SUN MOON LAKE (Part 1)

Travel and Accommodation

[Disclaimer to my friends: I have not taken leave of my spelling. Alternate spellings have been used as they are the names of places. I wish to be accurate so as not to confuse any who wish to travel there.]

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan. It is situated inland not far from Taichung in the Nantou region. I would recommend anyone staying in Taiwan for any length of time to take some time out to visit it, but with proper planning. I went there for only two days, which wasn't enough time for me to truly experience the place. I did, however, travel now (in "Winter", if it can be called that) which proved a treat as tourists were few and the weather acceptable.

The first part of any journey is working out how to get where you're going. The simplest route (from Taibei) is to take the High Speed Rail to Taichung. Once there head downstairs to exit 5. At the exit is a booth where one can buy tickets to Sun Moon Lake (Nantou). The people there can understand English and there is also a tourist info kiosk if you have questions or require maps/pamphlets/etc.

It's also possible to get there without the High Speed Rail. You can take the regular train to Taichung. You'll also catch a bus, but you'll be required to leave the train station and cross to Shuangshi Road.
The High Speed Rail takes about an hour with the bus trip taking 45mins. The return bus trip goes through the town/city to collect more passengers and if the traffic is bad it can take a while. I recommend going to the loo before getting on the bus.
When the bus arrives in Sun Moon Lake it will stop outside Shuishe Visitor Center. It is also from here that the buses leave to return to Taichung.

With regards to accommodation, there are various options. As you're dropped off the bus, with the Shuishe Visitor Center across the road to your left, behind you will be Min Ren Hotel:


It's just across the road from the "Vegtarian" Restaurant:


Min Ren Hotel is possibly the cheapest place, offering beds but no breakfast. The benefits of staying here are saving on cash. Location isn't too important (unless you want a good view) as everywhere is close. Here a double room can cost you around NT$1800/night.

This is the room my girlfriend and I stayed in:

 

As you can see we were put in a room on the end of the building (Room 21 if I remember correctly). The odd shape makes the room a little awkward, but not all of the rooms are like this. Here are pictures of another double-bed room and a room with singles: Room 1 and 4 (I think)

If you're not on a student budget and fancy a slightly more comfortable stay then here are a few options. There are various higher class places to stay, but here are a few of the mid-range ones I've seen.

Sun Moon Lake Hotel
When the bus drops you off, keep heading straight down the road. With the trees to your left and a hill to your right, it will almost seem as though you're leaving town again. The road will wind a little bit and a temple will appear on the hill to your right. A little further down the road you'll find a road turning off to your left. Take that road. You cannot miss the hotel. Seriously! It's huge and there are no other large buildings in the area.
There are also many small paths that lead down to the lake side which you can take and walk along if you'd prefer to walk with a view.
Tel:+886 49 2855 855

CoCo Tree
Upon disembarking from the bus, walk straight until you pass the visitor centre and take a left turn down the winding road. The road will curve back on itself whilst dropping into a dip. At the bottom of the dip one can continue straight or turn right into a car park. If you walk through the car park (staying to the right-hand side) you'll find a walkway going around a watery area with a few buildings on the right. The first is the CoCo Tree. I am unsure of its price range, but it appears to be a B&B of sorts as well as a restaurant.

Harbor Resort Hotel
As the name would imply, this hotel is right by the lake, close to the lake's edge. Sun Moon Lake has three piers: Shuishe Pier, Ita Thao Pier and Xuanguang Pier. The hotel is right by Shuishe Pier where you can book trips on the boats. One of the kiosks to buy tickets is directly outside the hotel - and possibly linked to the hotel.
Tel +886 49 2855 143

Lake side B&B
Surrounding the lake is a walkway mostly made of wood, but with a few stone sections. Starting at Shuishe Pier and walking clockwise around the lake I came across a house after a brisk 30min walk. There were business cards for the taking and I collected one.
The B&B has the advantage of being further away from the town and other tourists.
Tel: 049-2855108
Fax:049-2855211
Mob:0928-245855

