Today we travelled to Jingshan, located at the Northern tip of Taiwan. At the first stop we tie dyed cloth with indigo dye, which came from indigo plants. Our instructor showed us how to rubber band Popsicle sticks and chopsticks to the cloth so that it would make different patterns when we dyed it. We had to massage our cloth in the tub of dye for 5 minutes then take it out and let it air dry so that the dye would oxidize causing it to change from green to blue. After waiting 5 minutes we stuck the cloth into a second tub of dye and repeated the process. Once finished, we opened the cloth up to see what patterns we had created. This was a very fun experience and the place that we tie dyed at was very peaceful.

Extracting dye from Indigo leaves

Tubs of dye

Before dyeing

After dyeing

Everyone's cloths hanging to dry

After indigo dyeing, we went to Dharma Drum Mountain. It is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation and the complex of monasteries and education centers took 16 years to construct. Dharma Drum Mountain is one of the most influential Buddhist organizations in Chinese Buddhism. The view from the top level of the complex was amazing; you could see Jingshan and the Pacific Ocean. Everything was so green, definitely not like the U.S. Midwest at this time of the year! We ate the lunch they prepared for us; rice, dumplings, noodles, vegetables, soup and watermelon. It was delicious and it gave me another opportunity to master the use of chopsticks. Oh and the best part was that our tour guide wanted us to eat like a dragon.

After DDM we went to the Juming Museum. It was amazing as well. Ju Ming is a renowned Taiwanese artist, known for his sculptures. At the museum we saw sculptures cast from bronze, chiseled from wood, formed from clay, and made of stainless steel. I would not do his work justice if I tried describing it to you all so I will post the pictures I took and let them speak for themselves.

We got back to Taipei just in time for our calligraphy class. This was my first time doing calligraphy and I think I did a descent job. I learned that there are many different ways to write the same Chinese character.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna smell like rotten eggs all day...

Today was fun and surprisingly I was not as tired as I have been; maybe the jet lag is almost out of my system! We met early at the Main Gate on campus, hopped in a tour bus, and climbed up to Yangmingshan National Park. When we arrived we watched a brief video about the Park and learned that the volcanoes that make up the park are dormant; this means they have not erupted in a while, but can still produce magma. We hiked the Datun Nature Park Trail and got to experience the flora and fauna of Taiwan. The rocks and trees were all covered in moss, there were butterflies everywhere, and the view looking toward the city was amazing. While hiking the trail our Professors pointed out plants and insects endemic to Taiwan. We got to see a lot of spiders, caterpillars and even some mushrooms. We were also introduced to the Golden Tree Fern which is very common in Taiwan and the Professor told us that recently they have been affected by a virus that causes the tree to die. They do not know how it is transmitted or how to stop it, but they are eradicating the dead trees as a control method. I saw my first spittlebug, insect mining, and a wildlife underpass system to allow animals in the park to safely cross under the road without getting killed by cars.

   Part of the Datun Trail we hiked

Insect mining

Golden Yellow Fern 

Mushroom!

Next we went to Siaoyoukeng Voclanic Site where we got to see, hear, and smell sulfur fumaroles and geothermal hot springs. Let me tell you, it smelled like rotten eggs! When we got near the small hot spring, our tour guide Nora (who was amazing by the way) told us to feel the ground. So we did, and it was hot to the touch, so cool! We walked a little further and got up to the sulfur fumaroles and were able to see sulfur crystals. Nora explained to us that this site used to be a sulfur mine and men would carry 110 lb of rock on their back down to the river 15 to 20 miles away so that the sulfur could be extracted. We then walked through arrow bamboo to scenic decks to get a better view of the sites. Arrow bamboo is very dense and grows a little bit taller than the average human. The Taiwanese aborigines used this bamboo to make their arrows.

Scenic view looking toward Siaoyoukeng Voclanic Site

Geothermal Hot Spring

 Me in front of sulfur fumaroles

Alicia and I with our awesome tour guide Nora!

We finished the day off by taking a tour through Beitou Hot Spring Museum. Before entering the Museum we had to take off our shoes and put slippers on. We watched a brief video on how the museum was established. The original bath house would have been torn down if it was not for a petition signed by countless teachers, students, and parents at a local elementary school. I found out that “Beitou” is derived from the aborigine word “patauw,” which means “witch.” We were able to see the original bath where the men bathed. I also found out that the ore of Taiwan is hokutolite and it is only produced in the sulfurous hot springs in Beitou. The ore contains radium and is radioactive. We walked to Thermal Valley were we got to see the sulfur hot spring. I was told that visitors used to boil eggs in the spring! It was beautiful and the best part was that we stumbled upon a small Buddhist temple.

