Projects and Trails

July 16^th- We woke up in our cabins today and began our trek to Giant Tree. The walk back from the observatory was pretty mild with lots of scenic views. There were birds surrounding the trail and we got to see many during the hike. We passed by giant rock, which showed another piece of the destruction left by the 921 earthquake. The rock looked like it had been sheared off and moved face down a few feet below. It’s quite amazing to see the strength of natural disasters.

We finished our rock at Giant Tree that seemed like a common tourist spot in Xitou. The tree showed a lot of wear. It was explained to me that the huge crack splitting the center of the trunk was due to a lighting strike. Although the tree itself was dead, there were still living branches that seemed to be acting like ivy as it wrapped around some of the trunk. It was pretty cool to see.

Later in the day, we went to the classroom to present the proposal for our research project. My group consists of Hoong-Yee, Em, Brooke , and I. We decided to focus our research in Xitou and relate soil and vegetation in various areas of the park. I’m exited to get into the park tomorrow and start taking some samples. This project doesn’t really fall into things I have learned previously but relates to what our lectures have been about this month.

Last thing we did today was watch a movie. It talked about the fauna and flora in the higher mountain areas of Taiwan. A lot of the plants and birds we have seen. It was a really well produced movie and I could see why it cost 2 mill. NT to make.

Birds and Astronomy

July 15th- Today was the first full day in Xitou. I wanted to start this post with a quick side note from my usual lecture and tour focus. I would like to quickly touch on the breakfast buffets in Taiwan. They are FANTASTIC! At a typical US breakfast buffet you would be lucky to get fruit and sometimes even hot food. The buffet here covers almost half of the room and has everything! It goes from eggs and steam buns, to chicken nuggets and fries, to cake and watermelon. I really could rave forever. 

Let me focus back on the major happenings of the day. We got an introduction presentation about Xitou and then were given a bit of time to explore the area. Chris and I went to the shopping areas right outside Xitou's limits. There was a really cute Japanese style market where I will definitely be frequenting throughout our time here.

We had three more lectures today. The first two dealt with birds and techniques of bird data collection. Both of the lectures were pretty interesting. I especially enjoyed hearing about the data collection techniques. There seems to be easy to have errors in bird population collection. The lecturer explained that the error is overcome by looking more at trends than anything else. That makes sense to me. Our lecture of the night was from a really knowledgeable man who worked at a National Museum in Taiwan. His lecture dealt with astronomy. He seemed to know everything about everything. It was a great lecture and it was nice finishing it off at the observatory later that night. 

At the observatory we weren't able to see any stars due to the cloud coverage. The lecturer made up for that though and we had some great views from the cabins we stayed at.

Tea, Tea, Tea

July 14th- Woke up at the Pheonix Tea Plantation this morning. We got a tour of the facility, which contained a lot of great views. It's interesting to see the step-like set up they use for growing the tea. There is definitely a lot of work that goes into making tea. I guess it is an "art" as one of the lecturers had said earlier. After our tour we got the chance to try some tea and learn the correct technique of pouring tea.
After lunch, we went to a really interesting place called Bamboola Taiwan. The presenter there was probably one of the most interesting people I have ever met. I don't know how to explain his personality but he had this aura that displayed an inner calmness and also strength. There were many items there called "puzzle boxes" that had secret ways of opening the boxes. I was only able to open the easier ones and if I could open them it would be a great safe to have. This was one of my favorite trip stops. I will definitely be going back there.
Before heading to Xitou for the night, we stopped at the Lugu Farmer's Association. While there, we did some tea tasting. The people there ran us through the tea evaluation process. I really enjoyed the 4th and 5th of the five teas. There was no clear cut winner after our whole group voted. All of the teas had such different flavors, which may explain the close results.
I'm really happy to finally be Xitou! We will begin our projects pretty soon but still have a few days to explore before then.

Endemic Species Museum!

July 13th- Final stretch before Xitou! We left the Wood Utilization and Product Exhibition Center and headed to the Endemic Species Research Institute. We spent most of the day here listening to a few lectures and taking a tour around the facility. We were able to go into one of the rooms there that held a lot of wildlife native to Taiwan. There were tons of birds surrounding the outer edges of the room. The really interesting specimens were on the inside of the movable drawers where there was a few clouded leopards. It was amazing seeing them and it is unfortunate that they are probably extinct. We also got to go to the animal hospital at the center. We saw some more rare species including the serpent eagle, and some raptors. The serpent eagle was so calm in person and it was nice to see that they were able to give that one a more natural habitat. Hopefully some of the other birds out there in the future will get a more natural home.

We later on had a lecture about bats. This lecture was pretty different from others we have had. There are apparently 35 species of bats in Taiwan. At the end of the lecture the lecturer even brought out a small native bat for us to see. This was the first time I have been able to hold and touch a bat. The wings are so fragile form what I would imagine. It is funny because I would compare the webbing to a frogs feet. They have such an interesting body structure.

We stopped at an old temple for a bit and then headed to the Tea Plantation. Once the fog cleared from the balcony of our hotel you could look down and see and expanse of lights from the county below. I love this area and really have to travel back here if I get the opportunity. We got to celebrate Ashley's birthday tonight! She's so sweet and I'm glad to see she had a good time on her birthday!

