姨媽 woke me up and told me not to wait for her because it was raining, I was still groggy. She had to go for her lesson after a traffic infringement. She won't be back until 12pm. I slept for another hour ish and got up at 9am and ate the breakfast left for me in the rice cooker. It was a vege bun and meat bun. I drank the rest of my yoghurt. I just took me time packing up and then buying gifts on 11/11 sales to get sent back to Taichung so I don't have to lug it around. By the time I mucked around enough it was about 10 to 12pm. I ate the rest of my 2 bananas and then 姨媽 came back from her lesson. She said it was at 八德路 which is still a considerable distance! She said it was about 2.5 hr and a 10 min toilet break in the middle. Someone came for their 2nd time lesson. She also said the classroom across was for drunk driving, lol, and she had a nosy to see what sort of people were in it. She bought sandwiches from a famous shop, and it was club sandwiches, cheese flavour. The mayo was pretty sweet in this one. 姨媽 described it as being quite smooth. I had one and put the rest in the fridge. I had a wee break after and then it was time to go. I took a selfie (and later realised my lens was smudged so I guess I got a misty filter) with 姨媽, but she said she's old and ugly. I said it's for me memories and it makes me happy when I look at it.
I said I'll come back next year or 1.5 years so I'll have a longer holiday. I bid her goodbye and she sent me all the way to the elevator. 😭💖
I took the 915 to Taipei City Hall Transfer Station and it was a pretty short walk from the MRT station. This bus station, you buy a tix and then line up for the next bus. I think they come pretty often so that's what they do. I went down the corridor and turned, and then one of the staff asked me where I was going. Luodong - he said this bus' luggage storage is full, wait for next one. I said 好~
I sat down for a wee bit and then went to the toilet. The toilets here are big enough to take the luggage in with you too. And then came back out, and started lining up and 3-4 other people joined the line while I peed. The vending machines were pretty unique in design. The bus has arrived into the terminal already. Not long until I was on the bus. When we were boarding one staff took my luggage and the other took my ticket (and didn't return it). Told the line to let me back in where I was, and onto the bus. I was still lagging cause I was expecting a ticket return. Opps.
I sat in the lone window seat row, and I'm pretty sure we passed near Wenshan area on the highway. And then I feel asleep and woke up just before Wujie. Lol what is this superpower. I feel asleep pretty soundly.
When we disembarked the bus my luggage was already unloaded and waiting. I started googling on how to walk to my accommodation. It was about a 10 min walk. The road wasn't the smoothest but we managed. It wasn't raining right then, so bless. I arrived the same time as a party of 6, and they almost mistook me with them.
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| Cool bricks at the 轉運站 |
The minsu had people on reception and it seems pretty big. About 4 levels? The reception is 24hr? I got briefed and then I have a quick break and rehydrate (and needed to poop again!?), realised I'll only have an hour at most if I left now for the culture park 蘭陽原創館—宜蘭首座原住民文創園區. I also realised I also forgot to ask the reception to do a receipt for me for 琳姐's brother. So I went to pick that up. I got to the train station and just missed the train going to Yilan... and had to wait 30 mins for the next one...
I decided to have an onigiri at Family Mart while I was waiting as I didn't have a proper lunch. Then I went to board the train. Yilan station was cool too, but there was no signal when I opened up google maps to check when I was in the underground passage, and ended up getting out the wrong exit/side of the station... I walked past some not-rice-but-weed fields? And could hear crickets and maybe a frog? So that was really nice. And then realised I got bitten by a mosquito on the left wrist and the ankle... again....
I managed to make it to 蘭陽原創館 area about 15 mins left, it was dark, but the lights were cute, and the park was really cute!! Most of the shops were already shut though. The weaving house was still open - and they let me in. There were two ladies. One took me to the exhibit area first, and did a quick explanation of the weaving. This was soo cool. It was 5:52pm.
The weaving is going with a goat's horn, and it's kinda like crochet. Traditionally they have 4 types of bags. The most complicated one using the most techniques is the women's sling bag, as they start with a diamong base, then make the sides (the patterned part), and then the top and straps. She left me to have a look and told the store staff gentleman there that I'm having a look. It's sooo coool. Quickly took some photos. Then I had a look around the shop, at 6:02pm. I apologised to the staff that I was holding him up from going home. Gimme 5 mins? OK - man the store had lots of traditional weaving and crafts and it was so cool!!!!! Wish I had more time to consider buying some! I didn't take photos of the wares since unsure if it's allowed.
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| Love the tiles |
I thanked the staff and went back to the weaving house. The teacher/weaver and the other lady were still there. They also gave me a explanation about the types of weaving. They said the weaving machine on the table was from NZ! But modified. There's also one that's woven on a bow (for archery), using the tension of the bow, and the straps are usually used for backpacks or the head carrying bag (like Asirpa has been seen carrying one in Golden Kamuy). There's also a bigger weaving machine for floor sitting that they can make a length, bolt of cloth from. The lady said the top two rows in that room were woven on that machine. There's also a bigger one that you sit in a seat to weave for, and those cloths are on the bottom shelves. They also weave baskets! And had some on the top of the shop on display. And also woven hats!! It's so cool and cute. TToTT
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| Bow weaving |
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| Goat's horn crochet |
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| From the right for the bags at the back: Dark reddish brown one is natural dye from a plant Choc/coffe coloured one is same dye but lighter colour Beigey one next to the coffee colour is from onions (I asked if it smells afterwards and the lad said no, lol) |
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| Weaving machine from NZ (but modified) |
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| Weaving machine you use sitting on the floor |
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| Traditional linen grass they use for the cording/thread |
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A cute instrument just outside |
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| Outside the row of houses opposite the weaving house's row (where two people were eating dinner in the rain) |
And then I can use Yoyo card to board the normal trains, and the staff at the door told me there's one at 7pm, you've got 2 mins! At platform 2! And I ran through the underground pass (sadly couldn't look at the photos along the passage way). And got into the train, but it.... didn't depart until 7:22pm...... orz
I was pretty hungry now and by the time I got to Luodong station I asked the info desk for the stamps and they had it in the office. A gentleman took it out for me and they had a lot! I finished stamping and thanked them. Then I realised the 100th stamps aren't here. I walked back and had a look around and they had them at a ticketing gate, so I stamped those two too.
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| Cute animatic for when the train is driving towards the next station |
I walked back to the Minsu, but there's no where really open for dinner.... and it was raining.... and I ended up in the end just buying a cup noodle from reception and having that for dinner (it was not enough). I will go to the nightmarket tomorrow I guess... since I still need to blog, do some homework on how to get there, and then wake up early tomorrow. orz.
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