MIAOLI: The People and The Land
My New Family: Keep Tripper, Farmore
After a busy week in Taipei, I was excited to see what else Taiwan could show me, and I learned to know my new destination Miaoli. Miaoli, a place undiscovered by many travelers with 18 different counties and much to see. Miaoli originated as "Maoli" which means "plateau" in aboriginal words. I was fortunate enough to be accommodated by Jombo and Karen that had established a hostel of sorts to invite anyone that decides to come explore Gongguan County within Miaoli. They have created Keep Tripper bringing in young individuals to come explore nature and help out with various farming tasks. After meeting several people that stopped by Keep Tripper, I noticed that many came to Gongguan to discover more about themselves, or also to get away from their busy lives, seeking peace. You can message them about more details about your stay as they can connect you with farmers as well.
On my first day, I also was introduced to Jeff, the friend that would be my travel buddy in Miaoli. Jeff has created a company called Farmore working to recreate lost links between the people and the land. He provides opportunities to experience activities such as Hakka dye, DIY popsicles, and weeding on farms, just to name a few. You can check out his facebook page for information.
Bamboo Grove. Hakka Treats.
After being introduced to one another, he suggested that we go see a location in Tai'an, one of the 18 counties in Miaoli. A beautiful bamboo grove in the mountains with a quite the rough car ride. I found it surprising that there were no problems with his car, carving the narrow mountainous roads. I imagined other tourists coming here to take pictures, but later realized the difficulty to do so without the help of a local's direction. There were no signs in English. We made it to the bamboo forest, and the couples readying themselves for pictures needed to make way for our car. The boyfriends and male partners were busy taking pictures of their female partner modeling. Oh well…all I have is Jeff! Along the way to the bamboo grove, we stopped for a beatiful mountain view where tourists can camp out. The next time I come back to Taiwan, I'll be sure to try it out! We stopped by a small store owned by an elderly lady and we bought some Hakka snacks including brown sugar cake and nine layer cake. These snacks were delicious, I wish I had some to share with all of you!
Farm Life
I experienced many new things during my stay in Miaoli, but helping out on Me-Jujube Farm was a large part of my experience. Due to the hot weather, we needed to ready for work at 6am and worked to 10am. That would be the amount of work I accomplished for most of the first two weeks in Gongguan. I thought I could handle 4 hours of work everyday, but I underestimated my stamina. Under the hot sun, I would get tired in one hour. Luckily, I was never working alone. There would be Jose from America (WWOOF), Jeff, and also Yi Mei (we call her Little Boss, and she aspires to be a plant doctor). Mainly the tasks were the removal of unending weeds surrounding the trees, applying a mixture of sawdust+water around crops to keep the ground moist and protected. My lower back began to ache as I crouched low to apply the substance around the plants. I feel this was one of those moments where I wished I was shorter. To be honest, farm work is tough, but I had agreed to do farm work. It was my job to help out as much as possible. With that positive thought in mind, I put my worries away and worked away. I once again came to acknowledge the efforts needed to raise one fruit, one vegetable through my little farming experience working at Me-Jujube Farm.
The Old House: Lao Jia
"By serving others you may gain happiness"
On my first visit I was able to meet the owner, Po who kindly gifted me with a card, reading "By serving others you may gain happiness". Little did I know that this would be made true weeks later.
"Putting your heart and meaning into the dripping process influences the taste of the coffee". This is what Pinky, the manager explained to me about what Lao Jia believes in being one of the most important part of dripping coffee for others. Lao Jia provides various types of coffee, delicious desserts and a creative environment for you to relax and enjoy your time. Some just stop by for coffee, while others work away at their personal tasks spending most of their day in their "home".
With Jeff's proposition in cooperation with Lao Jia, they decided to allow me to serve alongside them. I was hesitant at first, as I didn't want to get in their way. Y'all need to know that I have never dripped coffee before, more so in front of the customer. We decided that it would be nice to share a part of me to the customers that ordered the Gayo Mandheling coffee. I decided to print some pictures I had taken Miaoli into small cards, with short personal quotes meant to encourage them sharing the beauty of their home. I was glad to take this opportunity, as I now have a deeper knowledge about coffee and have also learned about the beauty of SHARING.
They have different classes to fit your interests, or if you simply want to learn more about coffee. Send them a message and I'm sure they would be glad to help!
