After breakfast, it was time to check out of this place which provided probably the best dishes for meals since we left Taipei. I will definitely miss the chicken wings, nuggets and bacon that have got me salivating during meals. We proceeded to head towards the Endemic Specimen Research Institute. I have heard so much about Taiwan's endemic species, but haven't seen them up close. The guide brought us on a tour around the specimens centre, wildlife and rescue centre. I learnt a little about how animals which fall victim to roadkill incidents are reported and brought to the specimens centre. The framework is quite established and systematic. Paying the rescue centre a visit brought some sorrow and sympathy out of me. Although I've never really had any deep feelings for animals, it pains me to see the injured and handicapped owls and buzzards. They seem virtually hapless, and yet I could somehow see their willpower and determination to live on. Humans can probably draw some lessons from here, I mean, what can be more miserable than a bird which can no longer fly? I recall Jiling getting really emotional over a bird called '歪歪' (crooked), which was a suggestive name considering it had broken its neck as a result of a fall from a tree. The head was hence tilted at an awkward angle. She was sympathetic over how the bird is being 'coerced' to remind itself how it ended up in this rescue centre.
There was a movie screening and a lecture on diversity of bats in Taiwan, with a lunch break sandwiched between them. I'm impressed by the persistence and perseverance of honey buzzards in bashing down the hornet nests. Day after day, they incessantly attempt to break down the gigantic nests, despite the hornets' efforts to repair them. The bats lecture was probably the highlight of the day, especially when the lecturer showcased his live bat specimens, unleashing them onto our bodies. Next up was a guided tour of the conservation education centre. Being endemic and endangered, it is imperative to preserve the natural wildlife, and I think the Taiwanese government has done a very good job in this aspect.
Before we proceeded to Phoenix Tea Garden, we dropped by Mingsin Academy and Temple Remains. The latter was the rubble of a temple which came as a result of an annihilating earthquake in 1999, and it was probably left there as a heritage conservation initiative. I also took some time to buy a quirky-looking red banana which I have been wondering how it tastes like. The stallholder explained that it is a different breed of bananas, but it tasted the same anyway.
Due to the stipulated arrival of a typhoon tomorrow, the lecture on tea culture in Taiwan was pushed forward so as to allow sufficient time for the professor to return to Taipei unscathed, which everyone is hoping so. Worries about the impending disaster aside, it was a memorable session as we got to sample various kinds of Taiwanese tea and learnt about the history of tea in Taiwan. The lecturer was pretty proficient in English, enunciating words accurately, which helped matters. Too much caffeine now, will I be able to sleep tonight? :D
Injured owl
Skeleton of a baby sperm whale
Temple remains
Red banana
没有评论:
发表评论