C.K.S. Memorial Hall Park

Saturday October 13, 2012

Help me out here. Do you think my morning was an ultimate fail or ultimate win? Let’s find out! ;D

If you recall from yesterday’s Taffy, I mentioned the need to buy black pants for Saturday. There would be a parade that our martial arts club at Tatung could join and our teacher invited us. The only information I received for this was to wear black pants and be at C.K.S. Memorial Hall at 6:15AM. So that’s exactly what I did. Trouble is…where in C.K.S. Memorial Hall?! There’s a whole MTR station under that title and the actual C.K.S. Memorial Hall! And I should note I’ve never been to this place before so I was exactly knowledgeable in the geography. Nevertheless, I still put my best foot forward.

Just like the past several days, 7-Eleven has been my breakfast life force. Waking up at 5:20AM on a Saturday for sure meant my host family wouldn’t be awake. This meant grabbing a little something-something at a convenient store. In a little bit of a rush, I got a measly purchase of water and a banana. Walking to the MTR station, the fruit was crammed down my throat and the peel thrown away in the only trashcan I knew of in the area.

New fact learned today: the MTR station opens at 5:45AM but the first train doesn’t leave until 6:00AM. Note to self, stop being such an early bird. Slight irony there because I’m developing into a contrasting mix of an early bird and night owl. Ouch. Not good! XD

When I did arrive at C.K.S. Memorial Hall the first problem arose. Which exit do I take out of the eight available ones?! After a bit of exploring, I found a sign that said “Exit __ C.K.S. Memorial Hall.” That was promising! I expected to find my club at the exit because whenever I meet up with people for events, we always meet just outside the exit.

The exit tunnel was quite artistic at this station, photography pictures lining the walls in masterpieces. It was enjoyable to view the work so early in the morning. But my bubble was slightly burst when there was no sign of my club at the exit. Oh snap. Finding a nearby map, I spotted a dot labeled “C.K.S. Memorial Hall.” So I could only conclude that my club was at the actual building rather than just the MTR station.

With a bit of walking, I entered what was a huge park with a main attraction of the C.K.S. Memorial Hall standing proudly. I know not all of its history other than a memorial to Taiwan's president but it sure was a lovely sight. Walking completely around it, there STILL was no sign of anyone I knew. Crap, crap, crap! I had to resort to walking back to the MTR station to check for a second time. Right next to the station was a large building with a courtyard that had white signs evenly placed on the ground. There were even official looking people under tents as if organizing a festival or parade. I had to assume that this would be the place I could find my club.

So I sat and waited…and waited…waaaaaaiting…an hour passed…waiting. Many people in white T-shirts and tan hats began arriving at the location. They obviously were performers of some sort, in this case, the people walking in the parade. It felt very awkward because they all had matching outfits when little old me stuck out with my black outfit. So many matching people passed me, staring as if wondering what the heck I was doing there.  But I just continued sitting, waiting and watching. Various objects like flags, shrines and costumes began to fill the courtyard, reassuring me that I was in the correct place to encounter my club.

My endurance wore out once the clock turned 8:00 and I felt unsolicited by the people around me. That and my legs were falling asleep from sitting so long as well as my stomach grumbling for nourishment. Deciding to try coming back a little later, I strolled away until I found a breakfast shop that sold the beloved triangle sandwiches. In no time, the deliciousness was consumed and I headed back to the courtyard. STILL no sign of my club. At this point, there were way too many people gathering together, making it near to impossible to find my desired targets. It also was way too crowded for a lonely foreigner to sit and wait in hopes of finding someone familiar.

All I could do was go by the actual C.K.S. Memorial Hall and check once more for recognizable life forms. The result…no one. Not wanting to go back into the packed chaos and be completely oblivious to the Chinese being spoken, I remained in the park for some exploration.

The journey began with a map sign of the park’s layout. With the little bit of English printed, I decided to check out the labeled “Bonsai” areas. I love bonsais! It was a must to give it a look-see. While reading the sign I hear behind me, as I often do, “chang tou fa!” (long hair!). The voices came from an elderly man and woman who spoke pretty rapid Chinese. All I could understand was the frequent repetition of “chang tou fa” and “piao liang” (pretty). I repeatedly kept bowing and thanking them in Chinese. But the kept on saying “Piao liang. Piao liang. Piao liang.” It made me question whether or not I was hearing correctly or not because they said it so many times. XD

After the couple got their “piao liang” craze out, I headed to the bonsais. BUT CRUEL WORLD WHY?!! The several areas with bonsais were gated off and I couldn’t figure out how to get in. Nuts! So I resorted to just voyaging into the unknown.

