Airport or asylum?

For me, the worst part of traveling are the airports.  I love the relaxed feel of a train watching the scenery roll by,  and the rocking motion of a cruise ship at sea surrounded by water everywhere.  But the turbulence of a plane in the air takes away from the window view of clouds and the earth below.  So by the time I get to the airport, I am already on edge about the flight.  Add to this the insanity of the security check point and the uncertainty of the flight arrangements and I am a bundle of nerves. 
Flying United from San Antonio to Taiwan, we changed planes in San Francisco and in Tokyo before arriving in Taipei.   Turbulence between San Francisco and Tokyo was manageable because of the great service provided by the airline personnel.  They even explained the customs procedure in Tokyo to us.  It was easy because the Tokyo airport has signs everywhere to assist and direct you through the process.   There were actually people there with our new boarding passes ready and customs was uneventful.  Directed back to our plane, we continued on to Taipei.  The three hour flight from Tokyo to Taipei was a little rocky...to the point that the captain even asked the crew to sit and fasten their seatbelts.  My seat would have to be the only one on the plane with a glitch!  It would not stay in the upright position.  Little by little it would inch back to a reclining position and because of the turbulence, the steward was constantly telling me to adjust it.  He did mention we could move to another seat once the turbulence subsided--it never did.  When we arrived in Taipei, he did give me a card and explained that I would be compensated if I filled it out on-line.  I think I got extra miles for it.

My daughter had told me to try to get our seats with one empty in the middle to allow for more room and comfort.  We were able to do this for the long flight between San Francisco and Tokyo and we also sat way in the back just in front of the galley.  This was perfect to allow us to get up and stretch without being in anyone's way.  Having constant traffic to the bathroom behind us did not bother us at all.

On the return flight, we had a little more time in Tokyo and I was able to go through a couple of duty free shops looking for Hello, Kitty dolls and a patch for my son.  Again we had to go through customs although we did not have a layover in the country.  The customs attendants are perfect, apologizing and helpful.  I had forgotten to take my pillbox out of my pocket and I beeped.  We all apologized,  I gave them my pillbox and went back through.  When I removed my shoes, they ran over and handed me some slippers to wear.  A memorable and enjoyful experience!

Again on the flight from Tokyo to San Francisco, we had an empty middle seat.    I even managed to let the pilots do the flying and took a nap.  This prelude was a necessity for what awaited in San Francisco.  We got off the plane and went through customs without any problems; I expected them to go through my extra suitcase of souvenirs and had already prepared a list with cost and description for them.  They didn't even look at our suitcases.  I understand that they do have that option, though.  We still had to claim the suitcases and return them to the airline baggage drop for them to continue on to their destination.

 Having done that, we asked where we were to go next and were directed to the international flights security checkpoints.  I explained that we were coming from international and would now be flying to San Antonio.  International it was...and another long line through security.   The body scan picked up a hair clip and a rhinestone on my bra so I had to go through a pat down.  Double Whammy!!  Going all the way,  the "matron" said my hands were cold and then took a sheet of paper and wiped the palms of both hands.  Asking what it was for proved useless.  "Procedure" is all I got.  Looking it up later, I discovered this was done to check for gunpowder or explosive residue.  By this point we were cutting it pretty close for our connection and asking for directions from airport staff was a disaster. 



We ran to get to our gate, made it 5 minutes early, and were locked out of the plane.  There were at least five couples in the line trying to figure out what to do.  Meanwhile, the plane was still at the gate.  Even the attendant called United and remarked that with all the passengers left behind, the plane must be half empty.  Another attendant came over and we were all put on standby for the next flight that evening.  Doing the numbers, minimum of 10 on standby on an already full flight did not promise much.  Seeing a new face at the counter, I went over and asked what would happen if we did not get on the standby list.  She looked at my papers, saw that we were coming from Tokyo, and offered us a for sure flight in the morning, a room for the night, dinner vouchers at the airport, and breakfast at the hotel.  I was so relieved that we were not going to have to sit in the airport all night that I forgave United for leaving us behind.  The other couples were still arguing at the ticket counter for the chance to get the only two spaces available. 

The next morning, refreshed and alert,  I was prepared and breezed through security with no beeps--no bra, no hairpins, no jewelry, no belt, etc.  To ask for a pat down instead of the body scan would have meant more time...I saw this firsthand.  But to go through the scan and then get a pat down somehow seemed like a double invasion of privacy.


