En route to Osaka, Japan. Arrive on 27-Feb.
Keelung provides port access for Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. And it is obvious they want to be noticed. As opposed to Hollywood, the Keelung sign outline lights up with changing colors at night.
Like many island nations, Taiwan wants you to be careful when bringing different kinds of food from the ship. But watch out, for if you bring any meat products onto this island the Beagle Brigade will get you and fine you up to $33,000!
This was the first port of my cruise where it was raining. And it was bucketing, like in San Francisco when we left in January. The crew warned us the weather would turn the night before, and around 10:00pm we started rocking. For the first time we heard loud “bangs” as the bow of the ship pierced a wave and slammed back into the water. And the temperature is certainly going down the farther we sail north.
It was a 40-minute bus ride into Taipei, and our guide gave us some tourist chopsticks (with “Tai” and “Pei” written on them). We first stopped at the Martyrs’ Shrine, which was impressive by itself, but it also had a changing of the guard ceremony. I filmed this with my cell phone (5 minutes), and if I figure out how to upload it to YouTube, I’ll let you know.
The Shrine was full of images, text and bronze relief… of battles that Taiwan had lost. At first I wondered why, but then recalled how the US considers Bunker Hill, the Alamo and others. As Taiwan is only 100 miles from China, with over a billion people to Taiwan’s 24 million, I understand the desire to remember.
I don’t think anything shows the difference between East and West culture like temples and shrine. China’s monuments have such color and intricate decoration, when Western typically use a white marble look (which is even more ironic, as the ancient Greeks painted their statues).
We then had a quick stop at the Presidential Palace, the Taiwanese White House.
We then traveled to the Chiang Kei-skek (CKS) memorial. Um, when Chinese cultures make a memorial, it takes space. With all the rain I didn’t take the number of pictures I normally would. It resides in Liberty Square, which is 60 acres.
The CKS memorial kind of makes me a liar about Eastern shrine colors, but that is what makes it stand out compared to the traditional buildings that bracket it, which are the national music and opera theaters.
Inside, CKS sits and reminds us of “Ethics, Science, Democracy”, as written on the wall behind him.
What I find really interesting are the ceilings. No, I don’t really know why, as I don’t like fancy ceilings in personal homes. But they seem to fit in memorials.
I did not get to visit the National Palace Museum, which I’ve heard is an amazing collection of Chinese historical artifacts and artwork. That’s on the list for next time.