What are these people lining up for?
This picture was taken in my hometown Jhuolan (卓蘭) on Feb 7, 2008, the Chinese New Year Day. They were waiting to buy Taiwan’s Power Ball lottery tickets. This is no big deal for big cities, where the lines can easily get much longer. But for a small town with a population of less than 30 thousand, this is phenomenal because the scene continued for the whole day. Actually I believe many people in the line are not local residents but people from out of town.
Why the long line on New Year Day? A few days ago, news media reported that a temple in central Taiwan predicted that the first winning ticket of Taiwan Power Ball would be sold from Jhuolan during the Chinese New Year. So people started to form a line outside a lottery station in the morning. But this lottery station is not an ordinary one: It sold the winning ticket for the NT$453 million jackpot last October. Let’s hope either my wife or sister, who are currently waiting in the line, will be the first winner of Taiwan Power Ball!
This has been the second time that this small town got its one minute of fame recently. Last November, TV news reported that a magnificent gorge was discovered in Da An River, which runs along the border of Jhuolan and Dongshih Township. In a few days, people began to flock to Jhuolan because the gorge is more easily accessed from this side. First came people drivinng 4WD vehicles; then came people in tourist buses.
My parents have been to the gorge twice. But unfortunately I was not in town when they went. So for those who have not been there, here are some photos taken by my parents (click on the images to enlarge). If you are planning to come, drop me a line. But remember to watch your step: It’s quite dangerous out there!