 For the record,  I do understand security.  But what I don't understand is the lack of manners from the employees.   First thing in the morning, they are already tired, yelling at people that just want to know what to do, can you imagine by noon how they will be.  And security IS lacking.  Had they looked at our boarding passes, they would have seen that we were not on an international flight.  A family went through and waited for the grandmother to get a pat down...she had a pacemaker, and was rudely told to wait till they had time,  two young girls were told the same thing when they refused to go through the body scan.  Respect and Courtesy should be part of the training for these people. 

Enough about security.  Now on to the flight.  Arriving four hours early the next morning, we had plenty of time to go through the airport and relax at our gate 77.  Then I heard, the San Antonio flight had been delayed and moved to gate 71--about a football field away.  Still plenty of time, we went over.  Flight change back to gate 78, and then across to gate 72,  after walking the length of four football fields back and forth, we finally got on the plane and headed home. 

Crafting in Taiwan

At Longshan Underground Mall

Although craft shops are hard to find in Taipei, local handicrafts are evidence of a rich artistic background.  The indigenous tribes contributed their art in woodcrafts, paper, sculpting, needlework, etc.  This was evident throughout our travels.   The dolls and puppets of the street vendors, the needlework evident in the indigenous souvenir shops, the woodcarvings at Alishan, etc.  Art was everywhere.  

Marble bridge at Taroko Canyon

Jade hand at hotel in Beitou

Redwood carvings at Alishan

Jade Market in Taipei

Artwork on a Temple rooftop

A replica of a temple altar

Replica of a slate house

Clothing of the indigenous tribes

a small hut made out of vines (Alishan)

On one of our jaunts, we set out to find a local craft store mentioned in a newspaper article.  The article said that Bear Mama was located in the do it yourself district off of Main Station.   I had printed up my little cheat sheet with the name and address of the store and had found the street on the local map.  After walking down the street for a couple of blocks, we decided to ask for directions at a nearby hotel.  Making a fierce face and growling, I was able to convince the girl I was looking for Bear, not Beer, Mama.  She spoke little English but wait was in her vocabulary.  She wrote the address down in Chinese, ran outside and hailed a taxi, gave the driver directions and off we went.  We were several blocks off going in the wrong direction and probably would never have found the place on our own.
Walking in, we saw a group of people working at a table and a fairly large selection of yarns and beadwork material.  There may have been another floor with cloth, etc. but I found the yarn I was looking for and proceeded to the checkout.  In Taipei, it is not uncommon to pay for your shopping bags and we always carried a plastic bag with us.  But I saw bags behind the counter advertising the shop and I asked the cashier for one of them.  She spoke no English but her coworker said it was $1000  ($30 US).  It was not worth that much and the girl kept trying to sell us a plastic bag.  The store manager was called; he spoke English and explained that you got the bag with $1000 purchase.  So I had bought less than $6 and couldn't think of how to bring it up to that amount so I said thank you and paid the bill.  The manager told the girl to give me the bag as a gift!  

Danshui

Sunday morning was a special day with a great treat.  We took the red line all the way north to its end at Danshui Station.  Danshui is a smaller city north of Taipei located near the outlet of the Danshui River into the Taiwan Strait.  Originally home to Formosan indigenous peoples, Danshui was settled by the Spanish in 1629 and then the Dutch in 1641.  By the 19th century, it was the largest port in Taiwan and the center of shipping and commerce in northern Taiwan.  By the 20th century, accumulation of silt in the river forced most port operations to move further north to Keelung.  The downtown area had a European air to it.

 


The city is a popular weekend retreat for visitors from Taipei.  A long boardwalk hosts arcades, food vendors and souvenir shops.  Children walk around with plastic guns that blow bubbles all around them.  There is the sound of carnival music and plenty of  games with prizes for those lucky enough to shoot a balloon, throw a ring on a bottle, etc.  The smells of fried foods is everywhere and people are walking around with different foods on a stick and tall ice cream cones. 

