Saturday, November 11 10:00 a.m.

Hmm. I could be in trouble. I woke up very early this morning intending to go out and take pictures. I imagined a beautiful sunrise and glorious morning sun. But when I stepped outside after a quick shower and shave at about 6, it was heavily overcast and I stepped in a big pile of dog shit. Right on the verandah.

I decided to go out anyway. I thought the sun might come out. But then I discovered that I was locked in. The door into the main area was locked and then the outside door was locked as well. Luckily I am a man not without resources and I escaped by climbing a wall and a fence. Everything seemed to go smoothly (in Ethiopia and Guinea when I did this, men with guns often got upset), but when I turned to look back at the front of the Old Window I saw a large flashing red light – a red light that wasn’t flashing before. So I guess I tripped some kind of silent alarm. I got out of there before the police arrived.

My plan was to take pictures along Shuchi Road – that narrow lane of steps and teahouses. I was hoping that with a bright morning sun there would be enough light to take pictures. But overcast as it was, there wasn’t much light. I still tried to take pictures though. I think I took fifty slides. Maybe one or two of them will turn out. The problem is that in order to compensate for the lack of light, the camera had to use very slow shutter speeds. I ended up shooting most of the pictures at a quarter or an eighth of a second. That is far too long without a tripod. Plus, I had to shoot with the lens wide open at 2.8. That means the depth of field is very narrow and very little will be in focus. Still, it was a lovely morning and I had the entire town to myself. Just taking the pictures made me appreciate the place and the moment, even if the pictures themselves don’t turn out.

When I went through this area yesterday, it was already dark. It was very beautiful in the dark, but it was hard to get oriented. I saw all kinds of interesting places and buildings, but it was difficult to figure out what they were or even how to get into them. It’s a bit of a jumble. I wonder if it all makes sense if you can read Chinese or do you have to have grown up here to be able to judge what places are?

This morning I could see better and I could take my time. I also felt less inhibited since I had the streets to myself. I went anywhere I wanted to without worrying that I would disappoint some poor shop or restaurant owner by looking in but not going in and spending money. I have hopes for one or two of the pictures. At one point, I climbed out onto a convenient roof and got a great angle on the most famous building in Jioufen. I’m not sure what to call it. I may have mentioned it earlier. It’s the tea house that was featured in the movie City of Sadness. I’ve seen it referred to as the “Pathetic Tea House” and the “Tea House of Sadness” and “Pathetic City,” but I think the proper name is the same as the movie, City of Sadness. In any event, it is a very attractive wooden building with lots of detail and some large masks on the outside. Right beside it is another restaurant/tea house that is much more to my liking and it is hard to figure out where one building ends and the other begins and what is attached to what.

I didn’t go into the Sadness place yesterday. Instead, I went into the other place. I think I mentioned that a woman playing with a cat got me to go inside. It’s very unpopular based on the number of people who frequent it – basically one – me. To get inside, you walk down a long stone hallway. Then you step inside what feels to me like the inside of a castle. There is a seating area there and then there is a sunken section full of old furniture and random stuff. Not sure if you would call it junk or carefully chosen “art.” In any event, it has a wonderful laid back atmosphere to it. I didn’t sit down there last night, but was escorted one floor up to a somewhat more open section. I didn’t mind being up there because I was seated beside a huge open window. It stretched a good fifteen feet and I had a great view of the ocean and the fishing harbors. Insects flew in and out closely followed by bats. I didn’t have my NEO with me or I would have written from there.

This morning, everything was closed and I didn’t go inside anywhere. Instead, I just wandered around snapping pictures. I felt like a pro because I had my winder attached. That winder makes my camera huge and it makes that winding sound. I think that’s why I took so many pictures. The winder just makes it so easy. You just keep hitting the button and the camera does the rest.

After a while I wandered through Jishan Road. It was much nicer early in the morning with no one else there and nothing open. But it also didn’t look like anything special. Just a narrow lane like hundreds of others. What astonished me yesterday was how blithely people drove their scooters and even blue delivery trucks down that lane. I don’t know how they made it through. I don’t know how they had the nerve.

I followed Jishan road all the way to the end by the 7-11 and Starbucks. It was still only 7 in the morning and I didn’t have much hope that Starbucks would be open. But to my surprise there was activity inside. I went closer and saw that their Saturday and Sunday hours were 7:30 to 11:30 or something like that. A young guy saw me peering at the sign and he came out and invited me in. He said that they didn’t officially open until 7:30, but I could come in and sit down and I’d be able to order shortly. They took my order at 7:20 and I had a cappuccino and a chicken sandwich. I believe I was promised a breakfast at Old Window, but I really needed something to eat and I wasn’t sure that breakfast would materialize.

After my cappuccino, I went to 7-11 and got my morning milk. Then I walked back to Old Window. It was still locked up tight. The only way I could get back in was to re-climb the wall and fence. I didn’t want to do that because there were now people around. I wasn’t worried that they’d call the police or anything, but I figured it wouldn’t do their reputation much good if their foreign guests were seen having to get in by scaling the walls.

