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IN THIS ISSUE

• Kate Brookfield finishes her story of a two-day expedition
• Louise Kruithof begins her account of a very long journey
• Gerrit de Leeuw forwards the story of one sure thing in life
• Bruce Galway sends a recipe for an unusual chocolate cake
• Jack Peaker tells the story of a sensitive redneck
• Bruce and Tom Telfer suggest interesting websites

Kate Brookfield concludes her account of a

TWO-DAY TRIP TO YILAN COUNTY

Finally we arrived at Fushan Botanical Gardens, set in acres of pristine wet forest between Taipei and Ilan Counties. This botanical park is the largest in Asia, covering over 40 hectares. The whole area has been set aside as a National Conservation area. Entry to the Botanical Garden is restricted to a certain number of people each day and one must apply well in advance to get a permit. (Lake O´Hara in the Canadian Rockies has a similar policy to prevent too much damage to the habitat and the animals by large numbers of visitors.)

Unfortunately, as we climbed the mountain road we had moved into the thick rolling clouds that we had seen covering the mountain when we changed from the luxury coach to the minivans. For those of you who think clouds are pretty, you have never had your head in the clouds. It was torrential rain with a high wind. I learned from a presentation video that was given to us after the visit that they get more than 200 days of rain in a year. We were unlucky to have one of those days!

When Michael and I had woken up in the coach, there was a little yellow packet on our laps. We both put them in the pocket in front of us in the coach without really examining them, and not knowing we were going to be leaving the bus. When we saw people opening their little yellow packages, we realized that they contained yellow plastic raincoats, like the kind they hand out at Niagara Falls for the trip on the Maid of the Mist. Everybody except us was well protected against the torrential rain. However, our trusty guides managed to find us a couple of discarded ones left in the recycling by former visitors. So covered from head to toe in yellow plastic and carrying umbrellas, we set off along the boardwalk.

There was nothing else to do but take the walk as there was no sheltered cabin offering hot chocolate and a place to stay out of the rain to encourage the less adventurous to sit around in comfort. Besides, this visit was booked and it would not be easy to book another visit.

There was a covered structure with open sides with a 3D map and display photos of the exotic flora and fauna that might be seen in this forest. According to these photos, we might expect to see Macau monkeys, flying squirrels, deer, kingfishers, woodpeckers, eagles, water fowl, snakes, frogs, and an abundance of insects, butterflies, dragonflies. The flora includes all species of trees native to Taiwan, including a large expanse of rhododendrons and azaleas. It is impossible for me to list all that we saw, but it is worth mentioning the avenue of camphor and cinnamon trees. The guide showed us the damage done to one cinnamon tree by visitors - they had almost denuded it of all its branches within human reach, and even a square of bark had been cut out.

I have never seen so many species of gigantic and colourful ferns. After a while, we almost forgot the rain, there was so much to see. Every so often there was a covered viewing platform that gave us temporary respite from the rain. In one, there was a colony of huge bats that looked about the size of a Canadian squirrel resting in the roof.

The main attraction after the trees was a large lake, which we walked round on board walks and enjoyed seeing the grebes, mandarin ducks, moorhens, plus other species of waterfowl and different types of frogs, all enjoying the wet weather.

Apparently, Taiwan was once home to the endangered and rare Cloud Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus) but one has not been seen here for 50 years. It used to be plentiful but was hunted to extinction. The Taiwan National Museum has some moth-eaten stuffed ones on display. Some people believe that they may still be in the Fushan forest area.

For more about the Fushan Botanical Gardens you can go to http://tourguide.sinotour.com/scenery89.html

Click on the highlighted text for Fushan Gardens and you get a screen with an option to look at pictures. The link to our hotel The Art Spa Hotel is also on this page to save you time.

After leaving the Botanical Garden, we came down the mountain again and transferred back to the coach. We stopped just before our destination for our evening meal, where we had another huge spread of dishes plus a few games with prizes. Michael ended up in a competition with three other runners-up to see who could be first at drinking soft drink from a baby´s bottle.

From the restaurant, it was a short drive to our hotel, The Art Spa Hotel in Jiaosi Hot Springs. It was very fancy, and for more pictures of the hotel you can visit the websites: http://art-spa-hotel-en.network.com.tw/Default.asp or http://art_spa_hotel.sinotour.com/rooms.asp

We had a large room with a huge bathroom with a deep tub that could be filled with spa water. But it was more fun to go to the spa area where they had many different pools, some with different fragrances added, such as rose, lavender, even green tea, where the different flavours are reputed to have different therapeutic properties. There were two large slides into a deeper pool. One slide was high and not such a steep angle and the shorter slide had a much steeper angle. I was a chicken and did not attempt the slide, but Michael did and regretted it. He came down with such speed he didn´t know which way was up to the surface. It took the wind out of him. Marina stood dazed for about 10 minutes after she came down, but Gaorg loved it and came down with a great noise 15 times, until they closed for the night.

