hypermegaglobal.net

Visiting those who have passed away was the more enjoyable part. Their urns are kept in what can best be described as lockers in one of the buildings of a huge and colorful Buddhist temple.

There are also some tombs outside, but I was told those were more expensive and not necessarily better as they might be damaged during typhoons:

Some more temple pictures:

As to the relatives who were still very much alive, they live in what a friend of mine described as "a garage": Just imagine a standard width garage with a TV on one of the long sides, some furniture which looks like it was rescued from the trash on the opposite side, ugly plastic items all over the place and a bunch of calenders on the wall (in lieu of pictures) and you've got a popular Taiwanese living room design. Thinking they couldn't afford anything better, I didn't take any pictures. It wasn't until we took a walk around the neighborhood that I learned that most houses belonged to them and that they were richer than I'll likely ever be. Here's a picture of their outdoor collection of "stuff that might still be good for something":

Come on, I generally don't like shopping, either, but I think this goes a bit too far. Middle way, anyone?

Oh well, at least we got some veggies from their yet undeveloped plot of land out of the visit. Quite tasty, actually.

I'll write more about the great food in Taiwan soon.

The recession is tightening its grip in Taiwan: Companies have closed their doors and big red signs which I can only assume say "going out of business" are plastered all over the place. I blame the fact they didn't give me a consumption voucher.

Taiwanese reacted by leaving the cities and heading to the mountains, presumably to return to the self-sufficient lifestyle of Formosan aborigines.

Besides a few explosions last night and some drivers running red lights in panic today, the overall situation remained calm and stable. However, a weird obsession with oxen seems to be spreading rapidly over the island. A psychologist I consulted online thinks this represents a desire to return to simpler times. A controversial Panda cult has also managed to gain a few followers.

The good thing about these dramatic developments is that I finally got to see Sun Moon Lake. Besides turquoise waters and lush mountainsides, this world class attraction in central Taiwan offers historical artifacts like the boat used by Chiang Kai-Sheck during his escape to Taiwan.

Gōng xǐ fā cái!

As you probably don't know, part of the Taiwanese approach to avert the economic meltdown is handing out NT$3600 (about 80 Euro or 200 GBP) in consumption vouchers to everyone in Taiwan. At least that's what I thought until I was told that tourists are not eligible. Angry at having waiting for over an hour in the baking sun while the guy in front of me picked up 48 vouchers for his extended redneck family, I tried calling President Ma to ask why there is this discrepancy. Before they asked me to never call this number again, I was told that if the policy allowed tourists to receive vouchers, that would include all illegal foreign laborers, such as Canadian kindergarten teachers. In their mind, somehow, this seems to be an acceptable explanation.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I'm afraid I may have already entered the "distress stage" of the culture shock model:

Everything you're experiencing [is] starting to feel like a thick wall that's preventing you from experiencing things.

Exactly! Not having received NT$3600 is preventing me from experiencing a wonderful evening at one of Taichung's famous KTVs.

[Inspired by this post on Forumosa]

Welcome to part 2 of my special pacific island report (part 1 is here)!

My Jiějiě woke me up at 4:30h this morning, saying something about going to see a Chinese doctor. I think I murmured "you're nuts, I'm fine" and slept for another 5 hours.

This turned out to be my first cultural misunderstanding. In the West, we only go see a doctor when we're sick or - if you're like me - when the pain becomes unbearable. However, in traditional Chinese culture the doctor's role is to keep you healthy, which is why you have to go see him all the time. Still doesn't explain why this particular doctor works from 5:00am to 8:00am, though.

I got a second chance later the same day when I was taken to a chiropractor. He diagnosed a badly bent spine (I blame my job) and warned me that the necessary corrective measures might hurt "a bit". I must admit I had doubts concerning his qualification. If he's as good as I was told, how come he worked in such a shabby office? Why didn't he have sexy assistants like the doctors in Japanese adult entertainment movies? Does Chinese chiropractice really go back 5000 years?

Then I remembered what I had learned from watching countless late night kung fu flicks: Real masters never care for worldly possessions. Any doubts I still might have had were quickly dispersed once the treatment started. The excruciating pain left me with only one thought: Not wanting to cry like a baby. Luckily, I managed to suppress my urge to scream and nobody could see the tears running down my face, anyway.