2025年6月20日 星期五
2025年6月18日 星期三
The Place I Can't Really Talk About
Or, like some people I know, you might have considered it "bad" or "sketchy." You might have avoided it; you might not have wanted others to see you going in there.
Thing is, it was a fixture in this town for the longest time. When I pass by it I remember things that happened there, or people associated with it. I'll then find myself wanting to write about events that unfolded in that place, or even tell its overall story.
But just as quickly I'll get stuck on a couple points, these being: a) writing a complete account of this place would "implicate" people, and b) some of the people associated with this place are still part of my life, and I wouldn't want to either hurt their feelings or put them in a bad light.
Long story short, nothing that bad - at least not to my knowledge - ever happened in this place while it was still open, though the events which led to the owner/operator's incarceration were bad enough. Some of these events, in a very vague form, have been in the papers already, so I'm not airing anyone's dirty laundry by mentioning them here.
For my part I had a couple weird/crazy nights there, and a couple other nights where I wasn't feeling the vibe. The crazy stuff I'm not going to talk about, for the reasons outlined above, and if I wasn't feeling the vibe, well, in that place it wasn't all that unusual. People from several walks of life frequented this establishment, and after a few beers some of these people could be unpleasant to be around.
I do have some good memories of it though. If you got there late enough, and if it was full, and if you had a couple friends in the room it wasn't bad. It was never my favorite night spot, but I can remember some interesting conversations that took place there. Up until its closure it was the biggest bar in town, and for that reason alone it often brought people together.
But yeah, some of the owner's personal struggles (no blame from me, I don't know all the details) led to its closing down many, many years ago. Toward the end of its run I was avoiding it entirely. I was put off by some of the people that lurked there, and what they got up to. My very last night there is a story unto itself, but it will remain a story I can't talk about here.
After it shut its doors the owner continued to live upstairs, and I visited him in the company of mutual friends on several occasions. What was formerly a single bar was split in two, and the left half of the building became a hot pot restaurant run by other people. The right half became the owner's home. He seemed to spend most of his time on the second floor, watching the price of cryptocurrency rise and fall for hours at a time.
He was/is an alright guy. He could be racist at times, and he was a little too in love with his own notoriety, but he was alright as far as I knew. He was definitely mixed up in some things he shouldn't have been mixed up in, but I suppose that by now he's paid for his involvement in those things with interest.
And he may yet pay even more, if he's released and the government deports him back to the States. I won't speculate on whether he does or does not deserve such a fate, but after time served, and at his age, that would be a rough transition. He's been in Taiwan for decades, and a lot of the America he remembers is likely gone.
Methamphetamines. Not a good thing to be associated with. And they probably had some drug task force circling that place for years, accumulating evidence and lining up witnesses. The funny part is that it wasn't some of his foreign friends that led to his misfortune - at least not to my knowledge - but rather a couple of local guys who were cooking the meth in another part of his building. He claimed to have been unaware of what they were doing. Whether he was or wasn't remains a matter of conjecture.
I still remember him when I go by his old place, sitting there empty after so many years. He was always kind to me, and I always enjoyed talks with him when we met up there or in other nearby places. Yes, I called him the devil once over a few beers, but I was only joking.
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2025年6月13日 星期五
Hualien in the News 花蓮的新聞 (South 南) 2
1a. A man stabbed his friend to death after a drunken quarrel. The incident is still being investigated. 花蓮萬榮鄉爆命案 ! 男酒後刺殺好友 女友返家嚇壞報警
1b. Police visited Wanrong Junior High School to teach the students there about the need to respect laws and how to avoid online sexual harassment. 花蓮警方宣導團前往萬榮國中
2a. Thunderstorms were expected in Guangfu and surrounding areas. Probably by the time you've read this (I write these entries over a week's time) they've already happened. 國家警報響 ! 大雷雨轟花蓮 警戒區曝
2b. A talk on central Hualien's literary history and meal sharing activity will be held tomorrow in Guangfu. 文學之旅 上午拜訪文學家藏書閣 ...
