BBQ - Blogabond

2007-07-27 13:57. While everyone else went to the buses to Ciaotou, I went on an errand that was not part of the official tour. Staff member Cash drove me first to Kaohsiung City, to receive my medical insurance reimbursement which was ready.

Kaohsiung City streets 2007-07-27 14:38

2007-07-27 14:38. We drove through Kaohsiung City 高雄市 streets, looking for the AIG Insurance building to sign off and receive cheque.

2007-07-27 14:54. Inside the bank which printed the cheque, only a few blocks away.

2007-07-27 15:00. Finished exchanging cheque for cash after presenting my passport and signature.

Cash buying tickets 2007-07-27 15:42

2007-07-27 15:42. in Kaohsiung City, High Speed Rail Zuoying Station 高鐵左營站, helped Cash buy tickets at the ticket machines for some of the students who would take the HSR home.

2007-07-27 16:24. Back to the official tour. Cash parked the car at the Kaohsiung Sugar Industry Culture Park Area 高雄糖業文化園區, and used the two-way radio to figure out how to rejoin the rest of the tour group.

Roof gun ports for lawless times 2007-07-27 16:42

Small train ride to dinner area 2007-07-27 17:36

2007-07-27 17:07. Park tour guides brought us to [高雄] 橋頭糖廠博物館, a small building with exhibits and a film about the historic sugar industry.

2007-07-27 17:35. Getting on the 50-percent-width train for a ride through the park back to the dinner area.

2007-07-27 17:57. BingGe demonstrated how to carefully dig our dinners out of our dirt mounds. While I was away on my Kaohsiung City errand, everyone else here had placed aluminum and newspaper-wrapped chicken, corn, yam, and eggs into their team’s designated pit in the dirt area right beside the tables. I think the next step was they started fires in each pit, then covered it, creating dirt mounds. This was left alone to slowly cook for a few hours so that it would be ready by the time we came back after touring the park.

Each team digging for their dinner 2007-07-27 18:14

No lights at tables, later was dark 2007-07-27 18:14

2007-07-27 18:11. Helping our team dig out, then unwrap the food from the newspaper and alumninum foil. Food was ready if the yam, which takes the longest, was ready. Corn was delicious and easy, chicken was delicious but difficult to manage with only hands and napkins, no knives or forks were available. This buried cooking method supposedly preserves the flavour but I didn’t notice the difference. Yam and eggs weren’t so great because the majority of them from our mound were damaged and dirty from digging. The park did not have lights, so towards the end after sunset so we would have eaten dinner in total darkness had it not been for someone with one of those compact crank-powered lights. We just ate in near-darkness.

2007-07-27 19:05. Done eating dinner.

2007-07-27 19:22. In the parking lot, members of bus B present a gift they made to their bus driver. This was the last day that we would see our bus drivers, who have been with us these past 3 weeks.

2007-07-27 19:37. BL

Bus B's gift to their bus driver 2007-07-27 19:22

Kaohsiung Sugar Industry Cultural Park Area
高雄糖業文化園區

had:
Scrap metal art sculptures, an ice treats shop, former trains

橋頭糖廠
Ciaotou Sugar Refinery (historic)

[高雄] 橋頭糖廠博物館
A sugar industry museum

五分車
The small 50 percent width train.

Ciaotou Township, Kaohsiung County

Anaerobic dirt-mound "BBQ" dinner.

Tip 1: With the buried cooking method, dig as an archaeologist would, gently brushing dirt aside, preferably before hunger creeps in and causes fast but careless digging.

Tip 2: Get a compact crank-powered light.

Other: Found a helpful map major Taiwan attractions http://map.travelog.com.tw/googlemap/