21 February 2010

Taipei: National Palace Museum, 101, Longshan temple

National Palace Museum
My morning is entirely devoted to the National Palace Museum. I was here eight years ago but I am just as excited today. The best museum for Chinese art in the world. The story is well known. Chiang kai-shek took about 20,000 trunks wirth of art from the imperial collection of the forbidden city when he had to leave Beijing during the civil war. All that stuff traveled around China, but when Chiang saw that he was losing to mao, he had his staff pack "only" about 7,000 trunks of the best items and shipped it over to Taiwan. This treasure is still a major bone of contention with Beijing, though in recent years there have been cooperation programs with museums in the mainland.

This is la crème de la crème of Chinese art, collected by emperors as far back as the Tang dynasty. Chiang had a nuclear bomb proof vault buil in a mountain next to Taipei and then, next to the mountain, this museum. The world is lucky that the stuff is here, or it would probably have been dstroyed during the cultural revolution in China. Today, only about one percent of the items are on display, and the Museum's staff rotates it ever so many months. Incredibly refined, pottery, ceramics, calligraphy, jewellery, jade, bronze...

I can see myself coming back here many, many times...

Leaving the Museum I head to the XXI symbol of pride of Taiwan, Taipei 101. When it was completed in 2004 it was the tallest building in the world, and it remained that until last month, when Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai. Taipei 101 is a controversial project. My friend S., who openly sympathizes for the independentist school of thought in Taiwan, says it was not really necessary and it was motly a trick by the Nationalists to impress an increasingly disillusioned electorate.

Taipei 101


Moving fast in 101 elevator
Be that as it may, it is still impressive. Inside, there is a slurpy food center in the basement. Then several floors of shopping mall, and what a shopping mall! Luxur brands from all over the world and a pleasant yet awe inspiring carousel of escalators, lifts, lights, and immense empty spaces that provide a welcoming and warm atmosphere.

At the top, it is cold and windy today. Not the best day to enjoy the landscape. I don't spend much time there, but again I must admit to being impressed: this time by the elevator, the fastest (at this time) in the world, going up and down at 17 meters per second without the slightest discomfort for the user. Well, may I should say the traveler, since it's over half a kilometer up from ground level!
Inside 101


An impressive 730 tons tuned mass damper is installed near the top to absorb shocks caused by wind or earthquakes.

tuned mass damper in 101
In the evening I went to the Longshan temple, where I spent some time looking at the faithful perform Buddhist ceremonies and giving offerings. It is a mystic atmosphere, welcoming and somewhat magic. Free CDs with Buddhist music ara available.
Longshan temple


20 February 2010

Taipei, Taiwan: Shilin night market

After eight years, I am back in Taiwan. Taipei fascinates me, a small capital city of a fiercely proud nation that wants to be a country. It is in fact a country, except the politics of the world don't allow it to call itself so.

I fly in from Hong Kong and check in my hotel in Da 'an. It's sort of late for a proper tour of the city so I opt to go to Shilin night market and have dinner on the go, and watch people.

It's a lively scene, the food available is beyond description, you can sit down at any of the countless stalls and have anything prepared for your as you wait. Actually, as you watch, it is done right there in front of your eyes.





Lots of games of skill around, people have fun, quietly, between a bite and a drink. I wish I had a month to come back every night and taste all of this tempting food!

There is people of all ages. Families with children playing around, adolescents on a date, older people savoring the atmosphere. A bustling yet serene night market.

18 February 2010

A few days eating around in Hong Kong



I have spent a few days in Hong Kong, and I am so impressed. This is a fantastic city, so full of life, energy, fun and culture. And amazing food, cheap and tasty! I have eaten all kinds of stuff, some that not even J. could quite explain what it was... I tried hard but could not find anything, I mean ANYTHING, I did not like. The one plate that stuck most in my memory was pig's lungs in almonds' soup. OK a bit unusual, not even J. ate the lungs, she was happy with just the soup, but I found it all quite well matched. Which was followed by pork liver. WOW!

