Reminiscing Taipei en route to Melbourne...

The great thing about journalling is never knowing when or what will inspire you to write. Tonight I am punching hastily on my iPad some 40,000 feet over the Indian Ocean, flying southeastward-ly for the tip of the Australian continent to the city of Melbourne.  But in my mind, a lyrical sketch of Taipei 101 dominates the Taipei skyline and the vast gorges of Taroko National Pa
rk has left me breathless once again.

For the average foodie, a trip to Taipei is almost like a pilgrimage. There we were at the home of the legendary sweet sausage and birthplace of the famous bubble milk tea. Yes, it was holy ground and  if you are a believer, Taipei will not forsake you. 

This place pretty much romanticises you into a culinary love affair. Our one-night-stand with the infamous marketplace and scandalous flings with nearby street side hawkers left us very troubled indeed - Too little time, too much food to eat. To make matters worse, everything you eat leaves you wanting more. When there is no time for second helpings or re-visits, you end up feeling jilted.

But if you only have time for one, it's got to be Shilin. The Shilin Night Market was really a treat for all senses. Needless to say a plethora of mouth watering hawker delights gratified discerning taste buds. More than that, it was the buzz of activity that provided the true feast of the night, flavourful sights and sounds. From Taiwanese sausages to Taiwanese pancakes, and Taiwanese milk tea to Taiwanese roti canai. Locally produced, globally infused. This is Taiwan.

That night at Shilin Night Market, we were happy like that.

A  20-minute flight out Taipei to Hualien will get you to Taroko National Park where nature will rob you of your breath, but don't blink. This is nature at its best.

Crisp mountain air welcomes you with serene sounds of water flowing from a babbling brook close by and a walk to the Eternal Shrine promises icy cold gushing spring waters breaking the sunlight into fleeting rainbows.

 

Then comes the masterpiece, 600 metres vertical marble cliffs in their purest of forms. Marauding white water raging down slender waterfalls of one mighty, mighty gorge.

They eye can only behold what the mind cannot comprehend. The vibrant blue sky and the brilliantly steep, carved walls forces you to only stand by, a quiet observer craving the next chapter.

Heaven and Earth are vast. The Universe is endless. Whawe see is real but also an illusion. The power of nature stand before our very eyes but in an unseen place it continues creating, waiting for man to discover its mystery.

 

It is places like these that makes one want to take the longest route home.

Finding Life, Soul and Spirit in the Most Isolated City In The World.

I admit I wasn’t expecting much of our four-day trip to Perth. However, I didn’t want to be a wet-blanket with my lack of enthusiasm, so I turned to Bill. My trusty travel companion never ceases to create an appeal through endless accounts of travelling peculiars and I thought that a few words of encouragement would be in order.

I learnt quickly that “Australia is the world’s sixth largest country and its largest island. It is the only island that is a continent, and the only continent that is also a country. It is home to the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef and the most famous monolith, Ayers Rock. It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still Australia teems with life. In fact Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else” – Bill Bryson (Down Under).

Still, most of the oddities and wonders of Australia existed everywhere else in Australia, except in Perth! In terms of international travel, Perth was neither geographically, culturally or historically exotic nor striking enough to tickle my imagination.

With nothing very particular in mind, we visited the Caversham Wildlife Park and saw the Kookaburras, terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia; swore never again to don a woolen sweater after witnessing the shearing of a sheep, and came up-close and personal with very characteristic Kangaroos. The next day, we took the Perth City Sightseeing Tour, clicking our cameras at the lush parklands of Kings Park and blue waters of Swan River. We also showed up at Freemantle with its sunny bays and yatch-cluterred coves for world-famous fish and chips and took to the Freemantle market. In Sorrento Quay we sheltered from the rain at a trendy café, enjoying a hot mocha with churios, sharing our Tim Tams whilst others hung-out for gelatos and latte.

Yet, it was difficult to find anything truly distinctive and telling about Perth. The City Tour was soulless and devoid of any real charm. Freemantle and Sorento Quay was really just another tourist draw that lacked any interesting surprises or satisfying epiphanies.

The truth is most places feel like nothing until something happens ─ an adventure, occurrence or experience that changes the whole landscape.

Oddly enough, this extraordinary experience took place over social sojourns at the homes of our hosts and mealtime gatherings. There was something truly heartwarming about sharing such experiences together ─ the peculiar serving of mushrooms before dinner and learning that the garlic toast could use more time in the oven; the gratifying observation of how well the broccoli was braised and that fresh scallops served at a friend’s home would top any meal served at a five-star diner; the earnest revelation of how pretty the flowers were, travelling with one qualified botanist and the others, intelligent gardeners the lot of them.

