Hey Folks,
This new entry is long overdue and seeing as I don't have class today I figure it's about time I wrote it. Last time I told you about typhoon Sinlaku and the craziness that came out of its visit toTaiwan. Well, typhoon Jingmi is outside my window right now, hanging around like an unwelcome guest. Yesterday the wind was gusting anywhere from 70-100mph+ depending on where you were. I personally witnessed this as me and a couple other guys sat at the "typhoon checkpoint"; a picnic table outside the OK mart down on the street. Crashes and bangs in the distance were frequent, tree branches flew by us a few times, and a scooter tipped over. The sign for the Ji- pai dude (deep fried chicken breast) was shaking and shucking and jiving in the ridiculous wind the whole afternoon to the point where we moved the table in case it fell over.
Which it did about two hours later.
I spent a good hour standing in my bedroom with my camera ready, staring out my windows for anything wild. I got a few photos worth mentioning, like the dude up the street who was arc welding steel framework behind a billboard to keep the rest of it upright (some was already lying on the sidewalk). I guess he got paid enough money to stand on a second story roof in the middle of the worst typhoon of the year in the howling wind and driving rain. Kudos to him.
Aside from that I just saw a lot of debris floating around/kicking around the streets. A few nut bags were out on their scooters, having to slow down and stop every fifty feet so the wind didn't level them like a linebacker on a busted screen pass. There were a couple times something went zipping by and crashed into a roof or a building nearby and all I had time to say was : " What the heck was that?" Things that aren't bolted to the ground tend to move rather quickly in a typhoon.
Anyhow, no classes today! Which is nice in the respect that I get to be lazy and lounge around and not really worry about work...but then again that money I don't make and a Chinese class I miss. Oh well.
Two posts ago I promised some new stuff and I have yet to deliver, so here it is! A few weeks ago I was scootering home from work when I got to a police roadblock. These are not uncommon, especially on weekends as they aim to nab drunk drivers and other scum that inhabit the city, if they can. This roadblock was like any other, except for the fact that one of the three cops standing in the middle of rush hour traffic was casually cradling an M16 assault rifle in his arms. For those of you not in the know, click the following link:
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/247464/2/istockphoto_247464_m16_assault_rifle.jpg
Yea. Big gun. Ah, the little differences from back home.
Now, the market. It was a weekend afternoon and Jon and I had just had lunch at Fingas, a western style restaurant that allows us to keep our sanity by offering delicious cheeseburgers and the like. Jon wanted to make guacomole and I assented that was a good idea. I followed him down a few side streets and across a canal or two and we were there. Now, I remember seeing farmer's markets back home, usually in the fall to sell apples and corn and butter. But this...this was a completely different animal. Besides the loads of fresh veggies (which make AMAZING guac) there was a whole host of other crazy stuff. Big plastic bins with bubbling water in them housed hundreds of live prawns, which people were purchasing by the bag full. Want some chicken? Sure thing, just choose which one you want from the cage and they'll behead and de-feather it for you right on the spot. Squid? No problem, choose the one you want and the hulking Chinese guy weilding the meat cleaver with eerie precision with dice and bag it up for you. There was any kind of fish you could want, thousands of live clams, tofu, freshly made dumplings, and then the jello weirdness. I'm still a little out of the loop as to what its made out of, but it looks like regular home made Hi-I'm-Bill-Cosby-Let's-Make-Dessert kind of stuff. Except the really dark red kind is made out of blood.
I don't think you can get that one at Hannaford.
Very cool place. Makes me wish I had a kitchen so I could cook.
Ah, yes. Late night Taiwanese TV. Now, I know most if not all of you have witnessed what comes on a lot of channels late at night back in the U.S. and A; even if you won't admit it. Ads for girls, those cheesy sex-talk hotlines, male enhancement pills etc etc. Here, it's not too different...at least in some respects.
Now, bear in mind I don't watch this stuff, really, but its always good for a laugh.
Here, late night TV consists of really graphic male enhancement pill commercials. I mean explicit stuff. As in, the dude is sitting on his bed looking mopey and his wife/girlfriend (always way younger than him) is also looking morose. But, fear not! Pop this magic pill and all will be well. These commericals are as close to softcore pornography as you can get. Not much nudity, really, but lots of under-the-covers humping and focused in camera shots on the girl's face. Really weird. Not quite as odd as the adds for girls, though. These are similar to stuff I've seen back home, except on a much lower budget. They usually consist of an emaciated asian girl who is either scantily clad and walking along a lake front or something, or dancing really, really awkwardly in what looks like someone's basement with a strobe light and some sheets hung up. Weird. And funny because they always look so damn serious about trying to be sexy, and they aren't. One of these days I'll have to get Jon loaded enough to call one of the numbers. Now that would make for a good blog entry.
