Yangmingshan's Exploration and Dharma

The day before yesterday was amazing and very beautiful. We first went to Yangmingshan National Park and hiked the Balaka Trail for a couple hours viewing and learning about all the different types of plant and insect species. One of the first things I noticed while on the trial was this leaf that appeared to have little bumpy dots on it. I was wondering what this was until graciously Heng-An Ling told me Dr. Chi-Wei Tsai told her it  was insect gall.  I was very fascinated by this because it looked similar yet different to the crown gall I had learned about in plant pathology lab.

While walking along the trail I also happened to spot a tiny little button mushroom that looked very lonesome but cute because it was all by itself. Although I only know that it was a Basidiomycete, I do not know what particular species it was. I wonder if it was poisonous?  Ahh there is so much to say but I saw so much! I saw a walking stick, lots of butterflies!, dameselfies, some hairy looking caterpillars, and even this poor snake that got run over L

On our next stop we head to the Siaoyoukeng Volcanic site. Our tour guide was this dear little old lady (dlol) named Nora. She was very nice and knowledgeable. At this dormant site there were many fumaroles which are essentially holes in the ground that spout out very hot sulfuric acid (smells like rotten eggs) from the earth’s crust and the park even had the formation of a little hot spring. 

She then took us to through a bamboo trail. It was very thick and tall and seemed sort of like a maze. What surprised me the most to find out about this bamboo was that it only blooms once every 60 years! It is said that if you come and see the little white flowers that bloom you will have good fortune. I hope that maybe one day I will get to see this.

Lastly on this very long day, we went to the Beitou Hot Spring Museum and the Thermal Valley. I have always wanted to go to a hot spring because it seems mystical. But what I loved the most about the museum was the traditional Japanese style Tatami lobby! So beautiful! This day was very, very, very long and to think we were still going to have Chinese class! I was very grateful to Jack yesterday for letting us have dinner with some of the NTU and Chinese students instead. Thank you!

Now for today. I apologize for this post being so long, but I hope the pictures keep you reading J. We started the day off with arts and craft at Jingshan Blue Dye. Here we got to tie dye our own handkerchief with some cool designs the instructor taught us. I have to admit this was challenging and I felt like a little kid again because they had such small tables and chairs for us to sit on. The dye that was supplied actually came from the Indigo plant. And what they do is they take the leaves and put them in a big pot which some chemicals to make the dye. I thought everyone’s handkerchief came out great. 

Next went to the Dharma Drum Mountain. It actually was a Buddhist College that greatly emphasized not religion but the importance of “releasing your vexations”. Our tour guide really wanted us to feel our inner spiritual being and I suppose to feel enlightened. He told us the founder Master Sheng Yen established this temple making sure the environment was preserved. I really enjoyed this place because it allowed me to experience of a whole new life very different from my own. I only wish I could I have taken more pictures but it wasn’t allowed. But the free books and holy water made up for it J

Next we headed to the Juming Museum. If anyone I know ever comes to Taiwan I would definitely recommend this place. It was full of fun art and statues by craftsman Ju Ming. He even created Taichi statues. Toward the end of the tour, I came across some wall art that said hola created by local artist and it remembered me of home. Although at the end we had the chance to buy souvenirs, I regret not buying anything. Oh well, next time I suppose.

Today was not a very long day compared to yesterday but I think ending the day with Calligraphy class was very soothing. I was still tired but it was very fun. I really admire Ivy and her club mates on their craftsmanship. It’s truly amazing because they make it so easy! Today I drew wood, moon, and water. I can’t quite remember what else. I'll post them soon.

I hope tomorrow is another fun and interesting day and glad Rebecca will be able to join us today and happy Alicia just slept in and nothing more. Goodnight :) 

Lecture Day Mostly

We started the day off by visiting the NTU Zoology Museum which was established in 1928 during the Japanese colonization. Although it seemed rather small to me, surprisingly this small room had many specimens such as the skeleton of a toothed whale and various bird species. It was interesting to find out from some of the NTU students and Jack that taxidermy is somewhat rare here compared to the states, especially Texas (although personally I do not care for it much).

On our next stop we visited the NTU Insectarium. This was the highlight of my day because I was very fascinated with the Entomology preservation/storage room despite its very strong odor. The insectarium holds over 330,000 specimens! It’s hard to believe that all these insects were captured by just very small groups of people over time. We were even lucky enough to have seen an insect that had just flow into the building earlier that day. Dr. Thomas seemed very intrigued. 

For the rest of the day we had three lectures which included the Geography of Taiwan, Flora of Taiwan and lastly the Marine biodiversity of Taiwan.  Out of all the three lectures, my favorite was learning about the flora. I especially remember Dr. Jer-Ming Hu's reference of Taiwan's size as smaller than Maryland but slightly bigger than Switzerland. It was a very interesting way to put something into perspective. I was amazed at how many species were endemic to Taiwan such as the Taroko oak and they even had a plant called the Biting cat that created formic acid, which causes great irritation to the skin. He even mentioned another endemic species called the Yushan barberry that made me think of wheat rust caused by the fungus Puccina that Corrine and I learned in plant pathology and molds and mushrooms back at A&M. I think Heng-An Ling, Corrine and I found this lecture very interesting since we are all in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology :) 

Today was a long day especially with our second class of Chinese for the international students. We even played bingo today, learning 1-25. I have to admit I need to practice but only wish we had more time. Hopefully before I leave Taiwan I will be able to go back home and talk to my chinese friends somewhat. 

Happy Late Birthday Janet! :)

The First Day

Today I woke up tired from arriving in Taipei and finally settling in around 8 pm last night. I was a bit anxious about what to expect this morning but once I got downstairs and got to meet some of the other students staying in the same dorm, I became less so. Meeting and getting to know a little bit about everyone during orientation was very exciting. Everyone that I met today was so nice and helpful. The environment was a very warm welcoming atmosphere. This friendliness reminded me of A&M back in College Station. I was especially grateful to Ivy for buying Corinne and I lunch today since we have not yet been able to exchange our money and glad that Rebecca was able to find her wallet. Both of them and everyone I have met today have been very caring, and I am very much looking forward to getting to know everyone. Today we traveled to the National Taiwan Museum and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was very beautiful and walking past the Presidential Hall was a sight to see.  My favorite part of today though was riding the mass rapid transit system (MTR) because it was something I have never done before and not very common from where I’m from. Everything about today was fascinating and surreal and can’t wait to see more. Although today ended early, I was very tired. I think the humidity took a lot out of me and I think it will take some time before I get used to this. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Corinne! I hope your 20^th birthday in Taiwan was everything you hoped it would be. J