Turns out, it wasn’t really about seeing a famous opera house; or a really huge living reef; or an ancient monolith or a center red and hot. It was pure human energy and social encounters that left the most lasting of memories. People were cheerful and unfailingly obliging and I unexpectedly found the connection I was searching for from sincere and spontaneous kindness and friendliness.

Most of the time, travelling the world abroad offers a thrill that is obtained from a hint of egoistic and self-centered achievement of having travelled to some place further, scaled some mountain higher, or braved weathers colder than most have accomplished.  

Perth offered no such temptation. That’s why it was so pleasant.

In all its understated reality, the four days in Perth proved a simple truth: if we embark on each travel with an open heart and mind, it can take us to places we never planned to go and enrich us in ways we never otherwise would have known

Whenever we met up with our hosts they were somewhat apologetic about not being able to take us places. Perhaps sensing our restlessness, “Your trip here is too short to show you more,” they’d say.

The truth is the last four days was Perth-fect!

View of the Perth City Skyline from across the river. Courtesy of Wendy Lim

A Suitcase of Nostalgia

Ten years ago, I rode with daddy and mummy to the airport, my sister and brother in tow. The family was sending-off their first born.

The months leading up to my departure were spent stewing over the essential possessions and wise counsel that would accompany me as I chomp on freedom’s bit. As mummy struggled to part with her eldest, I coped with thoughts of hacking it in England on my own. It was a tensed moment with emotions of all sorts. I was 21, my sister, 19 and my brother, 13 years old.

Ten years later, we are doing exactly the same thing.

Last Friday, the five of us rolled into a minivan to send mummy and daddy on their longest ever holiday-adventure. Months leading up to their departure, we fussed over their suitcases and clothing. As anxious children, we were quick to caution and counsel. Instructions and directions were not spared about what they should and should not; could and could not do.

As they trudged along and I lost sight of them at the departure gate, I couldn’t help feeling sentimental. It was once again a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Sending them off was like ripping a part of my heart and leaving it at some distant place.

Yet, as I stood where they once stood, waving them on, I knew I carried the same hopes and dreams they had for me when I had set out on my own adventure. It was a bittersweet process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten years ago, when I left the country, the year ahead stretched forever into the future. Now, all that is all behind me and I am sending them off instead. This makes the years that have gone by feel interminable and all the same, instantaneous.

By the time they read this, mummy and daddy would have marveled at the mighty Colosseum, visited the Pope at Vatican City, rode a Gondola in Venice, stood in awe of the Swiss Alps at Mount Titlis, astonished by the thundering Rhine Falls, gotten high at Amsterdam’s Red Light District, fallen in love all over again beneath the Eifel Tower, watched a musical at London West and so much more.

As parents, mummy and daddy constantly reminds us to stay grounded and never to forget our roots. I am just glad they remember that they still have wings.

(I hope you are having a blast Mama-dude and Daddy-O! We miss you much and can’t wait to hear all about your European adventure!)

A Dive Blog of a Different Kind

Over the weekend, I completed my Padi Open Water Diver Certification with four amazing open water dives. As my course mates quickly filled up their dive logs with all of the aquatic life they encountered, I was limited by my knowledge of the underwater world.

Anyway, here is my account.

The White Charly

The White Charly, as its name suggests, is a pale-coloured docile species that can grow up to 158cm long. It moves relatively slowly but is fluid in its movement.

The species is passive and does not pose any threat to smaller specimens although its large size means it can easily, accidentally harm corals while navigating the shoreline. They are generally amiable and pleasant to swim up to.

The Mo-Ni-Kah

Another docile species spotted was the Mo-Ni-Kah. The Mo-Ni-Kahs are tiny little thumb size fishes that float and hover around weightlessly. They are generally shy and try to avoid divers. Although the one I saw, kept on perching itself in front of me.

Once acclimatized to a familiar surrounding, the Mo-Ni-Kah is known to have interacted with divers. Although reported to be a highly intelligent species, the Mo-Ni-Kah is not known to recognise a diver in distress.

Benthos

As its name suggest, the Benthos is a bottom swimmer. As with the Flatfish and Stingray and other bottom swimmers, the Benthos is capable of concealing itself under the sand. Sometimes, if not careful, the Benthos is capable of burying others as well.

The Benthos also has a mechanism to expel ben-thane gas. Little is known of the purpose of this low-frequency sound burst that cannot be heard by the human ear. Some divers have reported to have spotted the flatulence by a steam of rising bubbles. 

