky again as there was a woman which stays in U.S. now and could speak English and she was so nice to show me the temple and explain the main “God” and his message. They wanted me to stay also for lunch, but I wanted to go explore the town so I left.

I went to the nearby Carp lake and another temple there. This was also very peaceful place as there were totally no people. As I walked the road to the city a car stopped in front of me and two ladies asked me where I am going and offered me a ride so I got to the centre very quickly and had more time to explore. First I found another temple where I found out that you can also get some free food if you are lucky. It was just porridge – rice with mushrooms, meat and vegetable, but it was warm and filling. A grandma started talking with me so I tried my best to have some conversation. Then a man from the temple came to me and gave me one lucky charm or prayer from the temple.
Next to this temple there is another one, much smaller Confucius temple. It was more peaceful here and very nice.

After that I set on a 8km long journey to a monastery north from the city. After yesterday’s hiking and with my backpack which I now think is too heavy this was not that easy but the Taiwanese nature again helped me. A lady riding her bike stopped me asking where I am going and than insisted on riding me on get scooter.
The temple is very modern one, looks more like a rocket and is a landmark of the surrounding area. The main shrine is made of dark stone and Buddha carved in white one. With simple decorations of golden and the two red lions at the entrance the whole building leaves a magnificent impression.
There were a lot of Nuns going around so I tried my luck again and asked one if it is possible to sleep there. She said no, however her friend could speak English and she remembered she has another friend working nearby in a community for older people and that it might be possible for me to go there. She made a phone call and gave me the address. So I set on a journey back to the city and after walking maybe 4 kilometers I found the place. I was so lucky as I immediately met a Philippine woman who could speak English and she took care of me and we became friends. But more about it next time.

After one month in Hualien, i decided to go in a trip around taiwan to explore and se more. I decided to go to the west coast, then south and back to Hualien without having any plan really.

As there is a way across the mountains that goes from Hualien Taroko gorge and ends in the other side. I really wanted to take this as it seems very exciting to pass the Mountains and I expected some spectacular views. I googled a little and found out there is one bus a day going from Hualien to Dayuling, which is a place in the middle of the mountain area. However another bus from Dayuling to Puli goes also just once a day and it will arrive there sooner, so I new I am not gonna make it.
About taking the bus…. well… taiwanese drivers are crazy, the roads there are winding all the time, left, right, left right… plus going up about 3000 meters… I have to say my stomach was not agreeing with this and the last 30 minutes I just prayed that this is already over!
When the driver said we arrived at Dayuling I gladly left the bus to find myself in the Middle of nowhere! There is just a big crossroad Hualien-Lishan-Puli and few houses which all look totally barren. Just one guy was there selling some vegetables and fruit and rice dumplings so I asked him if i can get one. He was so kind to cook me a new one so I could eat something warm and also gave me some apples.

A man stopped there to go to the nearby public toilets (which in Taiwan are really many, in good conditions and for free). I took all my courage to ask him if he is going in my direction and if i can go with him. He had no problem with that and he took me by his car to Hehuan Shan centre.
First I though I am going to give up as the weather was not very good, the clouds being too low so you could see nothing. But when we got to the Hehuan Shan centre I decided to climb at least the closest East peak of Hehuan Shan. It is only 3421 meters high however the climb with my 10 kilos heavy back and climbing what seemed like million stairs was really difficult. My head kept turning and turning, heaving problems a little with my low blood pressure. But in the end I slowly made it to the top! What a relieve.

The weather was cold and wind strong, but thanks to that the clouds were moving and sometimes the surrounding Mountains peeked through the cloud sea all around. So I was lucky and at least it was not raining. It took me bit more then one hour to get to the top and maybe 30 minutes to go down. When the weather is good it’s definitely worth it.
When I got back to the centre I checked with the hostel however they did nit have a free room. I would like to see the sunset and sunrise there but in this case I decided to go down to Puli. I tried to stop a car and actually it is so easy when you are a foreigner and a girl. The first car that saw me turned back to get me. There were to guys speaking only Chinese but the could understand where I am going and as they were going to Taichung they had no problem taking me to puLi.

As I said Taiwanese are crazy drivers so if you go to the mountains you should either be crazier or stop a car with crazy driver. That’s the only way how to survive. But I have to say weEgot safely down to Puli!!
I did not have any accommodation there so I just wanted to try my luck and go to one of the temples. I have chosen the closest one Zen Buddhist monastery near the Carp lake, still far from the centre of the city.

It was already late, around 6pm and I was getting a bit desperate. The gate was partly closed but I saw a light in one of the rooms, so I remembered all I could about Chinese and went there. There was an attendant women who was very willing to help.me, she just made some phone call andDthen showed me to.my room. She also brought me a dinner which was one of the best food I tried here. Although gives justified rice some vegetable and tofu it was really delicious. I went to bed early as I was totally exhausted.

Friday was the time to cut! I have started with my hair. Shortenned it a little. I was kucky as yuZhwn was befoew a hairdewssee in Taipei for many years, so she cut my hair at home for free. She is really lovely.

And in the aftetnoon it was the time to cut the rice! We started at 3pm and finished three fields in 3 hours. Then girls from the university came and also GongGong with children. It was getting dark at 6pm so everyone took a headlight and was cutting the rice in light of it:D really funny to see few people going around the field, working but you could see only the lights:D it was very demanding, we were working till 10pm. my back hurt for two days after that, but who can say that they tried to cut rice!!

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Saturday I went for a trip with one teacher from school Mass. He likes birdwatching do he took me to some places in Taroko andDwe saw about 10 different kinds of birds and also some huge spiders and wonderful butterflies.
Sunday I went to the farm of GongGong and spent theEqhole day there notTinly playing with her children.I was also helping her all day. We plowed the field and planted some grain. The work was very demanding as the field is on terraces. But the view there is beautiful. When I was planting the train I saw some people stopped and started taking pictures of.me. This was really weird so I came to them ad with my poor Chinese asked them to send me the at least the photos. Hope they will.
In the evening I went to Hualien with the family as I wanted to walk around Taroko on Monday. The weather was good, not too warm or cold and no rain so I enjoyed the walk. Unfortunately because if the typhoon last week most of the trails were closed. However I met an interesting dutch girl which is traveling the world now and the travel will take her 10 months total. I think she is very brave and wish her good luck on her travels. We spent the whole day together and walked 3 trails ( although two of them only half way).
Taroko is very beautiful, you can get a ticket for 250NTD in Hualien bus station and this will let you use the hop-on hop-off bus all day. Really worth visit, but better first check if they have some info online about the trails and their condition.
Now is Tuesday and I was again working on the farm today. We visited the school and I played basketball with children after school and we had dinner together. Children are soooo great. They don’t care if you understand or not, they keep talking and they just like you because you play with them a little. Its so wonderful to spend time with them.
I am a bit lazy to write as it is also difficult in my cellphone and I do not have Wi-Fi all the time. So sorry for all the mistakes…

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