Monkeys!

Monkeys!

I’d been waiting all my life! And here I was on an island with native monkeys. I was so excited. We had been planning this hike for months with some Taiwanese friends who were from the area. We had missed a previous date because I had come down with some nasty illness. But now, we were ready.

The monkey mountain lay just outside of the southern city of Kaohsiung; about an hour and a half south of our city by train. We started off early Sunday morning and arrived in Kaohsiung around 9. We met our friends and rented a scooter for ourselves. Six of us began the drive through the city up to the base of the trail.

At the base of the trail and above the city was the beautiful Foguangshan Buddhist temple. This is the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temple in Taiwan. People came from all over to visit it and some to study there if they were going to become part of a monastic community. We came upon it as some of the monks and Buddhist lay people were chanting and praying so I took a little video. The chanting is so beautiful and serene. And the three huge golden Buddhas on the altar were impressive. Click the link below.

click here

 The trail up the mountain was a popular one so it was heavily trod and well marked. We met hikers going up and down and several groups of mountain bikers hurtling down the rocky terrain. We hiked for a while and stopped for some oranges. Sitting at the picnic table eating our fruit we were warned by several passers-by that the monkeys may come and try to steal our snack. We acknowledged the concern and finished eating so we could continue our ascent.

After a couple more twists in the trail one of our friends pointed to a tree above us and there sat a monkey! He was just sitting there staring at us and all the other hikers. He was either used to all the traffic or he was plotting something. We took some pictures and continued on. We then came up to an area with a few covered picnic tables where a lot of people had stopped for some refreshment. Well, apparently it was the place for a lot of monkeys to stop for refreshment too because they were all over the place! I was excited we could get so close and observe them and take pictures but, it is never good when wild animals grow accustomed to getting handouts from humans. They could get sick off the food, they could lose abilities to scavenge their own wild foods or they could become aggressive. We found out that the later was definitely the case.

"Morning Reverie"

"Banana Daydream"

"Contemplation"

We had fun taking pictures and hanging out with the monkeys. They are a native monkey called the Formosan Macaque and are about the size of a 3 year old kid. Our friend, Neo, insisted on taunting one that was in the tree above me and it was getting mad. I thought it was going to jump on my head but luckily it just made nasty faces at Neo.

Monkey Mad!

We moved on up the trail away from the picnic scene. The trail was steep and overlooked the big sprawling city below (along with the smog). A lot of the trail had ropes for you to hold onto as you pulled yourself up from rock to rock. At the top of the trail we ran into a man who had fallen. He seemed disoriented. Jeremy and Neo and a crowd of others encircled him to make sure he was OK. They got the man to sit up and then stand up but he wasn’t making any sense. (Of course, he was speaking Chinese so it didn’t make sense to me but our Taiwanese friends assured us he wasn’t making sense in Chinese.) Jeremy and Neo decided to walk him down the mountain after reaching the paramedics by cell phone. That left us 4 gals to have some lunch at a nearby covered table.

We took out all our delicious items – bread and cheese, nuts, raisins, several tropical fruits, chocolate - and had a very nice meal. There was another woman sitting with us and as she got up to leave she warned us to put everything away because the monkeys might come. But there weren’t any monkeys in sight so we continued eating. Then we heard some crashing in the woods. Out came a pack of wild dogs. Very common in Taiwan. They are everywhere and don’t approach people. They grumbled amongst themselves and we continued eating. The dogs wandered away.

wild monkey and wild dog on hiking trail

We heard the bushes moving again and thought it was the dogs but then I saw him. The big monkey and his smaller side kick. We immediately started putting stuff back into our backpacks but the monkeys moved fast. They came right into our covered table space; the big one jumped onto the bench beside my friend’s open backpack and started rifling through! The nerve! We were yelling and trying to shoo it away but it just turned to us and barred its teeth and continued its search for food. It finally found a guava fruit and jumped off the bench with it to settle a few feet away and eat it tauntingly. The audacity!

Friends on the trail with the monkey food thief

Unlike raccoons in the States who might look for food in an undefended backpack but be easily scared off when you make noise and run at it, these monkeys seem to know you’re not going to actually do them any harm. Or maybe they’ve just got a chip on their shoulder because they’re lower on the evolutionary tree. When Jeremy and Neo finally caught up with us, they told us how they saw a monkey jump onto a little 4 year old girl walking up the trail with her parents! The mother grabbed the girl but she was screaming in terror and I’m sure she wasn’t going to want any stuffed animal monkeys for her bedroom in the future!

It was definitely a unique experience hiking in a mountain full of monkeys. You just don’t get that in Maine and New Hampshire. And they were cute (I even saw a mother and baby) and fascinating to watch. But beware of your belongings and protect your children because these monkeys are naughty!

click for monkeys in motion!

