page 37: 13/21: we find our comforts elsewhere.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
mused @ 9:33 PM
jiu zhu wen hua chun was a place that i had visited 3 years ago, before i entered national service. it is meant to showcase the nine aboriginal tribes of taiwan and it has some theme rides to entertain the younger audience. sadly, the amusement rides are the main draw. its inaccessibility and remoteness makes it an unideal location of visit. confusing roadsigns, narrow roads leading to the place hamper its attractiveness. furthermore, its rides since 3 years ago have not been updated. the park today was particularly empty, perhaps yet another sad testament to its lack of appeal. why we still visit this place? i really don't know. i didn't plan the trip.
my visit there today was an unmemorable one. all the rides that i had sat in 3 years ago were still there. but this time, since it would be my last time visiting the place, i decided to sit the cockscrew rollercoaster. you know, the one that you go upside down? but the ride didn't thrill me as much as i had expected. while i was on it, the sky never seemed bluer and the ride gave me a sudden release from the constraints of the world; the feeling of weightlessness. but i know that it wouldn't last. it was like a temporary release, but once you got back on ground, the troubles of the world weighed down again.
we did a speed run through the park rather fast. after we cleared all the rides in 2 hrs (due to the lack of traffic), we decided to leave. tells you really how attractive this park is...
puli was more interesting. it is a wine making town in taiwan. and they really make wine. and other random stuff out of it as well. wine biscuits, wine bread, wine cake, fermented rice, wine jelly, wine chocolate..etc. its really crazy. and really amusing.you should really try the wine jelly. ahah.
retired back to the hotel beside the lake again. was feeling nauseous due the intensity of riding the rides (i sat the rollercoaster twice in a roll, the high speed descent thing once, space mountain once, viking once, carousel once and a motion stimulator once in rapid time) and the dangerous winding mountainous roads. in the evening, we just strolled along the lake.
everytime i see orion's belt in the sky, it reminds me of the 4th day of field camp, where me and my section mates had a break at night and we lay in the grass gazing at the night sky. in tekong, there are no city lights and the night sky shines through. similarly, here at nantou, there aren't many city lights.
but i need the city. i can't imagine living in a small town like nantou in taiwan or wakayama in japan, where the highest building is six stories. but if they can live like this, why can't we? we have seen too much, enjoyed too much perhaps, to let go what we have.
back to the city tomorrow, leaving behind the quiet towns for the hustle and bustle of the civilization.
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there is an evident lack of light tonight.Labels: sojourn
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