Park Play

When I found this apartment back in August, I knew it was an answer to prayer and I felt very grateful to find a quiet place with cool room mates near my school and near a night market.  The longer I live here the more I like it.  Mainly, the more time I spend in the park the more I love it.

5 minutes from my front door is a very long park that snakes and curves beside the river for miles and miles.  Each morning, I can ride up the park to school or go for a run there after work when my head needs to be cleared.  I could join in a game of basketball (haven't gotten the nerve up to do this one yet, male dominated past time), enjoy the river, or just watch. Watch birds, watch packs of stray dogs (harmless, really),  watch people spray paint, watch couples in tango lessons or watch the moon. 

This past Sunday, I rode my bike home after church and noticed how lively and energetic the park was on the weekends compared to my week days commutes.  I love seeing people enjoy themselves outside.  Especially in a city that can be noisy and crowded this park is a wonderful space for everyone to come and enjoy and move their bodies.  It's a chance to be "country" in the city, take off your shoes and let the grass sneak in between your toes, fish on the bank, feed the birds, enjoy the animals stray and wild that linger all around you. 

"You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl."

To fully understand my love for this park you need to know about my parents.  One of the many things I love about them is they often "kicked us kids out of the house", telling us to play outside.  So, I grew up playing in the woods, digging in the dirt, picking leaves and petals at random. Then, taking them between my finger and thumb nail, cutting them into  little pieces and inhaling the sweet or woody fragrance before climbing a tree or playing under one.  Playing outside, enjoying nature and using all our senses to appreciate it and explore in it is a gift from God.  It is good to lose our sense of time and place in an engaging, outdoor activity.  It like therapy for me and I know that no matter how old I will grow on this earth I will always need to go outside and play. 

So, here's some photos of Jingmei Park:

Some fun (and probably tasty) artisan bread at the outdoor market. 

An outdoor market at the Artist's Village on the Park. 

Some men fishing on a Sunday morning at Xindian River. 

Some men fishing on a Sunday morning.

Xindian River with an urban backdrop. 

Xindian River, Jingmei, Taipei

Jiufen

Me, Beth, Rosie, Tina, Ursa, Bonnie taking a moment to pose on our hike up to the top. 

Jiufen is a small town about an hour or two from Taipei.  You can catch the bus just outside the MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing stop, next to the ESPIRIT store.  However, my procrastination in writing this blog and recording our memories has made me forget the bus number.  Either way, though be it winter or summer the bus will be almost guaranteed to be blasting the AC so be prepared with your fleece from back home or that night market steal with the faux fur on top.  We went in early December and it was much colder inside than outside.

On a side note, it's interesting that the lowest it will get here is about 17 Celcius/in the 50s but it feels much colder because there is so much moisture in the air.  Central Heating is not common here so opening windows when its cold outside is actually the best way to circulate the air and keep it from getting colder inside than out.   I was very confused the first few mornings our teacher came into our class, everyone dressed in layers, only to open all the windows!

So, one of the first things you will notice when you get off the bus in Jiufen is a small mountain.  The 45 minutes hike up is definitely worth the view.   From the top we could see a stunning view of the Mountains meeting the coastline.


Jiufen is popular because it has a unique history as a gold mining mountain town run by the Japanese government when they controlled Taipei.  The main street is narrow and winds past dozens and dozens of shops, food stands, restaurants and hotels.   It can be quiet so it best to pop your patience pill because you embark down the old street (alley, really).

The Mountain is just behind the temple just behind me.

A wonderful view of the rolling mountains and the ocean would be on the right if this picture was about an inch longer.

The hour hike to the top. 

The view from the top. Beautiful coastline and swerving roads with houses and buildings sprinkled around.

The main street at Jiufen, not so crowded later in the afternoon after our hike.  A street vender selling grilled mushrooms.

An interesting shop selling steamers, massagers, wooden spoons and other traditional items made from a beautiful wood.  I had to remind myself that I didn't need to stock a kitchen while I was in Taipei.  That will have to wait.  I might get one of those steamers before I leave, though..

The old street in Jiufen at night.  The famous staircase that was in a movie I've never seen and inspired an impromtu silly song about, "So many types of people" to see in Jiufen.