Central Taiwan

July 12th- The day went pretty fast. Started out the day at an aboriginal museum that explained a bit about their culture and major products. They had mostly plum related items and we saw the wine casks where the rice wine ferments. All of this was new to me and I had to pick up a few items at the gift shop.

We then went to an aborigine village. The people were so hospitable and made us a full lunch, which has been one of the best so far. The fish was awesome and I saw the first real sausage that wasn't a hot dog. It seems that everyone here think there one in the same. It's kind of humorous. Anyway, after lunch we headed back to our dorms and then got a tour of the wood refining area at the dorm we are staying at. It's really shocking to see the ease in which they are able to create usable wood. Later in tonight we saw a video that showed how lumber is produced in tree farms. This was on a much larger scale and more machine dependent. They ran through rows of trees like it was nothing at all.

Finally, we also got to make a bench today. The laser inscription was a really great touch and enjoyed personalizing my bench with the tiles as well. I'm going to have to get another suitcase for all of these souvenirs I've been accumulating.

July 11th- We had a nice calmer day. We started a little bit later today at 8 and then learned a little bit about the agriculture of the aboriginal people. It was interesting relating area, and outer influence to the crop choices. It definitely has a great effect on what the aborigines choose to grow.

I really enjoyed participating in the tomato harvest today. It was a nice break from the lecture setting and I can never say no to any fresh vegetables or fruit. I stuffed my container to maximum compacity and expect on eating most of it. The same tomatoes we got during lunch were really fantastic.

We drove for a few hours after the tomato picking and have stopped in Shueli Wood Utilization and Product Exhibition Center for the next two nights. The area is owned by NTU and is focused on the development of forestry worldwide. We toured the museum and it was really interesting seeing the variety in their. The building had a variety of furniture and sculptures created there, and the whole entire building was also made in wood. I'm interested to see more of the manufacturing processes tomorrow.

July 10th- Happy Picking Flowers Day! Was woken up to the alarm a bit too early it seemed like today but that seems to be when the most birds are out. We did catch a good amount of birds, so overall was worth the early morning call.

We then had an introduction lecture to the farm and went over to where they dry flowers. I will definitely be trying that when I get home. We saw some of the areas where they cultivate flowers and fruit. The variety of colors and types of flowers was really amazing and so beautiful.

The afternoon was the real highlight of the day. We got a more interactive experience by creating our own flower bouquet and beet picking. I think my favorite part of the day was picking the beet and then trying the blended beet and fruit juice. I don't know if I would add this to my daily regimen but the drink was good, although rather pulpy. 

To finish off the day was a tea culture lecture. The taste tests provided a nice break in the lecture and it was interesting hearing about the mix of chemistry and art in the tea making process. After a month here I may be pushed out of my Starbucks rut. So far the tea I've had has been good and probably healthier than my sugar-laden frappuccino. Well, we'll see; anyway, overall was a really busy but probably one of the most interesting days here.

Mountains and Hiking

July 8- More driving than anything else. We had to get on smaller buses today to get through the small roads up into the mountains. I could definitely see why with the hairpin turns and mostly one lane roads. Slept a lot but while awake the views were amazing. We stopped at a beautiful coffee house in the mountains and got to relax while looking at the scenery. Just beautiful. The weather is so much milder which is nice.
We went through a nice hike this morning and went and climbed up to a temple that was on the mountain. It was a long climb to the top of the temple but definitely worth it. The breeze and view was awesome from the top of this one tower.

July 9- Today involved a lot of hiking. Very exhausting but got some great pictures and great views. We woke up this morning around 4 and watched the sunrise as climbing up to the top of a mountain on one trail. Then we had two more smaller trails in the morning. The second was rockier and the third went through some of the trees and saw a few laughing thrush there. There is so many diverse plants and animals everywhere you look and the view of mountains covered in clouds. I need to remember to shut out my laziness because I'm never going to be able to see these types of views in the US. My favorite plant I saw today was a type of fake orchid. I can't remember the name but was a sharp white contrast to the greenery in the forest of our third trail. My favorite flower had to be the edelweiss we saw on our first trail in the morning. I had flashbacks of my mother who used to sing it to me when I was young and that with the background of sunrise across cloud peaked mountains was amazing.
After our hiking, everyone was dead beat. We did a DIY with bandanna making. Mine turned into a collage of one of the flowers in a green, purple, and peach color. Was a nice break from the hiking and a great souvenir to take home with me. Planning on watching a movie and probably sleeping for the rest of the night. Gotta be bright and bushy-eyed for the 6 am start tomorrow!

Busing Down the Coast

Today was an early start as we continued down the east coast. The geography was mainly the same as yesterday but we got the opportunity to venture further into the mountains today. We hiked along a trail that bordered a river cutting through high lush mountains. It was nice having a little cooler weather today although still got a bit burned. The best part of the day was traveling down and swimming in the river. The water is so blue and was surrounded by rocks all around. 

We had a few more stops along the way to see some of the more famous areas around the road. We finally got to the hotel and had a lecture tonight talking a bit about some of the plant species will be seeing in the next few weeks. It was funny seeing how similar some of the plant species are to the ones in the US. I'm excited to see a few of the endemic species we saw in the slides tonight.

Not sure how the wifi or my laptop battery will be holding up for the next few days but hopefully will be able to continue to update daily. Be blogging soon!