My Fubon Half-Marathon Challenge

I have to say, sometimes I do things out of impulse, meaning that I wasn't thinking when I hit the register button to run the Taipei Fubon Half-Marathon on December 19th, 2010. When I first found out I was going to be Taiwan at least through December, I signed up immediately, I might have been a little bit tipsy when I did it... shhh! I pretty much planned my entire month around the date that I was racing.
This would only be my second half-marathon. Even though I was still running on a consistent basis, I really wasn't sure if I was ready to run 21km again. I got less excited when I found out that this would be the most attended road race event ever held in Taipei. If you know me, you know that I hate crowds. Whoever organized the event must be an amateur, because it does not make sense to have everyone running the full marathon, half-marathon, and the 9km (I don't even want to get into why it's 9km and not 10km) event all start at 7am sharp! Not to mention that there was some stupid 3km fun run that they were holding an hour later.
It is too early!

The always crowded transfer point
Race Day:
I woke up at 5am sharp, and was out the door at around 5:30am. The MRT opened early that day to accommodate racers. The race was to start near Taipei City Hall, which is pretty damn far from my house. My dad drove me to Chientan MRT station and my mom and I hopped on the train. It was already crazy crowded at Taipei Main Station when we go there to transfer to the blue line. We got to Taipei City Hall, and the number of people that were there was a really overwhelming. It took us forever to get to the bag drop-off place. And then I had to walk forever to get to the potty johns. It was closing in on 7am, and I was still in line! Thank you whoever invented the time chip!!! I decided to wait 10 minutes after the official start time to begin my run. It was still crowded and I couldn't see anything.
The Taipei 101 at Sunrise

Jessie's stripping!

Ready!

My #1 Fan

I bolted when I crossed the time sensor, only to run into the sea of people. For the first 10km, I couldn't find a consistent pace because I still had people all around me. I nearly knocked people over several times, and was close to fall flat on my face!
I have to say though, running in the streets of Xinyi district in Taipei doesn't get boring at all. As I was running, there were big screen TVs showing news; there were shops along that I thought I should check out. I even ran past a few bakeries that seemed pretty tasty.
The routes finally split between the 9km group and the Marathon/Half-Marathon group. I finally had the space to find my rhythm. The run went really smoothly for me after that. At one point I started a little observation game to see what brand of running shoes other people had.
It got even less crowded when the marathon route veered off to another road. I think that's when I started really speeding up. I didn't even bother stopping for water or the ridiculous sponges that they were passing out. What was the point of passing out wet sponges?
There were a lot of cheer groups along the way. I tried to give all of them high-fives. It really helps just to have that extra motivation, especially towards the very end.
One of the most interesting parts of the run was when we intersected with the marathon runners, and I got to see the 1st place runner zoom right past me. It's one thing to see world class racers on TV and another to actually see one run past you.
There were 2 hills in the very last 3 kms. People started slowing down, but I wasn't gonna give in when I was so close to the finish line! I started going faster and faster, and when I saw the last km, I just sprinted, I didn't care how my legs were feeling. After I crossed the line I looked at my watch and it said 1:50 something. Wow, I had beat my last half-marathon by more than 5 minutes even with the heavy traffic in the beginning!!! I was so psyched, too bad there was no one there for me to share that feeling with right off the bat.
I got a box of food with my food ticket and ate a much needed banana and some sugary aloe drink. All I wanted though was water, but it was no where to be found...
I then got in line to get a message at one of the Nike tents. I waited about 20-30 minutes. It was worth it though, my legs really needed it.
I went to check the results afterwards, and I placed 13th in my age group! There was no ceremony for the age groups this time, but I did pick up a trophy and some useless prizes. But the best prize of the day was the runner high that I got for the rest of the day.
Next race? The K-Swiss 10km on February 17th!

