Dragon Boat Festival Weekend Sunday Afternoon Ride

Sunday afternoon I rode my bicycle for the fifth time in the last year or so down to the DongShi Fisherman’s Wharf along the western coast of Chiayi County (see my 2010 post). Because of the intense afternoon heat, I took it much slower than usual.

Usually, the tourist park is deserted, or nearly so. But because of the  three-day Dragon Boat holiday, the normally vacant beach area was swarming with families. There were no dragon boat races going on this evening, but the stands selling grilled squid, etc. were all open and doing very good business. Sadly, no one bothered to fill the wading pool area with water, but at least the fountains in the background were in full-blast for the kids and their parents to cool off in!

Due to having both the setting sun as well as the wind at my back, the 2nd half of my 70 km ride was much cooler and more relaxed than the trip down the coast.

Below I enjoyed the beautiful view of the “red forest” along the side of the river before the sun set and the bugs began coming out!

Drizzling in Puli

Yesterday, we made a day trip to Puli.

The first few times I ever visited Puli were in the days and months following the horrific 921 earthquake. We put on a summer camp there in 2000. I can’t remember for sure, but it had probably been at least five years since my last visit.

An impatient truck driver honked as we waited at the red light in front of the hill leading up to Puli Christian Hospital. Then, when the light changed to green he recklessly passed us on the left, narrowly grazing the side of my car as he speeded on his way. At the next light I got out of the car and let him know what he had done. Thankfully no noticeable damage!

In addition to a few other popular destinations in Puli including the winery, chocolate shops (I tried the ice cream instead of chocolate—delicious!) and two roadside eateries, we visited the so-called “Paper Dome”(see this link and that link).

When we arrived at the front gate of the park surrounding the Paper Dome, we were immediately impressed by the serenity , natural beauty, and artistry in the park.

 

 

 

 

 

By chance, the graduating class of the QingShui Elementary School of Nantou, known all over Taiwan for the quality of their music department, was there for a performance.

  In addition to music, they were good at many other things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazingly, the junior high school from Shuilin Township (just next door to the township where I live) “happened” to be visiting the Paper Dome as one segment of their day-long field trip at the same time as we were. We know a number of the students personally!

My favorite part of the outing was the chance to sip an iced tea watching and listening to the rainfall while reading my Kindle at the very nice wooden tables in the restaurant area. Although you have to  buy a 100 NT ticket to visit the Paper Dome, you can redeem 100 NT in the restaurant or the souvenir shop in front of it by either getting a drink or postcards, etc.

 

The lotus plants to the left and right of the restaurant windows were beautiful, especially in the hard drizzle:

Visit there sometime!

Two Birds, a Locked Car Door, and a TV Channel

1．The First Bird

As I’ve written about elsewhere, on the afternoon of May 13, 2008 I let one of my three pet birds, a yellow love bird I hand-fed as a baby 6 months earlier, out of its cage.

With the bird on my hand, I walked two houses down as I had many times before to ask my neighbors’ grandchild if she wanted to play with the bird. Then, to my surprise, the bird flew a few centimeters up off my arm and returned again. Then it flew about a meter up and returned again. The third time, it lifted up about 5 meters and got swept away by the strong wind!

I watched in disbelief as in about 10 seconds the bright yellow bird was carried about 300 meters by the wind. Finally, it landed on top of a duck barn very far away. I quickly drove over on my motorcycle but I could not find the bird. I was very sad because I knew I would never see it again. My Canadian friends Lorne and Kathy-Lu prayed that God would help me find the bird.

Three months later, on Monday, August 11, I received a telephone call from a family whose two children came regularly to my house to study English. The family who had locked their car keys in the car. They called to tell me that someone had given them a bird that had flown into their yard the day before. They told me it looked like my bird. So I went to get it.

Was it the same bird? It was very tame, just like my bird. And since this community is not large,  I thought the possibility was very high that it was the same bird. Perhaps God arranged for this family to find the bird. But only He knows for sure!

What do you think of this story? Was it the same bird? Why or why not?

2．A Locked Car Door

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008, a friend of ours whose two kids sometimes came to my house to study English got out of her car to give me a piece of Mother’s Day cake. She left the car keys in the car with the engine running since she only planned to be there long enough to give me the piece of cake. However, when she tried to open the car door, she discovered that it was locked! She and her husband looked for an hour for an extra set of car keys. But they could not find them. So the husband came back with a friend. They brought a coat hanger with them in order to pick the lock.

They tried to pick the lock for at least 10 minutes but could not unlock the door. So I asked if I could give it a try. I stuck the coat hanger down one time into the door window, but I could not open the door either. Then God led me to say a prayer out loud. I prayed that in the name of Jesus Christ that God would open the door in order for people to know about Him. Do you know what happened? As soon as I pulled up on the clothes hanger, the door lock came right up! The men were amazed. As soon as the man and his friend got their car back home, the family called on the telephone to ask me to say thank you to God for them. I told them they could do it themselves!