Beitou Bath

Stainglass window in bath

Slippers!

Thermal Valley

Small Buddhist temple

Squirrel Monkey Bones, Cricket Fighting, and Lectures

Yesterday was another long day, and I am hoping that I can get over this jet lag and get used to the humidity so I do not feel exhausted all of the time. We went to two museums yesterday. The first one was NTU’s Museum of Zoology. We began the tour by listening to the sounds made by the mammals and birds on display. We got to see the skeletons of an Asian elephant, squirrel monkey, and whale. We learned the differences between the toothed whales and baleen whales. One characteristic that distinguishes the two whales is the shape of the head. Toothed whales have concave heads and baleen whales have convex heads.

Baleen Whale

After the Museum of Zoology, we went to NTU’s Insectarium. We were able to go into the collection room and I found this very exciting. There was a very strong odor throughout the building I knew it was the solution used to preserve the insects. In the special exhibition room I learned that cricket fighting is a favorite pastime of the Taiwanese. Two crickets go head-to-head in a wood cage and who’s ever cricket comes out alive wins and the owner gets the betted money. Our tour guide said that they choose a certain species of crickets because they know they are good fighters. In order for the crickets to win they must be angry, so cricket owners throw their crickets into the air before the match.

Cabinets inside collection room

Dragon Fly that flew into Insectarium before we arrived!

After the museum tours we had 3 lectures and our 2^nd Chinese class. The first lecture was on the geography of Taiwan. I learned that 2/3 of the island is covered by forest; there are over 20 million people who inhabit the island; typhoons, monsoons, and earthquakes are very common; 70% of the land area is occupied by hills and mountains. The second lecture covered the flora of Taiwan. I learned that the Golden Dodder is a parasitic plant and forms haustoria to feed on its host plant; mangroves make up the west coast of Taiwan; Biting cat is similar to poison ivy and can be cured by Asian taro; there is a tree called “Round leaf chicken shit tree.” The third lecture covered marine biodiversity of Taiwan. I learned that Taiwan has the highest species diversity of lobsters in the world; most corals are hermaphrodites; some jellyfish can photosynthesize because they contain algae in their tissues; one of the reasons Taiwan has high marine biodiversity is because it is close to the Coral Triangle. Our 2^nd Chinese class was better yesterday, but it is still difficult to learn the language when you are exhausted and it is seven o’clock at night. I have found that learning the language could be useful. Difficult to learn a language in three days, but I can at least say that I know how to say hi, bye, thank you, your welcome, numbers 1-10, and some drink, fruit and food names.

First Impressions

I have been in Taiwan for three days now and have already fallen in love with the place. Sunday was the first day of the program and we introduced ourselves and our colleges to those participating in the program. The best part is that my birthday was Sunday so I can always tell people that I turned 20 in Taiwan! The program directors and NTU students were very nice and inviting and made me feel like I had known them for years. After introductions we headed to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. To get there we had to take the MRT. The MRT is similar to the Metro in Paris, except it is a lot cleaner and does not smell like urine. After visiting the Memorial Hall we passed through 2-28 Peace Park and made our way to National Taiwan Museum. We were able to see exhibits on Aboriginal tribes, flora and fauna, and history of Taiwan. For lunch we headed to the 2nd floor of Taipei Main Station and I had beef noodles, it was delicious, but I had to use a fork to eat it because I did not know how to use chopsticks. After lunch we headed back to NTU and got done early for the day. I was pretty exhausted and went to sleep at 8:45 pm, not the best idea because the next morning I woke up at 4:45 am and could not go back to sleep!

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

 Inside National Taiwan Museum

Delicious Beef Noodles for Lunch

Taipei Main Station

Yesterday was a very long day and by 5:00 pm I wanted to go to sleep. First we headed to the Gallery of NTU History and learned more about how the University came to be what it is today. Next we had a Scavenger Hunt to get to know NTU. We learned about the Fu Bell, Main library, Sports Center, Lu Ming Hall, and Fu Szu-nien Memorial Garden. After lunch we had our first lecture on Fauna of Taiwan and I found it very interesting. Then we had a lecture on Insects of Taiwan and found that there are similar insects in the USA. For dinner we went to a noodle place and had cold noodles with sesame oil and peanut sauce. It was delicious and I was successful in using chopsticks. To top off the evening we had the first Chinese class. I was very nervous when the professor started speaking in Chinese because I had no idea what she was saying. I think the most useful thing she taught us yesterday was number in Chinese and how to ask how much things cost. Today I will hopefully do a lot better.

Outside Gallery of NTU History

Fu Bell

Sports Center

Traditional Lunch Box

Cold Noodle with Sesame oil and Peanut sauce