NTU

I have been talking for weeks about NTU, NTNU. Ok, NTU stands for National Taiwan University. In Mandarin is something like Kuoli Taiwán Dashué, which is shortened to Taida. I think it is the largest university in Taiwan and, from what I've read, they have many campuses and lands, occupying a total of about 345 km².

The ASIAA is located in a building at the northernmost part of the main campus in Gongguan, which is the campus I walk through several days a week. The construction style around campus is mainly japanese, because it was founded during the japanese ruling, with isolated buildings, lots of plants, palm trees and flowers. There is not so much grass as in a typical american campus. As you can imagine, it is a very quiet place, if we do not take into account bycicles


It is divided by a wide avenue, lined with royal palm tress, which roughly cuts it through its half

and on which many bycicles, cars and small trucks go by quite relaxedly. It is a small tranquillity oasis in the middle of a busy city. There is a nice artificial lake near the building that hosts the ASIAA, where one can spend a while in quietness.

before going to the ASIAA


A new building is being finished next to it, where the ASIAA will move to if all goes according to plans. There are many sports fields nearby: baseball, tennis, basketball, football, athletics, and a big sports arena next to it.


The campus seemed confusing at first, but now, after walking so much in it, it is a very familiar landscape. And I have only seen the western half.

Travel Memories: 4. On long trips

When I flew to the US, I got used to trips that took between 14 or 18 hours in all, with the longest flight of about 8 hours. This time, the trip was closer to a full day, with the longest flight of about 11 hours. Now that I have done a few transcontinental flights, I look at them in a different way as I did at the beginning. They are not routine, because it's not like taking the subway for a few stops, but I think I have found what rhythm is good for me.

What you need the most is a lot of patience. There is no other choice. You'd better not think about how many hours lie in front of you. There will be the same, regardless of what you do, if all goes well, and, inevitably, there comes a time when you cannot imagine life outside the plane. So much, that it seems as if the flight is short. I am like that.

But I try to follow several routines when I begin a long flight. First, to have at my seat anything that I might need: a book, water?, pen and paper if I feel like writing (difficult). As soon as a I sit down, I take off my shoes and let my feet rest. The safety belt?. I keep it tied up so I don't have to worry about flight attendants, but I leave enough slack to be able to turn in my seat when I sleep. And what I find is more important to get used to the new timezone, I set my watch to the time of the place I am flying to. It is very effective to me, specially if I can sleep. And, obviously, some stretches once in a while, when I go the toilet or whenever I feel like it.

I also try to drink and eat anytime there is anything going by, and try to sleep as much as I can. It is difficult with all the noise the engines make or if the attendants don't stop offering coffe all night, but I think it is a family trait to board any means of transportation and begin sleeping. I am possibly the one who does it less, but there are some almost incredible stories at home of flash sleeping. It is worth trying to, because the trip feels shorter and, at least to me, it is easier to adapt to the new timezone. Of course, I am still of the opinion that I feel more jetlag in Barcelona than when travelling.

Sushi

Two months in Taiwan already; not bad. Coincidentally, but celebrations are found in chance, I had dinner in a sushi restaurant on Thursday, of the kind that have dishes turning around all the time. My first time, even if there are some in Barcelona. That's the way it is. To make you sick, but "everything turns in Japan". In company of a japanese girl, a japanese guy and an about-to-leave chinese postdoc. All the food tasted very good, maybe because it had been such a long time since the last time I had eaten in a japanese restaurant. What a difference in style with the taiwanese ones.

Afterwards, only with japanese, cake and coffee nearby. Enjoying the company a lot and realizing that, since a few days ago, I am feeling used to living in Taiwan.

Too bad the short available time, because I had the dreaded weekly meeting and infinite weariness waiting for me with a club. Fortunately, even in a rainy Friday, a little smiling Sun can shine over two rice dishes.

More about bikes

I wrote the other day about bikes in campus. I noticed that many of them have an interesting accessory

two small metallic pieces that are attached to the rear axle and stick a few centimeters out. They can be useful to put feet on them when people do stupid things with the bikes, or for somebody who is sitting at the back, and have short legs, to put their feet on.

There is a very common means of transportation on campus

and maybe even very romantic: the boy moves the bike and the girl protects them with an umbrella. You see them like this everywhere.

(Back from the Past) Lucky coffins

(from 14/5/2008)

Last Saturday, while some us, who had gone to the outing, were strolling along the Yehliu little market, I stopped in front of a stall that was selling little wooden figures, stones, etc. Very well presented. I saw some very curious little pieces that I coudn't identify. I thought they might be some strange seals or little boxes for keeping jewels. But when you are just looking around and, in fact, are only killing time before it's time to meet the rest of the group to take the bus, you don't really pay attention to things.

