嘉義Travelogue 2020
Take some time out — there is always time for family, conversations, and curious explorations. Taking a look back of these past few weeks in Taiwan, my daily schedule was predictable, organized, and intellectually-oriented, probably just me grasping the tail of familiar academic rituals. French classes three times a week compartmentalized my time, as the spoken conversations, and the “finale” of grammar complexities, and the “in-classroom” interaction made it a wonderful learning experience. I am also grateful for such a period dedicated to CFA2 — the extensive curriculum seemed colossal and complex initially, yet manageable as we go through the second and third rounds of revisions.
With independence of managing my time, I could dedicate them to my studies with commitment and efficiency; or spend some time to unwind with French movies, a small exploration around town, or some eccentric pursuits. Inching towards the end of summer and with the finalization of work arrangements, I knew I needed some time out with family. City explorations that were spontaneous and laid back were never my style, yet it came with a sense of loosening up and relief — which was just what I needed. And thus, with train tickets and hotel bookings ready, I embarked on a two-day trip to Chaiyi with Mom; a mother-friendly sorta journey with historical museums, city sight-seeing, and local cuisine.
We took 台鐵from Taichung station, with the proximity of city tourism highlights scattered around the 嘉義Train station. It took me a while, after traveling to stations in different cities, to appreciate the slow and beautiful ambience of the Taichung TRA train station. As I sat at the platform waiting for boarding the train, I put on my shades, and observed. With elderly travelers carrying their 台鐵lunchboxes, Southeast Asian workers seated with lumpy baggage, workers drinking from bottled tea — people of Taiwan each traveled within their time zone, yet basked in an air of security, order, and harmony at the station. Unlike the hectic Taipei THSR train station, the fast-paced Hong Kong MTR, the claustrophobic廣州東站, or the diverse Paris Gare du Nord — Taichung Train station is slow-moving, a slightly crowded, but orderly.
Chaiyi was a city known for its natural beauty in Mountains — the frequently visited 阿里山 has become a prominent hotspot among international travelers. Yet Chaiyi city itself has its own charms often overlooked, and I truly appreciate the chance to explore the city by bike. With limited public transportation (besides infrequent busses), flat topography, and nearby destinations — exploring Chaiyi by two wheels is a good choice (if not for the scorching summer heat). As one of the trailing Taiwanese cities in terms of economic development, signs of commercial tourism were absent — ubiquitous taxis, exorbitant diners, or commercial outlets. Instead, family owned eateries, swarming scooters, small scale businesses, and ample open areas characterized the city.
Mom and I visited Hinoki village, an extensive district of 3.4 hectares with cypress houses that served as public estates in the colonial era. As a doorway to 阿里山，Hinoki village is situated near the Chaiyi train station that collected and transported timber that grew the city’s commercial exports to overseas villages. They were nicely preserved, refurbished, and transformed into a cultural and touristic park today, with exhibitions, tea houses, touristic stores, and handcrafts. I enjoyed strolling along the wooden houses situated on nicely refurbished gardens and trees. The cultural gems of calligraphy collections, cypress handcrafts, and agricultural products of the county are also on display for eager shoppers. We mostly spend the minimal time shopping around touristic outlets when Dad and Danny are around, yet with just Mom and me with a beautiful morning to spare, we ambled leisurely along the stores full of pleasant surprises.
A highlight of Chaiyi county is its traditional cuisine which is extremely budget friendly– due to it not being as commercially advertised and a having smaller tourist population compared to southern counterpart Tainan. We went exploring around 東市場、文化路, where a majority of food stalls and family owned eateries swarmed with scooters and locals taking their food on the go.
The food was a jewel with such a bargain — 涼肉圓、粉圓冰、沙鍋魚頭、涼麵…, and such refreshing cuisines were a relief in the summer heat.Dining inside the covered market, just in front of the cooks was an unique experience, where people movements, vibrant energy, and sensations overflowed the dining experience. I observed locals riding their scooters “into” covered market and waiting in front of the stalls in amazement — extremely unorganized, claustrophobic, and normal in a day’s life of Chaiyi’s traditional market.
Due to the tropical weather of afternoon thundershowers, we visited “The Museum of Old Taiwan tiles” that preserved a gem of ancient Taiwanese buildings. Due to industrialization and modern techniques of construction, these colorful and handmade tiles placed on traditional Taiwanese estates are hidden under the waves of city development. The museum preserved the beautiful tiles from their dedicated rescue efforts during the demolishment of ancient estates, and further promoted the sense of cultural and architectural beauty with handmade crafts, exhibitions, and guided visits. With great grandma’s mansion in 大甲 being one of the two remaining traditional 三合院 mansions in 大甲County, the tile exhibitions triggered nostalgic and fond memories. Each handmade tile was unique in design, color, production technique, and put in order to form the delicate embellishments highlighting the grandiosity of the family house. In retrospection, I never paid attention to the colorful tiles in childhood as I roamed the huge estate, and the museum reminded me of the cultural identity that I had been oblivious to. Mom enjoyed the visit with genuine interest–traditional arts embedded into our daily lives crafted a communal memory that aroused fascination and nostalgia. Sometimes novel explorations stir up connections with our past memories, stimulating sparks of appreciation and insight with a greater understanding to our past.
Novel explorations in a small county never visited, laid back conversations with Mom in a tranquil train ride, lazy afternoons in a 福義軒themed café — these are moments of simple abundance and huge content. Breaks from the usual rituals, pauses from the hectic pursuits, and refreshments that bring in novel ideas and understandings to our surroundings and ourselves — these are essences of a simple trip; packed with gratefulness for Mom :)
