Color by Number

You can count 21 water tanks from our window. Abel and I counted up from 1 and back down from 21. There are 7 bus stops before I get to the stop from which I walk to work, but 8 on the way home. A metal bike basket costs 250 NT and 50 more if you would like the shop owner to install it for you. The 7-11 sells 16 ounce cans of Guinness. We live in building number 18 of the 4th alley off of Yong Kang street. 6 people have held Abel since he arrived in Taipei. 2 are his parents, 2 are restaurant owners, and 2 were people we met when we spent the morning at the Taipei Botanical Garden.

Taipei is grey and green and blue. Asphalt gives way to concrete which climbs up off the edges of the street and forms cliffs of continuous buildings from east to west and north to south. High on ledges between blue glass windows tenants place potted plants and tend to them. Fronds of green peep over the rooftop railings. Succulent tendrils drape over laundry lines. Awnings sport blankets of moss and creeping vines. From the unlikely base of concrete, green life creeps up through the cracks and crannies of this very urban city. 

The botanical garden is green and brown and sunlit. Acres of paths wind through carefully nurtured indigenous species of tree and shrub. We liked 2 of the species best: Musa acuminata- the banana herb, and Nelumbo nucifera, the lotus. Banana herb towered above us; broad blades of leaves arced from slender stems. Abel liked  the way they waved in the wind. The garden guard who held him showed Abel how the fronds feather at the edges. He liked that too. 

Lotus is a humble flower. It is a flower revered in southern Asia for its humility. 2 countries (India and Vietnam) hold the lotus as their national flower. At the center of the garden was the lotus pond- a pond of mud. Rounds of dark green leaves ringed reedy stalks on which flowers rose like flames from the oozy brown beneath to dot the surface. Flowers that rise above their mucky beginnings. Abel liked to drool and coo at the lady who held him while I counted as many flowers as I could see; 18. 

Back in our white and grey apartment, with bits of wood on tables and trim, I'm thinking a trip to the plant and flower market is in order. We will add our bits of green to the city. 

貓空

With nothing but our metro cards, we were able to travel into the jungle and spend the afternoon looking down from the mountains of 貓空 over the cityscape of Taipei. We have the brown line of the metro to thank. From our apartment it is a 20 minute walk to Da’An station. From there we took the train to the southernmost stop, the Taipei Zoo.

**A side note here- The government of Taiwan has decided to promote breastfeeding and in 2010 mandated that every metro station (as well as most public buildings and department stores) have a breastfeeding room. Though Taiwanese law grants women the right to breastfeed pretty much anywhere, these rooms are a lovely retreat from busy train stations and crowded shopping plazas. What an incredibly progressive and pleasant way to directly benefit mothers and babies while promoting breastfeeding!**

From the Zoo we walked two blocks south to the 貓空 Gondola. We swiped our metro cards for 50 元 and stepped into a “Crystal Cabin” cable car with a glass floor.  The gondola took us 4 kilometers up into the mountains over treetops and terraced tea plantations. Abel took a rest on the glass floor floating above the jungle. He's used to seeing trees above him and was transfixed to find them under his feet! We disembarked at the top on a windy road lined with tea gardens and temples.

 

At 山水茶馆 tea house we breathed in mountain air from the terrace as we sat at our tea table under an umbrella. Taipei spread out below us at the foot of the mountain. The tea we drank is called “iron tea” which is similar to oolong tea with a less smokey fragrance. It grows on the mountains of 貓空; little bushes of it grew next to our table. 

The tea house owner gave us a mini-lesson on tea preparation- she showed us how to wash the leaves, how long to steep for the first brew, and how to strain and decant the brewed tea. After the lesson she left us to lounge on the mountainside with the breeze and the birds for two hours. Abel gurgled and cooed as he listened to the birds and felt the breeze.



A lovely Tuesday Taiwanese adventure for our little family. Nice to know that a few hours and a couple of subway tokens can take you out of the city and into the fresh air and green of the mountains.