In general, things are going pretty well. I'm usually the first to get to work and the last to leave, and I don't think that has gone unnoticed. I'm becoming steadily more comfortable with the curriculum material, which is awesome because now I can focus more on classroom management. It's an interesting feeling when I see a student spacing out and all I have to do with stand next to their desk, and instantly, *pow!*, they are so engrossed in their books you'd think their life depended on reading it. I also just recently discovered that I can have them redo parts of their homework if they really botch it, instead of just penalizing them points. Nice.
I'm going to update my Flickr stuff today too so check that out.
Next time: Why Australian football is kickass even if you don't fully understand the game. The bakery near my work and the craziness/deliciousness within. The car accident I witnessed, and anything else of note that happens until next time.
As always, you take it easy campers. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-McDonalds delivers.
-Almost no one here eats cheese.
-I've lost 20 pounds since I got here.
-Spiderman 3 is one of the biggest, multi-million dollar piles of rubbish I've ever seen.
-I can count to 20 in Chinese.
-Betel nut trees are really horrible for the environment as they have extremely shallow roots which in turn cause erosion and mud slides.
-Taiwan's national sport is Baseball.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Into the Maelstrom
Hey Folks,
Things have gotten a little crazy around here on account of Typhoon Sinlaku making landfall over the weekend. Friday was a more or less normal day of class, a bit windy and just a smattering of rain after the sun went down. Well, maybe more than a bit windy. I stood next to an open window in my apartment with a sock in my hand to test the breeze that was coming in (har har get it? wind sock) and it was horizontal and flying around like an epileptic in a disco.
Friday night I went out with a bunch of other Hess teachers to Jogoya, a restaurant on the 11th floor of Taichung Central, a mall type place. I parked my scooter in the basement, expecting I could get it the next morning/afternoon. Dinner was a bit pricey, 636 NT per person ($1US = 30NT) but holy cow was it worth it.
All you can eat, all you can drink. Score.
My boss Shaun and I were the first to arrive and after we got our table he showed me around. There was a massive sushi bar, complete with green noodles, tuna, sailfish, tilapia, oilfish, prawns, snails, and a ton of other stuff I couldn't identify. I re-discovered how much wasabi reminds me of napalm as I mowed these delightful treats of raw fish (the oilfish was far and away the most amazing sushi I've ever eaten), and then we moved on to the fried food. Fried cuttlefish, pumpkin, taro, chicken, and crabs. Yea, crabs. Picture all those little guys you find when you go tide-pooling on the coast that got their claws ripped off and then deep fried. It reminded me of eating crunchy paper, so not that great.
Several more plates of food, including raw oysters, and many, many pitchers of beer later we were asked to leave because they were essentially closed. A short cab ride later and I was at Jon's place with a six pack of Taiwan beer and the rest of the night ahead of me.
I woke up around seven or eight the next morning because the windows were shaking and there was this weird whining howling noise. After going to the window I realized the crazy noises were the wind and rain screaming around the concrete frame of the apartment building at 40 or 50km/hr. Trees danced like lunatics at a rave and rain flew horizontally as if fired from a gun. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, back home I'd seen my fair share of heavy thunderstorms, but this was a completely different animal. No lightning or thunder but my god these clouds were pissed at something.
After lunch I was standing in front of a small doctor's office, after I watched Jon get acupuncture needles inserted into his flesh, enjoying the gusting wind and not really minding the light spray that was coming around the corner. That's when the woman in her yellow poncho appeared, lightly stepping over a deep puddle onto the slick sidewalk tiles. As soon as she did so the wind magnified ten-fold and with mounting horror I watched her slip and slide and skate her away across the ground, trying with all her might to get purchase with her soggy sandals. She was almost at a running speed when she ate shit. She didn't hit the concrete pillar like I thought she was going to, but it was a near thing. Both feet kicked out in front of her and she went down like a sack of potaters. And all I could say was:
"Holy shit!"
She got up and walked away but man, it was brutal looking. Anyway, we spent the afternoon watching British CNN and napping before dinner. A few more hours of drinking followed in celebration of our Typhoon weekend. It was about 3am when most of the beer and all of the whiskey was gone that Jon proposed we go outside. Sure, wind and rain would be fun. But, Dave took it a bit further:
Why not go for a swim?
...
Sure.
I borrowed a pair of shorts from Dave and everyone else changed their clothes and then we headed outside, into the maelstrom. We hopped the gate, out of sight of the security camera, and stripped down to our swimming clothes while trying in some fashion or other to keep at least one article of clothing somewhat dry in the driving rain. The water was fantastic, not nearly as cold as we anticipated; I thought it was warm, but I'm also used to swimming in the Atlantic ocean.