Often J. and I would eat at street stalls, delicious and cheap food served in paper bags, so cheap and so tasty I had to really make an effort to stop.

For food shopping, there are countless markets of all kinds. I found the "wet markets" especially interesting. They are called so because fish is so fresh... it is fact sold alive! Instead of dead fish on ice or shrinkwraps you buy fish here that is still swimming in styrofoam boxes. One day J. bought an octopus, which was still alive when we took it home for cooking. I was slightly shocked to see her cutting it up as it was moving around the kitchen table, but it was definitely fresh!

We even found a specialty shop with Italian produce, you can get real mozzarella di bufala flown in from Italy daily. I could buy some pancetta and Roman pecorino cheese, and was proud to make some authentic amatriciana at J.'s home for all the family! OK OK for purists: I did not find the mandatory guanciale, but maybe I did not look well enough!

Touring Hong Kong is fun in the traditional two-storied trams, that apparently were now bought by Veolia, a French company which however has pledged to keep the traditional trams running. However, for longer distances, and to cross over to Kowloon, the metro system is fast and superefficient. Taxis are convenient and cheap too.

15 February 2010

Arrival in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year's celebrations

It's my first time back in Hong Kong after 14 years. Last time I landed in the old airport, an experience I will never forget! This time I am welcomed by the new airport, an architectural and logistical masterpiece that is voted best airport in the world over and over again... This, also, is a great experience!

13 February 2010

Film Review: War Photographer, by Christian Frei, *****

Synopsis
An Oscar nominee for best documentary, 'War Photographer' was directed by Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei, who followed Nachtwey, who for many is the greatest war photographer of his generation, to Kosovo, Palestine and Indonesia.

We see the photographer in combat zones and pockets of horrific poverty, approaching his subjects slowly, with a hand raised in peace. After 20 years of covering war, poverty and famine Nachtwey still sees his work as an antidote to war and his photographs as a graphic 'negotiation for peace.'

Review
Christian Frei is never in want of original ideas for his films. Here he mounts mini movie cameras on Hachtwey's photo cameras and shows us the world's tragedies as Jim himself saw them. From war theaters in Bosnia, Kosovo, Palestine, Somalia (hence the title) to poverty and gruesome mines in Indonesia, Jim has seen it all. His goal: to make people around the world aware of the horrors of war so as to build up forces to prevent this tragedy from happening again. A bit idealistic perhaps, but he puts immensely powerful images behind this goal.

Jim took all black and white pictures, and some scenes of this documentary are shot back home in NY and show Jim working with his assistants in the darkroom (this is predigital) to make perfect prints of his negatives.




You might want to buy his superlative photography book on the wars of the 1990s. It is a big, heavy and expensive book but worth every cent you pay for it.




11 January 2010

14. - 11 JAN: Addis Ababa and departure, end of the trip

Last day in Ethiopia for this trip. We spend it around the city in the company of R. and S., two Ethiopian ladies we met at a restaurant last night. First stop is at a music shop, where I can buy some CDs of Ethiopian music. The area is by the "mercato", the Italian built covered market. All around an odd mix of old and new. Some donkey-pulled carts roll down the street next to modern cars and traditional spices are sold next to Coke. Out little music shop displays a rich variety of CDs.

When I ask about "traditional" Ethiopian music the lady at the counter looks bewildered. "We don't have so much, no one listens to that stuff any more." I suppose it would be like a foreigner going to a music shop in Rome and asking about CDs of "O Sole Mio"; he would probably get the same answer. Instead, she proposes a few disks of contemporary Ethiopian hits. Rather rock and rollish, with a touch of techno. Anyway, this is Ethiopian music today, so I buy a few CDs to take home!