Health and Ingredients

One of the many soups that Taiwan (and indeed the Chinese speaking world at large) is famous for is known in Chinese as "Health Soup". Containing coix seed, lycium (a member of the nightshade family, yet safe like potatoes) and the seeds of the lotus plant, this soup is very good for your body - especially your eyes. I am not partial to it, despite its goodness, as I am not entirely taken by its slightly bitter taste. I've been told that it's usually more salty than bitter, so perhaps I just had a particularly strong bowlful to try. Either way, I can be persuaded to try it again sometime.

By contrast, however, there is something I do relish which also has "health" in its title, and which is used to preserve one's body from the inside out. Known locally to some South Africans as "gesondheids drankie" (or "health drink"), it is a beautiful concoction of tonic water, dry lemon, a juice of your choosing (pear is usually the best) and gin - the stronger the better.

Whilst I would not expect my students to like my drink (nor would I offer it to them, their ages being between 6 and 7), I find the symmetry of the idea of them enjoying their health soup whilst I enjoyed my health drink most appealing - both consumable liquids aimed at the betterment of the consumer.

Representing Canada

I arrived at work today the way I usually do; by rolling out of bed, throwing some clothes on and making my way to the bus stop. I took a moment in the bathroom - more as a chance to wake up than anything else - and considered my complexion in the mirror.
There was the trimmed beard, my hair tied back, a pair of jeans and a collared, red and black checkered shirt. It was at this time that I realised that if my shirt had any more red in it I could pass for a lumberjack.... and I'm okay.

Videotapes and Sickness

I stepped with unwilling confidence into the classroom. Luckily, I thought, I’d have this lesson to practice before proceeding to my own class. The beauty of being the maths teacher is that I teach both classes of the bilingual programme the same lesson. It’s true that I was going to have about two dozen parents watching me teach, but they weren’t the parents of my class and so I allowed myself breathing space. Apparently that was my first mistake.

It dawned on me that I may have miscalculated the moment that one parent put a video camera to her eye; said moment being the second the bell rang for the lesson to begin. The camera ran the whole lesson.

While I must admit that I flawed them for most of the lesson, at the end I did begin to weaken. I usually prepare too much, but this time I had undercut my preparations. I was thumb-sucking eventually. That experience, combined with a quick chat in the break with my director, meant that the next lesson went much smoother.

That was yesterday. Today the students are being directed in writing short letters to one of the girls in the class. She has taken ill with inflammation of the lungs and has been admitted to hospital. It’s believed she’ll be there for a week.

This news has caused the realisation that my throat is a little sore and has been since I awoke this morning. I had brushed it off as a reaction to temperature change as the weather has finally begun catching up with the season. Perhaps there is more to it… (*begins scrounging for vitamins)

Worries and the Recurring Spider

So a large brown spider of the (looks vaguely like this) variety was found clinging to the side of a chair in my class the other morning. As you can imagine this caused quite a stir amongst the little six- and seven-year-olds. I rescued the poor thing and deposited it in the school gardens, which I have now come to view as a potentially silly thing. The gardens in question are situated in a quad surrounded by classrooms, meaning that if dear Mr Spider decides he's not entirely satisfied with his relocation, his only means of migration is down various passageways or through the classrooms themselves.

As you can imagine we found him again yesterday. Once again I had to rescue him. This time he was on the side of a bucket which the grade ones were using to clean the floor with. In the spider's defence, he wasn't really in need of saving. His mere presence was enough to keep even the most enthusiastic grade one at arm's length, their best efforts contained at little more than splashing water hopefully on the wrong side of the bucket.
Once again I deposited him back into the garden in the hope of future entertainment.