This was one of those moments that I still get from time to time, where I look around and say "Wow, I'm really here." Rain drilled down on top of the pool, whipped to and fro by the angry, howling wind. Hanging lights in the garden around the pool swung back and forth and gave only the faintest illumination on the water. There is nothing quite like drunkenly swimming in an outdoor pool at 3am in the middle of a typhoon with several of your friends.
Oh, stop worring, the water was only chest deep.
Another night on Jon's couch and then breakfast at Early Bird, a really bitchin western-style restaurant. It had been almost two months since I had eggs and toast with a good smattering of tobasco and ketchup...I might have heard angels singing.
Then, I had to get my scooter, which was still parked in the basement of Taichung Central. Supposedly the typhoon is on its way out of town, but it's beating us up before it leaves. The rain was coming down in big sheets of cold drops, once in a while driven by gusts of an angry, howling wind. Every street had standing water on it, there were puddles the size of station wagons everywhere, and in the middle of it all was me. And my scooter.
Rain gear only does so much when its already pouring and you're driving 40km/hr into an equally strong headwind, splashing through puddles and trying to navigate through an army of taxi-cabs. In other words, by the time I got home I was soaked. Well, not entirely; a had a big dry patch on my shirt, but my left pant leg looked like I had an "accident." If I inherited free rain gear with my scooter, am I allowed to complain about the holes in it?
On account of my last entry being an enormous caffiene induced rant, I'll keep this one a bit shorter. Next week I'll touch on the stuff I promised, I just thought some Typhoon Sinlaku news from me would be more interesting than the lunatic kid named Alex with the coke-bottle glasses and a piss poor disposition. I'll get to him later, along with the other stuff.
So for now, stay safe kids, and dry. I need to go see if the chicken guy is open downstairs so I don't have to eat cold noodles from OK mart for dinner. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-Raw oysters are weird.
-Stewed snails are awesome.
-Typhoon Sinlaku actually had two "eyes" at one point.
-American movies that are shown on TV here frequently have violence cut out, but not profanity.
-When eating it is considered acceptable to raise your plate/bowl to your mouth and shovel food in.
Things have gotten a little crazy around here on account of Typhoon Sinlaku making landfall over the weekend. Friday was a more or less normal day of class, a bit windy and just a smattering of rain after the sun went down. Well, maybe more than a bit windy. I stood next to an open window in my apartment with a sock in my hand to test the breeze that was coming in (har har get it? wind sock) and it was horizontal and flying around like an epileptic in a disco.
Friday night I went out with a bunch of other Hess teachers to Jogoya, a restaurant on the 11th floor of Taichung Central, a mall type place. I parked my scooter in the basement, expecting I could get it the next morning/afternoon. Dinner was a bit pricey, 636 NT per person ($1US = 30NT) but holy cow was it worth it.
All you can eat, all you can drink. Score.
My boss Shaun and I were the first to arrive and after we got our table he showed me around. There was a massive sushi bar, complete with green noodles, tuna, sailfish, tilapia, oilfish, prawns, snails, and a ton of other stuff I couldn't identify. I re-discovered how much wasabi reminds me of napalm as I mowed these delightful treats of raw fish (the oilfish was far and away the most amazing sushi I've ever eaten), and then we moved on to the fried food. Fried cuttlefish, pumpkin, taro, chicken, and crabs. Yea, crabs. Picture all those little guys you find when you go tide-pooling on the coast that got their claws ripped off and then deep fried. It reminded me of eating crunchy paper, so not that great.
Several more plates of food, including raw oysters, and many, many pitchers of beer later we were asked to leave because they were essentially closed. A short cab ride later and I was at Jon's place with a six pack of Taiwan beer and the rest of the night ahead of me.
I woke up around seven or eight the next morning because the windows were shaking and there was this weird whining howling noise. After going to the window I realized the crazy noises were the wind and rain screaming around the concrete frame of the apartment building at 40 or 50km/hr. Trees danced like lunatics at a rave and rain flew horizontally as if fired from a gun. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, back home I'd seen my fair share of heavy thunderstorms, but this was a completely different animal. No lightning or thunder but my god these clouds were pissed at something.
After lunch I was standing in front of a small doctor's office, after I watched Jon get acupuncture needles inserted into his flesh, enjoying the gusting wind and not really minding the light spray that was coming around the corner. That's when the woman in her yellow poncho appeared, lightly stepping over a deep puddle onto the slick sidewalk tiles. As soon as she did so the wind magnified ten-fold and with mounting horror I watched her slip and slide and skate her away across the ground, trying with all her might to get purchase with her soggy sandals. She was almost at a running speed when she ate shit. She didn't hit the concrete pillar like I thought she was going to, but it was a near thing. Both feet kicked out in front of her and she went down like a sack of potaters. And all I could say was:
"Holy shit!"
