Day 5: January 12, 2021
The one with the Murder Cafe.
After a pleasant, if chilly walk last week, we were fortunate to find a break, firstly in our communal diaries, but more importantly in the weather, that allowed us to explore the south side of the Tamsui River with a walk from Dadaocheng Wharf to Bali.
Dadaocheng Wharf has been the start of several of our walks and the area merits a brief introduction, as it is a fascinating part of Taipei.
The name originally was Twatutia, meaning “a place for the drying of rice”. It became increasingly popular with tea traders throughout the 19th Century and bustled as a port and commercial area during the Japanese occupation. It was at that time called Daitotei before being renamed Dadaocheng when the KMT arrived. It boasts the oldest street in Taipei, Dihua Street, which is a hugely popular destination around Lunar New Year for snacks and decorations. The area has seen much development over the centuries and remains a very popular destination currently with a mix of quirky shops, eateries and markets.
So, we set off from Dadaocheng Wharf late morning with a cloudy sky and cool temperatures, which made for excellent walking. Before leaving we needed to take the obligatory pre-walk photo but the cold meant that the area was significantly less crowded than usual. Eventually, Elaine was able to find and persuade the one lone visitor, a techno phobic elderly lady, that an iPhone was not the work of the devil and she was able to satisfy our photographic needs! And having achieved that minor victory, we were on our way.
Within a few minutes we crossed from the right bank over to the left bank, via the Taipei Bridge, at which point we were able to settle into the walk proper. On our left we were overshadowed by the new build apartments of Sanchong, many sporting some exotic futuristic designs. The only question on all our lips was, who exactly was buying all these apartments, as many seemed empty. The area certainly seemed to have plenty of advantages, not least the lovely green areas we were walking through, with beautiful, twisted mangroves providing shelter and with the occasional reminder of a more traditional time in the shape of a temple buried amongst the mangrove trees. There were also facilities for dog lovers and areas where urban farmers could work their allotments. So, all rather pleasant, although there was a certain sadness that the traditional corrugated iron communities that had existed there for many years, and had been home to a myriad small factories and suppliers of goods, had been razed in the name of progress.
As we walked, one of the things we all enjoyed were the many stretches where the otherwise drab concrete walls or pillars had been adorned by street artists. One particularly impressive wall featured many of Tamsui’s historical buildings and we had a pleasant, if brief interlude, taking a few pictures there. By now the sun had come out properly and, between the exercise and the welcome warmth of the sun, we were able to disrobe our many layers and settle into a nice steady pace. We left the open park at that point and entered a small, forested area and then a series of mangroves swamps, where it was frustrating to see how very clogged they were with refuse, not just detritus swept in by the tides, but fly tipping of what appeared to be industrial waste in some cases. Definitely a project for a local school to take up as an environmental challenge.
By this stage we had drawn abreast of the Beitou incinerator on the opposite bank and there was a long open path, deserted apart from ourselves and a few keen bird watchers who were armed with long lenses and comfortable shoes, as they waited for the perfect shot of a sought-after species. The area’s surrounding mountains block the inclement monsoons and allows a perfect refuge for migratory birds, hence their vigil. We walked on though, past them and a few fishermen tucked in under the hills alongside Shuhong Ecological Park. The temperature cooled considerably as we lost the sunlight and the automated Buddhist chanting leant the path a spiritual, introspective air to which the blow-up champagne bottle caught in the mangroves provided an odd juxtaposition!
Before long though, we had the bright redness of Guandu bridge shining in front of us and on the opposite bank, Guandu Temple sparkled in the sunshine. We were well over halfway and after passing the bridge our mood lightened. In fact, so delighted were we with our progress that it was felt we deserved a beverage break at the café attached to the Wake boarding school in Bali. This area was historically home to shipbuilding and still boasts a handful of yacht builders as well as a number of factories producing stonework, from tiles to sculpture. All in all, a fascinating and diverse stretch of the coastline along with to ramble.
Frustratingly though, we could not find anywhere that offered sailing facilities or lessons, despite the area’s perfect situation for such activities. We were hopeful that a putative yacht club that we had all spotted on previous walks might prove the exception but that too appeared to have been closed up for good. Hopefully, we will see the emergence of a sailing culture develop in the next few years that might further beautify and enliven the coastline.
After our refreshing pitstop, we continued on, and after passing the infamous Monmouth Coffee shop, (Aside: for those unaware of the grisly murder that took place here in 2013, a news article from the time can be found here) we were soon walking amidst the many shops and snack food outlets that constitute Bali Old street. The sun again graced us with its presence but as the day faded into the late afternoon, the cold wind started to make its presence felt. We passed the many reminders of what makes Bali so popular at weekends and with wedding photographers – large stretches of open greenery to rest on and some slightly odd fixtures to pose next to!
At the 20km mark, and just short of the famous archaeological museum, we decided we had achieved our goal for the day, and opted to end the walk there and retire to a nearby 7-11 for a snack and a drink. It felt well deserved after around 4 hours of walking. Across the Tamsui we could see the cranes working on the new bridge that will link the 2 stretches of the north coast highway and allow Tamsui’s residents easy access to the Taoyuan Airport. All around us that day had been signs of Taiwan’s progress, of which everyone could be proud, but tempered as always by the knowledge that progress also means the loss of some old ways.
Fortunately though, walking allows us to see, and appreciate, the pockets that remain.
End of Day 5. Rich MN