More shopping at a bookstand. Again I can find some old colonial publications in Italian, I am struck by a meticulously detailed issue of a Rivista Economica in which the Fascist administration was proposing to reorganize the Ethiopian economy to face the League of Nations' sanctions!

Pit stop at a mango juice stand. Two ladies press the fresh drink, which we all enjoy, only to be a bit disappointed when the older one presents us with a bill for the drinks and... for the pictures we have taken! We don't pay and she is seriously disappointed. I mean, come on! I would have understood this kind of request in a tourist trap fake village by the entrance of a Kenyan national park, but not in a bustling city that prides itself (and if fact IS) a major continental capital.

Later we drive up the Mount Entoto, perhaps the best vantage point to view the city. In the huge park the highly significant Church of Mariam is worth a visit. Rose and Selam stop to pray by the little shrine at the bottom of the steps which lead into the Church itself. As we drive back into town on a newly paved road, an old lady walks briskly downhill with a huge pile of what looks like dried bamboo on her shoulder.

It's time to go to the airport, the trip is over. One last mishap, but not a major problem. It is impossible to change back our leftover Birr after security control, and therefore the only thing left is to spend them at the duty-fre shops. Nice picture books on Africa are fortunately available...

10 January 2010

Book Review: The Emperor, by Ryszard Kapuszinski, *****

Synopsis

After the deposition of Haile Selassie in 1974, which ended the ancient rule of the Abyssinian monarchy, Ryszard Kapuscinski travelled to Ethiopia and sought out surviving courtiers to tell their stories. Here, their eloquent and ironic voices depict the lavish, corrupt world they had known - from the rituals, hierarchies and intrigues at court to the vagaries of a ruler who maintained absolute power over his impoverished people. They describe his inexorable downfall as the Ethiopian military approach, strange omens appear in the sky and courtiers vanish, until only the Emperor and his valet remain in the deserted palace, awaiting their fate. Dramatic and mesmerising, The Emperor is one of the great works of reportage and a haunting epitaph on the last moments of a dying regime.


13. - 10 JAN: Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa

As we hit the road soutward toward the capital a large funeral procession of several hundred people in white robes cut across the highway. Most of the people are barefoot, and they all walk briskly in the cool morning sun, and their candid attire contrasts starkly with the black asphalt.

Many other people, as usual, walk along the side of the brand new highway. An "East African Bamboo Project" stand proudly displays, well, bamboo poles for sale, and a wide choice of mosquito brushes.

At 10:30 we stop at a gas station for some coffee. Good, strong, dense Italian coffee made with real Italian espresso machines. Coffee is a good connection between our two countries, they have the coffee and we brought in the machines, though the traditional coffee ceremony, as we have experienced it several times during this trip, is not to be missed.


Sharing injera and raw meat with our driver at a road side eatery
Lunch is at a roadside eatery/butcher shop/bar/gas station. The butcher, in a blood-stained white coat, is busy cutting up some beef into thin strips of meat. He and one of is assistants use special knives with a rounded blade that looks like a huge fishing hook. As usual, I eat with the driver and get a nice ingera with raw beef, all accompanied by a cool bottle of never to be missed Coca Cola.

A few kilometers down the road we cross the Nile again, this time on foot. We walk over a bridge built by the Italians, next to which in 2008 the Japanese built another one, more modern looking but definitely less charming, which is used by our bus. There is no traffic at all today on either bridge. A lone baboon plays on top of the ridge as we drive away.

Italian and Japanese bridges on the Nile
Shortly afterwards we meet some farmers having a tea break while they are gathering hay, and the are very kind to invite us over for a drink. About a dozen men labor away while a lady walks around with a full pot handing over cupfuls of tea.

One last stop before reaching the capital is at Debre Libanos, an ancient monastery where a wedding is taking place in one of the churches. Lots of friends and relatives in white and red dresses, rythmic music and a conservative, almost stiff posture on the part of the newlyweds.

This is not a happy site in the memory of Italy's presence in Ethiopia. Here Graziani exterminated over 200 monks when he suspected they had connived with those who had attempted on his life.


