Taiwan Deelights!

A long weekend in Taipei means four days of noon stop eating, drinking, exploring and the company of friends.  Despite the heat, which is tropical and unrelenting, the air is clean, the sky is blue, the people are friendly and very proud of their country.  Of course there are the standard tourist things to do:  the amazing Palace Museum, the 101 Tower, the shopping.  But we were lucky enough to venture out up into the mountains to an old mining town, JoFan.  It is now an extremely crowded tourist destination, so winding our way through the crowded alleyways was a challenge...a sweaty touchy sticky challenge.  Then we went to an area in Pingxi, where we wrote on and set off sky lanterns...a beautiful tradition thought to bring luck.  Peace and love and all the good things went floating up in the air....along with a few wishes for princes, white horses and my personal favorite: "Study hard and become a pharmacist".
Love Taiwan!

West Lake, Hangzhou

One of the world's most revered beauty spots, West Lake in  Hangzhou has been painted, written about, mused upon and visited since the 9th century.  I followed Marco Polo's example and went for the long May Labor Day weekend.  And yes, it is beautiful.  And crowded.  And noisy.  It sort of encapsulates everything about what China is for me.  The glance at one thing so lovely it takes your breath away.  Then the immediate counter moment to that when something really revolting happens.  The Yin Yan of Mainland China.  And I had a revelation of sorts while walking through these beautiful, serene, carefully constructed landscapes around the Lake....that truly to be swept away by beauty, all senses need to be engaged.  Sight, sound, smell, even the movement of wind of your skin.  The gardens of Japan do that: engage all senses, because they are quiet, and beautiful, and very zen.  Riding my horse in Griffith Park does that:  the sound of trees and wind and gentle equine breathing as you look over the hills is a fast track to calm.  But it never quite happens here.  The chaos of China just never stops.  But you try.  Focus your view away from the crowds.  Try to ignore the blaring horns or incessant whistles kids are blowing.  Stand nearer to a rose bush to capture that smell and not the one of garlic sausage being snacked on by the passerby.  There are moments, absolutely.  But it's not easy...