Day 9 - From Neiwan To The Old Streets Of Beipu, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Day 9 - From Neiwan To The Old Streets Of Beipu, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Yesterday, we did not ride the scenic local train from Hexing to Neiwan.
So this morning in Neiwan, we decided that we should ride the train for the short distance back to Hexing which runs east to west, and then continue walking south as planned.
We got up early, in order to have more time to stop along the way and still have time to stroll the streets of Beipu, before we continue on to our guesthouse for the night.
The train station was located just three minutes’ walk from our guesthouse, and even at the early morning hour, many people wearing hiking clothes got out of the train in Neiwan.
It was indeed a scenic old train with circular arches.
In ancient China, the circle was an important cultural symbol.
It represented harmony, the balance of the yin and yang and the duality of nature, which is an essential part of Daoist and Chinese philosophies.
The circle is used in everything from windows, entrances, and architecture, to garden design, healing and medicine.
When we got out of the train, it was raining lightly.
But it soon stopped, as we walked along the road south.
At a convenience store we bought some roasted potatoes and rice balls, which are now our preferred breakfast foods when there aren’t any restaurants or cafes around.
It was a hot day, but not as hot as it was last week, when I felt that it was almost unwise to walk outdoors for many hours.
The reason for my concerns about running or walking for hours in extreme heat, is that this summer, I read about some professional and experienced marathon runners who died of heat exhaustion in Death Valley, California.
Apparently, it is a regular occurrence that happens every year; experienced runners die in Death Valley from heat exhaustion.
This was puzzling to me… they knew it is a place that has extreme weather temperatures and surely they had brought enough water with them, yet they died from dehydration?
An article explained that their dehydration is on a cellular level, and by the time the person felt thirsty, it was not enough for them to drink lots of water, in order to absorb it into their cells.
Of course we are now walking in a very humid climate, where this kind of dehydration is very unlikely to happen to us.
I still make us carry more water than we normally would, just until the weather cools off a bit more.
The path today was very hilly.
We climbed mostly up for most of the day, almost until we got to Beipu.
About half the way to Beipu, we stopped at a very popular garden cafe for a lunch and some rest.
It was a comfortable spot and they offered to refill our pot of high mountain tea many times.
We sat there for an hour, relaxing and resting our feet.
Finally we got up, put on our backpacks to the cheering eyes of everyone in the cafe, and walked to Beipu.
Beipu is a small village in south-eastern Hsinchu County.
The village population consists almost entirely of the Hakka ethnic minority group.
The village is known among locals as the Hakka Capital of Northern Taiwan, and is a popular excursion for the people of Taiwan to enjoy a bit of history, culture and cuisine.
Hakka culture stemmed from the culture of Ancient Han Chinese, who migrated from the Central Plains of China to the south during the 6th to 13th centuries.
They settled in Taiwan and further into Malaysia and Singapore.
They intermixed with local non-Han ethnic groups who were living in those areas.
Hakka culture encompasses a shared language, various art forms, food culture, folklore, and traditional customs.
The early years for the Hakka in Taiwan weren't easy as they had to work together to endure hostile periods of Japanese rule as well as issues with other ethnic Chinese and the Indigenous peoples.
With security in mind, the village of Beipu was constructed in a way that was thought would help to defend the people within the village from outside attacks.
Most of the original village is still around today and consists of twisting narrow alleys that become somewhat of a maze.
The village is somewhat preserved and these days, it has become a popular tourist spot as a famous place to visit.
Beipu Old Street is a place to stroll through the historic village and sample Hakka culture at its best.
Ci-Tian Temple is located at the heart of the old town, and it is dedicated to the Buddhist goddess Guanyin (Kannon in Japan).
The temple, which was built in 1846 (a level three cultural relic in Taiwan), is always quite busy with tourists and residents praying and worshiping.
The streets around the beautiful temple are lined with stalls, selling all sorts of preserved vegetables, spicy sauces, steamed buns and dried persimmons, among other specialties.
Since we will be staying tonight in a rural guesthouse, we decided to buy some food to eat later in the guesthouse.
We sampled and bought local dried persimmons, as well as delicious veg dumplings and preserved radish glutenous rice cakes.
Our guesthouse is really cool.
It has a modern design with very comfortable rooms.
We had access to a washing machine to wash our laundry, a great hot shower and an air conditioned room with a great bed.
Today, as I struggled to draw on my inner strength, I reflected on the wise words of a Spiritual Master:
“Human beings are a constellation of powers in which all kinds of potential seeds are contained.
You can make these seeds grow into a hog or a lion, a sparrow or a dragon, a devil or an angel, a fool or a god.”
The words gave me power.
I seek to grow the Light within me…
With love,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Steps - 23,052
Daily Distance - 16 km.
Total Distance To Date - 125 km
