Yay Taipei!

After non-stop work in the studio for what-feels-like-forever (I know, stop complaining right?) Shin Yu took Yoshi and me to Taipei for 2 days. It was like being freed from...well, not prison, but something that you really need a break from. We managed to cram about a thousand things into the 2 days, and now need a rest from our rest. Here are some highlights:

Everything is sold fresh and whole in Taiwan. No mystery meat. And everything is used.

Dumplings for breakfast. I could eat dumplings every day for ever! Love them!

Po-Ching took us to this secret spot. Thanks Po-Ching!

Temple in Sensia

 This temple is very famous, and has been under construction for 100 years. It was built long before that, but an earthquake ruined a lot of it. So an artist was hired to rebuild it, and he hired only artisans to work on it. Thus it is amazingly crafted with the finest detail, but not finished even after 100 years. It is mind-blowing.

enormous drum hanging from ceiling

new and old

view along the river

I might expect a temple to be on a quiet mountain somewhere, but temples are mixed right in with the cities. So there is a lot of contrast between old and new. Quite amazing.
I'll post the rest of the photos shortly!

The Players

I'm already starting to miss my new family, and I haven't even left yet. The grad students at Tainan National University of the Arts are a tight group. They work ALL day together (usually from morning to 2AM or later), eat together, play together, and look out for each other. It is an amazing dynamic that I feel lucky to be a part of. So here are a few of the players...

Huimin, Lian-Ting, Yu-Ja, Pei-ei

Yoshi and Osamu (both resident artists), Chun-Chi, Pei-ei, Yao-Chung, Shi-Wa, Huimin

Huimin and Thomas

In this picture, everyone is snacking on food from the night market. They tricked me into eating chicken-butt. This did not freak me out as much as trying pig ear. That was too much. They waste nothing in Taiwan.

Huimin and Thomas are from Singapore. They are always translating everything for me, Osamu and Yoshi. They are wonderful!!!

Yu-Ja, Max and Holly (another resident artist)

On the way back from Taipei, Max was in charge of getting us all to the proper train and helping us to get dinner. He was so nervous about it, and I thought this was sweet. Max also has the best laugh, I smile every time I hear it.

 

Lung-Chieh (aka Long-J) rescues us from the cafeteria on weekends and takes us to the night market for food. He is so patient and has a great sense of humor. He also helped me bargain for a watch. In this picture he's making a plaster mold.

Chun-Chi and Osamu tried eating beetle-nut, which is a common nut in Taiwan that is known to give you a blast of energy, like 3 cups of coffee. Truck drivers eat these a lot, and their teeth turn red and get pretty messed up. You could compare it to tobacco "chew". They tried to get me to try one, but when I saw Yoshi almost throw up, I decided against it. I'll stick with coffee.
OK, more pictures of the grad students to come later, as well as pics of their work.

Pink Moon

This song "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake was playing in my head while my friend Mei Yueh and I were riding on her scooter through the country side. We drove by rice fields, mango groves, citrus trees, bamboo, pineapples, and bananas. I tried to take pictures while on the back of her scooter, without actually looking through the camera, and with one hand. So, well, here are the results! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXnfhnCoOyo&feature=artist

rice

bananas

pig barn

citrus

 

I asked Mei Yueh about this shirt she was wearing. She had no idea what kind of plant this was. So when I explained, she was really surprised and said that Taiwanese people would have no idea what it was either. Funny.

Wood Village

I'm constantly amazed by the beauty here and the changing landscape. Ching Yuan, Yoshi and I took a drive up to Wood Village, which is located in a beautiful mountain area. The village is known for amazing wood carving, but also has antique shops and other really lovely stores and restaurants. I might compare it to Biltmore Village in Asheville, but way more authentic.

view from the new gallery in Wood Village

Ching Yuan getting information on the layout

one of the architects

 We went there for the purpose of checking out a new gallery space that is being built by Mr. Lin, the owner of 2 other galleries and a restaurant in Taipei. Ching Yuan will be like an art consultant, and he is creating a tile installation for the new gallery as well. I think Ching Yuan is the busiest man on the planet. He works like 25 hours a day!
The new gallery space is ambitious and located in the most beautiful spot, with gorgeous views of the foggy mountains. You will have to walk through and around a bamboo garden and ponds just to enter the gallery. There will also be a small restaurant with views of the gardens. I will have to come back to see it completed! Oh well!

Some of the engineers on the project

We had lunch at a fantastic little restaurant that looked like a cafe, and you don't actually order your own food. They cook you whatever they have that day, so it's a surprise. It was delicious as always. Since I was the only girl, Mr. Lin always made sure I was served first. Taiwanese are really polite like this all the time.

After lunch we stopped at a great antique shop that had wonderful treasures from all over Asia. I loved the iron teapots that nest inside "stoves" that burn charcoal or wood to heat water for tea. Really I loved everything, and I wanted to move into this place permanently. Another favorite was this ceramic pig, which is my chinese birth year.

Later that evening, we went over to Po Ching and Shin Yu's house for dinner. Po Ching's mom made these incredible bamboo leaf-wrapped rice packets that are stuffed with pork bits, nuts, fruit bits and a bunch of other deliciousness. They are a very common Taiwanese food, and each family makes them a little different. I dream about these. They were so good! Thanks Po Ching's mom!