National Palace Museum

Thursday, May 31, 2007

I washed clothes this morning. I had a number of dirty things from Alaska. The water was so filthy! I hope I got them clean. I was washing them in a bucket in the bathroom.

I had bites on the lower part of one arm this morning. I'm not sure where I got them. They weren't in a line like flea bites. And they were only on that one spot of my body. They were just tiny ones and didn't itch, so I ignored them all day. They seemed to be disappearing by nighttime.

I was still tired from the long trip here and the big walking day yesterday. I really felt sluggish in the morning. So I decided to make only one major outing today. I went to the National Palace Museum. It is the main tourist attraction in Taiwan and houses the treasures that were brought here from the Forbidden City to keep them out of the hands of the Japanese and the Communists. After having read so many great things about this museum, I was a bit disappointed. What they have is exquisite, but it consists mostly of small items. And many of them are not so intriguing. For instance, 1/4 of one whole floor of the museum was an exhibit of royal seals for stamping letters and documents. I was expecting to see furniture, screens, scrolls, etc. There was one scroll and no furniture or screens. Even among the small items, I expected to see lots of intricate jewelry. In fact, there was very little jewelry. I did see lots of porcelain and ceramics, lots of bronze, and a number of small items made from minerals. Overall, the museum was a disappointment. I guess the items themselves are the best examples of such items and that is why the museum gets such reviews. As a general tourist, I found myself having gone through the whole place in just 1 1/2 hours or so.

There were members of the Falun Gong (officially known as the Falun Dafa) handing out literature on the steps to the museum. That is the group that has been banned in China. They say they practice a form of exercise which changes the mind and body both physically and spiritually. There seems to be a religious aspect to the spiritual part which is the problem with the communist government in China. It is impressive that their classes, wherever offered, are free. If so, how does the money come in to pay for their literature and the classes? I don't really know anything about it except what I have read in the newspapers and in their brochure, but it gives me the impression of being somewhat like Scientology--a bit of a cult wanting to declare itself as a purely voluntary religion.

I have decided to stay in Taipei for an extra week. I spent some time rereading my guidebook to try to decide where to go and what to see. Several of the places that interested me are close enough for day trips from here. My room is inexpensive here and it is nice to travel places without the luggage. So I made a list of 6-7 outings I can make from here. I'll do that for the next week. Then I will leave Taipei for about a week to see 2-3 places outside the city that appeal to me--mostly old cities.

My apartment mate Mark is packing up today and moving out tomorrow. He has been living here for some time, but he has now found a place to live on his own. He has been here for 3 years teaching English. Unless someone new moves in during the next week, I will be living here alone. Mark has been a good person to share it with--mostly quiet and operating on a different schedule from mine so that we weren't in each other's way at the computer or in the bathroom. But I will miss having a nice conversation with him for a few minutes each day.