9/12/10 Mini Gorge Part II

The original plan for the day had been to take the dogs up to Tongmen to hang in the pools and relax, but a late start meant that we were turned away at the gates because the area had already reached capacity.  So on to plan B: the mini gorge, only this time the south branch of the river.

As we approached the water I saw a large group of people in full wetsuits, water shoes, life vests and helmets walking through the river.  I became concerned and thought that they might be investigating a chemical spill of some kind.  Space calmed my fears and told me they were “river tracers”.  I had never heard of such a thing and asked him to explain further; he declined, saying instead that I should “just watch”.

It turns out that the river tracers were part of an adventure tourism group who were taking a hike up the river.  “But why are they dressed like that?” I asked.  Space offered two explanations:

1.      The tour operator was preying on the fears of the people by gearing them up.  In doing this it would seem like their activities were far more dangerous than they actually were.  And that is to say: not dangerous at all.  The fact that we were doing the exact same thing in shorts and sandals provided evidence of that.

2.      Taiwanese enjoy the preparation for an activity almost as much as they enjoy the activity itself.  This is why you will see a guy in full cycling race gear even though he just going down the street to the 7-Eleven to buy some tea eggs.

The tour guide dragged these poster children of meekness around by one hand while he took pictures of them (I prefer to call it “documenting their irrational fears”) with the other hand, possibly so they could have proof of their ordeal to share with family and friends.  At one point the guide dragged four people against the river’s current, holding them one hand and paddling with the other.  It was like he was pulling four limp rag dolls.

Space explained that this is typical of the “Strawberry Generation” an age cohort that was born after 1983 and is now anywhere between the age of 15 and 27.  This group has never known or experienced hardships, and have largely avoided any type of responsibilities beyond schoolwork.  They are referred to as the “Strawberry Generation” because they bruise easily if they are challenged in any way.  This is not the opinion of some outsider, it’s a recognized group.  There is a widespread fear amongst the older generations that prosperity has left their children woefully unprepared for the challenges of life.

As I had aptly described them earlier in my trip: they are social cripples.

With my daily “What The Fuck” moment behind me, we could get on with the hike.  The North gorge introduced me to spiders as big as my hand and the South gorge brought grasshoppers almost as big.

We reached a pool of calm water and found two groups of people hanging out on the shady side.  It was a little crowded so we crossed the river – terrifying without proper personal protective equipment – and dropped our bags.  A short while later I was reminded of how different/non-existent the concept of personal space is here.  A group of teens had begun to swim the river, many of them fully clothed in jeans and t-shirts for modesty or perhaps because they were comforted by the ever present dampness in the air and simply couldn’t get enough of it.  One guy who didn’t feel like swimming came and stood within arms reach of me; “What The Fuck” moment #2 and the day had just started!  In a large open area with space all around us I couldn’t understand why he had chosen this spot.  Space and I looked at each other, perplexed and minds blown.