An impromptu Taichung trip on a Friday afternoon

Since the “Friday early off” plan worked so well last week, we decided to go for a short exploring trip to Taichung, the 3rd largest city that’s about 65 minutes south of Hsinchu. We’ve heard lots of good things about this ci ty (best weather in Taiwan, gourmet food, good layout) where my mom grew up, and Noah, Mom, and I had taken a short trip there to sweep my grandma’s tomb, but Paul and Ben haven’t visited it.

We first went to the National Science Museum, which had quite a big collection. It’s a “combination museum” of history, natural sciences, life sciences, and civilization. And on this particular day, we lucked out with free admissions due to the International Museum Day. What a nice surprise to be welcomed in without opening the wallet! We toured exhibits on astronomy, hands-on sciences, evolution, extinction, the journey of human life, and finally the show on Chinese medicine and science. Close to three hours of walking later, we had only toured about half of the collection. There were still the botanical garden, a small zoo, and the Environmental Sciences Hall left. We decided not to be greedy and called it the day, turning to the Italian gelatoria across the museum for a small treat to share.

We then changed gear, heading for the Dong Hai Arts Village in the city outskirts. A street lined with boutiques, western restaurants, and some art studios, this area was started fairly recently, and has become an important sight for visitors looking for a European flair and the little artsy shops. Paul lost himself in two pottery studios, one featuring a number of ceramic artists and one a teashop with works by one of the most famous Taiwanese potters, Tsai Hsiao-Fang, who specializes in imitating the Song Dynasty ceramic works with simple forms and blue-green glaze. Realizing we had little time left in Taiwan and not having bought many ‘nice’ things for the house, both of us were pretty generous to ourselves. When we are back in Arlington, you’ll have to come for Oolong tea and enjoy these few beautiful acquisitions ☺. Of course, looking in a ceramic gallery with two tired and totally wound-up children was not an easy thing. Luckily, as usual, the ladies at the stores helped us keep them entertained by offering them tea and snacks and inviting them to draw.

Though we didn’t see most of Taichung, we got a sense of the scope and feel of the city, and had a positive impression of it. It again makes us realize how small and boring the city of Hsinchu can be, though the nearby mountains and the quietness of the campus make it worthwhile to have Hsinchu as our home for the year.