Sanyi: Shengxing Station, Pounded Hakka Tea
The area brings many tourists to see the Longteng Bridge, and Shengxing Station. Nearby Shengxing Station is a street filled with shops left and right, some selling souvenirs, others food. We purchased a case of strawberry beer and it sure was refreshing. Shengxing station is visited by many to take pictures and I was sure to do so as well! We were also able to stop by at Longteng bridge for quick pictures. I believe you can explore more closer towards the bridge.
Along the street full of stores, we found a location that allows you make Hakka tea DIY style! The tea is made by grinding multiple ingredients in a mortar. It was beneficial to have gone with a group, as we could pass it around once we got tired. I did not think it would take so long to grind. Nevertheless, it was worth the work as the tea tasted wonderful.
Bei Yan Ju...Bakery in the Mountains??
My weeks in Miaoli continued and I went to take pictures for a family owned bakery in the mountains. The son, with the english name "Seven" provided a brief tour of the mountain area, taste testing their bread, and also participating in DIY pizza making. I was able to enjoy the bread ginger flavoured bread and before long I had already finished one loaf by myself. Everyone was able to enjoy eating the pizzas made by themselves. You can also experience making different loaves of bread, and it seems like they also have a camping site if you are interested!
Hakka Blue Dye
Miaoli having a deep Hakka culture, you should go to Sanyi and try blue dye yourself. At first I questioned the price of dying a handkerchief as I remember dying clothing in multiple different colours. So, I didn't think it would be special, but the difference is that the dye is from the pulp of a plant. They do have a store where you can purchase suit jackets, shoes, notebooks, scarves, key chains and much more infused with the blue dye. Due to their popularity you will have to make a reservation before you go. As I am on student budget, I decided to stick with the most cheapest option, which was the handkerchief. I was told to fold in different directions and clamp different sticks of wood together with elastics to create the pattern. To deepen the colour of the dye, I needed to rub the piece in the liquid in 5 minute increments thoroughly washing it every 5 minutes. After five or six rounds, I untied my handkerchief and as you can see it turned out beautiful!
Muo Yan Mountain
After a morning of farm work, I tagged along Yimei and Jose as they had planned to go hiking in the evening. Yimei explained that the whole path upwards to the top was made by a single man by himself. To be honest, I'm not sure if I misunderstood, but that's what I recall. Once arriving to the top, the view is splendid. We were fortunate enough to reach the top as the sun was beginning to set and the warm yellow light gleamed over the rural landscape.
The Cow Farm
We decided to head to a cow farm and see what we could do! Once arriving we headed straight towards the shop, where they sell cute souvenirs and on the side selling multiple products made by the cow milk such as cheese, milk, ice cream to name a few. I was able to try the milk and ice cream and it may have been because of the heat, but I only remember the refreshing feeling. We proceeded to feed the calves their share of milk.
Lu Zhunan
I knew the moment we arrived that I would be taking lots of pictures. The first thing I did was to ask an elderly man if I could take his picture. I put together the little vocabulary I knew and said, "Wo pai jao, OK?" pointing at my camera. He was able to understand and said ok. I've always struggled to decide to either let them know before taking their picture, or afterwards. I made the decision to ask before as he seemed to be on a mission to finish watering his plants and me taking a picture would make no difference. After saying goodbye I was introduced to cyanotype printing. When I heard what I would be doing today,the first word that came up on mind was BLUE! They printed an inverted image on a clear layer then placed it over a painted piece of paper that would be later placed into water to form into a picture. As we waited, I was able to talk to a young lady from Belgium that had stayed in Montreal for a while. It was quite amusing to see socks with Quebec's fleur de lis, drying on a clothsline in Miaoli. Unfortunately, because we had arrived a bit late, we missed the optimum time to expose the picture in the sun, thus had to leave with empty hands, but I was happy to have gotten wonderful pictures! Walking through the neighbourhood you can see old buildings made with red brick. On our way walking through a garden, we met an older gentleman that welcomed us to his home and provided dinner, fruit and tea. I was surprised at his kindness and we were quick to become friends. I was thinking how I could thank him, and looked around and all I saw was my camera. After seeing his facebook profile picture, I thought I could do better, so I tried to take a potential profile pic as a way of saying thank you.
Many things have changed after Miaoli, including more mosquitoe bites, getting burned under the sun, and of course I have gained a big family in Miaoli and I wish to come back someday. I strongly realized in Miaoli that the experiences I had, would have lacked value, if not for the people that joined me. I want to thank everyone that was welcoming and special thanks to Jeff from Farmore that took me to various different places despite his busy schedule! Goodbye to the Miaoli family, but hello to new experiences in Hualien!
