Taipei Thing #19: Walk on those invigorating rocks in a park

Ouch!

Although I was sad to miss out on Jesse House Bakery, the trip wasn’t completely fruitless, and I was able to complete another of Jesse’s suggestions: walking barefoot on one of the rock paths often found in parks in Taiwan.

I had actually been keeping an eye out all week for one of these (I could have sworn Shida Park had one, but I couldn’t find it!), but it happened that Jesse House was right next to a park. Despite the fact that I was parked illegally, and should have been moving along to meet friends, I headed over to take a look. There it was!

Memories

The funny thing about this park is that, like Jesse House Bakery, I remember it from my very first morning in Taiwan. It seems like a million years ago now, though I recall my first glimpse of it quite vividly. I had taken a taxi from my apartment in Gong Guan to the head office of the school where I would be working. The taxi dropped me off directly in front of this park, which is where I was immediately amused by the sight of a group of old ladies country line dancing. I didn’t stop long because I was afraid of being late to my meeting, but I later wrote about the dancers in my journal. (Incidentally, I came across more line dancing ladies just a few hours after my invigorating rock walk. I’ll write about them later.)

As far as reflexology paths go, they are actually quite comfortable, in an uncomfortable sort of way, and are good for improving balance. I’d recommend seeing what the fuss is about, if you ever come across one. Most of the ones in Taiwan are clean and well-kept, and some have railings next to them to help you keep balance.  This particular design is rather unremarkable, but I’ve seen some beautifully-designed paths around Taiwan, particularly in parks close to temples. (Check out some examples here.) If I were to ever build a home, or even to open the homestay I dream of having, I will very likely install a path of my very own.

By the way, in case you have keen powers of observation and are wondering about the marks on my feet…

• On the left: 荷, a henna tattoo I’d gotten while sitting on a stool on the street in Kenting a week before this photo was taken. Reason: this is one of the characters in my Chinese name.
  

• On the right: 我迷路了, a real tattoo I got while sitting across from a naked stranger (also getting a tattoo) in a forest one week before I came to Taiwan in 2005. Reason: this is how I feel every day of my life. Bonus: people ask me about it frequently, and their reactions are enlightening.

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