"England and America are two countries separated by the same language." ~~George Bernard Shaw
If you ever find yourself in Hualien, a sprawling coastal town located on the eastern side of Taiwan, I highly recommend Amigos. Run by two Taiwanese women who employ amazingly kind, eager to please, English speaking staff. Very clean, efficient, and eco-friendly.
I waved good-bye to the woman, one of the owners, who was managing the desk the morning I left. She smiled and held up her camera. "I take your picture."
Self-photos not really my thing, I did my best to pose naturally as she snapped a shot. The wall in the main office is splattered with mug shots of fellow travelers. I felt honored to have mine added to the pile. Perhaps in a couple years if I ever come back, it'll be there. My smiling, slightly travel weary face beaming at me, high on the mysteries the world has to offer.
I was leaving Hualien. Getting ready to make the long train ride down to Kaohsiung. A five hour train ride that would require me to do a transfer in Taitung before arriving in Kaohsiung at 1630pm. I was looking forward to it.
It was my fifth day of travel. I'd been in Hualien for two days, exploring Taroko Gorge, one of the biggest draws to this coastal odyssey. Everything I'd read in my preparation for Taiwan had warned rain in the winter months, and lots of it. I wasn't that bothered by precipitation considering I'd been living in Alaska for the past four years. But when you're moving from hostel to hostel, only one pair of pants to your name, you get to be a bit cautious with battling the elements. My bag was waterproofed to protect my splurge of a camera I'd bought this summer, but I didn't really have a great way to dry drenched gear while on the move so much.
Kaohsiung is a city located at the southern tip of Taiwan. Word on the street, it's "sunny year round." I'm hoping to really be able to put some roots down there and dig in to see what this country is all about. So far I've been merely dabbling here and there.
Taiwan has been an unbelievably easy country to travel in. So easy it almost feels like cheating. The people are nice, eager to help. Always smiling, bowing to you in greeting. So far I've had fellow hikers smiling and waving at me, glad to see me sharing their trails. A woman approached me in Taroko Gorge offering to give me a ride to where ever I needed to be dropped in the Gorge. Unfortunately I was already where I needed to be, so I had to decline her offer. Most signs have the English equivalent beneath the Chinese characters. If it isn't there, you just have to match up the characters to see where you need to go. The pace of life here isn't as frantic as Hong Kong, so you can take a moment to get your bearings about you without being slammed into by a rushing crowd at your back.
I've had very few difficulties actually. A few friends who traveled in Taiwan this summer, warned me that finding breakfast places early in the a.m. would be challenging. They were right. Since it's been a year that I found out I had a gluten intolerance, it's been difficult keeping it out of my diet here. The only things open are cute little pastry shops offering enticing delicacies that I can't eat.
But I have.
Thankfully I don't suffer Celiacs. It'd be a whole different story if I did. So I simply wander around Taiwan, crop dusting in silent gastro-intestinal discomfort, waiting for it to pass.
Speaking the local names of places correctly, however, well...I'm still working on that one. After all, I'm American. We aren't engineered to speak a language involving different tonal changes. As my recently developed British friends from D.F. have so kindly informed me: "We speak English, you speak American English."
So, conscious in my attempt to not completely butcher the names, I've inquired from locals in the proper way to enunciate these places. As I walked to the train station, I chanted it over and over in my head so I wouldn't forget it. Kaohsiung--sounds like Cow-zung, but with a "G" attached to the "C." And an "H" attached to the "Z." Gcow-Zhung. Hualien--sounds like Wall-e-n, but with an "H" attached to the "W." Whall-e-n. Taroko, pretty easy to say, but the faster you say it, the smoother it sounds to the ear.
Taiwanese speak Mandarin. Hong Kongers speak Cantonese. I didn't think I'd notice much of a difference but it's there. Mandarin isn't as harsh to the ear and so far sounds like it would be easier to learn and speak. A lot of the words for the most part sound like they look with a few exceptions. I have managed to grasp hello and thank you. That's it so far, any other communication has just involved a lot of hand gesturing. Or broken phrases in English on their part and vigorous nodding on mine. So far it's been working. This morning an interaction with the owner of the hostel went as such:
"You go to Kaohsiung?"
"Yes, this morning on the train."
She smiled big and gave me the thumbs up. She then thrust her pointer finger against her chest. "Me Kaohsiung." She said, tapping her chest, right where her heart lay. I took that to mean one of two things. Either she was from Kaohsiung or she loved Kaohsiung. Either way, she approved of Kaohsiung.
It made me feel good about my decision to go south seeking a dry and warmer clime.
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