Treasures, Treasures, I Say!

10 points for anyone who can place the quote.

Hint: It's from a 1990s comedy sitcom.

If my parents' generation can get it, the stakes go up to 100 points.

I arose this morning at a brutal 6:30 to go out to a traditional Taiwanese breakfast with Alice and John. John had a meeting at 8:30 (they always have meetings, even on weekends, it's incredible), so we aimed to get out the door at 7:00 am. I was sitting in the living room at 6:55, and Alice came out at 7:00 pretty much on the dot. She and I passed a couple minutes by chatting about my plans for the day, occasionally stopping for her to shout at John whether he was ready or not.

Finally, at 7:06, Alice shouted, 'JOHN!!! We could have been out on a hike and back by now!'

'I'm coming, I'm coming, sorry!' he said, rushing out in his slippered feet and changing into his shoes.

I know it shouldn't strike me as that amusing, but I still find it hilarious that two of the most professional, prominent, and brilliant scientists representing Taiwan's academic circle argue about getting out the door on time. I guess there are certain things from which no couples are immune.

We proceeded to a hole-in-the-wall bakery (like many places around here), located on the street facing the backside of Academia Sinica. Alice ordered for me, and I ate a traditional Taiwanese breakfast treat, something that resembled a churro without the sugar. It was served with a bowl of hot soy milk, and one could either break the pastry off and let it float around and soak up the milk or simply dip and bite.

As we headed back to the apartment after breakfast, we stopped by a small market, mostly consisting of fruit and vegetable stands. Alice bought some bamboo from a streetside vendor who had laid her produce on a blanket on the ground and then determined pricing by weighing them on her scale. (We're talking really 'keeping it real' here, folks.) John examined the fruit across the street, and after Alice and I joined him, we ended up purchasing a whole bunch of things to take back: watermelon, lizi, golden kiwi, and a magenta-colored fire dragon fruit.

We soon thereafter went our respective ways for the day, with John and Alice to their respective obligations and me to my sightseeing expeditions.

The featured destination of this Saturday was the old gold mining town of Jiufen. A little bit of background history:

"Until the 50s, Jioufen was a prosperous gold mining town, but when the mining was discontinued, the town went into sharp decline. However, the quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming yet another anonomous mining ghost town. The town was the site of many historic movies and is now a popular tourist destination, especially with Taipeites eager to relive scenes of the past" (Wikitravel).

The town is right on the ocean, with magnificent views overlooking the harbor. The town was small and easily covered on foot, which is what I and the loads of other people who were there today did.

The view of the harbor and Pacific Ocean from the hills of Jiufen. While at first I thought, 'Gee, it's the ocean it's nothing I haven't already seen,' I then realized that it's the other side of it. That's a lot of water in between.

The entrace to the main street, Jishan Street, that eventually spits you out in the historical district. It winds forever with tons of shops to buy specialty foods and various knick-knacks.

An overhead view of one of the older streets of Jiufen.

This is a picture of something historic, but I couldn't understand the explanation. I would guess an old gold mine.

Another temple with intricate artwork on a Jiufen hillside.

A back alley and one of the older streets.

Houses on the hillside.

One of the tofu vendors on the main street.

This was the first time I saw these creations, so I had to purchase one. The guy on the left is extracting the shavings from a huge block of peanuts, which in turn are placed in the middle of a thin, crepe-like tortilla. The lady on the right then places a few herbs on top, followed by two scoops of sorbet-like ice cream. It was an interesting treat and I'm glad I tried it.

I had earlier considered paying a visit to Keelung night market following Jiufen, as the two are relatively closeby. However, one must take the train, not the subway, to Keelung and to my knowledge the trains shut down at 9. At best I would have arrived in Keelung around 7:30 or 8, and if I had to be back on a train by 9 at the absolute latest, it wasn't worth it. And I didn't feel like risking it then having to call someone to bail me out.

I came back to the apartment and ate with Alice and John, and following dinner we had a taro cake that Alice had made. It usually has 8 layers and is covered by a special sauce, although she told me this one had 4. It made no difference to me, as it was completely delicious anyway. Apparently they are made in great supply and size during the moon festival and Chinese New Year times. Too bad I couldn't be here for those, because that would be something else.

So concludes day one of my last real weekend. Let us see what tomorrow holds.