Munching through North of Taiwan Part II Pingsi

So as we said our goodbyes to our friendly and super entertaining guides is Suao, we loaded on to the bus all in our respective seats on route to the district and Homey Village of Pingsi. I loved the sound of the Homey, which means simple and comfortable.
Pingsi is situated along the Keelung river in the North Eastern part of New Taipei City which was about 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from Suao. Pingsi is a wee bit more inland.

A Map from Suao to Pingsi

It is a lovely district located in lush green mountains. It was given the nickname "Waterfall Township", because of it's winter rainfall season and with heavy north eastern Monsoons many natural treasures like beautiful waterfalls, cliffs, stoned potholes and sharp stones have formed in this area.

In 1907, an open coal mine was discovered and this marked the beginning of the Black Gold Age in Pingsi.

Hard Hat with a green mountain backdrop

I had a enormous interest in Pingsi, because of the mining. Being a South African, I come from a country where the mining industry is huge and having a uncle who works in a coal mine for years was really home away from home to me. 

After the coal mine was discovered, the next to come must have been the railway system. I can just imagine this whole area booming with job seekers, business entrepreneurs and trains heavily loaded with coal chucking through these beautiful hills and mountains.

 A statue honoring this district of mining.

We got dropped at this statue of coal miners working with the Keelung river on our right. This is Jingtong Station and home of the Jingtong Coalmine Museum. We walked straight into a market area with little shops, restaurants and street vendors.

Busy times in the Taiwan mining industry

Original since 1929 (the building, I mean)

The Jingtong station building is a national monument and one of the top 100 historical architectures in Taiwan. It was build by Japanese in 1929 and is one of the few train stations that is still in it's original wooden structure. I can just imagine how well this wooden structure must be build and treated to endure the heavy rains and winds through all the years...

 Taking a stretch on the tracks

Very old architecture and wish upon wish...

...upon wish...upon wish. Wishes everywhere...

...Thousands of them!!

We then popped into the Coalmine museum located next to the train track. The building was first used as a railway dormitory but after the mining industry collapsed it was converted into a museum.

Direction is important...

...even when you don't understand them.

Awesome guide in Jingtong explaining the areas of mining inside the museum. During our walks from one site to the next he would shout above the hustle and bustle: COME HERE! Of course I would react instantaneous not used to be ordered in English...and from there on to get everybody's attention Mindy will just shout: COME HERE!!

It was hilarious.

Pingsi is a typical old time miners, railway station town. It reminds and saddens me to think of all the forgotten small mining towns in South Africa like Pelgrimsrus, Cullinan, Kleinzee,  forgotten railway towns like Leeu-Gamka, Laingsburg, Touwsrivier just to name a few. 

The only difference is, in Taiwan there is a great public transport system and all these small towns can be visited by train or bus at cheap tariffs and safe of course. I enjoy and secretley envy this privilege....

Pingsi Old Street (Check out Mindy with her sign)

We then followed the pathway down and then up Pingsi Old Street filled with shops restaurants and street vendors. When you look up, you can spot the railway track passing right overhead making the passing of a train a truly shake rattle and roll experience!

We arrived at a sign that for some reasons to me, my family and close friends and old colleagues of my father is special. (Oom Ian Gardiner, Oom Vos en Tannie Marlene spesiaal vir julle:-)

The old Post of Pingsi Post Office

From Gem I understood that Pingsi was the oldest Post in Taiwan, with these antique post boxes still in use. These Japanese period post boxes was discontinued more than 50 years ago, because of their huge size on roads and streets. I think they are awesome and I love Pingsi for just keeping them in use. 

From the Post office we all loaded back on to the bus for a what seemed like a 4x4 trip, caused by roadworks to our next stop the Taiwan Coalmine Museum.

The first coal mine museum in Taiwan.

This mine was founded in 1967 and stopped mining in 1997.

This museum was an absolutely unbelievable experience. Not only was our guide fluent in English we went on the slowest, bumpiest and most thrilling electrical train ride. This mini train was the FIRST electrical train used in Taiwan and was the exact same way the transported the coal from the mine to the place where it was

washed.

All aboard!

Michael with a steady hand, loving the ride as much as I did...

Hang on, Gem!!!

Gem and Michael...trigger happy...always ready to snap!

The manner in which they mined the coal was explained and demonstrated to us. The museum is filled with pictures of  miners working in small narrow tunnels. The use of tools and equipment was also shown and demonstrated to us. I loved this impressive original wall to the entrance of the mine and even more excited to walk through a tunnel which was still in it's original state of how the mine was used up until it got shut down. 