The Jiaosi Hot Spring is a rare type of hot springs that is extremely rich in minerals. The water is very rich in sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and carbonic acid ion and is reputed to have healing effects on the body. It is odourless, clear, and maintains a temperature of around 58°C. Unlike some hot springs, there is no sulphur and the water is palatable. Fruit and vegetables grown in this area are popular in Taiwan as they taste better.

I would have liked to have stayed longer in this luxury hotel, but the next morning after breakfast we were on our way again. First we visited shops selling dried fruit, then went on another little "hike" up a mountain trail. It was not really a hike as there were man-made steps leading to a very attractive old house with rambling gardens. See my photos on Picasa for pictures of this trail. It was not raining so much and we even had some patches of sunshine between the showers. See my Picasa website for photos of this walk: http:// arunaurl.com/2kjm

Our final stop was a tour of a winery with some wine tasting. It was a pleasant setting in the hills and reminded me of Tuscany. After this we headed back to Taipei. Despite the weather, all had a great time and I was pleased that we did not have karaoke on the bus on the return journey.

Louise Kruithof begins her story of a

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE ROAD

My husband had been assigned to supervise the installation and the commissioning of some equipment used in the production of aluminum in Inner Mongolia, in a city called Huolinguole by the rest of us or colloquially, Huolinhe by the Chinese. I had looked and searched everywhere on the internet for Huolinhe but only found Huolinguole. Even our daughter, who is an ace at finding information on the net, could only find a few sites with reference to the place.

All in all, I did not find much information about this city, except that somewhere it said that the population was 50,000; somewhere else it said 60,000; and at another site, it said 70,000. The only thing I knew in the end was that it was a very small city by Chinese standards. The city we were in the last time had a population of six million and is considered a medium-size city. Everything is relative!

We kept being told that Inner Mongolia is very cold so we packed for the cold: a whole suitcase full of clothes for cold weather. A big down coat for each, shearling-lined boots, long underwear, and sweaters and vests. We had to buy the boots for Willem, my husband. The last few years he did not need warm boots around home because the winters have been very mild in Ontario. I packed my old faithful footwear, the lined moccasins, because they are my favourite footwear to walk around when it is cold.

We left Hamilton on October 15 with lighter clothing since it was a balmy 22C outside. At the Air Canada counter, it turned out that one bag was much lighter than the others, which were a bit overweight. The attendant asked us to shift things around in the suitcases so they would all meet the maximum 50 pounds allowed per suitcase, and she patiently waited while we did that. Our son had given us two passes for the Maple Leaf lounge at Pearson which we took advantage of. There is a buffet so one can have a light lunch or dinner while waiting for the plane´s departure and it is quite peaceful in there.

Thirteen hours after boarding the plane, we arrived in Beijing. This flight was quite uneventful, with very little turbulence, but sitting down for 13 hours is torture on the gluteus maximus. Having arrived at the Toronto airport very early, Willem managed to get a seat in the emergency door row so he could stretch his long legs and not suffer as he usually does when in a regular seat with very little leg room. My seat was at the back of the plane, the fourth row from the end.

One must stand up periodically and walk around, so I visited my spouse sitting 20 rows ahead, and learned some tai-chi from his neighbour, who was a tai-chi instructor. Balance and focus were the main lessons. Since I have little or no balance to start with, it was interesting. It worked though because now I can stand on one foot and extend the other leg up sideways without too much problem.

Finally, the plane landed in Beijing (a 13-hour flight and a jump of 12 hours ahead to the 16th) and now we had to go and find the Air China desk for domestic flights with limited time before the next scheduled departure. The luggage had to be picked up to go through customs and brought to the Air China desk. For domestic flights in China, only one checked-in piece is allowed, with a maximum of 20 kg. If, however, it is part of an international flight, they will take the two pieces allowed on the international flight. So we checked in for the next leg of this journey, a one-hour flight to Shenyang.

Thankfully, a taxi driver was waiting for us with a sign held up above his head (Ouch! My arms are hurting!) He was ready to give up when he saw the four large pieces of luggage we had. Cars are not very big in China. There is a large number of China-made Volkswagens, which is what the driver had. Some of the luggage ended up on the back seat with Willem.

