Had a few hours before our lunchtime train out into the countryside, so we hopped on a local bus and went out into the suburbs to visit the National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine. As one would expect from any (previously) totalitarian regime seeking to honour the martyrs who had died in its formation, it was a very impressive place. More like a small Tiananmen Square rather than a Shrine.
Arrived at 8:55 which was rather fortuitous as the complex opened at 9am with a changing of the guard. Mind you every tour group in the city also came to see it. Ceremonial white uniforms and helmets. Right on cue the honour guard came slow marching down the footpath and into the complex all the way to the far end with the usual pomp and ceremony to relieve the existing guards. The old guard then marched back through the complex to the front gate where they relieved the last two of the guards and marched home for breakfast.
We wandered around the Shrine looking at the various photos on display, and it didn’t take us long to work out the definition of a revolutionary martyr was anybody who died in the service of Chang Kai Shek. All of his glorious battle victories were explained in great detail, but his occasional losses were dealt with most perfunctorily.
Turned around at one point, and noticed that we were the only two in the complex. Every other tour group had raced back to their bus and taken off. Presumably they weren’t impressed by the propaganda either. Regardless of the narrative, there were two shrines, one on each side of the square, the first being to commemorate the armed forces personnel who died in all the various conflicts with Japan and with Communist China. The other commemorated the civilians and administration who had died.
Rather impressive, and nice to know that people remember, regardless of your ideology.
Back on the bus to the room and checked out before the appointed time, then we walked down to the main Taipei train station, had some morning tea, and waited for our express train to Hualien. And when we say express, we mean express. After exiting Taipei Station, the train’s next stop was our destination in around two hours time. A nice, new, modern train which was surprisingly full.
A quick word about Taiwan’s geography. It’s a small island with a huge mountain range running down the spine – north to south. So imposing is the range that there are hardly any roads traversing the mountains, and from the train we could see why. The mountains extend from the sky almost to the sea, and where they don’t, a town or city will have grown up. We have come down the east side of the island following the coast. So, in a couple of days time when we want to visit the west coast, we have to travel all the way back to Taipei on the northern tip in order to get around the mountains, and then come south again down the other coast of the island.
Upon arrival at the Hualien train station we walked our stuff down the local streets and found our Airbnb. Hualien is a provincial town, so it’s not going to be another Taipei. I guess it’s a pretty normal Asian town. People park their cars and bikes anywhere they like, especially if its on a footpath coz there’s room there.
Got adventurous at dinner time and went to a Shabu Shabu restaurant. Shabu shabu (swish swish) is a Japanese hotpot of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water, cooked by the diner at their own table. So our table had 4 gas rings. They delivered what we had ordered, and we cooked it ourselves. It was lovely, and we really enjoyed it. However, we shared the one hot pot, and there are a stack of rules about how you can and can’t do that, and the surcharge you have to pay, and these aren’t set out in English. As you order from a touch screen when you enter the restaurant, there is no way of paying for the surcharge once you meal is completed. We had understood enough to know that we had to pay a surcharge, and we ended up with half the restaurant laughing at our pantomime trying to explain that we knew we needed to pay extra, and the waitress trying to explain that we should have sorted that out earlier, and two locals joining in trying to explain what each one was trying to say to the other. In the end, the waitress disappeared, and came back to tell us that the restaurant had a ‘one forgive’ policy, and we had now used ours. Never had such a hard time trying to pay a bill.
Back to the room, which we soon realised was next to the Hualien airport, as what seemed to be the whole Taiwanese airforce returned from the daily flights one after another.
Changing of the Guard
Changing of the Guard
Entrance Gate to Martyrs Shrine
Hualien Airbnb