Chinese New Year Family Gathering

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in Taiwan. It's date is determined by the lunar calendar and it usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year that was February 2nd. Almost everyone, except the essential 7-11 convenience store workers, have this day and a good part of a week after it off from work. Kids are out of school for 3 weeks covering this time. However, the English language schools are only closed for a week (or not even). Families plan their vacation and travel for this time. Almost all the families in Taiwan. So, it is very crowded no matter where you go. Making reservations and buying train tickets ahead of time are essential.

House where we spent Chinese New Year

The actual Chinese New Year night is a night for families to get together. Most households consist of parents and kids living with the husband's parents. If there are unmarried sisters they also join the festivities at their parents' house. But married daughters spend this night with their husband's family and the next day is when they go to visit their own parents. So, Jeremy and I were invited by the owners of the school I work for to join their family on Chinese New Year. We were honored and excited to be part of the celebration as well as to be with a family for a night as we missed our own at Christmas.

Johanna, Sylvia and goofy Belle

The owners of my school are Sylvia and Richard who are about our age. They have 3 daughters, Belle and Ella (11 year old twins) and Nana (12). We spent the evening at Richard's parent's house which is in a tight older neighborhood not far from the school. Their house is a traditional style one story house built in the 1930s. There are a couple of similar run down houses nearby in what used to be a family compound. Their family used to own a number of acres but it was subdivided to various children and some of it was sold off so their house is now in a tight little lane behind more modern apartment buildings. Luckily, it did abut some foresty green space so the grandparents grew alot of their own vegetables.

Main entrance of the house, facing the back yard

Old Family Compound of traditional style houses

We arrived in the late afternoon which was nice because we could look around. Grandmother showed us her garden and we could take some pictures of the houses which reminded me alot of Irish cottages. We were joined that night by 2 of Richard's sisters and they helped prepare the food along with Grandmother and Richard. The house is laid out where the main entry door leads into the "altar room" where they have a big wall picture of Buddha with an altar in front. Even modern houses in Taiwan have a room like this. You can drive through the city at night and see the red glow of the altar lights through people's windows. This altar is used daily for prayer and to worship the ancestors. So before we ate the family burned incense, offered food and said prayers at the altar. Jeremy and I waited outside.

Food Offerings to the gods

from altar room to dining room

Then in the same room as the altar we helped set up 2 folding tables - one for the adults and one for the kids, of course. We had a great meal filled with a variety of dishes. Jeremy had prepared one dish of our own as well. The kids' table was very noisy. Conversation was mostly in Chinese but Sylvia and Richard would translate for us and the sisters spoke some English so we could ask basic questions and at least tell them how much we liked the food.

After dinner we left the food and dishes on the table in case anyone wanted to come back for seconds and we went outside to be entertained by the 3 girls. These 3 girls are great. I have them in one of my classes and I give Belle private art instruction. They speak English very well and are learning piano and violin and they love to sing. They usually walk around humming songs from the Sound of Music or Phantom of the Opera. So, this night they played a variety of traditional Taiwanese folk songs, some classical pieces and, of all things, The Marine's Hymn in Chinese. (This is such an American song and I had to learn it on piano when I was a kid so it was so funny to me that here, on the other side of the world, these girls were playing it!)

All the adults sat on stools in the yard facing the porch to watch the girls perform. They were good and very theatrically funny. It reminded me of my own family gatherings when I was a kid. They even put out an open violin case for tips.

After the performance, parents and grandparents gave the girls "han bao(like bough)" which are red envelopes with money in it. The amount in the envelope varies but usually is a derivative of 8, 12 or 16 as these are seen as fortuitous numbers. So the kids usually get a few thousand Taiwanese dollars in each envelope. (One thousand Taiwanese dollars is about $32 US). It's very exciting and the girls were telling me they were going to buy roller blades or books, etc. with it. Sylvia and Richard also gave han bao to Richard's parents. As soon as you are a working adult (early 20s) you don't get han bao from your parents. You give them han bao. And you usually get some from your work as most businesses give a bonus at this time of year. Grandmother was very sweet and gave Jeremy and I a small han bao each. They asked if we had such a tradition and we explained Christmas as being the closest.

We finished up the evening with a final drink and chat on the porch with the adults. Another sister and her kids who lived nearby came over and the kids turned on the TV. So we decided to say our "good byes" as we had to catch an early train for our own little Chinese New Year break to explore other parts of this island.

Brushstrokes

 
A couple of months ago some friends introduced me to a traditional Chinese calligrapher. He was making a wall scroll for them containing a poem about how they met here in Taiwan. I had asked to go with them when they were going to meet with him to discuss the details because I was curious and wanted to learn something of this art form.

