Venture to Taichung

Early birds get worms. I wish I were a bird. I could fly high in the sky. I could look far in the distance. I could feel the wind beneath my wings. But I don't like worms, bookworms, clothes worms, even though I am a bookworm, a clothes worm myself. God knows how many books and clothes I've read and procured in the past half century.

At daybreak, I was alone by myself. The snug jacuzi kept me from making an effort to go for a dip in the chilly swimming pool even for a few seconds. I gave up the morning exercise for a total relaxing message in a warm water swirl. My sister Ruth gave me a lift after breakfast to National Museum of Natural Science. I felt like a school girl ready for an exciting field trip when I waited for Virginia and her friends at the entrance.

We started our big day by venturing into the Tropical Rain Forest Greenhouse first. It is free of charge at the moment because the giant, glass greenhouse is under renovation. We were thrilled to see the largest fish of the Amazon River in a 14-foot aquarium. I couldn't imagine how I would react if I should encounter such huge and ugly monsters in the river, probably scared to death instantly.

Pineapples and Good Fortunes have the same pronunciation in Taiwanese dialect. We were lucky to see a free special exhibition of Pineapples (Ananas comosus) and learned many subfamilies of the Bromeliaceae. Science aside, pineapples grew well in the south of Taiwan and used to be the major income of farmers in the middle of 20th century in southern Taiwan in addition to bananas.

Upon the recommendations of museum staff, we entered the newly renovated Hall of Human Cultures. A wooden replica of a water-powered clock, an apparatus for astronomical observation, a celestial globe in the main hall caught my attention. At the tail of a group of school children, I couldn't help raising my hand when the museum guide posed a question to the students. I was curious and I must have looked like a wired adult. It happened again when I stood in front of the boat models behind another group of school children. My mind flew back to 1421 with Zheng He to the Western Ocean, in another minute I was sailing with Nicholas Iquan Gaspard between Tainan and Nagasaki. Then we visited the Life Science Hall for another hour or so. I am impressed with the layout and design of the National Museum of Natural Science. I shall return to see more!

After a quick light lunch, we rushed to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. It was like a dream-come-true for me to see the Age of Elegance—A Centennial Exhibition of Kuo Hsueh-Hu. I miss the special exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei early this year. But, I made it in Taichung. On top of that, it was free. After listing to the prerecorded interpretation of Kuo's works for an hour, I sat at a cozy corner watching the videotape of Kuo's artist life. Then I followed the volunteer interpreter to see Kuo's works for the second time. From his paintings, I learned the good old times of Taipei city. While trying to read his minds from his brushes, I looked for the secret of his longevity through the colorful strokes on canvas.

Virginia was anxious to shot photos at Fun Love Sculpture Park before the sunset. We hopped in a taxi and aimed to savor the famous coffee and pancake with maple syrup on top by the lakeside. On a rainy weekday afternoon, the cafe' was closed and nobody was in the park except the park caretakers. The weekend glory of Fun Love Sculpture was out of sight except those 52 award-winning sculpture masterpieces standing tall under the clouds. No sunlight produced no photos. We got on the bus back to Taipei for a late dinner.

Taichung, located in the center of the west coast of Taiwan, had more to offer than we'd expected, from, National Museum of Natural Science, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to Fun Love Sculpture Park. Why not reward yourself with an easy day to venture to Taichung for a round trip bus ticket on sale at NT$200 during the weekdays? Just do it!