She got up and walked away but man, it was brutal looking. Anyway, we spent the afternoon watching British CNN and napping before dinner. A few more hours of drinking followed in celebration of our Typhoon weekend. It was about 3am when most of the beer and all of the whiskey was gone that Jon proposed we go outside. Sure, wind and rain would be fun. But, Dave took it a bit further:
Why not go for a swim?
...
Sure.
I borrowed a pair of shorts from Dave and everyone else changed their clothes and then we headed outside, into the maelstrom. We hopped the gate, out of sight of the security camera, and stripped down to our swimming clothes while trying in some fashion or other to keep at least one article of clothing somewhat dry in the driving rain. The water was fantastic, not nearly as cold as we anticipated; I thought it was warm, but I'm also used to swimming in the Atlantic ocean.
This was one of those moments that I still get from time to time, where I look around and say "Wow, I'm really here." Rain drilled down on top of the pool, whipped to and fro by the angry, howling wind. Hanging lights in the garden around the pool swung back and forth and gave only the faintest illumination on the water. There is nothing quite like drunkenly swimming in an outdoor pool at 3am in the middle of a typhoon with several of your friends.
Oh, stop worring, the water was only chest deep.
Another night on Jon's couch and then breakfast at Early Bird, a really bitchin western-style restaurant. It had been almost two months since I had eggs and toast with a good smattering of tobasco and ketchup...I might have heard angels singing.
Then, I had to get my scooter, which was still parked in the basement of Taichung Central. Supposedly the typhoon is on its way out of town, but it's beating us up before it leaves. The rain was coming down in big sheets of cold drops, once in a while driven by gusts of an angry, howling wind. Every street had standing water on it, there were puddles the size of station wagons everywhere, and in the middle of it all was me. And my scooter.
Rain gear only does so much when its already pouring and you're driving 40km/hr into an equally strong headwind, splashing through puddles and trying to navigate through an army of taxi-cabs. In other words, by the time I got home I was soaked. Well, not entirely; a had a big dry patch on my shirt, but my left pant leg looked like I had an "accident." If I inherited free rain gear with my scooter, am I allowed to complain about the holes in it?
On account of my last entry being an enormous caffiene induced rant, I'll keep this one a bit shorter. Next week I'll touch on the stuff I promised, I just thought some Typhoon Sinlaku news from me would be more interesting than the lunatic kid named Alex with the coke-bottle glasses and a piss poor disposition. I'll get to him later, along with the other stuff.
So for now, stay safe kids, and dry. I need to go see if the chicken guy is open downstairs so I don't have to eat cold noodles from OK mart for dinner. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-Raw oysters are weird.
-Stewed snails are awesome.
-Typhoon Sinlaku actually had two "eyes" at one point.
-American movies that are shown on TV here frequently have violence cut out, but not profanity.
-When eating it is considered acceptable to raise your plate/bowl to your mouth and shovel food in.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Ni Hao,
First and foremost, my flickr photos are up and the URL follows for those of you that haven't seen it: http://www.flickr.com/weissinternational.com, or just click the purdy flowers over yonder. ---------->
Check it.
Compared to my first two weeks in Taichung, the last has been rather mellow, which is a nice change. Nearly a month of teaching done and I'm feel fine. Today was payday; a very fine day as my funds have started to run a bit low. A small paycheck (only two weeks or so) is still better than no paycheck at all.
New news.
I finally took a trip outside the city and into the country that surrounds Taichung. Yikes. I thought the city roads were pretty crazy because of the endless amounts of scooters and cars filled with people that can't drive; not to mention buses and maniacal taxi drivers. But let me tell you, if driving in the city is stressful, driving on a mountain road in Taiwan could make your hair fall out. There were six of us between three scooters and a motorcycle that morning, slightly hungover and hungry for adventure. The trip out of the city was fun, a few nutty turns and such through traffic that made staying in a group rather difficult. But once we got out of the city proper, traffic lightened and I thought "Nice, easy street here I come. Bushes and flowers to see and some winding roads."
Hah. That is when the fun began.
The roads were narrower than Hank Hill's urethra and totally without a scooter lane, or anything resembling one. I was driving close enough to cars that I could have grabbed a wing mirror without extending my arm more than a few inches away from my handle bars. A few inches of cracked pavement separated me from the dense green depths of the Taiwanese jungle that was whizzing by at 60km/hr.
And that was right outside the city.
