Change is the only constant in life. —  Heraclitus

Things do not change; we change. — HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Change is inevitable in a progressive society. Change is constant. — BENJAMIN DISRAELI

Change is inevitable.  Thus I expected changes when we visited 九族文化村 (Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village).  Last time I was there, it was in 1988 when it was relatively a new attraction.   I remember that they had a lot of workers dressed up in native outfits and some native shows.  It wasn’t crowded perhaps during a weekday but it was educational to see their housing and see some of their rituals.   Now, almost 30 years later, I thought the place can be a great culture introduction for my kids to learn about the native Taiwanese.

Change #1:  Easier to get there from日月潭

After arrived at 日月潭, I tried to figure out what bus we needed to take to go the village but discovered and was pleasantly surprised that there are gondolas that can go there directly from the lake now. I didn’t remember they were that close as last time I took a bus to 九族文化村 and it seemed to be perhaps a half hour to an hour away.

Early in the morning, we took a water shuttle from the main town of the lake where we were staying to the opposite side of the lake where we can walk to the gondolas along a path with many stores to shop and eat.  The ride did not open until 10:30 am, a little late from my perspective so we shopped for about an hour before boarding the gondolas.

The view from the gondolas was superb, reminded me the view from the top of Lake Anncey in France and the gondola ride reminded me of Peak-2-Peak ride in Whistler at Canada.  The ticket we got through our lodging was a boat ride plus the gondola ride plus the admission ticket to the village.  It was essentially a 3 for 1 deal as the cost was just slightly higher than buying the admission tickets for the village alone.  This seemed to be a theme in Taiwan that many people seem to be able to sell a great discount for some reasons.   I was glad for the convenience now.  I like this change as we can get there quicker and with a view.

Change #2: It is an amusement park now

The Village is no longer just a Formosa Culture center; it is a full blown amusement park now with rides and water playground.  This was a Monday and surprisingly there were very few people there.  We were able to ride on a water roller coaster ride many times without needing to get off.  Unfortunately, Bryden didn’t want to ride for some reasons so Logan and I rode it 4 times in a row until we felt guilty and got off the ride.  Bryden and Logan enjoyed the water slide immensely and danced in the hot air full-body dryer.

I felt ambivalent about this change.  I know that they needed it to survive but it was like selling out your soul for money or bribing the kids to do homework with something.  It just didn’t feel right.  However, if they hadn’t made this change, the place may be closed down by now so perhaps it was a necessary evil, like a dessert to entice kids to eat vegetable.

 

 

Change #3: the quiet and desolate tribe village

The original Village part for the 9 tribes was quiet and almost had a desolate air to it except a couple of place where they had shows going on.  The show on the left was in front of a wide open area with amphitheater type seating around the open area with a total capacity of perhaps a couple of thousands, seating and standing, but we were the only people there.  The dancers still faithfully went through their routine with just us watching.

I felt a little sad for them and for this place.  Later on we saw a show with perhaps 40 people and finally as we got closer to the entry, there was a show with perhaps 80 people.  The show was wonderful with beautiful rhythmic songs and choreographic dances.  The outfits were colorful as well.  We liked the music and bought a CD.  The girl in the picture with my kids were a high school student from Ai-mei tribe.

I felt bad that there weren’t many people there.  I thought this was the interesting part of the park.   I know many folks of the tribes has been modernized–they had to, in order to survive.  I thought that perhaps they could do a better job of intermix the tribes with the amusement part of the park so each tribe becomes an area between different ride attraction where people can eat and watch shows while learning some culture stuff.  That would be a more unique experience and keep more people happy I hope.  I am hoping for this type of change the next time I visit.

 

“A man’s house is his castle.” — James Otis

In any travels, one logistic everyone has to conquer is lodging.  The last few years, we have gradually shifted to use other’s houses for our primary lodging consideration as our family grew to a size of 6 and we like to find a place where kids can run around freely and we can do some light cooking when needed–we rely on VRBO and AirBNB, the latter we used for the Taiwan’s trip.

We have used AirBNB in the United States, Europe and now Taiwan.  I learned a few things but generally we are happy that we have this choice now when we travel.  I believe that it has saved us money and given us more closer to a home experience plus the bonus of meeting some locals. Overall, it has been great.

