For most retirees, earthbound leisurely pastimes such as golf or hiking are great ways to unwind. Retired photojournalist Elliot Su (
Dangling from a thick rope 60m above the ground with no safety net may not be everyone's idea of fun, but for Su and other members of the Tree Climbing Taiwan Association the view is always greener from the top of a towering Taiwan redwood or Japanese cedar.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Su said that from the top of a tree you're able to get a different view of the world. "There's nothing quite like being able to see birds and insects close-up and in their natural environments," he said.
Su first became interested in the pastime after he picked up a tree-climbing magazine while holidaying in the British seaside resort Eastbourne.
He contacted the US-based association Tree Climbing International and within a few months was in Atlanta, Georgia, studying under the guidance of tree-climbing guru, Peter "Treeman"
Jenkins.
After three months extensive training, Su became a certified member of Tree Climbing International and Taiwan's first tree-climbing instructor.
Since founding the Taiwan chapter of Tree Climbing International just over a year ago, Su has taught over 1,000 recreational climbers and worked in close conjunction with universities, environmental groups and government bodies as well as charity organizations.
In order to qualify as an expert tree climber, students have to undertake a three-day extensive course focusing on the intricacies and techniques need to master tree climbing, and then must climb 25 trees of 10 different species. The course has not been adapted in any way and complies to the guidelines laid down by Tree Climbing International.
Tree climbing is not cheap and while the association loans equipment to its students, graduates wanting to go it alone have to purchase equipment specially imported from the US. Even with this equipment, which costs upwards of NT$20,000, climbers' safety is not guaranteed. Neither Su nor any of his students have fallen from a tree, but tree-dwelling creatures have attacked the tree-loving, tree-climbing retiree.
"I was trying to remove a bee's nest from a tree so that we could take a class of children up. The entomology students told me that bees don't attack after dark, but this proved incorrect," Su said. "I'd climbed into the tree and was about to remove the nest when I was stung by a single killer bee."
Within minutes of the accident Su's hand had, according to the tree-climbing expert, "turned into bread" and swollen to twice its normal size. As a result of the bee sting, Su was kept in hospital for three days, pumped with drugs and kept under close observation.
While Su and his fellow climbers ask permission before climbing any tree, be it in Wulai, Nantou or Hualien and currently only undertake inner-city climbs in a couple of Taipei parks, he does have his eyes set on a nice tree-lined stretch of downtown Taipei.
"I'd love to climb the trees along Dunhwa North and South roads. I think it would be great fun and because of the public nature of such a climb, it would be great way to introduce tree climbing and encourage people to take more notice of Taiwan's natural environment," he said.
For further information about the Tree Climbing Taiwan Association, log on to its Chinese-language website at www.treeclimbingtaiwan.org. Those interested in taking to the canopies can contact the association directly by calling (0936) 888 997 or by fax at (02) 2391 8145. Class times and other information can also be obtained via e-mail at boysu@yam.com.
Common sense is not that common: a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania concludes the concept is “somewhat illusory.” Researchers collected statements from various sources that had been described as “common sense” and put them to test subjects. The mixed bag of results suggested there was “little evidence that more than a small fraction of beliefs is common to more than a small fraction of people.” It’s no surprise that there are few universally shared notions of what stands to reason. People took a horse worming drug to cure COVID! They think low-traffic neighborhoods are a communist plot and call
Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came