But then, Jinhua, one of the chinese postdocs, asked me if I had seen this

true, they were miniature coffins. What a strange thing, isn't it?. He told me that people have them at home, because in Mandarin coffin is pronounced similarly to "guan cai", that separately mean something like "public officer or to go up in status" and "wealth or getting rich" or something like that. Obviously, some think that they are good luck talismans. And make a business out of them.

There you have it, I already wrote one of these.

Coffee

Taiwan is not known by its coffee production. On the contrary, tea rules here. You find it everywhere, either oolong, black tea, etc, and also in many mixes, with milk, juices, with fruits, etc. All the teas I have tasted so far were generally good, and I am getting hooked to the black tea soft drink,

which works wonders on hot days. But I must admit that I am not a tea person and I need my coffee fix.

I still do not have any decent coffee-maker at home. I have not even discovered how the coffee I could use for it is written (I have not looked that much either), so I use the coffe shops like Starbucks and such that are close to campus. I don't do it every day, but almost always I come back from a talk at the ASIAA, I take a small detour and order a latte at Starbucks.

I must feed the beast.

The truth is that is one of the things I miss, to have a coffee after lunch. I have not seen any vending machines around campus and I still have to find out a near place where I can go quick (the nearest Starbucks is a 10-minute walk away), it's comfortable and not too expensive. Umm, how I remember those walks to have a coffee in Columbus in the afternoon. It didn't matter if it was cold or warm. It was the best excuse to sit for a little while in a bench, or on the grass, and enjoy the sun and the quietness of good weather, or even a nice talk. That's one of the things I doubt I will ever have here.

Bycicles

Many people asked me before I left if there were many bycicles in Taipei. I answered them that, according to the guides, very few. Well, the guides are a little bit wrong. The streets of Taipei don't have that China look of wide avenues with almost no cars and full of bikes. No, streets are full of cars, scooters, buses, scooters, trucks, scotters here, but there are also bycicles.

I would differentiate two populations: the ones who ride on Taida campus and the adventurous ones who throw themselves into fate's hands and ride on every street and avenue they can get into.

You can see loads of bikes in Taida campus, driving everywhere. There are some narrow lanes where it is a little bit exasperating to see how they try to squeeze through. But they don't speed generally and you can predict their trajectory to get out of their way. Except some stupid ones, most of the people go by really calmly. It's sad to see though, how badly many use the pedals or how low are their seats. It must be the heat. There is another thing I had never seen used so much. It doesn't matter if it rains or not, this is really useful


There are parking lots full of many bikes,

most of them very badly maintained, rusted, old. They rarely tie them to anything, except for locks between a wheel and the frame. I have not asked how many are stolen, but I woudn't be surprised if the number was very low.

Once we are out of campus, the spirit must become more intrepid. Cars, scooters, trucks drive fast and twisting across lanes. This does not stop a good amount of people to get into the road and keep on going.

They are usually close to the right hand side, but not all. Many are young and follow a good rhythm of pedalling, even if many do not seem to want to get tired, maybe because of the heat. But others are fairly old people, who go very slowly wherever they fancy, which can be anywhere, and may be hauling large bags.

It is unavoidable that you find bikers on the sidewalk. They are more civilized than motorbikes on the sidewalks, slower, but they call to my dark side sometimes. Maybe it's the East, but I am less and less upset by them as time goes by.

(Back from the Past) Yehliu Geopark

(from 13/5/2008)

One of the good things of being in a land so far from home is that you end up finding other people that is more or less in your same situation. Well, because I am the last to arrive, I am the one who feels more lost, but that's another story. And because of being so far, it is not strange that they begin organizing events. I think I arrived in the precise moment when ASIAA postdocs decided to start doing something and opened a wiki where everybody could propose things to do, give advice to newcomers, plan outings, etc. This last Saturday, we went to a little coast village northeast of Taipei: Yehliu.


This place is famous for the strange shapes that the sea has sculpted in the rocks of the park. So, walking next to the sea and crossing bridges like this

you can find things like

mushrooms

dragons

shoes

aliens?

turtles.

This park is known for the "queen's head",

which seems to be losing material every year and will eventually fall down. There is a watchman/woman stationed close to it all the time to stop people from touching the rock when they take pictures. It is a continuum of whistles

There was more than this. Before entering the park and doing some physical exercise (at least, I did, walking from one side to the other), we still had time to eat some seafood. Chinese-style, but everything was very good: shrimp, clams, taiwanese oysters, fish. It feels strange to eat it with chopsticks (I still think some food is not made for them), but it is part of the fun. Afterwards, we visited the local little market


It is always a gift to be able to stand next to sea and fill my lungs with the sea air. The wind was blowing hard and the surf was sticking everywhere. I can't remember how many times I had to clean my glasses.

Another interesting experience is also riding the bus on the winding mountain roads that surround Taipei. I was told that it is even worse in roads narrower than the ones we took, but because they drive with little regard of anything, you end up going from one side of the bus to the other. And you'd better watch out when the driver hits the brakes, if you don't want to shoot out like a rocket.