I have friends who either swear by AirBNB or tell us just wait, “you will run into someplace bad.”  Actually we had.  Last year we had this horrific experience at Indian Wells for BNP Paribas Open Tennis where the owner shoveled us to an unfinished home the last minute, citing his own house was burned down and followed up with a string of, what we believed, lies and finally, with the over-the-top threat of kicking us out if we didn’t pay something out of our pocket–because AirBNB had frozen all his assets and not paid him anymore.  Luckily we had documented all the evidence and took a couple of learning weeks for us to get a complete refund from AirBNB.  It added to a unique experience to that trip and made it more memorable.  What else could we ask?  A mundane hotel stay?

At Europe, we learned that it was not a good idea to get an AirBNB in an apartment type of house where we were told to keep our kids quiet.  How was that possible?  They were kids and would not tip-toe around the house.  In any cases, it was difficult to get a standalone whole house in Taiwan, especially in Taipei which was actually expected but nevertheless, a little concerning for me.

Besides staying with my aunt, we stayed at 4 apartment style and one hostel style AirBNB places.   All the apartment style stays were small single rooms, barely have enough room to put a bunch of beds, some just on the floor, jammed together.  My kids enjoyed it though, jumping from one bed to another.  Luckily for us, it appeared that houses there were made of concrete walls, thus we never heard anyone else, up or down, left or right. Many places seem to be a convert from a larger house, originally, where the owners remodeled and partitioned off to many smaller rooms for rent, no kitchen and only one had a tiny refrigerator.   It must be lucrative for them to do so.

 

 

It worked for us, especially in big cities where we can just go out and get food easily.  The didn’t stay in the room much.  The exceptions were at Taitung 台東 and Hualien 花蓮.  At the outskirt of Hualien, we had to walk about a mile just to go the a Seven/11 to have something to eat (luckily my kids liked seven and the owner gave us a ride to the train station when we left) and I already blogged about eating at Taitung (see here).  At Taitung, we actually stayed at a hostel where we were the only guests for one of the two nights.  It was situated right behind a Seven/11 store (the owner actually told us to use Seven/11 wifi, not sure it was legit or not) and my kids love it as they can just go and get some snacks all the time.  It was their favorite place.

It was said “A man’s house is his castle.”  For whatever the duration we stayed, it was true.  They were my castles then.

 

All trips, short or long, come to an end.  Our Taiwan trip came to an end, physically, as we flew back home.  But mentally, I am still there, still there savoring the great food,  sweating away and reminiscing what could have been.  Here are some random thoughts:

I wonder what my life would be if I had stayed in Taiwan

• would I have 4 kids as many when others were not having any and schools were closed due to lack of kids there?
• would I be glued to my phone like many glued to their phones all the time, in the metro, in the restaurants, or just walking?  There are so many things to distract us nowadays, internet, TV, games, social media, etc.  Would I become a slave to my phone and consume without giving much thought anymore?
• would I be as fit as I am when deliciously tasting food are everywhere and easily obtained and not as many open space for sports?  Most of people did not seem to be overweight.  I wonder how they can do that because I gained a few pounds there in just a few weeks.
• would I walk much with MRT taking you almost everywhere for a dollar?
• would I know how to cook?
• would I be working in a high-tech industry?  I met up with a junior high school classmate whom  I have not seen or talked to since I left Taiwan.  He is a college professor now.  Would I be a professor or teacher as well as it has always a certain lure on me?
• would I  hike all the mountains around Taipei where we hardly ever saw anyone or would I just walk around the mall shopping and eating and rubbing shoulders with everyone?
• would I own as many cars as I have where parking in Taipei is ridiculously rare and expensive?  however, I may need a car to explore other parts of country.
• would I drive even more crazier than I do already?  There were turns that my uncle made that even made me cringe.
• would I be glad that light switches are inside of a room instead of outside where someone can turn it off while I am in a room?

Life is short so treasure all those dear to you–I saw an elementary school classmate who is battling with cancer.  She is my oldest friend.  We reminisced our early days when we were still young and innocent and chatted like friends who have been with each other all these years.  I wish for her to recover soon.

The most miraculous thing was nobody has tummy problems from the food.  I was cautious to begin with The first two days, staying away from street vendors but soon throw caution to the wind to appease my appetite, willing to suffer.

My take away from the trip:

• I don’t hardly write anymore, maybe only during vacations; I should write more.
• I don’t read enough anymore.  I need to block out time each week to read.
• I don’t create enough.  Instead of consuming things, I shall aim to create more.

As usual, I have many things I wanted to write but just leave them in the draft mode like my other trips.  Hopefully I will get around to finish writing them.

Take initiative and not react to what is given as Federer would have said, “Play the ball, not the opponent.”