After 10 minutes or so we took a few turns and motored up what I thought were some steep hills, and then coasted down the other side. That is when the road mirrors began to appear. Some corners were so sharp, traffic driving in the opposite direction had one of those big round mirrors to look into as they came up to the corner, like the ones you see in drug stores that usually have a camera behind them. I liked to think that the other drivers actually used them, instead of whipping around an almost 45 degree corner at speed with me on a 125cc scooter buzzing my way around from the other direction. After that, was the switchback. Going down the other side of the mountain we first ascended from the city side was a switchback road. It wound it's way down the hill side at probably 55 degree downslope (I'm estimating), that usually ran for about 50 feet before turning into a 180 degree turn to go back the other way. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Those fun bubble mirrors are on every corner providing at least an illusion of some kind of safety. Oh, by the way, minimal guardrails and people were passing each other as they went down, myself included.
After that it was no problem, just a few jungle roads that had been half-washed away, literally, by the last typhoon and some jockeying with nutty car drivers for position to hit some patches of pavement that looked more like moguls from Sunday River than an actual road. Scooters do not have very much in the way of shocks. My innards were thoroughly jiggled, shucked, and jived.
At long last we arrived at our destination, Lavender Cottage Farm. Brandon, our point man on the motorcycle and a nice fellow from Texas, told me that LCF used to be just a farm for the pungent herb, lavender. But then, a few of the more savvy employees built a gift shop and cut a few paths around the lavender bushes. Add in a coffee shop on top of the hill and a pretty good restaurant with nice outdoor seating and you've got yourself a picture perfect Taiwanese tourist trap. Aside from that cynical view of financial gain and prudent business practice, it was a very, very lovely place. The most vibrant shades of purple, ahem lavender, that I had ever seen were absolutely everywhere. We had lunch, delightful, and then toured around. The farming part of the place was a hill that had lavender bushes planted all around it like delicate purple stripes. Stone walkways (see photos on Flickr) threaded their way around and up and down the hill to allow tourists, foreign and domestic alike, to stroll their merry way all over the hill. At the top was the wishing tree. A normal enough looking tree, but with all the small pieces of parchment covered with Chinese wishes on them pinned to it and an ancient looking bell, likewise surrounded by wishes, it very special feel to it. Palm and betel nut trees were planted all over the surrounding hills apart from the chaos that is the real jungle.
Cool place. You could make your own lavender soap jar thingys and buy all kinds of knick knacks and keepsakes and what-have-yous. I lasted about two minutes in the gift shop; it was like being rolled into a lavender candle, too much for this cat to handle.
Oh, funny story. There was a misting device that sprayed misted water and I told Jon to use it to cool off. Little did we know it was lavender scented, and bees love that smell, and Jon hates bees. Nothing like watching an adult shriek like a girl and and walk farther and farther away from everyone else as I said "Still on your head man, still there, still there, still there..."
I killed a couple to make him feel better, mostly because I got to clout him one on the knoggin when I did it.
:D
Anyhoo. Awesome trip overall. Some really great mountain side views of the country even though it was a smoggy/hazy day.
Sushi express. SE is a food chain out here that is unlike anything I have witness in the States. You sit on basically a bar stool with a counter in front of you with water dispensers and a cup and some chopsticks. By the way, the Taiwanese always server warm or room temperature water as it does not inhibit your Chi, as cold water does. Not quite as refreshing.
Above your little counterspace is a conveyer belt that winds it serpentine length in a big funny shaped loop, with the sushi chef in the middle. On the belt are all sorts of different kinds of sushi, fish and rice, something brown and weird looking with something green and funny smelling, potatoe salad (CRAZY sweet tasting), prawns, soups, and jello of the likes you've never seen. All slowly marching past you, just waiting to be plucked and devoured. Granted, the portions are small, its sushi, but really good. Payment is done by the plate, which isn't nearly as expensive as it sounds. Each plate costs just over $1 US. I remember paying anywhere from $15-$20 for sushi at Sake in Portsmouth back home...you'd have to be SUPER hungry to put down that many plates at SE. Unless you're paying for someone else buy then, hey, that's your problem.
And now, the convenience of convenience stores. In Taichung, and Taiwan at large, there are three major convenience stores: Ok mart, Family Mart, and 7/11. All have pretty much the same stuff as the others, though I've found 7/11 has actually sanwiches, albeit bad ones (or just plain weird). You can purchase beer, spirits, or wine at any time day or night. A lot of clerks offer to open your bottle of beer for you before you leave the store. Here, you can also pay your utility bills, mail things through UPS, get phone card minutes, and a bunch of other crazy shit that I'm forgetting right now (its almost 3am give me a break :D). You can pay parking tickets too, I think.
Oh yea, every reciept is a lottery ticket and every two months they release new numbers. You can win anywhere from $200 NT to a few thousand (six bucks US to like 50ish). In essence, everyone becomes a gambler. I myself have a drawer in my desk, right beneath my typing hands, that is filled with crumpled reciepts from all over the city. $200 NT is enough for a six pack of Taiwan Beer; who doesn't like free(ish) booze money?