                 


It rained while we were there but that did not deter the people from visiting the local vendors and restaurants.  Just grab an umbrella and enjoy the music, food, and general ambience of the area.  We read that it was a popular location for viewing the sunset, but can not tell you first hand about that because of the rain.  We did manage to find a relaxing restaurant called the Waterfront where we sat under the canopy of a huge tree with a portable fan at our disposal and enjoyed a wondrous feast.

Kebobs of beef, chicken bananas, veggies and shrimp

Ferries crossing the river to the town of Bali and the Fisherman's Wharf depart from the Tamsui Ferry Pier.  Sightseeing boats traversing Taiwan's northeast coast and the Tamsui (Danshui) River depart from the Fisherman's Wharf.  We took the ferry across to Fisherman's Wharf but it looks like they are remodeling the area.  Local shops were closed.  We did have a nice view of Lover's Bridge, a popular sight for young and old.  It takes about 5 minutes or so to walk across the bridge and rumor has it that it brings good luck to the lovers that cross it.

Mermaid Fountain at Hotel

Lover's Bridge

Just off the wharf, the Fullon Hotel Danshui stands out like a majestic welcome mat to tourists.  A little pricey, but we did walk through the lobby, enjoying the  band performing for the guests, and taking advantage of the concierge to hail us a taxi for our return trip to the metro and home.

Sun Moon Lake--Owl Country

From Alishan, we took a bus to Sun Moon Lake.   The drive was through mountain roads, a lot more comfortable than the shuttle van from Chiayi to Alishan.  Most of the way we followed a winding river through the mountains,  passing road construction due to rock slides.   There were rice fields and banana plantations in the valleys, and the bus driver stopped once to show us a family of monkeys alongside the road.  It was as if they were waiting for us to pass by.

Monkeys!

Watch out for falling rocks!

Pretty scenery

A lot of construction

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan and a popular tourist attraction for Taiwanese and foreigners alike. Situated in Nantou county, the area around the lake is home to the Thao people, one of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan.   The lake gets its name because the east side of the lake looks like the sun and the west side looks like the moon. The bus dropped us off at the tourist center and it was a short walk around the corner to our hotel.

Harbor Resort Hotel is located in the center of the tourist section of the lake and our room had views of both the lake and the tourist drag below.  On-line reviews said that the rooms had small windows but it seemed to us that all the rooms had balconies with a table and chairs for sitting and enjoying the view.  There was also music from the boardwalk below and dancing by the local people.  A very enjoyable room!  Not too big but large enough to accommodate two queen beds, an easy chair, and a flat screen tv with English speaking programs. The room did have a nice western style bathroom with both hot and cold water--some hotel reviews mention no hot water so you do need to check for it.  Room amenities include slippers, toothbrushes with toothpaste, a razor, a comb, and soap, shampoo, and lotion.  We paid about $100 (US) for the night.  It included morning breakfast.  Breakfast is also put down in some reviews, but making allowances for it being Taiwanese, it really was not bad. 

Breakfast

Settling in, we went down to the drag and walked around the shops and food vendors before deciding to have dinner in our room on the balcony.  We had local food that included beef noodle soup, some kind of small fried fish, fried shrimp, and wild boar meat.  

Sun Moon Lake

The lakefront in front of the hotel

Shops and restaurants

In the morning we took the boat shuttle across the lake.  It actually makes three stops and you can get on and off as you please.  Getting the tickets at the hotel ($3 US each!) gave us a discount and the ticket allowed us access to the boats and a shuttle bus that also traveled around the lake.   The boat ride did not have an English-speaking guide so we were unable to follow the tour.  The Taiwanese are very friendly and a lady on the boat tried to explain several of the sites to us.  Of interest were the Ci En Pagoda built by Chiang Kai-Shek as a memorial to his mother, the gondolas that take you up the mountain (not running when we were there) and Ita Thao, a small aboriginal village across the lake from the resort.  We opted to get off at the village.

At Thao village

Ci En Pagoda

There were souvenirs and food everywhere and the plaza by the bus stop offered daily shows of the locals in costume singing and dancing.   From there we took the bus back to the hotel, passing another temple and a botanical garden.  Unfortunately we did not have enough time to make stops at these two sites, but they are on the list for next time.

Selling handbags

We returned to the hotel, picked up our luggage and took a bus back to Taipei.  A note about the tour buses:  They are very comfortable and come decorated with curtains on their windows. 

On the bus returning to Taipei