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