Instead, I turned around and went walking around there. I’m glad I did, because I came across no end of interesting little shops, hotels, stairways, walls, plants, and other things. I saw one place in particular that appealed to me. I don’t think there were any views from their rooms, but it was very unpretentious and yet comfortable. Nicely designed I thought, at least from the outside. There were pictures of the rooms and they also looked very welcoming.

There was another place that from the outside looked like a prison camp gone to seed. The outside walls were made of solid corrugated tin. Rusting corrugated tin. But there were pictures of the rooms and they looked okay. They had beds! What more could you want? And my splurging on $4,000 total for two nights at the Old Window really isn’t necessary. I’d much rather stay at a minimalist dive for $500 a night especially when location really isn’t an issue. Jioufen is so small, that it doesn’t really matter where you stay. No place is far from the interesting districts.

Neither of these places was open yet, but I plan on going back later to see the rooms and ask about room rates.

 

While I was walking around this district, I saw a pretty young girl go past on the back of a huge motorcycle. I assumed this was the daughter of the owner of Old Window and I was right. It was her job to come and open the doors and let the guests out in the morning and make them breakfast. I’d spoken to her for a few minutes the night before. She was born in Taipei, but moved here to work for the boss and owner who just happened to be her mother. She’s been working there for five years. I’m not sure how that could be or how that works, because she barely seemed old enough to be out of high school. She gave me all kinds of tourism advice yesterday and then made sure I didn’t go out without an umbrella this morning. I ended up being glad of that because I’d barely gone twenty feet before the heavens opened and a serious rainstorm started. I’m glad I’m not on the road.

It was actually yesterday that I made the decision to stay here a second night. It was after seeing Shuchi Road. I realized this wouldn’t be such a bad place to spend a day. In fact, it would be a shame to not spend a day here after going to the trouble of getting here. And I really wanted the chance to take some pictures in daylight. So when I got back to Old Window last night I paid for a second night. I wasn’t sure I could get a room because the owner made a big deal out of my being able to have a room for one night. I got the impression that the rooms were reserved for Saturday night. I could have the room Friday, but not Saturday. I asked anyway, and it turned out to be okay and I handed over another hard-earned $2,000. I don’t regret it though. It’s worth it considering the experience of being here.

When I got caught in the rain storm, I was on my way to the Pathetic Tea House. I had the NEO and wanted a place to hunker down and have a coffee and type, type, type. I figured I might as well go to the most famous place in Jioufen. When the rain let up, I went up the stairs until I got there and then walked in.

Right from the start, I knew it wasn’t my kind of place. For one thing, a tour group of Japanese (I think) were milling around and blocking every single doorway and stairway. It was very busy. Still, they had a table for me and I sat down. I was expecting something very special, but it seemed like an ordinary restaurant inside. And the menu they gave me was too elaborate for me. I didn’t want the pressure of having to order a lot. I just wanted a casual place that was willing to serve me a cup of coffee and then leave me alone. This place was much more high-end than that. I guess that is the place’s appeal. It’s a place where the well-heeled would come (or at least the well-cultured) and sit down in groups of four or five and sample the tea.

It looks like the tea is served in a very elaborate manner and you’re supposed to ooh and aah over it. And the menu had lots of food on it. I would have felt like a cheap person just taking a table and ordering only coffee. Plus, the chairs and tables were very uncomfortable. The chairs were probably ordered because of the way they looked, not how they felt. They were made from bamboo and had these huge backs. Very uncomfortable.

I sat there for a minute or two and contemplated my place in the universe. I decided that my place in the universe was not here and I got up and left, giving as my excuse that the rain had let up and I wanted to walk around. I came straight here to the castle place. The woman remembered me from “tomorrow.” She stopped then and thought about it and corrected herself: “Yesterday!” She was very proud that she remembered that English word. I thought about sitting downstairs in the dungeon area. But I opted for the upstairs with the big windows and lots of lights. Yesterday, I ended up ordering a cappuccino and “cookies.” This was at the urging of a man who probably owns the place. He was the resident English expert and amidst a dozen cries of “my best friend” he brought me to a table and took my order. He really felt I should try the cookies, which I did. They were delicious and today I ordered the same thing.

The weather is a bit of a disappointment, but it could be far worse. I could be out cycling! I had wanted to get on my bike and cycle to a nearby town called Jinguashi or something like that. If it clears up this afternoon, I could still go. The rain will also keep away the hordes. I feel like I have the whole town to myself right now. It feels much nicer that way. It feels like a real place where people live instead of an amusement park.

I haven’t learned anything real or official about the place, but the Lonely Planet did inform me that Jioufen started as a gold mining town. Apparently, nine families lived here once upon a time. Then gold was discovered in 1890 and the population grew. By the 1930s it was known as Little Shanghai. I think Taiwan was under Japanese control at that time and the gold was shipped to Japan. Then the gold dried up and the town languished until it was rediscovered after that film “City of Sadness.”

 

Tags: Jioufen Bike Trip, Old Window, Pathetic Tea House, Shuchi Road