The park was quite extensive but pleasant to wander through. I came across wide roads, narrow roads, ponds, bridges, birds, trees, flowers and more. Gosh it was so lovely. The scenery and exercise was medicine for the soul. But it wasn’t long until I heard fireworks going off nearby at the courtyard. That was a signal to me to check one last time for my club.

Already started, the parade was crossing the street and began their Chinese expedition of celebration. I thought to follow them but it seemed strange to trail a parade rather than being in it as well as not knowing the city’s layout away from the park and MTR station. Andrea didn’t feel like getting lost. So I just stood still and took pictures while on the look out for familiar faces. Unfortunately my eyes did not find anyone but my camera at least took some photos of the culture in the parade.

These guys look fun! Can I try wearing those stilts and have cloth dangling from my wrists?! Less than ten people were suited up like this and when walking, they would sway their arms forward and backward in rhythm to their steps. It created a cool waving of the ribbons hanging from their hands! I think these guys were my favorite part of the parade. :P

A bombardment of culture in one picture, we have awesome looking Chinese flags, hanging lanterns, traditional percussion and a dragon following some sort of spinning pink flower in front of its mouth. All of it is so cool! One of the top groups of the parade that contained the most Chinese culture in such an eye pleasing presentation.

I’m not entirely sure what this is because it has a chair but looks like a shrine on wheels. The colorful tassels dangling from the umbrella are fun though!

Ok, what is this? The man would spin the cylinder around and around but I can’t say I’ve ever seen something like this before. Nonetheless, it’s pretty!

Some groups would have gongs like this one and other sorts of traditional Chinese percussion following behind. You can’t see it but people following this man had hand symbols and drums that played together. It all felt very powerful.

I like to think of these as temples on wheels. XD A good number of shrines like these were wheeled through the parade. This one has to be my favorite because of the colorful tassels decorating the shrine. I seem to have a thing for tassels lately huh? XD But with so many shrines passing by, the air became thick with the scent of incense. A little stifling on the lungs.

With the last of the parade having crossed the street, it ended the search for my club members in failure. Thinking it a waste to go back home then, I ventured to continue my exploration of the park.

I came across many magnificent sights from buildings to plants to animals. Here are some of such highlights.

This was the first gate I encountered when entering the park. I don’t know the middle character but I can read “men…da” (door….big). Well, I guess it is a big door. :P It’s actually one of the smaller entrances of the park.

The largest entrance by far was this splendor. It looks like each of the white structures are wearing cool blue hats that just barely float above their heads. Those roofs are so beautifully constructed!

Ok, who knows why I like the roof? Think color-wise…figured it out? If you guessed that ‘wo xi huan cheng’ you are correct! (I like orange :P) The view of this building was the opposite side of the crowded courtyard of gathering parade people. Obviously this side is a lot more open, almost deserted if not for people like that group of boy scouts in the back! Yes, there were several groups of boy scouts wandering the park. They were all so cute. ^_^

This next building stole by heart and became the most beloved of the park in my eyes. You’ll see why. First, just look at those amazing roof dimensions, structure and color! Absolutely stunning!

A closer look at the architecture. Can you say ‘magnificent’?! * drool *

Behold! One of the two most cherished pictures of the day! The angle, lighting, clouds and building all just fit perfectly in my eyes!

The two shots I took, I just couldn’t choose between them for uploading on my blog. Therefore, I resort to just posting both these beauties!

And the building of magnificence continues to be a part of my photography! The bridge and pond are beautiful by themselves but mixing the vibrant colors of the water, trees, sky and building you get a very gorgeous picture.

Several of these white bridges were laid out around the pond area. Their structure is yet another marvel. An interesting concept of them, the pathway has slender stairs on each side and a plain slope in the middle. I wasn’t sure if there was a proper way to climb them or not. Either way, the bridge is still beautiful!

BIRDIE! BIRDIE PLUS PRETTY FLOWER! LOVE! The little fellow was a bugger to capture a clear picture with needing to fully use a 20X zoom, I relish in my success of getting his bird’s elegant portrait. The outstanding flower is the cherry on top ;)

Another enjoyable view of a pond and bridge. The water’s reflection is a key asset to this picture’s worth.

A different BIRDIE! This one moved extremely slow, carefully placing each foot in front of the other while extending its head forward. It was an unknown strange avian, but the fact that it was a bird in general made me really pleased to see its kind.

I think the park map referred to these types of areas as “health paths.” The mimicry of an actual forest seemed to indeed increase my health as I became very relaxed and content when strolling through it. Since this path was raised up above the rest of the park, for a small amount of time I felt as if I was walking through a forest in a mountain, which as you might know, I absolutely adore.