Original wall to the entrance of the mine.

Scenic shots with equipment used.

 Our brilliant English speaking and well informed tour guide.

 A walk into...

...through...

...and out of a rich history of blood sweat and tears.

From the museum we all piled back into the bus on our way to our overnight accommodation and dinner of chili chicken hot pot. Another first tradition for me in Taiwan. It was a delicious broth of spiciness.I had a bit of a struggle with no knife and big chucks of vegetables, mushrooms and chicken all piping hot to get through, with only a spoon and fork it was not easy to say, but I managed it.

Spicy Chicken Hot Pot

After dinner we went for a stroll down Shihfen Old Street. I soon realized that this was not any street. There was no street but a track. Super special. From the guesthouse front door you walk 20 meters down a walkway and you are on the track with shops and restaurants on either side and in between there is no fences or barriers. Trains slowly pass through hourly on daily bases.

Just in time seeing the train coming in...

          

...and passing by.

Michael and I enjoying a ice cold Taiwan Beer...local is lekker;-)

(Happy Birthday Pierre Bester)

On the 15th day of the first lunar month at the end of Chinese New year, this will be February on a normal calender, the skies in and around Pingsi light up with thousands of sky lanterns that is launched during Lantern Festival.  So as a tourist attraction sky lanterns with wishes are launched over weekends when tourist flock to small towns like Pingsi. I was naturally very excited to write my name and wish on a traditional Chinese sky lantern and launching it of a train track into a full moon lit Taiwanese sky.

Full moon...

        

           Michael from Austria...

  

               Stunning Taiwanese couple launching their wish to become rich.

   

               Yin Yu Hsu from Taiwan working her wish                   

  

 Naqaa Alomari and Laith Smadi from Jordan

As for me and my wish, well I just had to make sure the gods knew exactly whose wish this was so I wrote my name in Chinese as well. My wish of course...well I only have one... for now....
WESTERN PROVINCE MUST WIN CURRIE CUP 2013!

               There it is. My wish: PROVINCE ... CURRIE CUP CHAMPIONS 2013!!

And we are ready for liftoff...

                                          

Up ... Up  

 Up...Up and away...I hope they all come truexxx

I learned so much about and from Pingsi. It makes me happy to feel free and enjoy life and living it.

I would like to thank everyone making Pingsi such and amazing experience.

I would love to be back during lantern festival, so I can get all my wishes in for 2014.

Third and final part of our trip through Northern Taiwan Neiwan and Wanhua to follow soon.

Thanks to all my loyal friends and fellow bloggers for reading.

Province Groete

Mariza...Mo Li

xxx



Munching through North of Taiwan Part I Suao

I was unbelievably blessed to be part of a tour through the North of Taiwan.
Head Teacher Grace got me in touch with her college lecturer +Michael Turton   http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/2013/10/northern-taiwan-tour-two-days-of-fun-n.html who was sourcing foreigners New to Taiwan for the opportunity to see Taiwan.
So on Tuesday I received a e-mail from Michael that summon me to be at Taipei main station on Saturday 19 October 2013 at 07:00 am. Grace was kind enough to book my overnight train tickets on-line. For those who don't know I had to travel from Gangshan Kaohsiung, which made this an even bigger adventure of a trip for me.  All of Friday the 18th was just pure excitement. I tried hard to be focused in class as well as getting all my planning done for Monday. I surely was not planning on working while on my FIRST tour in and around Taiwan.

This song just keep popping up in my head all day long....

When I arrived at my room just after 22:00 I had enough time for a shower to pack and get something to snack on train from my favorite 7 Eleven of course. I cycled to station, and anxiously awaited the train to Taipei leaving at 23:55.

Gangshan Train station, waiting in anticipation

This is how you sleep on a train...

I did not sleep much maybe a hour, but enjoyed watching the people nodding of and listening to my favorite tunes on mp3 player.

We arrived on time 06:05 in Taipei and I was just once again amazed at the public transport system and the clear directions on such a busy and huge train station. I went to wash my face brush my teeth and dress in shorts hoping to get some sun on my white knees...Thank you for pointing that out @Rob Marshall.

I found the East exit gate no 3 with ease and killed time until 7 with a cup of coffee.

Taipei Train station

I spotted Michael Turton easily in the crowd and met up with a absolute brilliant and very interesting man.

We joined the rest of the tour group outside and I enjoyed meeting a fascinating group of people from different parts of the world. 

This was our tour indication.

Mindy, our brilliant tour organizer and guide.