You would be hard pressed to drive more than a few blocks, in any direction, on any street, and not hit a convenience store of some variety. From any point in the city mind you. When I was in Taipei for training if I were to stand in the intersection in front of my hotel I would have been able to point out no less than 5, and that's just within and easy sight range.
Now that is convenient.
As you know, I own and drive a scooter; here and there, everywhere, to and from my work. The weather since I've been in country as been marvelous: hot, humid, and sunny; summer weather. Since I only got three months maybe of that back home, its been rather nice; even if I sweat through my clothes on occasion. I have an air conditioner but I refuse to use it; AC I can get back home. Anyway, I guess I had been rather lucky with the weather the last few weeks I've been scootering the 20-30 minutes to work. It had either rained in the morning or the late afternoon after I was already in the classroom. But last week...
Heh. Not so lucky.
It had rained on and off all morning but had quit for quite some time. I took the opportunity to try and catch the window and make it to work. At first it was just a light rain, a sprinkle. No problem, I thought, barely anything, I won't get that wet. Two blocks later I hurriedly pulled over and donned my rain jacket, a festive purplish bluish thing with a floppy hood and some weird Chinese company logo on the breast. The previous scooter owner had left them for me, thank goodness. Ok then, coat on, protected. HA! Two more blocks once my pants were soaked I pulled over under and over-hand to put on the rain pants of the same color. By now its pouring, and I'm still 10 minutes from work in optimal conditions. Lovely. I hit every red light from there to my branch and I had to drive much, much slower than usual. Road paint is extremely slippery when wet. Nothing like feeling rain water pooling under your heels as you watch people in their nice, dry cars sit next to you at a stoplight, completely at ease. Oh yea, my rain pants have holes in them around around mid thigh, right where everything higher than my legs drips down. Sweet.
I arrived at work, soaked. I had to park in a puddle that was a few inches deep right near my branch but it didn't matter, my feet were soggier than day old cereal anyway. Of course after all that the rain worsened. In the gutters the water had to be at least six inches deep. Foot traffic stalled for a good hour or so as no one wanted wet feet and there were deep puddles at every alleyway between buildings. There was simply no place for that much water to go that quickly; seeing real typhoon rain in a month or two is really going to be something, especially if I'm driving through the middle of it.
Thankfully, that day at work my boss Shaun, a nice British chap, gave me a pair of dry socks and let me wear his shoes. What a guy. (He offered his crocs but I said I'd rather teach in wet feet than put a pair of those ghastly things on.)
Next time: My new class of kids that are wicked smaht and that one wild kid that keeps it from a perfect class. The roadblock police presence and the guy with the M16. A market near Chongde road, and the insanity within. And, late night Taiwanese TV, and how hilarious it really doesn't mean to be.
Right, well I'm off for now. I think that's enough to keep you kid's busy for a little while. Im f'ing blitzed on passion-fruit black tea and I think I'll be watching the sunrise as its 3.30 and I'm goin strong. Yikes.
So, farewell for now my little pigeons. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-Caffiene gets me WIRED.
-In Taiwanese public schools it is still acceptable to discipline kids with physical force (NOT at Hess, where I work).
-Hess students are given English names, but they are frequently repeated and some classes can have up to three Andy's or Judy's or Peggy's.
-Taiwanese mattresses, like the one next to me, feel like slabs of stone. But are better than the floor. But no by much.
-Pale skin is considered beautiful in Taiwan. When most women are outside, especially on scooters, all skin is covered by clothes, detachable sleeves, and a face-mask (cloth ones like you'd wear to do carpentry or something).
-A cockroach half the size of a penny just crawled down the mirror behind my computer screen and when I tried to smush him he teleported to the floor. Those fuckers are fast. (He has since been smushed).
First and foremost, my flickr photos are up and the URL follows for those of you that haven't seen it: http://www.flickr.com/weissinternational.com, or just click the purdy flowers over yonder. ---------->
Check it.
Compared to my first two weeks in Taichung, the last has been rather mellow, which is a nice change. Nearly a month of teaching done and I'm feel fine. Today was payday; a very fine day as my funds have started to run a bit low. A small paycheck (only two weeks or so) is still better than no paycheck at all.
New news.
I finally took a trip outside the city and into the country that surrounds Taichung. Yikes. I thought the city roads were pretty crazy because of the endless amounts of scooters and cars filled with people that can't drive; not to mention buses and maniacal taxi drivers. But let me tell you, if driving in the city is stressful, driving on a mountain road in Taiwan could make your hair fall out. There were six of us between three scooters and a motorcycle that morning, slightly hungover and hungry for adventure. The trip out of the city was fun, a few nutty turns and such through traffic that made staying in a group rather difficult. But once we got out of the city proper, traffic lightened and I thought "Nice, easy street here I come. Bushes and flowers to see and some winding roads."