Local divers are studying the possibility of fishes suffering from heartburn

The Maeah

A number of divers reported seeing a bizarre fish off the southern reef on Sunday morning. Although I did not witness it for myself, returning divers spoke of an adorable high fore-headed fish with tiny human hand-like fins on either side of its body.

The divers described it to be moving in a sequence of springs and bounces, landing and launching from the sea bed. The locals have named the species the Maeah. Although it is said to be harmless, even friendly, the Maeah’s haphazard spurts across the sea bed was said to have damaged much corals.

The Marcellian

Since they are known to have originated from Swiss lakes and crossed many a seas, I was lucky to have spotted the Marcellian on Saturday evening's boat dive . Marcellians are a picture of grace, looming gently along the reefs.

In a single season they can be spotted all around Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia. Those wanting to dive with the Marcellians are encourage to go to Philippines this weekend.

Ceerils

Ceerils are extremely friendly and playful creatures of the underwater world with immense ability to socialize.  The Ceeril I spotted immediately established a bond with me, helping me descend and pointing the way.

It was able to grunt to communicate, flap its fins and display certain expressions understood by humans. Diving with Ceerils are extremely comforting and reassuring.

Mer-wendee

Although largely believed to be mythological, an encounter with a Mer-wendee was reported by a fellow diver. True to folklore, the diver spoke of the mischievous creature sneaking up and over from behind to steal air.  

It has not been agreed if the Mer-wendee should be feared but locals all agree that whether tame or wild, the Mer-wendee is mostly led by curiosity.

The Sum Of It All

The past seven days in Bali will be forever branded in my memory as a place I never thought I would visit, of things I never knew I could do and the people I had never expected to meet ─ all on my own.

Man should not travel by sight alone. So the real treat, of course, was the pleasure of being able to put each opportunity, experience and outcome in words.

I will be back in Kuala Lumpur by this time tomorrow clutching on tightly to hopeful possibilities that I might do this all again soon.  

Of Curiosities and Ironies

We go to great lengths to explore the world, so to speak. We spend hard-earned money and get away from the lives we know so well to find that one special destination to bring us that one unique experience.

The reality is that most parts of the world have become just another generic global city of cultural homogenization. A few weeks ago, I was having lunch at a Balinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, relishing thoughts of a true Balinese experience. Here I am in Bali settling for the comfort of a Quarter Pounder. A distant band drones to the tune of Hotel California and local cafés display posters of recent Hollywood movies.

While we seek to expand our horizons, the world is fast shrinking.  Unless we are willing to go off the beaten track and take uncharted courses, we can forget about "meeting the locals”, "experiencing their culture” or "becoming part of their daily lives”.

And yet, we continue to do what we do – going to great lengths to “explore the world”. We will ourselves to believe that crossing oceans, continents and time zones will take us there. Sometimes, where we are, where we have been and where we are headed to is all but a state of mind. We just like to get there in a jet plane.

Money Can Buy You A Pair Of Wings

Bernard and I finally met. He congratulated me for my enthusiasm despite the poor weather and promised me aerial shots from his specially mounted camera. I have been planning this paragliding experience for more than a week and had to postpone twice, due to strong winds.

It is still windy today so Bernard said he would fly me himself on the tandem paraglider. He is a fully qualified pilot with 25 years of paragliding experience, so I felt safe in his hands. I went through a quick on-ground instructional briefing and a massive blue canopy was hauled out of a backpack attached to a bundle of Kevlar lines. I was fastened into a harness and the safety clips were inspected by two other men, followed by Bernard himself. Then, Bernard tapped my helmet and said that we were ready to go.

The launch was easier than I had expected. No jumping off rocks or jogging downhill. We simply lifted off and glided away from the cliff. With my feet off the ground, my harness allowed me to settle into a very comfortable sitting position.

The view was breathtaking. The flight zone at Timbis convinced me that I had the best seat in town. We launched off the rugged cliffs to soar over immaculate pristine beaches and blue seas with a bird’s eye view of the waves breaking over the beach and coral reefs below.

I get queasy at heights but there was no fear of falling and the ride was extremely smooth. It was very peaceful but not at all quiet, with the sound of wind whipping in my ears.

During the flight, Bernard explained his control over the glider. He checked if I was doing alright but I don’t think he waited for an answer. Soon, we were whirling and spiraling; plummeting and rising more than I had fancied. My body was being pulled by the wind while my stomach and other internal body parts following only seconds later.

We stayed aloft for almost an hour. I am not sure how high we were elevated but we hugged the coast line throughout.

Eventually, it was time to land and the landing was slow and gentle. The tandem flight was an exhilarating paragliding experience. It was good fun but most of all, it was fulfilling to have experienced man’s greatest fantasy of free flight.