Situated 3,858m above sea level, the Central Weather Bureau’s Yushan Weather Station has the twin distinctions of being the highest weather station in northeast Asia and the highest-altitude building in Taiwan. A hiker who recently climbed the north peak was both astonished and delighted to discover a small cafe called “3,858 Cafe” inside the weather station. After making enquiries, the hiker discovered that it was built from discarded materials by workers at the station.
Yushan Weather Station was constructed 78 years ago, in 1943. After the 921 Earthquake struck the nation on Sept. 21, 1999, major advanced earthquake detection equipment began to be installed at the station, followed by the installation of a satellite Internet connection, which greatly improved the problem of interrupted telecommunications signals to the station. In addition to monitoring alpine weather and providing real-time, accurate weather-related data, the station is also responsible for assisting with air search and rescue by providing cloud cover, visibility and other meteorological data.
An observer surnamed Hsieh who has worked at the station for more than two decades says that the harsh alpine climate, along with scarce water and a limited electricity supply, has imbued a spirit of “taking hardship in one’s stride” in fellow employees, and an ethos of persevering in the job. Hsieh says that wooden crates used to transport the electricity generators and large batteries required by the station, once dismantled, cannot be disposed of willy-nilly. They therefore got creative and pieced together the discarded materials to create a simple cafe, which has become a little paradise for colleagues when taking a break during gaps in their work, says Hsieh. An occasional cup of coffee accompanied by a cookie helps workers at the station to stay fresh and stave off hunger, while the improvised cafe not only helps to relieve stress, but has also eliminated the bother of lugging large pieces of waste material down the mountain, adds Hsieh.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons 照片:維基共享資源
Cafe 3,858 was completed a little over a month ago, and news of its existence quickly spread by word of mouth among Taiwan’s hiking community. It soon became an unusual photo op and social media “check in” location for hikers climbing Yushan’s north peak. With increasing numbers of hikers attracted to visit the cafe, staff at the weather station have announced that the high-altitude cafe is not open to the public. Use of the cafe is reserved for employees on account of the large amount of meteorological equipment installed at the station, and to provide a brief moment of bliss during their grueling sojourns at the isolated outpost. Staff say they hope that hikers will abide by the rule of “entry by invitation only” to avoid impacting on their work and to maintain cordial relations.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
位於海拔三千八百五十八公尺的中央氣象局玉山氣象站,不但是東北亞最高的氣象站,也是全台海拔最高的建築物,最近山友攀登至此,赫見氣象站內竟有一座「3858咖啡吧」,莫不覺得又驚又喜,進一步探詢,始知是氣象站工作人員利用廢棄材料打造而成的。
Photo courtesy of a member of the public 照片:民眾提供
玉山氣象站建於西元一九四三年,迄今已有七十八年歷史,一九九九年九二一大地震後,開始裝設高科技強震儀,之後又架設衛星網路,大幅改善訊號中斷問題,除了監測高山氣象並提供即時、準確的氣象相關資料以外,也肩負協助空難救援時的雲量及能見度等資訊。
在氣象站工作二十多年的謝姓觀測員表示,高山氣候嚴寒,且缺水又缺電,但站內同仁都秉持「吃苦當作吃補」的精神,堅守崗位,惟因氣象站所須的發電機、大型電池等木製包裝拆卸後,又不能隨意亂丟,同仁遂發揮創意,將廢棄材料東拼西湊打造出簡易的「咖啡吧」,也成為彼此工作空檔休息的小樂園,時不時喝個咖啡提神或吃個餅乾充飢,不但可達到紓壓效果,也免去大型廢棄物搬運下山處理的困擾。
在此前提下,氣象站人員配合海拔高度將咖啡吧取名叫作「3858咖啡吧」,完工迄今已一個多月,也意外成為山友拍照、打卡的熱點,且口耳相傳下,有愈來愈多的山友慕名而來,因此,氣象站人員特別聲明,站內有諸多氣象監測相關設施,此高山咖啡吧只提供氣象站員工本身「苦中作樂」的小確幸,並不對外營業,也希望山友能遵守「非請勿入」原則,避免影響氣象工作及和氣。
(自由時報謝介裕)
A: South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun is finally visiting Taiwan again for a fan meeting. B: Wow, it’s been nine years since his last visit. A: He became a superstar after his TV drama “My Love from Another Star” caused a sensation across Asia in 2013. B: Where will the fan meeting take place? A: It’s scheduled for July 6 at National Taiwan Sport University’s stadium in Taoyuan. A: 南韓男神金秀賢終於來台灣開粉絲見面會了! B: 哇他已經9年沒來台灣啦。 A: 他因主演2013年神劇《來自星星的你》,而在亞洲爆紅。 B: 這次他會在哪裡舉辦見面會呢? A: 台灣場將於7月6日,在桃園國立體育大學舉行。你也想去嗎? (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A: South Korean superstar Kim Soo-hyun is back in the spotlight again with his TV drama Queen of Tears. B: He has made it to the Global Instagram Chart for K-drama actors, ranking at No. 10 with 14.5 million IG followers. A: So who have topped the chart? B: The top three are Ji Chang-wook, with 26.71 million IG followers, Lee Min-ho, with 34.78 million IG followers, and Cha Eun-woo, with 42.18 million IG followers. A: Hopefully, they can also hold fan meetings in Taiwan. A: 南韓男神金秀賢最近演出《淚之女王》人氣看漲。 B: 他還登上韓劇男星全球IG人氣排行榜,IG粉絲數1,450萬,是今年第10名。 A: 前幾名是誰啊? B: 前3名分別是池昌旭:IG粉絲數2,671萬、李敏鎬:IG粉絲數3,478萬、車銀優:IG粉絲數4,218萬。 A: 大家快來台灣開粉絲見面會吧! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Although shaved ice can be found even in fall and winter, douhua is a dessert that can be enjoyed year round in both hot and cold weather. Douhua is made from soy milk which is set by using coagulants such as gypsum or bittern. The resulting texture of douhua is soft and silky. It is often served with a sweet syrup and various toppings. Each shop selling douhua has many toppings for customers to choose from, such as peanuts, mesona jelly, tapioca balls, mung beans, adzuki beans and taro paste. 刨冰雖然秋冬也吃得到,但有什麼甜品冷暖皆宜,豆花是好選擇。豆花是在豆漿中拌入石膏、鹵水等促凝劑製成,白嫩絲滑,舀入糖水享用。每間豆花店還有許多種配料任君選擇,如花生、仙草凍、粉圓、綠豆、紅豆和芋泥等。 coagulant (n.) 促凝劑 gypsum (n.)
With extreme heat gripping much of the Northern Hemisphere last week, authorities and public health experts have issued heat warnings to help keep people safe. Parts of China, India, the Middle East, southern Europe and the United States are bracing for the possibility of new record highs. WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS? Heat affects health in several ways. Heat exhaustion, which can include dizziness, headaches, shaking and thirst, can affect anyone, and is not usually serious, providing the person cools down within 30 minutes. The more serious version is heatstroke, when the body’s core temperature goes above 40.6 degrees Celsius. It is a medical emergency