Hah. That is when the fun began.
The roads were narrower than Hank Hill's urethra and totally without a scooter lane, or anything resembling one. I was driving close enough to cars that I could have grabbed a wing mirror without extending my arm more than a few inches away from my handle bars. A few inches of cracked pavement separated me from the dense green depths of the Taiwanese jungle that was whizzing by at 60km/hr.
And that was right outside the city.
After 10 minutes or so we took a few turns and motored up what I thought were some steep hills, and then coasted down the other side. That is when the road mirrors began to appear. Some corners were so sharp, traffic driving in the opposite direction had one of those big round mirrors to look into as they came up to the corner, like the ones you see in drug stores that usually have a camera behind them. I liked to think that the other drivers actually used them, instead of whipping around an almost 45 degree corner at speed with me on a 125cc scooter buzzing my way around from the other direction. After that, was the switchback. Going down the other side of the mountain we first ascended from the city side was a switchback road. It wound it's way down the hill side at probably 55 degree downslope (I'm estimating), that usually ran for about 50 feet before turning into a 180 degree turn to go back the other way. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Those fun bubble mirrors are on every corner providing at least an illusion of some kind of safety. Oh, by the way, minimal guardrails and people were passing each other as they went down, myself included.
After that it was no problem, just a few jungle roads that had been half-washed away, literally, by the last typhoon and some jockeying with nutty car drivers for position to hit some patches of pavement that looked more like moguls from Sunday River than an actual road. Scooters do not have very much in the way of shocks. My innards were thoroughly jiggled, shucked, and jived.
At long last we arrived at our destination, Lavender Cottage Farm. Brandon, our point man on the motorcycle and a nice fellow from Texas, told me that LCF used to be just a farm for the pungent herb, lavender. But then, a few of the more savvy employees built a gift shop and cut a few paths around the lavender bushes. Add in a coffee shop on top of the hill and a pretty good restaurant with nice outdoor seating and you've got yourself a picture perfect Taiwanese tourist trap. Aside from that cynical view of financial gain and prudent business practice, it was a very, very lovely place. The most vibrant shades of purple, ahem lavender, that I had ever seen were absolutely everywhere. We had lunch, delightful, and then toured around. The farming part of the place was a hill that had lavender bushes planted all around it like delicate purple stripes. Stone walkways (see photos on Flickr) threaded their way around and up and down the hill to allow tourists, foreign and domestic alike, to stroll their merry way all over the hill. At the top was the wishing tree. A normal enough looking tree, but with all the small pieces of parchment covered with Chinese wishes on them pinned to it and an ancient looking bell, likewise surrounded by wishes, it very special feel to it. Palm and betel nut trees were planted all over the surrounding hills apart from the chaos that is the real jungle.
Cool place. You could make your own lavender soap jar thingys and buy all kinds of knick knacks and keepsakes and what-have-yous. I lasted about two minutes in the gift shop; it was like being rolled into a lavender candle, too much for this cat to handle.
Oh, funny story. There was a misting device that sprayed misted water and I told Jon to use it to cool off. Little did we know it was lavender scented, and bees love that smell, and Jon hates bees. Nothing like watching an adult shriek like a girl and and walk farther and farther away from everyone else as I said "Still on your head man, still there, still there, still there..."
I killed a couple to make him feel better, mostly because I got to clout him one on the knoggin when I did it.
:D
Anyhoo. Awesome trip overall. Some really great mountain side views of the country even though it was a smoggy/hazy day.
Sushi express. SE is a food chain out here that is unlike anything I have witness in the States. You sit on basically a bar stool with a counter in front of you with water dispensers and a cup and some chopsticks. By the way, the Taiwanese always server warm or room temperature water as it does not inhibit your Chi, as cold water does. Not quite as refreshing.
Above your little counterspace is a conveyer belt that winds it serpentine length in a big funny shaped loop, with the sushi chef in the middle. On the belt are all sorts of different kinds of sushi, fish and rice, something brown and weird looking with something green and funny smelling, potatoe salad (CRAZY sweet tasting), prawns, soups, and jello of the likes you've never seen. All slowly marching past you, just waiting to be plucked and devoured. Granted, the portions are small, its sushi, but really good. Payment is done by the plate, which isn't nearly as expensive as it sounds. Each plate costs just over $1 US. I remember paying anywhere from $15-$20 for sushi at Sake in Portsmouth back home...you'd have to be SUPER hungry to put down that many plates at SE. Unless you're paying for someone else buy then, hey, that's your problem.
