Taipei is not exactly a secret wonderland, but it seems that just around every corner is yet another quirky and/or interesting sight, sound or experience. We pinch ourselves some days that we are living life in a great Asian city, working and living and playing with whatever it has to offer. After a decade and a half it might seem possible to find more scenes and experiences if we'd hidden ourselves away, but despite the fact that we've embraced the city, region and country since we've been here, we can still be amazed, sometimes right on our doorstep.
The "urban widlife" here in the city does surprise us most days. All the animlas seem to have adapted to the city encroaching on their natural habitat and have adapted their behaviours to suit their new landscape. The nests of starlings and their young hanging under awnings, on the top of light fittings and precariously balancing on electrical cables, delight us every spring as they emerge all the way up Chung Shan Bei Road. As we watch the hatchlings grow and thrive we know we're only weeks away from our long, summer holiday! The "Moop" is another bird that seems oblivious to its new surrounds. Originally a river shore bird, it now frequents the parks around the city, especially in soggy weather. It walks around with impunity through suburban streets, gyrating its neck and even flying up onto car roofs! We give it its name from the plaintive "moop" cry it makes on still, quiet evenings. Even the domestic dogs and cats are zenned out. While we'd be afraid to approach many of the attack dogs back home, these dogs don't even bark at each other, let alone humans!
I went up "The Steps" on Sunday and decided that I'd keep on venturing onwards and upwards in search of another trail I'd spotted on a map some time back. I ditched the ridge trail and ventured onto the winding switchback road which inexorably snakes its way up to the Chinese Cultural College. I powered up the road, dodging the traffic, passing numerous look-out restaurants. Perched as they are on precipitous slopes, the restaurants and coffee lounges all have a superb view of the entire Taipei basin, some with views all the way to 101 on the eastern side and the Damshui river confluence on the west. They all have interesting names and catchy signage, meant to lure the casual driver in for a pit-stop. After a good 25 minutes walking the curves of the road, I drifted back onto the "new" path and steps. They wound their way through an enchanting little pocket of forest before emerging at the back carpark of the college.
The college itself is an amazing engineering feat which rose from the top of the mountain some time after we arrived on island. Still spectacular, it seems to defy gravity as its bulk thrusts out over the sheer cliffs on the top of the mountain and dwarfs the walkers and cars below. Glittering in the afternoon sun's golden rays, it was an awesome sight! On the way back down the road, I glanced some other urban cowboys of the animal variety as a sizeable troop of macaques swung boldly from tree to tree, almost cartoon like, in the foliage below the college's shadow.
We got down to Eat Burger after discovering that the Italian charms of Pizzeria Oggi were all booked out. It was a great alternative and we had a delicious meal. On our way down, we were confronted by the bold "Moop". From the video above (for a while) and here more permanently, you can see it just cruising the suburban lanes: I just missed it flying up onto a car!
Photos: the girls in the Black Pig, me and Logan (I don't have dirt or tattoos: it was strange shadow trick!), the Moop, various shots from up on the mountain. I've just finished "X" by Sue Grafton after stretching it out as long as possible and Cass is reading Americanah by C.N. Adichie.
