Golden Gourd Town "Jin Gua Shr"

Day 27

I woke up this morning and two of my favorite things to eat was in front of me.
This one is from the noodle stand I tried to get the other day but was closed because business is so good that they have cut back their hours to only morning.
I used to eat this twice a day when I lived in Taiwan. Infact I've had it every morning here on this trip. I actually don't know where this particular stand is. My cousin or uncles delivers it to me every morning. It is usually here before I wake up.



Then I took the metro to the Taipei train station to get on a train to go to my mom's home town. This is the first time I have taken a train. I like these trains, they are clean. The best part, it is made for my size. Look! I can even reach the foot petal.


Photo from the moving train of a town, a typical town in Taiwn of the old and the new.





After I got off the train in the town of RueiFang I stepped across the street to the bus stop to get to JinGuaShr which means Golden Gourd.

This is the landscape here, totally beautiful. All the steps are steep, very steep. People complain about walking in the hills of San Francisco, they haven't done these steps. The steps are a recent addition, it was just dirt paths back then.



This is the house my mother lived in.

Right next to it is this temple my mother used to run up and play in, yup very steep and they didn't have steps back then, did I mention that already?




These are images of guardians you can see on the walls at the entrance.















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More sculptural reliefs of animal form guardians
This type of sculptural relief is common in Taiwan and common from province of FuJian, China.

This is a common water fountain you can find in the courtyard of temples. It usually contains the mystical animal of dragon and pheonix.












Then I tooke the bus and went to old town JioFen for food. I stopped at a soap shop. There are soaps with medicinal herbs in it. They come in round shapes and bars.


This basket of formula has lavender in it.



This one has moxa.


I went to a spicy stinky tofy stew place. It's sooooo spicy, look at the chilly oil.


In this shop they have Taiwanese local idioms in verses. I don't know them at all. I took photos of them so I can learn them.









I stopped by a sea shell shop. I love sea shells. This shop sells exotic sea shells for home decor.

























This man is famous for making good instruments. I like the deeper sound that comes from bigger ones than the higher pitch little handy ones you can hang around your neck. He was teaching me how to make one on the spot. Isn't that cool. He told me I should make one for myself and I can adjust the sound as I work with the clay. Totally cool, he wasn't even trying to sell one to me.



I had to go back for more taro balls in read bean soup and eat it in the heat with a fan. I don't mind the heat. The food is great and the killer view is even better.



At around 5pm I took the bus home instead of the train. The bus picked me up right outside of the entrance back to Taipei. It was the JiLong Bus and stops at Chung Xiao Fu Xing metro station exit #1. It took and hour and only costed me 90 yuan. The driver was a young driver and drove the bus more like a taxi. It was better to not watch.

Wine and Love

Went to Jin Gua Shi, Golden Gourd Rock. This is the home town of my mom by the sea coast and up in the mountains. There was once a lot of gold to be mined here. It was a booming town when the gold was getting mined and since the coast was near by it was a happening place.

I went to the Prayer temple by my mom's old home and walked on the steep steps that covered the mountain. The ones my mom always complained about and I see what she meant. I think walking like this every day because you have to can keep you in good health and great shape.

I decided to inquire on how to pick out a stick in the temple and ask my uncles and aunties the customs and methods. 2nd uncle and his wife as usual disagreed on how it is done. They are funny because they are famous for disagreeing on almost everything. At least after 30 or 40 years of disagreeing they are less atomic nuclear passionate in their debates.

Then we went to the near by Jio Fen old town to eat and to shop. It was fun. This is one of my favorite places to come to. The food famous in this area is great. I just love all the goodies here. I had fun looking at touristy craft stuff too. Pretty much each place in Taiwan has a few famous delicacies known to the area and they are distinctly different. So it is never boring and makes you feel the distance you travelled for is well worth it.

Went to Jia Le Fu with 3rd uncle and his wife. There was a red wine sale. The last time I was here she was into coffee. Now she's into red wine. 3rd uncle doesn't drink and refuses to buy her wine. But she insists that if he loved her and really cared for her he should buy her a case of red wine. I walked around and checked out what was for sale. I like to walk around and see what is in use in the lifestyle with people in the area I visit.

Then we went to 1st uncle's for dinner and it was filled with good humor and fun conversations. The food was good. I think both our families have similar taste in food and like similar things. 1st aunty in law has a classic Taiwanese touch in her cooking and I like that flavor. It tastes like home.