The End

Lessons from a Atayal tribe hunter

As I've noted already, I am making my stay in Taiwan this time around to be as culturally engaging as possible. Needless to say the possibilities are endless. Many people might not know this, but Taiwan if actually a very ethnically and culturally diverse country. As of right now there are a total of 14 recognized aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, with a few more still in dispute. Last weekend, I joined a day trip with the Society of Wilderness (荒野保護協會) to visit a village populated with the Atayal aboriginal tribe located in the township of Tatung, Yilan County. I was really excited to have this opportunity, because I have never been to an aboriginal village before. I am on my way to slowly learning one of the most well known aboriginal tribes of Taiwan.
The Atayal tribe is the second-largest tribe in Taiwan. They are probably most well-known for their tradition of facial tattoos. This tradition, however, was banned soon after the Japanese occupation in Taiwan. Fortunately, there are talks of a movement to bring back this unique practice.

Yilan County is located roughly an hour away from Taipei, making it a popular tourist destination on the weekends. The area we visited was called "九寮溪", located in a mountainous area.
We were to meet our guide, the hunter "Ashong". Apparently, Ashong used to be a truck driver; one day he took a few people around the mountains in his village, and they were amazed how knowledgeable he was. Thus they recommended that he be a tour guide and representative of his village. And voila! luckily for us, we get to learn about the tribe and their nature with one of the specialist. Traditionally the tribe lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering roots, vegetables, fruits, etc. in the mountains. To be considered a "hunter" one needs to have a special set of skills and knowledge.


Lesson 1: which one can I eat?

Edible

Not Edible

Ashong, cracking open a bamboo steamed rice with his "man-only" knife

Every time the tree peels, it means it's aged one year

山蔬 A mountain plant, found in TW
The roots are edible, really sour, increases saliva.

Yes this creepy furry plant is edible too. Peel off the outside and the inside is similar to that of yam, with a bit of a sweet taste to it.

A black fungus, it's the first time I've seen it in the wild. I was tempted to take it home and make stir-fry with it. If only there were more...

It was quite extraordinary to see Ashong show us what is edible, what cures diarrhea, what plants stop bleeding, etc. etc. I felt like I was walking into a natural buffet and pharmacy. During the tour, it was hard not to admire the beauty of the mountains. This little trail, which had been closed due to a flood has just re-opened. Luckily for us, this means less people.

Ashong also showed us how to set traps to catch wild boar, rats, squirrels and birds. As always, things are easier than it looks...

Wild Boar Trap
Trap for rats and squirrels. Ashong proudly said that his grandmother taught him this. He showed us about 5 times, and no one was able to replicate the process!

How to trap a bird, much easier than the previous one.

After a few hours in the mountains, we headed back to Ashong's house, where he showed us a few traditional tools, crafts, and materials that are rarely made in the modern times. We entered the house and was greeted by....

This is made out of a goat skin. It is used as a raincoat. It can also be used as a mat to sleep on when the hunter is out in the mountains.

A chair where the groom carries the bride on their wedding day. The groom has to carry his bride around to greet the entire village. Rumor has it that if the groom grows tired, then the marriage will not end happily...

This is used to carry chopped wood. It is very heavy just by itself.

Fish trap

Yes, I am holding a dead squirrel. The one of the left is frozen, not yet de-furred (is that a word?) On the right I am holding one with the fur removed. I am holding a sweet potato on the other hand because someone commented on how similar they look... I love the look of that girl in the background.

It's interesting to hear people comment on how "disgusting" it is to eat squirrels, rats, random birds, etc. But if you really think about it, how is it any more disgusting than eating a chicken or beef? It's simply that in our culture we are used to eating what is considered "normal" for us. And when we see things that we tend to associate "cuteness" with, we find it unbearable that people in other cultures actually eat them.

A traditional Atayal building. The picture on the right shows a very clever construction in order to prevent rats from crawling into the building!

I wish I had more time to spend in this village as well as the mountains. I find that there is still so much more to discover regarding the Atayal tribe and their environment. I can only wish that the people in Taiwan will take the time and effort to learn the people and culture that first inhabited this beautiful island. I am only at the tip of 14 giant icebergs, hoping to dig my way through all of them.