The calligrapher's English name is Dennis and I'd say he is about my age. His wife is a teacher and he has two small kids. He learned the art of calligraphy from his father. His studio space on a busy road was actually the house he was born in. It is one story with the rooms lined up from the front on the road to the back on a quiet garden space. The front room is a place to wait and greet guests with a comfortable living room set up. It also has a ping pong table as Dennis offers classes and many of his students are children. They play ping pong while they wait for their parents to pick them up.

Dennis, the Calligrapher

Dennis is an extremely nice guy. But I think at first he thought it a little strange that a foreigner, who barely knew any Chinese, would want to learn calligraphy. We had arranged for me to begin on a certain Saturday and he asked me to come in during the week so he could understand what I was after. I explained that I would like to learn the techniques and the process and that I'd just like to keep it simple. I probably wouldn't be composing any Chinese poetry. So he designed a whole lesson plan just for me!

When I arrived for my first lesson on a Saturday, I entered a roomful of students who were mostly under 10. Every Taiwanese has to learn this artform to some extent when they are kids. I work with kids all week so I didn't mind. They were inquisitive and shyly introduced themselves in English. They kept watching me and wanted to share their candy. Dennis provided me with all the tools and materials I would use and came over with paperwork he had prepared. He referred to this as "lectures". He told me I was his first foreign student and the other students were very excited that I was there. I think he was joking when he said more signed up for this time slot when they heard a foreigner was coming but I can't be sure.

So, he started by handing me an ink stick and stone bowl. He added a little water to the bowl and told me to grind the ink stick into it for 500 strokes! This took a little while. But the idea is not only to create the ink to work with but to slow yourself down and get in the right "head space" to create beautiful calligraphy. He then showed me how to hold the brush and how to manipulate it to get the correct brush strokes. I had to practice over and over the various techniques for getting the different lines. And that was my homework for the following week.

Ink stone and stick and commercially produced ink in a bottle

Each Saturday morning I go in for these lessons. Sometimes the makeup of the class changes. There are often one or two adults who take the class with their child or on their own. It is a very quiet relaxed space. Dennis plays calming Chinese music and everyone is quietly working. His assistant brings me a cup of tea. It's a very nice way to spend a Saturday morning after teaching kids English all week. My calligraphy is improving though I have by no means mastered it. Dennis keeps coming over and gasping at the beauty of my work and holding it up for all to see. I think he's humoring me. But Chinese New Year is next week. And it is the tradition to create three long pieces to go over and on either side of the door to your house. These pieces have different characters but they generally include things like prosperity, luck, good fortune, spring, etc. This next year is going to be the year of the rabbit so the characters for "the jade rabbit comes in spring" are part of it.

the jade rabbit comes in spring - 3 techniques

Clicking on the image below will show you the master, Dennis, creating the characters for spring and summer.

Spring and Summer

I hope the jade rabbit brings spring soon to all my snowbound friends and family back home!
Posted by Johanna, January 2011

Quick Christmas Eve & Day

 Chiayi Does It Up

The whole country really puts on, or plugs in, Christmas starting about the week before Thanksgiving.  No need to wait till black Friday here.  It actually has been quite touching at times checking out all the ways holiday is turned on.  Of course this is not a holiday of this culture, no kidding, hum.  People are pretty jovial about the whole foreign experience and willing to wish you well.  People are interested but still working on what they think and understand about the whole thing.  For the ardent holiday addict, there are many places to get the fuller feel, as numerous churches have holiday masses and music.  So, much of the glitz is just that, glitz.  It all goes up... and things get sold.  Some cool school competitions happen with big events, and large groups of kids performing.  Which is very cool, no pics just happened to catch a glimpse one night coming home from work.  The event was right in front of the building below.  The one above, yes, is the police station. 

They deck it out here.  Lights galore and kind of a welcome place to languish.  The front of the country/city government center.

Since Chiayi county is the heart of agriculture in Taiwan, it's not much of a surprise to see veggies and fruit part of the light display.

Santa and Merry Christmas

Even put lights on the palm trees, I was impressed.  But that is not all.  Chiayi is the home of the international marching band competition.  It is a week long, multi-event celebration of all levels of the marching band.  Most of the visiting bands come from various parts of Asia but there was a group from Germany.  Even watched the drummer drink a beer while marching down the street.  This is not an adult level, drum corps, type event.  All the bands are from high schools or younger levels.  This next shot is off the main circle in town with all the usual big ad boards converted-within a week of the event-to display solely for the marching band shindig. 

The event starts on Christmas day, why not no one else has plans and it is a national holiday which no one really celebrates.  So why not have a parade filled with music?  It turned out to be a grand time!