09 January 2010

12. - 9 JAN: Bahir Dar, Lake Tana

Early in the morning the sun paints a silver lining on the many canals and rivulets that draw thin lines across the fields. There is a lot of water in this region, something we are not accustomed to. The Nile is near, though it is now the dry season and there is not much water rushing forward to Sudan.

We drive a while and then take a boat across the river, then walk some more in the fields to reach the Tississat, "the smoking water", ie the Nile falling down a cliff and creating a waterfall, more like a tricklefall in this season, but perhaps prettier for that.

At the waterfall I buy some tea from a young girl who squats by a small wooden plank that is her table, a teapot on a small tin full of hot charcoal and a few glasses. Oh and some sugar. The tea is good. A we approach the waterfall we descend the slope of a hill toward the river and a young shepherd in a candid white blanket over dark shorts poses proudly against the "smoking" background of the falls.

At one point a line of perhaps twenty people walks past us in the distance. Most have huge bags of something, perhaps cotton, on their heads.

No one is around but us until a few lady farmers carrying huge sacs of dung walk by on their way to their farm. It's pretty impressive, the sack are way bigger than their own bodies and probably weigh at least twice as much!

Around lunch time I take a walk in the center of town and stop at a shop that sells hide puffs filled with straw. They are actually quite pretty and sturdy, but heavy. So after negotiating a good price for two puffs I ask the lady to cut them open and take out the grass. Which she has one of her assistants do, but it's hard, they have been sewn pretty well and it takes a good half an hour. Time to walk around, chat with some of the sellers, soak in the early afternoon heat.

After a quick lunch we hit the road again, this time to the shore of Lake Tana, where we board a fast outboard to reach the island in the middle of the lake with its interesting monastery.

08 January 2010

11. - 8 JAN: Gondar to Bahir Dar

Start of the day at the Fasil Gebbi, or Gondar enclusure. A large and majestic complex of palaces, a castle and once luscious gardens now in disrepair. A few birds hop around on top of the castle's merlons.The large empty halls of the castle are highly evocative of times past, especially the XVII century, when Emperor Fasilides projected his great powers from this site. We then go to the Debre Birhan Selassie Church, well known for its exquisite wall paintings.

A little stroll in town precedes a light lunch at a roadside cafe. The Italian 1930s architecture is still apparent downtow, for example in the post office building, among others. Lots of people walking around the busy main street, quite a few cars and swarms of motor rickshaws, "Ape" copied from the Piaggio models so successful throughout Asia.

At one point we walk by the local courthouse and notice some older men sitting outside in the shade with what look like poor people around them. Our guide explains that these are retired lawyers who provide free legal advice to poor people who could not otherwise afford it. Nice touch...

As we prepare to leave town we stop at the Fasilides baths, where the Ethiopians celebrate their Epyhany, or Timkat. There is no ceremony today, we are a few days too early, but quite a few people are busy at work preparing for next week.

We stop at a farm along the way, try to have a chat with the farmer and at one point the wife goes out of her way to show us her jewels, golden bracelets and ear rings of which she is clearly very proud.

We reach Bahir Dar just after a spectacularly red hot sunset has gifted us the last photo ops of a very colorful day.

07 January 2010

10. - 7 JAN: Axum to Gondar

Long transfer on the "Strada degli Italiani" toward Gondar. Early breakfast by the roadside, where a stunningly beautiful lady serves us eggs and fresh orange juice.

The road is not paved well here, and every truck raises huge clouds of dust that linger in mid air for longs minutes.

The landscape is king today, as the majestic ambas offer different shades of blues and greens and browns to my telephoto lens.

Many memories of past wars on the way, from an Italian fort on a hilltop to rusting tanks from the more recent wars with Eritrea. It's now a playground for some kids from a bearby farm.

In one village, an abandoned Agip gas station testifies to the long standing Italian presence in the country.

