Ghost Festival Days

We're back in the land of internet.  After a few days at a hotel that couldn't get it's internet up, plus my poor attempts of pointing at phrases in a book to explain we didn't have a connection, the guy at the desk called in someone else to fix the problem.  So I have a number of things to share with you.  I won't throw it all at you, we'll start with the "bye bye" days.  This is the Ghost Festival, which takes place for the whole 7th month (the lunar month) of the Chinese calendar.  In many respects, this celebration is much like Halloween, Samhain for you purists, the spirits come much closer to our physical world and you've gotta make em happy or else-insert bad luck thoughts here.  The Taiwanese set out spreads for the departed for a real whoopin party, plus they burn wads and WADS of fake money which does cost real money, but you get more monopoly money for the real cash.  If you used real money it would go quickly and you would look like a schmuck because everyone else burns tons of the fake stuff.  Don't piss off your departed friends and relatives, they don't care if it's real or fake, just burn a lot, that seems to be the case.  You can get the imitation dough at a variety of places like temples and your convenient good luck/Chinese festival store (which is really just a storage space on any give road filled with stuff for ceremonies).  In the city of Chiayi, where we are, people set these roadside BBQ-like trash cans out about late morning and burn away until about early evening.

These are all along the street, the air is filled with the sent of burning paper

Right in front of an optics store.  You can see the stack of "cash", the real stuff wouldn't be as impressive.  On one of the big days this guy said they could burn up to thirty bundles.

The festival reaches its height on the 15th day of the Lunar month of July (remember this is the Chinese calendar so this year that happened to be last Wednesday).  In various cities all sorts of celebratory mayhem ensues; parades, fireworks, costumes, lanterns floating down rivers.  I wish we had more of a chance to realize this was going on while we were shaking off jet lag and landing on our feet, I would have found a way to go south to Keelung where big boats in the shape of houses and temples are lit up and cast into rivers and the ocean.  Bummer, I literally asked what was the deal with all the flaming cans in the streets on the day before the big day and only found the day after the climax about the big party down south (I thought it would be at the end of the month not in the middle, gotta remember I'm not we're not at home Dorothy).  So I quickly shot around town trying to get some more shots of what people were offering and enjoying-the Taiwanese are really joyful, friendly folks.  Most were quite fine with me shooting, a quick request with my hands pressed together like in prayer, a small nod and bow, will usually win anyone over (I was told to do this at a temple, that post will be coming up shortly).

Laughter at my request to take a photo.

Out in front of a restaurant they put together a pretty big layout, plus those glasses in front keep getting filled with more booze as the day goes on.

The little girl even gave me the peace symbol.

This is in front of a fruit and veggie stand.  Lots of incense being burned as well.

Freakin' durian fruit.  It stinks as bad as it tastes!  No offense to those who like this (pretty much all of eastern Asia), but this is one repulsive edible.  Of course it is packed with great vitamins, even Tryptophan, and is loved by many for its sweet taste.  I've had three bad turns with this pungent pod, and for all my willingness to try anything, eat for the sheer joy of finding new culinary joys, poor durian you are one of five things on my no-way past my lips list.

This is a wonderful time of the year to wander the streets of any city to see how people honor and miss their relatives.  At the end of the big days, families gather at homes to celebrate those lost & remembered, many at a table in front of their business or home right on the edge of the street.  Sorry to say, I've been a bad monkey and not been shooting nearly as much as I should or would like.  This has already begun to change, just gotta get my head around it again.  Humorously enough, we did a little burning at our house just before we left.

Rather than shred tons of legal old documents, we just burned them.  I don't think our lost relatives or friends would've appreciated the piles of personal crap, so we burned some incense at a local temple instead.

This is looking out the front of the temple, where the big tent is lined with sacks of rice, incense and bags of a local condensed fruit they give out to visiting families (no it wasn't the stink fruit).  At the beginning of the night the tent was full, by the end it was all gone.  Very generous people.

Don't need to tick off any ghosts, want to keep them calm, pleased and on our side.  Here's a link to a a more detailed article on the festival if you like:  Ghost Festival.  I will snap more often and you will here from Johanna soon too.  Back at you with a visit to a temple...  next time.  Jeremy

Here we go!

Monster bride right outside our Taipei hotel, wasn't expecting that on our first day.

Righty, righty, right.  Welly, welly, well, it's about time to start this whole thing off.  First off, hello to you all who took so much time to catch up with Johanna & I, and wished us so well over the phone, in person and online.  We couldn't have found the resolve to pull this off-or at least not end up a blithering, twitching, cart pusher on a foreign street-without your support.  We are in your debt and happy to repay in a place to visit.  As this is the first post, this will probably be the longest I write, so feel free to skim and check out the photos, cause that's what it's all about anyway.
The trip was harrowing in body, but not too many jigs in the itinerary.  From Boston to Taipei it took an actual 30 hours and 47 minutes (three flights, Boston, New York, Tokyo, Taipei), world time about 41 hours.  The big leap, NY to Tokyo was a 14 hour flight.

Not sure what to make of this in the Tokyo airport.  

Solace

Note to all who have not traveled so far before, definitely DEFINITELY get up and walk around a couple of times and massage your feet.
Our great hosts, and owners/instructors at Johanna's ESL (English as a Second Language) school, Green English School, took care of us right from arrival-thank the almighty sleep deity.  Richard and Sylvia (most people in Taiwan, and for now seems most of Asia have English second names, cause we westerners mangle their actual names) had a car pick us up, drive us to a hotel and even called us to make sure we were ok.  After getting the room, we went to a night market-they are all over Taiwan, ate some fried MSG laden veggies, drank some hard alcohol and went to bed.

The dumplings were great, the fried veg were REALLY salty, learned to say no MSG this night

The jet lag has fuzzed my brain for the past five days.  It has been hard getting sleep, and I've had an odd sensation of pressure on my brain most days.  Definitely difficult to stay focused when we really need it.  We've traveled on the high speed rail to our new hometown of Chiayi (say Jah-yee).  I still brutalize this pronunciation, constantly find locals repeating the pronunciation of words after I have tried to say them and image will continue to make the Taiwanese laugh-which happens often-each time I open my mouth.  Oh well, it's worth a laugh and I do end up with good food, most of the time.  We've moved three times in the town and will do so again this Friday.  Can't wait to get a kitchen and my own bed.  Everything is economized as far as space and size-picture small squares of tp as the norm for tissues, napkins, tp and pillows-just kidding, napkins are made of stronger paper.  When they say two room, don't forget you need a bathroom in an apartment. 
So for now, we are still rolling on our feet, Johanna loves her job, people here are extremely kind and there's no telling what you will get in a pastry-for you Nate Groth last night's profriterolls had corn, squid and greens, with a sweet sauce and wasabi.  As they say here, see you.  Jeremy

The last New England Sunrise

31 hours later

Yes I can be a dork, it was the Karoke Bar in the hotel, happy happy singing that got me