Pedal to the metal...our fantastic bus driver.

Michael from Austria taking a picture of the group on the bus.

Mindy went everywhere with the tour indication board, I had to release her from the task every now and then.

The first town we visited on our North tour was of the East coast, the fishing town of Suao Nanfango.

It is one of Taiwan's three biggest fishery harbors.

Map of Taiwan. A clear indication from my hometown in South, Kaohsiung to Taipei way in the North to our first stop Suao in the North East of the island.

Group photo in front of Suao train station. Local tour guide way on the right of the picture, she was great trying to explain to me some sites in English. I give her a 10 just for effort;-)

We arrived in town just in time for the start of their annual Mackerel festival. Locals stream to the temple where the biggest mackerel's (ever) eyes got exposed and draped with a dead chicken's blood by a priest.

The Mackerel my friend is blowing in the wind...

The outside wall of the temple.

The priest

maaaaaaaaaaase MACKEREL!

From the temple the mackerel is carried to a boat waiting in the first harbor.This is accompanied by the drumming of drums and firework of course. Locals with cameras flock to the harbor wall to wave the mackerel goodbye. I was amused and touched by the children who waved saying bye-bye. This was a truly amazing ritual to witness and enjoyed every minute.

Adorable...

Mackerel memories created...

Mackerel can be fished all year long. 90% of the 40 000 tons of mackerel caught in Taiwan every year comes from the Suao Nanfango area. The best time to harvest mackerel is in late December. So one can literally say mackerel is BIG here.

Come get your tinned mackerel...all flavors ready to eat!

(Taiwan beer not included in special)

We then took a walk up the road to visit the CCCB coral museum. It was mentioned to me that coral harvesting was illegal in Taiwan. From what I understand most coral is exported from Taiwan to the rest of the world to make jewelry  or sculptures. I am sure there is a legal organisation that handles this aspect of coral exports from Taiwan. The unbelievable art work was amazing and I was could stare ages at the smallest of detail.

What amazing craft man ship...

I was a bit dumb struck by this display...but a good find if I must say so myself.

From there we were took a stroll down the Suao Nanfango seafood street. Of course everything looked and smell fishy here. But after witnessing the biggest mackerel being shipped of to see I also saw some of the smallest dried fishies down this road.

Fish...left...right and center!

We stopped at a spot with loads of fish tanks, where the chef it seems was prepping our lunch. Yes this was the spot where we had lunch and in the third biggest fishing harbor in Taiwan why settle for anything other than fish??!

I'll tell you if I pulled this stunt with a fag in any kitchen I ever worked...I will probably be prepping fish the same way at a local SPCA for homeless cats.

Still trying to get a hang of eating with chopsticks I had an amazing lunch and with the help and guidance by introducing new dishes and ways of eating by my new friend Gem. She comes from the island of Manila in the Philippines. Her English and Chinese is great and she was my translator for most of the trip, she is true to her name...she was kind enough to organize a fork an spoon to make the eating process much easier.  

An absolutely amazing lunch of seafood.

Gem and I in a streetwise conversation...

So with our satisfied full bellies we slowly walked back to the bus and took a drive up the mountain to a lookout point for the most amazing view of the town and harbor of Suao. 

Enthusiastic cyclist that Michael Turton is, he told us the amusing story of how he went cycling a few years ago and caught two view seekers going at it in almost the exact spot. So I think we can call this view Breathless...

Awesome views of mountains and beaches...

Next we went to a local shop for famous local ice cream. Suao is famous for it's ice treats. The shop was busy and the row to be helped long, which is a clear indication of great ice cream. 

 Miya also a big help in translating, enjoying her choice of flavor 

Milk and chocolate flavor...moreish.

With our ice creams in hand we walked around the block to the Cold Spring Park. With good rainfall all year long and carbon dioxide produced from the local limestone Suao is world famous for it's 21 degrees Celsius cold water springs. The water did not feel that warm to me, but it was amazing to see this natural product produced from mother earth.

Someone brave enough to take a dip.

Private cabins where you can  come and rejuvenate.

We all had a chance to wet our toes.

Big Yellow Ducks everywhere, I had to give one a kiss.

I had a absolute blast in Suao, which I never even knew existed. I hope all readers feel the same and for those in Taiwan who have never been to Suao, get yourselves there. I hope to be back for another visit even if it's just to buy some tinned mackerel for my toast. Thank you to everyone making it a very memorable day in Suao.

For more Northern  munching I will be posting about the rest of my tour pretty soon.

Groete uit die Ooste

Mariza

xxx