Because of the numerous mountains in Taiwan there are a lot of tunnels, especially in the northeast. Seventy percent of Taiwan is mountainous, mostly uninhabitable which is amazing considering that Taiwan is 1/7 the size of Michigan but with almost three times the number of people. No wonder there are always massive numbers of people around. Some of the tunnels took 10 years to build because the mountains are mostly rock.
The tunnel ahead is around 20 miles long (it took 15 minutes to go through so maybe it's 20 km) Anyway, the tunnel has cut almost 2 hours of travel time. Transportation is very efficient here.
Center for Traditional Arts:
Uni-President Yi-Lan Art & Culture Corp.
I bought myself a Mother's Day gift at this glass blowing shop. A beautiful tree (or plant) with white blossoms and large green leaves. I spent more money than I normally would but I figure I'll never be back in Taiwan so why not go all out. When we were on the bus I took it out of the box to show everyone and it broke. It's in three pieces so I'm hoping I can fix it when I get home unless of course it gets broken more than it already is (bummer).
The sun was out so it was even more hot than usual. I can’t seem to acclimate to the heat and humidity so I haven’t felt very well. I probably just need to drink more water. We walked around all the shops for about an hour then we went to a show (Dreamworld) at the theater from 11:30am – 12:30pm. It felt good to sit in the air conditioning and cool off.
Dreamworld:
The show was really good and featured acrobats combined with dance. It was the story of a girl falling asleep and the ensuing dreams reminiscent of the Nutcracker to some degree. It was entertaining and showcased one balancing maneuver after another as well as juggling, a musical performance by a quartet and even some comedic interaction with the audience. It kept my attention for the entire sixty minutes and my dance background gave me a true appreciation of the incredible strength each performer possessed. Fortunately there are no language barriers in music and dance.
Lanyang Museum:
The first thing I noticed at this museum, and it had nothing to do with the museum, was the umbrella stand at the entrance so you could lock your umbrella. In Taiwan umbrellas are used for both protection from the rain as well as the sun. Apparently it is a sign of affluence to have fair skin so Taiwanese shield themselves from the sun as much as possible. It is so common to carry an umbrella that most stores have a place at the entrance for you to leave your umbrella. I don't know why I didn't take a picture because it was quite a unique sight.
It was lunch time when we arrived so we ate first. I had spaghetti, soup, and split a piece of cake with Dion. It was definitely one of the better meals I have had here, probably because it was so westernized.
Lanyang Museum is in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan near Wushih Port. The museum just opened last year for the purpose of establishing a place where people can learn more about the cultural heritage, history, and natural resources of Yilan. Our English speaking tour guide was very thorough and passionate about Yilan County. Throughout the tour we learned how rice is grown, harvested, and processed as well as the dangers that fishermen face. The museum also showcased exhibits that incorporated the natural environment of Yilan that includes mountains, plains, and of course the ocean.
The thing that I will remember most about Lanyang Museum is the unique architecture of the building. The inspiration for the design of the building was the cuesta, which is basically a ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a cliff on the other (gently tilting stone escarpment) which are common on the northeast coast of Taiwan.
View from the escalator going up to the second floor
We've been fed so everyone is happy
King Car Whiskey Distillery:
We watched a slide show on the history of the company and how they came to produce whiskey, then we went on tour of the distillery. Lastly, we got to sample the whiskey after eating a cracker first. I assured the tour guide that I was over 18 years-old, the legal drinking age in Taiwan. The straight whiskey which is 40% alcohol was quite good though a bit strong. The tour guide then opened some screw top cans containing a choice of whiskey/coke or whiskey/7-Up. They both were very good!
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