An interesting tree to view but do you see something else? Look closely…it’s looking back at you! Perched where the branches meet, a cat stared straight at me. I was not expecting to find a cat in the park! It was an entertaining surprise.

Hey there! I know you! I love it when I find the Rotary International symbol when visiting random places. Several little areas of the park were marked with the gear because I figured Rotary sponsored those areas. They included I imitation desert, rainforest, healing garden and more.

Now the healing garden, as it were, fit its name quite well. A sign at the entrance of the small garden encouraged its visitors to do four things:

-Look at the vibrantly colored plants

-Listen to the birds singing, insects buzzing and wind rustling the leaves

-Smell the sweet scent of flowers, fragrant soil and fresh air

-Touch the plants for different shapes and textures

By doing all of these, the sign said it would calm one’s mind and body, reducing stress levels. I don’t know how long I sat in that garden but it wasn’t an in-and-out thing I’ll say that! First seating myself at a bench basking in the sunlight, I enjoyed the calm and rest. But after a while, the fear of getting sunburn became apparent. Moving to a shady bench, I completely melted into peace. Just closing my eyes and feeling the breeze, hearing the rustling leaves, the trickling waters, songs of birds and deeply inhaling the scents all made me find serenity. The tranquility was outstanding, truly feeling as if being healed in the healing garden. Time was inexistent to me and I relaxed there without giving it a single thought.

Eventually I did stand again when finished with what I guess you could call meditating. There was yet to try the plant touching feature of the garden. Interested in a green plant with leaves outlined in white, they became my first experience. Almost in a cup shape, the leaves were curved upwards with a fascinating texture of soft but firmness. Smelling my hands afterward, the plant rubbed off a lovely perfume on my fingers. It became a favored plant of the garden.

Bidding the beloved healing garden farewell, I continued to swerve through various paths of the park. Several bushes blossomed stunning flowers that demanded photography of their beauty.

After exploring the entire park and over filling my contentment meter, I exited the area revitalized and refreshed. Now I know of a place to visit incase life gets too hectic for me and relaxation is needed. I quite adore that park.

In the underground pathway towards the MTR station, a fun little sound emitted from the long hallway. An accordion musician was performing excellent songs that stretched down the hall in echoes. A small little thing in my day, but nonetheless brought a huge smile to my lips.

And so ended my first visit to C.K.S. Memorial MTR station (Chiang Kai-Shek). I didn’t succeed in my original purpose for going there but instead made an unforgettable journey through the park nearby. And I may have bought black exercise pants for a specific purpose and didn’t get to use them for that reason but I should say that they are extremely comfortable and I will surely make use of them often. You tell me if all of that is a win or fail. ;)

The rest of the day included a trip to the phone store and library. With the phone store, I needed to go refill the credit on my phone as it was completely drained. No, that doesn’t mean I chit chatted constantly away these past six weeks. It’s just $10US worth only can take you so far in the year. ;) Even though I had to independently research and practice how to express the desire to purchase more phone credit, the employee still had trouble understanding me. But somehow we figured everything out and from what I can tell it was a victory. I have to get someone in school to translate the texts the company sent to me to know for sure. :P

A problem I encountered with using the library on the weekends is that it is PACKED!  Not a singe desk was open for me to sit at. There is a specific area for people to use their laptops with access to a power outlet for charging but every seat was taken. Several places just had a coat on a chair or a bag marking the territory so it made it very difficult to find an open seat. Knowing that people in this area stay for several hours, I discarded the thought of waiting for an opening and just settled on a bench. As long as I got Wi-Fi, it didn’t matter. It just meant I had less time available to work as the Wi-Fi takes a toll on my battery. Nevertheless, I still got some good stuff accomplished, so yay! :D

Let’s see, for lunch my host family bought a thick potato pancake thing with sauce for me to munch on. At least, I think it was potato. I didn’t know the word for potato for the ability to ask if it was. Afterwards, spending time with my dictionary, now I do. Tis “Tu dou.”

Dinner I think my host father purchased from 7-Eleven. It was a bunch of white rice with a semi-sweet sauce drizzled on top with just a few veggies and small pieces of meat. At first I thought it would be really spicy since the look mimicked curry but ended up being tasty.

The rest of the night has been dedicated to studying Chinese phrases obtained with the Internet access at the library today. The spark for learning Chinese I’ve possessed has begun growing into a burning flame. I am determined to learn as much as possible because I truly desire to gain the ability of speaking fluently. We’ll just have to see how much I learn in one year. ;)

Time for beddy-bye! See you next time! ^_^