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Published: December 29th 2010
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - halfway around the world
The weather is beautiful, no rain, no humidity. Doesn’t seem much like Christmas here in Taiwan, but what does one expect in a Buddhist country?
Christmas Eve we set out by ferry for Cinjin, a long narrow island that forms a natural breakwater to protect Kaohsiung harbor. This small island has a 300 year told temple devoted to Matsu, Goddess of the Sea, the Cihou Lighthouse, the Cihou Fort, a seaside park, and a wind powered park at the end of the island. The Temple to the Goddess of the Sea was built on the spot where fishermen sought refuge from a typhoon in 1673. The British built the lighthouse on the island in 1883 to guide mariners around Kaohsiung harbor. It operated for more than a century, but is no longer in use. The Cihou Fort was built in the early Ching dynasty to protect the harbor.
As we walked our way up the hill to the fort and lighthouse, a local dog started leading our way. She seemed intent on keeping us on the right path. I think she took a special liking to Mel. I
sure miss Milo. For those who don’t know, Milo was our 12 year old long-haired doxie that we had to put to sleep last September. Kaohsiung is full of long- haired daschounds, although most of them are blonde where Milo was red. Makes me sad.
We walked down the hill and followed the beach path eventually wandering through a local fish market. Our treat for the day was shaved ice with fresh fruit on top. Boy was this delicious!
After Alexa went to work, Mel and I walked through Central Park. Kaohsiung has so many beautiful parks all over the city. This park led us to Holy Rosary Cathedral. Two Dominican Missionaries arrived in this area in May 1859. Originally they were rejected by the people, and arrested by the local government. One of the missionaries took ill, and a dwelling place was finally found where they could rest. Eventually, they were accepted and in 1860 they built a mud and straw plastered house. By May 1863, the number of Catholics had increased and the new Church dedicated to the Holy Rosary was completed. A Christmas Eve celebration was going on in the parish yard. One kindly parishioner
took an interest in us (Mel in particular) and even sat to have his dinner with us. With Christmas carols playing, this was the first time it felt like Christmas in Taiwan.
Tonight we had dinner with Alexa’s Taiwan family: Marco, his brother Webber, and Webber’s girlfriend Mickie, and Marco and Webber’s mother Yu Yen. We ate Chinese hot pots - a new experience for us. Very good! I hope we can find something like this back home.
On Saturday, Christmas day, we drove to Meinong and Fo Guang Shan, a Buddhist Monastary with Alexa’s friends Hero and Mickie. Hero and Mickie have a sushi cart outside Marco’s tea shop. They make great sushi!
Meinong, a rural town in southern Taiwan, is the heart of Hakka country. About 90% of the people here are of Hakka ancestry and still speak the native language. The area is an interesting mix of houses, farms, paddy fields and tourist shops. After leaving Meinong, we drove through the Dashu village to the Fo Guang Shan Monastary. High above the road on the hillside stands an enormous statue of Amitabha Buddha - it measures about 120 ft. tall. Lining the road to
the monastery are 480 smaller statues. The Fo Guang Shan Monastary was started in the early 1960’s. It’s a vast complex of grand temples, giant statues, and collections of Buddhist art. It’s also home to about 300 monks and nuns. Alexa is hoping to attend a weekend retreat here before she leaves Taiwan in April.
On Sunday, December 26th we took a local train to Tainan City, Taiwan’s formal capital on the southwest coast. This city is full of ancient monuments and temples. Our first stop was the National Museum of Taiwan literature - but everything was written in Mandarin so we didn’t stay long. Next we went to the Confucius Temple, Koxinga Shrine and Museum, Lady Linshui Temple, and the Wufei Temple of Five Concubines. Emperor Koxinga committed suicide at the end of the Quing dynasty. His five concubines and several eunuchs also committed suicide so they could stay with him in the afterlife.
A short distance away we visited historic Anping Fort and Tree House. The tree house was originally a warehouse. In 1935 the roots and gnarled branches of the banyan trees began covering the warehouse. These trees are over 100 years old and now
wrap completely around the building. Very cool!
This evening we ate dinner at the Bayou - a New Orleans jazz themed restaurant reminding us of Alaina and Matt who were celebrating Christmas with Matt’s family in Mississippi. Yes, we are in Taiwan, but I think we were all a little homesick. It’s our first Christmas without Alaina and Christmas is not really celebrated here. We finished off the evening sucking on candy canes - a little bit of an American Christmas ala this restaurant and the local Costco warehouse in Kaohsiung. Weird huh?
Well our journey is soon ending - one more day and then a long flight home. We’ll take our pictures, souvenirs, and wonderful memories of our Asian adventure with us. Thanks for coming along via this blog. It’s been a treat. Happy New Year to all.
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