#shiding

The way this trip is almost halfway over will make me spiral if i think about it too much (´；ω；｀) So. Time to yell.

We started the day with a hotel breakfast and a lil birthday celebration (happy birthday to the Kadence and Da'Moni 🎂). Then we took the bus out to Shiding, and the drive out there was so calm and pretty. Simple creeks, old old houses, greenery everywhere. The creek stop was like visually quiet in a good way. We walked down the old street and I picked up a cute little phone charm (my wallet is tired). Then I got a tea slushie that was soooo good- I could never be a coffee person. Sometimes drinks here feel more alive than I normally do. It might be the sugar. We also got a quick intro to Shilin’s history and learned why the town’s mascot is a lil green alligator guy. Genuinely love when cities lean into that kind of whimsy.

Back on the bus we headed for Maokong, where we got to ride the gondolas (aka the ✨cable cars✨). The view was incredible. Lots of cat statues everywhere up there too which. Yeah. I was in heaven. I got to wander for a while and take some photos.

The day wound down with some essentials restocking (finally got conditioner thank goodness) and then dinner + the much needed 7/11 milk tea. But the real surprise was at the park. While I was drinking said milk tea (loyalty never dies), I met a really sweet Taiwanese family. Their daughter had gone to NYU and helped translate where my Chinese/ their English failed so we could chat for a while. We talked for about 15 minutes and she introduced me to their two small poodles: Mochi (white gege) and Pepper (gray didi). I hope I can run into them again some night.

✧ Reflection ✧

Shiding and Maokong both carry threads of something much older. Before Taipei became the with the skyline we say today This area, like much of Taiwan, was deeply shaped by agrarian culture. The kind of economy that runs on soil, on seasons, on people working the land. We learned previously about how traditional arts and crafts require repetition, dedication, and passing down through generations. I think agriculture is the same way. And both show up in places like Shiding. Not always obviously, but subtly. You can see it in the terraced hills and old fields. Even the mascot being an alligator ties back to regional ecology and farming mythology.

Taiwan’s agrarian past doesn’t feel erased. It just feels like it’s been layered over with boba shops and gift stalls. And that’s not a bad thing. I'm sure the gondolas in Maokong literally float above what partially used to be fields. Who knows what I've consumed that used to grow there. It’s surreal and sweet to think about. Taiwan has this way of folding the past into the present without always making it a museum exhibit. Sometimes it’s just there. In your tea, in the slope of the road, in a creek you barely notice until you stop and look.

— 小凱

Thousand-Island Lake (千島湖)