Photo by
Stephen A. Nelson - Writer, Traveller: Jasper News, Taiwan & World Views
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Aurora Borealis: Trip The Northern Lights Fantastic with the Heavenly Dancers
There's more to Churchill, Manitoba
than polar bears and beluga whales
By Stephen A. Nelson
For the Brandon Sun
Friday, March 15, 2013
Northern Nights: Igloo Under Aurora Borealis
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| Photo By Stephen A. Nelson |
Stories I'm Working On:
Have you ever seen those Northern Nights?
Churchill, Manitoba is one of the best places in the world to observe the Aurora Borealis. Scientists and photographers come from all over the world to see the Heavenly Dancers.
If you're a traveller looking for an authentic arctic adventure, there's more to this than checking off a "must do" on your bucket list.
You can learn how to build an igloo and pull back the celestial curtain to see what makes the midnight magic happen.
Part of a learning vacation at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
From "City of Sadness" to Tourist Madness
Photo by Kevin Willett
A film about Taiwan's Dark Days shone spotlight on Jiufen
Right after the 921 Earthquake that rocked Taiwan in 1999, I spent my first Moon Festival with my gf in Jiufen (Jiuofen, Chuifen), on the north-east coast of Taiwan. Far from the madding crowds in Taipei, it felt for a while like going to heaven. A little like Banff. A taste of Japan.
As you can see, this city in the clouds is a picturesque mountainside town. But during the height of the Japanese colonial era, it was a booming gold-mining town. "Little Shanghai." It went into decline when the events of World War II forced the mine to close. In other words, the Japanese lost the war and therefore had no POWs to work the mines. Then they were kicked out of Taiwan.
But the collection of historical buildings made Jiufen the ideal location for the filming of City of Sadness - the first Chinese-language film to win the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1989.
City of Sadness was the first film to deal openly with the KMT's dictatorial reign of terror after Taiwan was "handed-over" from Japan to Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist China.
The film was also the first to depict the infamous 228 Incident of 1947, in which thousands of people were massacred by Nationalist (KMT) troops that Chiang sent from China to put down Taiwan's version of "the Arab Spring." Tens of thousands of Taiwanese and Chinese were rounded up, shot, sent to prison or "disappeared."
As one war veteran told me, "Chiang's troops landed at [the nearby port of Keelung] and started firing at anything that moved."
Despite the dark and depressing story, the success of the movie had the odd effect of turning the almost forgotten town of Jiufen into a popular attraction full of tea houses, coffee shops, and artisans. Legions of tourists. Myriads of visitors.
So - on a good day - Jiufen is about one hour from Taipei by train or by car. On a bad day - such as the last day of a Chinese holiday or a long weekend - it can take more than three hours of hellish driving. Trust me, I've done it.
Photo by Kevin Willett
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei
Photo Copyright: by Kevin Willet
Last Emperor of China and the Mandate of Heaven
Every media visit, every guided tour of Taiwan stars with a visit to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. As a temple dedicated to the Last god-emperor of China, it's deliberately modelled on the Temple of Heaven in Beijing's Forbidden City. It's the centrepiece of Chiang Kai-Shek Square, modelled on Tiananmen Square. It's meant to perpetuate the idea that Taiwan is the one true China and that Chiang Kai-shek and his KMT successors have the Mandate of Heaven.The Democratic Progressive Party - during its eight-year interregnum (2000-2008) - re-branded Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall as "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" and renamed Chiang Kai-Shek Square "Liberty Square." It was meant put the country's dictatorial past behind and highlight the way to a democratic future.
But the KMT Old Guard were up in arms (literally) and the best the DPP could do was paper over the past... literally.
When the KMT got back in office (they were never out of power) the first thing they did was reinstate CKS and his family (wife Soong Mei-ling and son Chiang Ching-kou) and as the unholy trinity.
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall now has a souvenir shop where you can buy the idols for your home shrine: Chiang Kai-Shek, Chiang Ching-kou, and Sun Yat-sen. Even Mao Tse-tung. Don't be surprised - the KMT has been in bed with the Chinese Communist Party since the KMT lost the presidential election in 2000.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
My God, It's Full Of Stars
Jasper's becoming a stargazer's haven
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| Moonstruck: Peter Macmahon leads a daytime astronomy session as a young girl has her eye on the Man in the Moon. McMahon is one of Canada's best-known astronomers, and certainly the most media savvy. He's travelled around the world to follow his dream of travelling among the stars. Photo By Stephen A. Nelson |
Peter McMahon has stars in his eyes. His head is in the clouds. You might even say he's moonstruck, and he'd probably agree with you. But one thing is certain -- this is one space cadet whose feet are firmly on the ground.
McMahon is one of Canada's best-known astronomers, and certainly the most media savvy. He's travelled around the world to follow his dream of travelling among the stars.
