Taiwan Journal 05

So, it seems that I joined a club last week; the Hash House Harriers. Every Sunday, they go out and run through the hills around Taipei. The “Hare” runs first, leaving piles of flour for the rest to follow. The trails thread through winding trails, switch-backed roads, farms, cemeteries, temples, and even bamboo-laden undergrowth. Every so often, the hair leaves an X in the path and the trail ends, to pick up somewhere else.

Once everyone has reached the end, the runners gather for “down downs”. This continuous stream of toasts and curses end once everyone is drunk enough to begin stuffing themselves and mortifying onlookers in a local restaurant. The Hash Runners are made up of a mix of Taipei locals and English-speaking expats. Taking shots with a middle-aged Taipei businessman whose knowledge of English seems to be limited to “Lets Get Fucked Up!” Apparently, the tradition began in Malaysia by British colonial officers who used the hash runs to work off the previous night’s hangover.


My exploration of Taipei’s surrounding hills has not been limited to hash runs, however. Last week I decided to take a trip to Maokong valley, in the south east corner of the city, to ride the famous Gondola that’s advertised across the city. According to the map, the trailhead was just a short walk from the Subway stop, and indeed it was. That did not stop me from getting lost and heading down what I thought was a trail but in fact was a driveway. This driveway extended through the fields of a tea farm, and ended at the farmer’s septic tank. The farmer watched me confidently marching down the path to his septic tank with puzzled amusement. Once I returned he was happy to point me in the correct direction.


This path led me, predictably, up well maintained and adorned continuous sets of stairs. After climbing about 3/4ths of the way up the hillside, the trail spontaneously led through a small covered market, with venders selling noodles, trinkets, and incense. The reason for the incense, and indeed for the whole market, is the massive complex of temples just up the hill. There are Taoist, Buddhist, Shinto, and Confuciust temples all right next to one another. The between the humidity and the incense, it was difficulty to breath near the top of the hill.

In the end, I reached the gondola above the temples only to discover that it was closed for maintenance. This left me to walk back on the (thankfully) downhill trail into town. I got home and found that the grocery store was selling a pound of calamari for $50NT (about $1.75USD). What I did not realize when I bought them was that the little squids had not been gutted. And squid ink gets everywhere. Something to keep in mind.

Next week is Halloween, and I have been “volunteered” by my boss to dress in a gorilla suit to amuse the kids before I head out to a party. Many clubs here offer an open bar after a $600NT ($18USD) cover charge, so I am sure that it will be an interesting night.