Two days later, on May 13, the bird in the first story above flew away from my house. It was found 3 months later by this same family.

What do you think about this story? Is it possible? What do you think about it being the same family who found the bird?

3．The Second Bird

Over the next 2 years, I got 3 other birds, including 釋迦 (Sek-khia). One day, Sek-khia flew into the schoolyard at a school in Taichung where some friends of mine work. They called me on the phone to ask if wanted a bird. I said yes!

Sek-khia is very funny. He is also quite talented and can speak many languages. He can say:「你好可愛！」and 「你好」(Chinese), “I love you” (English), and 「不要睡」and「阿！有蟑螂！」( Taiwanese). In the summer of 2010, Sek-khia’s neck developed a ring. So I knew that Sek-khia was a boy and not a girl.

Early Wednesday morning, March 30, 2011, I was putting Sek-khia back into his cage when he slipped out of my hand and landed at my feet. We were outside so I knew I had to be very careful. I had to act quickly. But before I could grab his chain, the bird flew away.

I watched as he flew higher and higher and faster and faster away from my house in a north-easterly direction. I followed by foot, and then by motorcycle. After looking for him for at least an hour, I was very sad. I knew I was not likely to see him again. I left the cage door open in case Sek-khia should return.

The next day in the afternoon I got a call from a friend. He called to say his sister’s son at Four Lakes Elementary school to the west had seen a bird in the schoolyard that looked like my bird! But when he tried to catch it, the bird flew away. However, later that afternoon they saw the bird in the schoolyard again and this time the young boy and his uncle caught the bird. Many other kids at Four Lakes Elementary School were there watching.

I believe that God, who made the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents, arranged for my friend to find the bird. I believe this because God wants more and more people to know of His power, and of His love for them.

Do you think it is a coincidence that the second bird was found by my friend? Do you believe in a God who made the world, and who arranges circumstances in our lives？Why or why not?

4. A TV Channel

We have a friend named Peter who comes to help us at our church every Saturday and Sunday. I bring Peter with me often when I go to visit people in Four Lakes. Many years ago, Peter used to do bad things (he was a big gangster who did drugs). He had to go to prison. But now he is a changed, new man.

We have some other church friends from northern Taiwan who from July 24-25, 2010 ran a bilingual summer camp for elementary school students here in Four Lakes. While the rest were teaching the classes, I took 2 or 3 other teachers to drink tea with friends in the community. The second day, we went to visit a man in Four Lakes who knows my friend Peter. Almost every week I bring Peter to drink tea and have conversation with this man. He is very hospitable and loves to talk.

The pastor’s wife from northern Taiwan friend told my friend that if he wanted to learn more about Christianity, he could watch the GOOD TV channel. So the man picked up the remote control and turned to GOOD TV. Guess what? There on the TV was Peter, who drinks tea with the man almost every single weekend! Good TV was showing a short program about how Peter turned from a life of drugs and how changed him into a “new creation”.

A week or two later I went to visit this man again. We joked about how funny it was that last time he switched the TV channel only to immediately see Peter on TV. As we were talking, the man took the remote control and turned on the TV. Once again he turned to the GOOD TV channel. Guess what? Peter was on the TV a second time!

The man in this story is the same person who found the second bird in the story above.

What do you think of this story? Was flipping the TV channel and seeing the same person (not a famous movie star) twice a coincidence? Why or why not? What about it being the same man who found the second bird? How does God arrange circumstances in your life? How can you ask Him to do so?

A year ago last spring, I bought yet another baby bird-- a Ducorps Cockatoo I later named “Frank-Frank.” “FF is one bad dude! He is even more intelligent than the 2 mentioned above. As mentioned elsewhere, so far he can wave, shake hands, and turn around in a circle all upon command! But how will God’s Spirit connect him in supernaturally with what He is doing to cause His Kingdom to come to this community? I hope Frank-Frank doesn’t have to fly the coop before he can be used by God!

Countryside Art

Last week I went for a long bicycle ride to the next township and back (longer because I got lost!). Instead of the main roads, which are quite narrow and have a lot of trucks in places,  I went by way of less-trafficked paths that criss-cross through the rice and other fields. Below is some of the artwork painted on walls in front of houses which I passed. Enjoy!

Penghu Trip #2

Back in August, 2008 I shared about my first visit to Penghu (Pescadores islands) with a large group of coworkers. This week I was finally able to visit again for 3 days/2 nights, with a little more freedom since I went alone.

Once again, I took the ferry round trip (about 2,000 NT) from BuDai in Chiayi, just 30 minutes from my house. The water was rough on the way back.

Unfortunately I missed the fireworks on the Rainbow Bridge in MaGong City on Monday and Thursday nights because I didn’t do my trip-planning homework and was not there on those nights. I was also not able to visit any of the other islands since I did not plan that much time for the trip. Those things would have been nice, but mostly I just wanted  to retreat for a few days.