In this kind of situation one must trust entirely the person who is driving. We had absolutely no clue as to where we were going except for the name of the hotel. Finally we made it to the hotel, had a light dinner, and crashed. By then it was 10:00 at night in Shenyang but 10:00 in the morning Toronto time. Since we were scheduled to be picked up next morning at 7:30 for the next and final leg of the journey, we thought it would be a good idea to get some sleep.

To be continued.

Gerrit de Leeuw forwards a story about

THE LAWYER

The madam opened the brothel door in Winnipeg and saw a rather dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties or early fifties.

"May I help you, sir?" she asked.

"I want to see Valerie," the man replied.

"Sir, Valerie is one of our most expensive ladies. Perhaps you would prefer someone else," said the madam.

"No, I must see Valerie," he replied.

Just then, Valerie appeared and announced to the man she charged $5000 a visit. Without hesitation, the man pulled out five thousand dollars and gave it to her, and they went upstairs. After an hour, the man calmly left.

The next night, the man appeared again, once more demanding to see Valerie. Valerie explained that no one had ever come back two nights in a row as she was too expensive. But there were no discounts. The price was still $5000.

Again, the man pulled out the money, gave it to Valerie, and they went upstairs. After an hour, he left.

The following night, the man was there yet again. Everyone was astounded that he had come for a third consecutive night, but he paid Valerie and they went upstairs.

After their session, Valerie said to the man, "No one has ever been with me three nights in a row. Where are you from?"

The man replied, "Ontario."

"Really?" she said. "I have family in Ontario."

"I know," the man said. "Your sister died, and I am her attorney. She asked me to give you your $15,000 inheritance."

The moral of the story is that three things in life are certain:

1. Death

2. Taxes

3. Being screwed by a lawyer

Bruce Galway writes: This sounds really good and seems simple enough that a cook of my skills just may be able to make it.

DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE-IN-A-MUG

1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp. Cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
4 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp. Milk
3 Tbsp. Oil
Small splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp. Chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork.
Add egg, mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well.
Add chips, if using.
Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.
Cake will rise over top of mug - do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.
Eat!

(This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake any time of the day or night!

Jack Peaker sends the story of the

SENSITIVE REDNECK

Three rednecks are working up on a cell phone tower - Cooter, Ronnie, and Donnie. As they start their descent, Cooter slips and falls off the tower and is killed instantly.

As the ambulance takes the body away, Ronnie says, "Well damn, someone should go and tell his wife."

Donnie says, "OK, I´m pretty good at that sensitive stuff. I´ll do it."

Two hours later, he comes back carrying a case of Budweiser.

Ronnie says, "Where did you get that beer, Donnie?"

"Cooter´s wife gave it to me," Ronnie replies.

"That´s unbelievable. You told the lady her husband was dead and she gave you beer?"

"Well, not exactly," Donnie says. "When she answered the door, I said to her, ´You must be Cooter´s widow.´ She said, ´You must be mistaken. I´m not a widow.´ Then I said, ´I´ll bet you a case of Budweiser you are.´"

Rednecks are good at sensitive things.

THIS WEEK´S SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Bruce Galway forwards this (legitimate) warning from CRA RevenueCanada:

http://arunaurl.com/2l17

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Bruce also recommends this site for 50 years of history reduced to a three-minute video:

http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

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Tom Telfer sends the URL for the Cochrane Mural, which was unveiled last week at the Cochrane Ranch House. Cochrane is NW of Calgary and east of Banff, in the foothills of the Rockies. Each tile is one foot square, is its own individual picture, and is by a different artist. All of them together form this huge mural. You can click on each of the tiles to see them in detail:

http://www.muralmosaic.com/Cochrane.html

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For those of you wondering what to get the person who has everything for Christmas, consider giving them certificates for any amount of money which they can lend to small entrepreneurs in developing countries through Kiva. This organization puts together small loans for enterprising people with the goal of making them independent. To read about Kiva, check the About window in this site: http://arunaurl.com/2kik

My family is receiving four goats, a donkey, and a stocked medical clinic. The animals will be ordered through CHF, a Canadian non- profit organization dedicated to enabling poor rural communities in developing countries to attain sustainable livelihoods: http://www.giftsthatmatter.ca

The medical clinic, which is being ordered from World Vision Canada: http://arunaurl.com/2l18, is worth five times my cost. (And no, I´m not spoiling the surprise because they don´t read The Spinner. ;)

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."