And now, the convenience of convenience stores. In Taichung, and Taiwan at large, there are three major convenience stores: Ok mart, Family Mart, and 7/11. All have pretty much the same stuff as the others, though I've found 7/11 has actually sanwiches, albeit bad ones (or just plain weird). You can purchase beer, spirits, or wine at any time day or night. A lot of clerks offer to open your bottle of beer for you before you leave the store. Here, you can also pay your utility bills, mail things through UPS, get phone card minutes, and a bunch of other crazy shit that I'm forgetting right now (its almost 3am give me a break :D). You can pay parking tickets too, I think.
Oh yea, every reciept is a lottery ticket and every two months they release new numbers. You can win anywhere from $200 NT to a few thousand (six bucks US to like 50ish). In essence, everyone becomes a gambler. I myself have a drawer in my desk, right beneath my typing hands, that is filled with crumpled reciepts from all over the city. $200 NT is enough for a six pack of Taiwan Beer; who doesn't like free(ish) booze money?
You would be hard pressed to drive more than a few blocks, in any direction, on any street, and not hit a convenience store of some variety. From any point in the city mind you. When I was in Taipei for training if I were to stand in the intersection in front of my hotel I would have been able to point out no less than 5, and that's just within and easy sight range.
Now that is convenient.
As you know, I own and drive a scooter; here and there, everywhere, to and from my work. The weather since I've been in country as been marvelous: hot, humid, and sunny; summer weather. Since I only got three months maybe of that back home, its been rather nice; even if I sweat through my clothes on occasion. I have an air conditioner but I refuse to use it; AC I can get back home. Anyway, I guess I had been rather lucky with the weather the last few weeks I've been scootering the 20-30 minutes to work. It had either rained in the morning or the late afternoon after I was already in the classroom. But last week...
Heh. Not so lucky.
It had rained on and off all morning but had quit for quite some time. I took the opportunity to try and catch the window and make it to work. At first it was just a light rain, a sprinkle. No problem, I thought, barely anything, I won't get that wet. Two blocks later I hurriedly pulled over and donned my rain jacket, a festive purplish bluish thing with a floppy hood and some weird Chinese company logo on the breast. The previous scooter owner had left them for me, thank goodness. Ok then, coat on, protected. HA! Two more blocks once my pants were soaked I pulled over under and over-hand to put on the rain pants of the same color. By now its pouring, and I'm still 10 minutes from work in optimal conditions. Lovely. I hit every red light from there to my branch and I had to drive much, much slower than usual. Road paint is extremely slippery when wet. Nothing like feeling rain water pooling under your heels as you watch people in their nice, dry cars sit next to you at a stoplight, completely at ease. Oh yea, my rain pants have holes in them around around mid thigh, right where everything higher than my legs drips down. Sweet.
I arrived at work, soaked. I had to park in a puddle that was a few inches deep right near my branch but it didn't matter, my feet were soggier than day old cereal anyway. Of course after all that the rain worsened. In the gutters the water had to be at least six inches deep. Foot traffic stalled for a good hour or so as no one wanted wet feet and there were deep puddles at every alleyway between buildings. There was simply no place for that much water to go that quickly; seeing real typhoon rain in a month or two is really going to be something, especially if I'm driving through the middle of it.
Thankfully, that day at work my boss Shaun, a nice British chap, gave me a pair of dry socks and let me wear his shoes. What a guy. (He offered his crocs but I said I'd rather teach in wet feet than put a pair of those ghastly things on.)
Next time: My new class of kids that are wicked smaht and that one wild kid that keeps it from a perfect class. The roadblock police presence and the guy with the M16. A market near Chongde road, and the insanity within. And, late night Taiwanese TV, and how hilarious it really doesn't mean to be.
Right, well I'm off for now. I think that's enough to keep you kid's busy for a little while. Im f'ing blitzed on passion-fruit black tea and I think I'll be watching the sunrise as its 3.30 and I'm goin strong. Yikes.
So, farewell for now my little pigeons. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-Caffiene gets me WIRED.
-In Taiwanese public schools it is still acceptable to discipline kids with physical force (NOT at Hess, where I work).
-Hess students are given English names, but they are frequently repeated and some classes can have up to three Andy's or Judy's or Peggy's.
-Taiwanese mattresses, like the one next to me, feel like slabs of stone. But are better than the floor. But no by much.
-Pale skin is considered beautiful in Taiwan. When most women are outside, especially on scooters, all skin is covered by clothes, detachable sleeves, and a face-mask (cloth ones like you'd wear to do carpentry or something).
-A cockroach half the size of a penny just crawled down the mirror behind my computer screen and when I tried to smush him he teleported to the floor. Those fuckers are fast. (He has since been smushed).
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