I brought my bicycle over with me this time. Although I didn’t traverse the whole island, I did make good use of it cycling back and forth from MaGong City to the visitor center and down to ShanShui and  ShiLi beaches on the southern shore. I prefer the countryside here in Yunlin County for bicycling as there were lots of cars, trucks, scooters, and fumes heading into and out of town. One guy just missed me by inches. Not exactly a tourist paradise! Over near the beaches, however, the cycling was much more pleasant.

The 2nd day, I broke down and rented a scooter. The weather was quite cool and I was able to enjoy sitting in the shade at a rest spot along the road to the Great Bridge. My teeth chattered uncontrollably as I drove my scooter back from the beach in the cold wind that evening and I enjoyed a very long hot shower to warm up.

The third day I was back on the bike again, checking out a short but pleasant bike path which starts at the Guanyin Park and runs along the precautionary wall separating the water from MaGong island.

There were signs and maps posted every couple of hundred meters, but inexplicably the path abruptly ended just a kilometer or so into the trip!

I’m glad the people of Penghu decided against the gambling casinos a few years ago, but they could do a lot more to make the place tourist-friendly. For example, not putting up bike path maps and guide posts until the paths are finished!

The beautiful sandy beaches with the blue water offshore were a sight for sore eyes. The first day I went skin diving off the side of the LiShui beach. The visibility was poor due to the sandy bottom but I did see lots of puffer fish and other tropical fish. The second day the visibility was even worse due to the overcast skies and increased wind. And the coral over at the third beach (AoMen) has seen better days. If you go to Penghu for snorkeling, go to another island. Or better yet, save your money and go diving in the Philippines, Thailand, or Malaysia. Then again, including travel, it probably wouldn’t be much more expensive.

Since I don’t particularly care for seafood (I don’t dislike it but can easily do without it) and because of my budget for this trip, I chose to stay in MaGong City due to the abundance of 7-11’s, coffee shops, a McDonalds, a sit-down Domino’s Pizza (one of only 2 in Taiwan; the other is in SiHu Township in Changhua County), etc. I would not repeat this mistake if there is ever a “next time" because of the place I chose to stay somewhat randomly from the internet.

It was just a few hundred yards from the port. When I arrived, they pulled  a “switch and bait” on me, telling me the price they quoted when I called from home that morning was the April price. Since the difference was only 150 NT and I didn’t want to take the time to go to one of the other places I had called, I decided to stay there anyway. The small room was clean, had wireless internet and cable TV so I was happy to be able to watch some of the NBA playoffs. However, it became evident at night that the surroundings across from the hotel were somewhat seedy.

Most significantly, the  attitude of the manager left a lot to be desired. The crowning example of this was when I went back to pick up my backpack before heading over to the ferry. She was having a sit-down meeting at the front desk with her two assistants, both of whom were noticeably emotionally upset. As she raised her voice, one of the poor girls started crying. It’s bad enough she was shouting at them, but if you’ve got to “tan2 shi4qing2” 談事情, at least do it out of plain sight and hearing of the customers!"  My emphatic verdict would be to anyone reading this post: AVOID THE FENG-GU Hotel like the plague! You can stay at a nice homestay a 15 minute scooter ride away for about the same price as the moderately-priced hotels.

People Highlights of the trip:

• Meeting a family from the U.S. who are here because the husband is filming a 3-D movie with Ang Li at the old airport in Taichung: The Life of Pi. I read this novel a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, and will look forward to the movie! I took the two boys with me snorkeling over off the point on Shi Li beach.
• Chatting with a guy from Chuanghua who has lived in Penghu for 13 years and oversees one of the beach areas. I found out later they charged the family above for use of the showers/changing rooms, but he let me use them for free, most likely because we were chatting in Taiwanese and Mandarin.
• A friendly husband and wife from Penghu (apparently well-to-do) who lived way over at the other end of the island with whom I conversed in Taiwanese and Mandarin. I think He would have dropped everything to take me around the island, but I politely declined. He maybe could have been looking to make some money this way, or enhance his business relationships by introducing a potential customer, but I think he was mostly being friendly.
• Chatting with a young man from Kaohsiung doing his compulsory military service with the Coast Guard in MaGong. He’s only been here half a year and feels bored to death. I’m not sure I can blame him.

I’d say the overall highlight of my trip was the last afternoon (2 or 3 hours) I spent reading and meditating over in a shelter atop the precautionary wall past the Youth Hostel. I wouldn’t want to do this in August, but the weather was cool again this day. So nice to just sit down or lie back and listen to the sound/watch the sight of the ocean! Some of the best pleasures in life come absolutely free.

Before entering the ferry, I sipped on a cactus smoothie. Cactus ice cream, smoothies, bing, etc. are a specialty here. Try one if you come.