The spider, however, has nothing to do with the worry mentioned in the title. That came from a student, being rather talkative outside of lessons, who was trying to engage me in a discussion of whatever was on his mind at the time. His words were a little confusing and so I had phased out slightly, my attention more on the work on my computer. I was passively listening.
Whatever he was saying began catching my attention because it sounded wrong somehow. I started actually listening to discover what he was talking about. The boy had spoken of things sticking and how he found he had to remove them with his hands. It dawned on me that he was speaking about lavatory functions and I immediately began searching my memory for everything I had seen him touching.

The look I gave him must have registered, because he then began defending himself, saying it was the only way to get some of it off - or out, I forget which - while I told him that tissues and loo paper was better. In retrospect I don't believe I attacked his idea enough. My partial silence and confusion may have been seen by him as acceptance.

This incident worried me as hygiene is important, especially in a city as sickness can spread quickly. Today two of my students were at home sick and three left early to visit the doctor. From what I've witnessed my students tend to have very good habits in terms of health and hygiene (I reserve judgment on discipline and learning habits at this time). Some may think of bad hygiene habits as an Asian thing, but the boy who was talking to me was one of my students who'd spent a few years in the U.S.A. I think one of his parents may even be a citizen of the U.S.A.

31st October Continued...

[After carefully reading through the rules and policies of my school, I have decided to remove any pictures in which students are recognisable, just in case they have jumpy parents. I like to err on the safe side.]

So Halloween as a teacher can be quite fun. Being a South African, Halloween was never terribly big for me. It's not widely celebrated with us, though a few people use it as an excuse for throwing parties and getting drunk (so much like the rest of the western world, though on a smaller scale).

A few teachers had a crack at dressing up. Here are two of them:

I think this is the first time I've taught a lesson completely in costume. It felt good throwing off the shackles of school convention and letting my hair down. The only problem being a man with long hair is that to be considered "smart" I am forced to tie it up.

I even got out my gaming dice and allowed them some time centre stage.

My very first pumpkin carving. IT wasn't that difficult, to be honest. Only my tools (a thin craft knife and an extremely blunt knife) weren't the best. One could cut accurately, but wasn't long or wide enough to cut all the way through. The other was blunt, so had to be forced through the grooves made by the former. 

In the end I think both sides turned out alright.

And of course a tribute to the greatest thing to come out of the modern traditions of All Hallows Eve:

31st October

It's Halloween!

I'll be posting an update tonight or tomorrow with whatever pictures I can take during the course of today. Until then, here's something fantastic to read:

"It is Halloween this Wednesday and I, for one, cannot wait to put on my succubus suit and go creeping around the neighbourhood late at night banging on doors, shouting: “Trick or treat!”
The real sport starts when the homeowner presses his panic button. You then have seven minutes to break into the house, tie the occupants up, find a treat and get out before an armed response unit can shoot you in the head. The kids love it."

To read the full story: (posted on 28th October) 

http://bentrovatowhippingboy.wordpress.com/author/bentrovatowhippingboy/

On waking

In my dream this morning I was teaching a class; that or something similar involving directing the actions of a group of people. Upon hearing my alarm I instinctively began telling the group to hurry up and finish what they were doing. It's not that I didn't realise that it was my alarm to wake up. Rather, I was uncertain whether the dream would....

...and there my thoughts left me as I woke. Perhaps I was worried that the dream would become confused, its occupants unsure what to do now that I had left them. Would the dream actually continue somewhere else in absence of my presence?

I could tell from the outset that today was going to be one of those days where my mind never settles properly.

Discipline Methods Revisited

The Clip Chart

The clip chart is not as effective as I’d hoped it would be. It’s still proving useful, as many students get excited when they move up, but those students who are usually in trouble become accustomed to being low on the chart; so much so that it doesn’t bother them. Perhaps it would be more effective with a first language classroom.

English times and zones

As we are teaching bilingual classes where English is the students’ second language, we have designated English times. From the first bell in the morning until they finish regular classes (not including afterhours lessons/activities) the students are required to speak only English. This ‘English Only’ is restricted to the classrooms themselves and the passageway area directly outside the classrooms; thus they can still enjoy their breaks. Naturally this restriction is lifted during any lesson in which they are taught in Chinese, or if a teacher asks them a question in Chinese.