3a. A music festival and temporary market were held next to the entrance to the Dashrbi Mountain Trail. Romadiw音樂市集招募開跑
3b. The Ocean Affairs Council recently gave an award to Fengbin's Port Community Development Association for its efforts in regard to conservation and protection of the local marine ecosystem. 海洋保育貢獻楷模獎 豐濱鄉港口社區獲獎
4a. It's pineapple season in Ruisui, and the local farmer's association recently held a promotional event for the crop at the Ruisui Township Visitor's Center. 瑞穗鄉鳳梨節暨農特產品推廣 熱鬧登場
4b. Pomelo farmers in Ruisui and Yuli are seeking financial assistance from the Bureau of Agriculture. There hasn't been enough rain and this year's crop is much smaller. Those requesting financial assistance must sign up for a visit by an inspection team. 花蓮縣政府組現勘災小組現勘瑞穗鄉及玉里鎮文旦柚 爭取現金救助
5a. No recent news out of Zhuoxi.
6a. An earthquake off the east coast was felt as far inland as Yuli, where it was recorded at around 4 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter of this earthquake was close to Changbin Township in Taitung County, where it registered at 6.4. 21縣市國家級警報 ! 晚上7時東部海域規模6.4強震 最大震度5弱
6b. It's been hot recently. The temperature in Yuli reached a high of 37.9 Celsius. 雙北花東亮高溫燈號 花蓮玉里飄37.9度
7a. The recent heavy rains mentioned under the Guangfu section above caused/are causing areas near the Xiuguluan River to flood. As a result some roads in Fuli were closed to traffic. 花蓮大雨秀姑巒溪水位漲 富里鄉3便道暫無法通行
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2025年6月8日 星期日
Ruisui Township, Hualien County 花蓮縣瑞穗鄉
According the last census, 11,366 people live in Ruisui. 上次的人口統計表示 ， 瑞穗的人口是11,366人 。
As you travel north up Highway 9 from Yuli, one of the first things you'll encounter is Ruisui's tea growing area, located atop a hill in the southern part of the township. 從玉里走台9線往北 ， 最先經過的是位於瑞穗南部山區的產茶區 。
The Dongsheng Tea Outlet is the farthest store south. There's a park next to it, but this park was heavily damaged during recent typhoons. 最南邊的茶行是東昇茶行 。 這個茶行旁邊有個小公園 ， 可是部分的公園被颱風破壞了 。
This is the view from inside the park. That's the Xiouguluan River in the distance, and the Coastal Mountain Range beyond it. 公園裡的風景 。 遠處是秀姑巒溪 ，秀姑巒溪後方是海岸山脈 。
Ruisui Ranch, probably Ruisui's most famous tourist attraction, is a little further up the road. This place won't blow your mind, but it's a nice place to stop for coffee. It's MUCH better than Chulu Ranch in Taitung. 瑞穗牧場大概是瑞穗鄉最有名的景點 。 這裡離產茶區很近， 在這裡喝咖啡不錯 ， 它比台東縣的初鹿牧場好很多 。
It was very rainy when we got there. For those looking to stay longer, there's a nice campground behind Ruisui Ranch. I assume it's still in operation? At any rate the signs are still in place. 我們去的時候在下雨 ， 想在這裡停留久一點的旅客可以利用後方的露營區， 我相信它還在營業吧 ? 因為招牌還在 。
Most of the local restaurants are to be found in Central Ruisui, also located off Highway 9. This is the Ruisui Train Station. 瑞穗大部分的餐廳都在瑞穗市區的台9線上 ， 上面照片中的是瑞穗車站。
If you're driving through here exercise caution. At several points in our journey Google Maps led us astray. Many roads in this area are closed and/or under repair, and Google Maps isn't always up to date when it comes to local road conditions. 在這附近開車要小心 ! 有幾次Google地圖認錯路了 ； 或是馬路封閉；或在施工 。 Google對當地的路況資料有的還沒更新 。
Central Ruisui is a sleepy little town. I've never had any especially good food here, but I keep trying. 瑞穗市區不算熱鬧景點， 我還沒在這裡吃過特別好吃的料理 ， 我繼續努力吧 !