We reach Gondar in the evening, and hit the sack early, this has been a long day on the road and tomorrow will be busy for us and our cameras.

06 January 2010

9. - 6 JAN: Axum

Whole day in this town, a symbol of Ethiopia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the terrace of our hotel we can enjoy a great view over the main field of steles. Among them, the famous Rome obelisk, returned in 2008 after seventy years spent in the eternal city. It is a magic site, very few people around, and this allows us to fully enjoy our visit. Unfortunately the sun is already too high to take good photos, so I'll have to come back at sunset. A small museum completes the educational aspect of the site. I especially appreciate a sign by the ticket office: "The fool wanders, a wise man travels".

I am struck by a Swedish couple walking around with their two kids, a boy and a girl aged perhaps 4 and 6, each with their little backpack, following diligently in their parents' footsteps. The answer to my many friends who have children of similar age and don't travel to Africa because it is "dangerous" for them.

From here we walk across the street to the Church of Our Lady of Zion, which is actually two Churches, one new and one very old, where legend has it that the ark of the Covenant if guarded by a single monk appointed to this only function for life. Well... Lots of people sitting around here, some musicians playing away with their trumpets and deums in the courtyard and a few faithful inside. One monk takes out a few old bibles for us to look and photograph.

Our next stop is the ruins of the palace allegedly built by the Queen of Sheba, supposedly an ancestor of the Ethiopian imperial family, just out of town. Not so interesting for the uninitiated to the arcana of archeology I must say. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon I decide to go back to the stelae for optimal sunset light photography. Indeed, the effort pays out: a warm amber light soon begins to envelop the monuments, and there is no one around at all.

In the evening I decide to attend the orthodox Christmas ceremonies at the small Church of Enda Iyesus by the stelae field. It is a highly suggestive setting. The warm evocative candle light mixed with cold cheap neon creates a surreal atmosphere. Many priests are celebrating mass, and quite a few faithful are attending, many stranded outside.

A few youngsters are visibly happy about our presence that perhaps for them is a welcome distraction from the boredom of the liturgy. The main priests at first refuses us entry, but then relents after we tend a monetary offer. I try not to disturb the proceedings and take quite a few pictures from the sidelines.


05 January 2010

8. - 5 JAN: Adigrat to Adua and Axum

Communicating in Adigrat
As I pack in my room on the fourth floor of the hotel, I can look out the window to the main street of Adigrat as the town wakes up. Lots of traffic revving up and stores opening their doors. In the distance, a tall GSM antenna testifies to the modernization of Ethiopia. Unlike some of my travel mates, who regret these technological advances as they "spoil" the country, I see this as a sign of progress, improvement and freedom.

As we are leaving town to get on our way to Axum, Paola asks whether we could make a short detour an visit the Italian cemetery of Adigrat, where many of our compatriots who died here during and especially after the war of 1936-1936 are buried. It is not well marked and it takes some asking around to locate it. A small, simple graveyard with a simple marble plate "Cimitero Militare Italiano" by the wrought iron gate. No one is around to open for us but after some time we manage to find the keeper. Inside, a rather desolate scene of neglect. The grass is dead, the few trees look very sad and the walk ways rather unkempt.

Around 11 o'clock in the morning we reach Debre Damos, a very peculiar church on top of a small amba, reacheable only by... rope! Two ropes actually, one tied around our waist and the other in our hands, to pull each of our bodies up in turn with the help of a monk on top. The church is rather simple, only a few monks around and some kids preparing mud bricks.

As we continue driving we pass some villagers walking briskly on theshining new road. We stop at a road side cafe for a good Ethiopian coffee and a meal of ingera. By now it looks, and tastes, rather normal and routine.

When we reach Adua we run into a dilapidated stele erected in memory of the Italian soldiers fallen at the battle of Adua in 1986. Small and forgotten, a sad reminder of that futile battle over a century ago.