The principle has told us she likes the idea and so will be officially implementing it, getting proper signs made and announcing to all in the various assemblies that the areas outside all the bilingual classes are English only.

English Police Officers

This is another fun idea we’ve hit upon, and it benefits the teacher by passing some of the responsibility over to the students. Each week we assign a few students in each class to be English police officers. If students are speaking Chinese when they shouldn’t be, then it’s up to the other students to tell them not to. If they don’t listen, then they get reported to a police officer.

My police officers carry small books with them in which they write down the names of other students who won’t stop speaking in Chinese. Of course, if a police officer is caught speaking Chinese too many times, then they can be subsequently “fired” from their position.

One of the other teachers has found that her students were a little overzealous in their approach to using the books, so she replaced them with police badges which the students wear on a lanyard around their necks and proudly stick it in the faces of students who are not obeying the rules.

Chain link

This is an interesting idea which works well. It requires two things. The first is a little sacrifice on the teachers’ behalf, as they’ll be required to spend a little of their own money at some point. The second thing is to keep everything visible.

First you select something you don’t want the children to do (i.e. speak Chinese during English class, shout or scream, be badly behaved, etc.) and each time they do that thing the teacher will write a mark on the board. At the end of the day, the marks are counted up. If they have fewer than ten (a number which works for my class) then they get another link to their chain. If they go over ten, then they don’t. If they go over ten by an increment of five, then for each increment they lose a link to their chain (e.g. 15, 20, 25, etc.). The chain links are made by taking strips of paper and gluing/stapling the ends together.

You attach the chain somewhere where the students can easily see it and tell them that when the chain reaches the floor, you’ll give them a party. This could be anything from a lesson of only games to simply buying them some cake.

It’s important to start them off with several links in their chain. Not only will it be more impressive than one, but it’ll also motivate them as it’ll seem attainable. On the flipside it’ll also give you links to remove if they misbehave too much.

Fortnightly Rewards

A friend of mine who is a teacher at a cram school does something similar. He keeps a record of the students’ behaviour on the board. Every two weeks, if all the students are well enough behaved, then he takes them to a shop near the school and lets them choose anything that costs under a certain small amount. That alone is entertaining, because often he finds students clubbing their money together in order to get something nice they can share. It works out to be a fairly cheap way to buy discipline.

Retrospective Contemplation of Child Media

I remember when I was young and watching a television show that I was very fond of. It was Duck Tales and in the episode Scrooge’s nephews were having hot chocolate; however they were only given three marshmallows in their drinks. They were used to having four. This upset them and so they embarked on a quest to solve this problem. I don’t remember how they did that and whether it involved making money for their uncle or showing him how important it was to them, but the episode ended with their uncle making them hot chocolate with four marshmallows in each cup, thus restoring the status quo.

What struck me about the episode was my reaction to it. I still recall it clearly for it is one of my earliest memories of truly analysing a concept. I remember thinking about how the episode ended and, at the wise old age of nine, wondered how many children watching the episode would suddenly start asking for marshmallows in their hot chocolate. More specifically, how many of them would insist upon four marshmallows as the “norm” for such drinks. (Though I doubt I knew the word ‘norm’ at that stage)

This turned into a myriad tangent ideas: How much would this cartoon affect people? (For I somehow believed many of them would be more easily persuaded than me) Would they get annoyed if their parents refused them or would the parents be too lenient and simply give in to their children’s demands? Would children resent parents who wouldn’t allow it? Did the writers/producers of the show share my thoughts on the matter and, if so, how did they feel about influencing people? More importantly, would they care? Did they make jokes to each other about how it would boost the economy by getting people to buy more? All these questions flooded my mind and I couldn’t help but ponder them. Even now, I am occasionally drawn back to such thoughts, and with them the old idea of how much power words can have when used at just the right moment.