We have our own Eiffel Tower.  Oh, and for those trying to guess, 19 C is 66 degrees Fahrenheit... at night!

So here is my Christmas Eve.  Only have one class so it's off to the mountains for a hike. My buddy Jean joined me for a 70 degree Dec. 24th.  A fantastic scooter ride with just jeans and a short sleeve shirt.

This is where I wandered.  No snow, no threat of snow, no possibility of snow.  Definitely no snow shoveling in the future.  Nice.

The river bed we followed.

Rain forest with requisite small water fall-just a small one.

We joined a large crowd of people to cheer on the big parade of marching bands coursing through the city for our personal Christmas day.  It was absolutely grand!  So many actual tubas, it was childhood hilarious!  More shots to come of this!

So next comes the big feast of the day.  After standing on a corner for a moment, it was Thai food.  We ordered from the menu by recognizing a very few Chinese characters-fish, veg, beef, shrimp, chicken, pork-and throwing ourselves on the mercy of partial chance.  It worked out great!  Green Thai curry, pumpkin, pineapple and shrimp wontons, squid and shrimp ceviche, garlic and black bean sauce green beans and more fab stuff.

It's everywhere.

Potentially the most dangerous tree in all Taiwan...  Even with the fire extinguisher.  This is a gas station just to be clear.

Why, I could only find out it was for a political rally.  I stumbled across this one night.  Dude second from right rambles-I believe-about the high speed rail-depicted in the frame right behind them.

Yes, it exists.

 

Christmas English party at the school.

Gotta make displays.  Making Christmas...

What is the snowman saying about the USA...  oh, it's just a figurine that fell over.

Just outside the new school I work at.

Right next to the stadium where the marching bands were competing.  I want the push-button for my house.  This place worked on repairing these things.  Eventually....

The Strays

Graveyard Dog

One of the first things I noticed here that I found very sad was the number of stray animals wandering the streets. It’s heartbreaking. Most of the visible animals are dogs but every once in a while I see a cat slinking down a side street. Many of the dogs travel in packs and hang out in the “no man’s land” areas of overgrown grasses and banana trees between buildings or down by the riverbank. But there are lone dogs all over the city streets.

On His Own

These dogs are of many breeds but most seem to be a typical black dog that people just refer to as the "Taiwanese dog".  They’re about medium height with curious pointed ears and a curled tail. Occasionally you see one with a collar but most are on their own. Even the collared ones wander the late night streets making you wonder at the person who put the collar there and if they care where there pet is. Some of the other colored dogs look like mixes of German Shepherd or Spaniel. Some are grizzly looking in their fur and coloration and look more hyenas. There are so many and they are obviously breeding. 

That’s the truly sad part. The population keeps growing. Every once in a while the city rounds them up, holds them for a week in case there are any inquiries and, if unclaimed, they euthanize them. It must be a full time job. What seems like a better and more humane solution is to spay and neuter these animals so they stop reproducing. An educational campaign would be good to encourage people to sterilize and take better care of their pet.

Much of the attitude towards pets here seems very different from the United States where dogs are generally treated like part of the family. Many people here use dogs to guard the home or crops and if they wander off, they’ll get a new one. There are some people who truly do care about the plight of the homeless dogs and take them in. But if you start feeding one, others will arrive and then your neighbors get upset at the population of feral dogs you’ve attracted to the neighborhood.

This poor old guy lives right outside the school where I work. He had been hit by a car in the past so his hip is crooked and he's very skinny. But my employer says people in the neighborhood feed him. He is very gentle when you go to pat him. You see many of these strays lying on the road like this as all the scooters and cars zoom by.                                      It's amazing more aren't hit.

The dichotomy of this situation is that at the night markets, where they sell everything from food to shoes to electronics, you often see cute little puppies in a cage. People love to buy the cute purebred puppies. There are cutesy animals everywhere – on greeting cards, pencils, clothing, advertising, motorcycle helmets, and more. But there doesn’t seem to be enough heart given to real animals who are truly in need.

In my classes, the teaching material often includes stories or pictures of children with their pets. But when I ask students how many of them have dogs or cats, only a few raise their hand. And when I ask of those few if they walk or play with their pet, few seem committed to spending the time. Some say they used to have dogs but they wandered off. One said their uncle eats dogs.

So, this is a sad blog entry and I don’t have nearly enough pictures to demonstrate the scope of the stray animal problem here. I did find a couple organizations that are working to help the situation. They rescue the animals and treat their wounds and spay or neuter them and try to get them adopted. Since I cannot readily take in a pack of dogs, I donate money to these groups. You can click the logo below to go to the website of Animals Taiwan and learn about the great work they do to help homeless animals.