When I planned my
trip to Taiwan some of friends asked “Why Taiwan?” I could have gone to
Singapore, Malayasia, China, Thailand or Hong Kong or maybe Venice or New York.
It was another fact
that I’ve already been to some of the above named places and the other places I
was not in a mood to explore, hence I picked up a place which was plain
different from these touristy places. Many Indians do not go there, for that
matter not many westerners too. I was surprised not to stumble upon a Bengali
tourist in my 3 days of stay in two cities namely Kaohsiung and Tainan so far.
It is a bit mystifying indeed given their strong yearning for exploring least
frequented places of the world. I am pinning my hope on Taipei, the capital, to
meet India’s most travel crazy people.
Coming back to the
“Why Taiwan” part, the question was often being asked by China, who were never
comfortable with the existence Taiwan as
a democratic and separate country. Officially Taiwan is known as Republic of
China and they claim sovereignty over the mainland China too, which is too much
for the Big Brother to digest. Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, lives under
the shadow of Chinese aggression or even takeover. But the stance has softened
in the recent years as an era of rapprochement and mutual acceptance has been
ushered in by the winds of globalisation. The young people love it on both
sides of the Taiwan Strait as they do everywhere, India Pakistan included.
Taiwan, which has the
shape of a sweet potato, is a food lover’s paradise. The people here love their
meat too much—anything that moves, crawls, walks or swims (leaving, of course,
the humans) is welcome for their dishes. The whole place is bustling with
eaters any time of day. Night markets, which are common in all Taiwanese cities
are humming with shoppers, and eaters. Every imaginable food is being ordered
by the enthusiastic buyers and being cooked right there: fish, octopus, sharks,
shrimps, beef, pork, beetle, rodents, you name it you will get it. For those
who do not relish meat, Taiwan offers tasty fruits and vegetables in plenty.
The guavas and bananas tasted heavenly when I picked them up from a street
seller on a Saturday outing. I am not telling you the price as it may spoil
your taste.
Taiwanese people just
love cycling and it is evident on their roads. Bikes are available everywhere
for hiring, even for free, and almost all the roads have wide tracks for
bikers. Cycling is not only encouraged it is also celebrated. Bikes are the
most visible evidences of the Taiwanese people’s resolve tominimise pollution
and make their cities and surroundings environmental friendly. Kaohsiung, the
second largest city of Taiwan, was till recently a dirty industrial town and
shipping port, with polluted water bodies and wasteland. People have changed
the face of the city completely with their magical green touch. Now the natural
settings are protected and cleaned, half the city travels underground in a very
efficient metro rail system; tourist boats run on solar power and of course
people pedal their way. The vast city park is a delight to watch in the morning:
full of walkers, joggers, tennis players and groups elderly men and women deeply
absorbed in their Tai chi exercises, in tune with soothing music. Giving
company to humans are birds In the trees and
ducks in the lake. Man is in perfect harmony with nature in the
salubrious morning moments.
The scene is so
different from our garrulous and impolite ways. I am reminded of the din
created by my fellow travellers from Kolkata to Bangkok during the first leg of
my journey. The whole scene inside the aircraft seemed to have been hijacked by
a big group of Hindi speaking young traders who had big parcels with them. They
bragged and boasted about their expertise and familiarity with the Bangkok
commerce, without caring a fig about passengers who wanted to sleep in the
middle of the night.
A shop selling sea food in a night market in Kaohsiung.
No comments:
Post a Comment