So when he says that "Jasper National Park is becoming the Disney World of dark sky preserves," he means it in a good way.
McMahon was in Jasper for its first-ever Dark Sky Festival -- a weekend of events in October celebrating Jasper National Park's designation at the world's largest -- and darkest -- dark sky preserve. Jasper turns out to be one of the best places in the world to get lost in space.
So it seems strange that his guided tour of the heavens is taking place on a bright sunny morning. The media types in the tour are wondering just what kind of tour you can possibly do with Sol high in the southern sky. But McMahon is sparkling with enthusiasm and aims his telescope at the faint daytime moon hanging over a mountain known as The Whistlers.
Skeptical about our prospects, we peer through the looking glass to discover that when it comes to gazing at the moon, everything is much clearer in the light of day.
Star Gazer
But McMahon is not the only spaceman.
One star gazer has set up his specially equipped telescope and set the controls for the heart of the sun. It's one of those rare opportunities to ignore your parents' warnings and do what you've always been told not to do: look right at the sun.
"What are those things that look like clouds moving across the face of the sun?" a reporter asks.
"Those are clouds," says the astronomer, who said clouds have an earthly -- not solar -- origin.
Star Trek
When evening falls, our group makes the trek to the mobile Telus Planetarium -- a sort of inflatable igloo that magically transforms the inside of a school gym into a high-tech dome for taking a star trek.
We feel like we're new members of a tribe who have gathered in the meeting igloo to hear fireside tales from the storyteller -- Tyson Wagner from the Telus World of Science in Edmonton.
As fate would have it, our storyteller is one of those cool Big Bang Theory-type of nerds: Someone who seems to have got his start in astronomy from watching Clash of The Titans. He swears he was into astronomy "long before that movie came out."
Using the dome of the inflatable igloo as his drawing board, Wagner shows us Cassiopeia -- the Greek queen whose vanity and beauty invokes the jealousy of the gods. To the north is her husband, King Cepheus. And to the south, their daughter Andromeda whom they sacrifice to the Kraken -- the sea monster with a taste for beautiful young women -- in order to appease the jealous gods. To the southeast is Perseus, the helmeted hero who first beheads the monstrous Medusa before flying on the wings of Pegasus to defeat the Kraken and rescue Andromeda.
There are stars in the southern sky
When darkness has covered the land, we head to Pyramid Lake, about 10 minutes away from the town of Jasper and a galaxy far, far away from the city lights.
But the night skies are cloudy and gloomy and not at all hopeful.
There are stars in the southern sky but we can't see them. Easily recognizable favourites such as Orion the Hunter and Venus the Evening Star are obscured from our view.
But a West Wind blows and pulls back the curtain of clouds. The heavens are spread out before us.
Brian Catto, Parks Canada's resident skywalker, pulls out his laser pointer and draws us a picture in the sky -- just as Wagner had done on the inflatable dome of the planetarium.
And there they are, larger than life: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Medusa, and Pegasus. For good measure, we also see Hercules. And finally, the crowning glory: Jupiter, king of the gods, is rising over the crest of the Colin range.
The Lord of the Starfields, it seems, has smiled on us.
Jasper in January promises fun, indoors and out
Those who love it, love it a lot.
And for those who love winter in the great outdoors -- there's a lot to love at Jasper in January, Alberta's answer to Quebec's Winter Carnival and Winnipeg's Festival du Voyageur.
"What's exciting about the Jasper in January festival is that it offers visitors a diverse array of events and activities that both couples and families can take part in and enjoy," says Anastasia Martin-Stilwell at Tourism Jasper. "It's really the perfect way to kick off the new year and head to Jasper for a little authentic Rocky Mountain fun."
The festival is a two-week showcase for everything that's great about the Rockies in winter.
This is where outdoor adventure meets indoor arts and culture. It's a party in the park that's become Western Canada's premiere winter festival.
It began more humbly, 24 years ago, on the silver anniversary of Marmot Basin -- the ski resort that for many defines the Jasper experience.
The ski hill decided to celebrate its marquee anniversary with a party that everyone could enjoy.
It was one heck of a party and a great success -- so they decided to make Jasper in January an annual celebration.
These days, Marmot Basin -- along with hotels, restaurants and retailers -- still offers attractive discounts to those who want to join the fun. And the whole community gets involved to roll out the red carpet for visitors.
"Whether you're interested in untamed outdoor adventure -- like skiing, snowshoeing, polar dipping, moonlight skates and the sights and sounds of a bustling family street party -- or you're looking more for eclectic indoor pursuits ... Jasper in January really provides one of Western Canada's premiere winter-festival experiences that everyone is sure to enjoy."
The original story in The Edmonton Journal
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
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