I should add that the Ruisui Hot Spring Area is east of here, on the other side of Highway 9. I'm not including any pictures of that area because it was too crowded during our last visit. We drove in, looked at a few spots, and then quickly decided that sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers in a hot spring didn't sound very fun. 瑞穗溫泉區在瑞穗市區東部 ， 台9線的另外一邊 。 我這一次沒有在溫泉區拍照 ， 因為當時人太多了 。 我們開車進去 ， 考慮過幾個溫泉之後，決定人多時泡溫泉不好玩 ， 所以決定改天再來 。
This said, the Ruisui Hot Spring Area is one of my favorite places. I've visited it many times, and I'm sure I'll visit again on a non-holiday weekend in the future. 話說回來 ， 瑞穗溫泉是我最喜歡的景點的其中一個 。 我去過好幾次 ，未來我會避開大節日再去一次 。
Not far from Central Ruisui is Jizheng Ranch, a bigger, older, less popular, more broken down version of Ruisui Ranch on the Xiougulan River. 離瑞穗市區不遠處是吉蒸牧場 。 靠近秀姑巒溪的吉蒸牧場比瑞穗牧場還大，也舊了點， 旅客也少很多 。
This is the Xiougulan River. It meets the Fuyuan River not far from here, on the other side of a bridge. 這是秀姑巒溪 。 這條溪在附近的橋下流進富源溪 。
And speaking of "Fuyuan," this is the entrance to the Fuyuan Forest Recreation Area, at the north end of Ruisui. This place is now closed to the public, along with the Butterfly Valley Resort, which is (probably) closed forever. Both places sustained extensive damage during the last earthquake, and those responsible have decided that the local ecosystem needs time to recover. 說到富源 ， 這是瑞穗北部的富源國家森林遊樂區入口。 因為大地震的關係 ， 這個景點跟蝴蝶谷一樣被破壞很多 ， 目前已經封閉了 ， 政府決定這裡的大自然需要時間恢復 。
Residents of Taitung may remember the Butterfly Valley Resort from the commercials, which used to play in the local movie theater before every movie. I'm ashamed to say that it took me this long to visit. I'm sure it was very beautiful when it was open. 台東的居民應該都記得蝴蝶谷的廣告吧 ? 以前電影院在電影開始前都會播廣告片。 我不知道為什麼我現在才來到這裡 ，我相信它以前開園時的景色應該美不勝收。
To the east, across the valley, is the Fuxing Community Pineapple Park. The park itself is falling apart, but the scenery around here is good. 在花東縱谷東部是富興社區鳳梨公園 。 公園的現況不太好 ， 可是附近的風景很不錯 。
Southeast of the pineapple park, along County Road 64, is the marker for the East Coast National Scenic Area. The road east of this marker is not in good condition, and those driving around here should be careful. 鳳梨公園南邊 。 花64線上有東部海岸國家風景區地標 ， 這裡往東的路況不好 ， 駕駛要特別小心 。
Extremely beautiful area though. The road goes up and up, and almost before you know it you're looking down at the East Rift Valley, from Guangfu all the way down to Yuli. 往東邊的風景好美 ， 這條路慢慢往上延伸 ， 當你來到高點時，往下看可以看見光復到玉里的花東縱谷 。
Along the same road, near Ruisui's eastern border, is the Qimei Rafting Rest Stop. All that silt beneath the retaining wall is the result of recent typhoons. 在同一條路上往瑞穗鄉東邊的邊界走 ， 會經過奇美泛舟休息站 ， 牆下的淤泥都是因為最近的颱風而沖刷到那邊來的 。
And that's it for Ruisui. From here on we persisted eastward, down a terrifying stretch of road into Fengbin Township, on the other side of the Coastal Mountain Range. 以上就是瑞穗。我們繼續從奇美往東部 ，走這一條危險的路到海岸山脈另外一邊的豐濱鄉 。
But that trip, perhaps, is a discussion for another day! 那一次的旅途改天再說 .
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