Oh Great Sights: taichung

Showing posts with label taichung. Show all posts

Showing posts with label taichung. Show all posts

What I was blogging 2 years ago

>> Thursday, April 23, 2009 – scooter, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

I took a drive out of the city yesterday with my family. I put a helmet on my favorite daughter, told the other one to hold on tight, and took off around 2PM. I went up to Art Street to do some shopping. There is a store there that is like a really great thrift store at home. I bought a few things, and decided to keep driving.

Over the ridge, I could see the harbor. It would be a really great view without the haze. Old roads wind down the side of the ridge through the farms. I tried to stick to the main path since I was nearly torn apart by a pack of dogs last time I went exploring.

It's a slightly eerie view of the Harbor.

Favorites of 2007

>> Thursday, December 27, 2007 – Currently Reading, friends, Music, my life, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

David does it, Liza (who's blog apparently contains adult material, as Panera Bread sees fit to restrict my access) does it, and Oprah does it. Por eso, I am doing it. The items in this list may not have been new in 2007, but they were new to me this year. Here it goes.

Favorite Album: The Crane Wife by The Decemberists. This was actually NPR Listener's pick for 2006, but I was introduced to it in 2007. It's a wonderful album based on a Japanese folk tale, and the story weaves through the entire work. Every time I hear the chant of "hear all the bombs fade away" at the end of this album, I get a little teary and hopeful for world peace. This album is also an icon of Taiwan for me. When I'm listening, I feel like I'm back in Taiwan on my scooter driving up to the Metropolitan Park to look out over the city.

Favorite Book: Tales of the City Series by Armistead Maupin. I downloaded it from Audible and listened to it while on airplanes, buses, and trains during all of my travels this year. Its definitely not from 2007, more like 30 years earlier. They are fast, easy reads, and highly entertaining. They make me want to move to San Francisco...in the 80's.

Favorite foreign friend: Ariel Yang. She's the best friend anyone could ask for in Taiwan. She'll take you to the doctor, translate any menu, help you with your Chinese, and be your tour guide for the best night markets in Taiwan. As long as you ask her with a knife...

Favorite Home: 2007 saw a few different home bases. Taichung was my favorite for the year. The traffic, the pollution, the betel nuts...I miss it all.

Favorite non-fiction book: A History of God by Karen Armstrong. It gives a historical account of the beginnings of the 3 major monotheistic religions. I was especially enlightened on the beginnings of Islam (peace and care for the poor).

Best entertainment: KTV. There's nothing like filling a plush room with your friends, getting liquored up, and singing songs from the last 2 decades while watching images of women, wild animals, and national treasures flash across the screen with the lyrics.

Best students: Jimmy and Jerry, the twins. Always fun, sometimes crying, never very vocal.

The End is Near

>> Saturday, August 18, 2007 – my life, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

The day is approaching. Goodbyes are being said. Farewell ice cream is planned. Belongings are being sold and the remaining items packed.

We leave on Monday morning for a tour of Asia that will take us to the Philippines, Vietnam, Macau, and Hong Kong. Then, a stop in Vancouver and Las Vegas before seeing my family in Chattanooga. We arrive in Chattanooga on September 29th. I hope I can post a blog or two with pictures between now and then.

Goodbye Taiwan. 台灣再見

Driving

>> Saturday, August 11, 2007 – my life, scooter, taichung, taiwan

"Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac?"

I read this today online, and I think it is true. Driving makes me a completely inconsistent asshole. When I'm driving my scooter, I think people who are walking need to stay out of my way. When I am walking, I think people on scooters need to be more careful and go around me. When I'm in someone's car, I think scooters are just in the way. When I'm on my scooter, I think car drivers are evil bastards. Also, when I'm driving, I think buses are extremely dangerous and erratic, but when I'm riding a bus, I think that all of the single vehicle drivers are really in the way, keeping the bus from getting many more people to their destinations.

Also, sometimes, when its raining...I drive my scooter with no shoes. It sounds crazy, and it probably is, but the warm pavement feels nice on my feet, and I don't have to deal with wet shoes.

Last Class

>> – taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos, teaching

Today I taught my favorite class for the last time. Don't they look fun. That is my co-teacher Susan on the left.

Some photos

>> – friends, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos, teaching

My friend Laura is leaving Taiwan today, so I went to her house and stole some photos that she has taken this year. Here are a few:

The Menagerie and I

This is Laura on her scooter, or "The Kevinmobile". I taped this picture of myself to her dash about 9 months ago...and there I have been, riding along with her ever sense. I have begun to mold a bit in this damp climate.

The twins bothering me again.

Ruby, who unfortunately is called "Luby" by all of her classmates.

My roommate, Brynn and I

It's just not a good photo if you don't hold up your "oh yeah" fingers.

I didn't know they weren't going to smile.

Hua Tao Yao, Miao Li

>> Monday, July 30, 2007 – friends, Photos, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos, travel

Sunday, our friends Katrina and Dana took us on a nice day trip to an art refuge created by a Taiwanese couple that loves pottery and nature. It was beautiful, and a lot of fun. We toured the gardens and dabbled in some amateur pottery making.

Scooter Madness

>> Thursday, July 26, 2007 – taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

A conversation over pizza Tuesday night:

R: I hit a guy on my scooter today.
L: What!?
K: Was he on a scooter, or walking.
R: He was walking, you know how people just walk down the street here…
L: Because there is a family of 8 having dinner on the sidewalk.
R: Yeah, well this guy was not paying attention. A car was merging over, so I had to too...and I hit him. My mirror hit his arm. Hard enough to turn my mirror around.
K: Did you stop?
R: I went back. He was pretty angry, but all I could say was dui bu qi. He finally got tired of talking at me and waved me on.
K: Yeah, a blue truck* knocked my mirror off the other day. I had to pull over and run out in traffic to get it.
F: I remember one time, I was driving in the mountains and I forgot to put down my kickstand when I stopped. My scooter fell into a canal. I just stood there like "what happened". I had to wait on a guy in a blue truck to drive by and help me pull it out.
K: Did you hear about Lina’s first wreck? She gave it too much gas and plowed through this table of two guys enjoying their tea at a sidewalk café…
F: I never drive in the scooter lane. It’s just too dangerous.
L: Guys, listen to us. This is not normal…

Laura was right to bring some sense to the conversation. Taiwan driving has this way of shifting one’s idea of normal way to the left. It’s time leave and to pass the Green Peace (my scooter) on to someone else.

*Almost without exception, all trucks in Taiwan are blue. Pickups, flatbeds, concrete…all trucks. The same color blue. I’m not sure what it’s about. But blue now says to me “watch out, I drive irrationally"

Haagen Dazs

>> Monday, July 23, 2007 – food, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

It's hard to find good ice cream in the grocery store in Taiwan. What I wouldn't give for a half-gallon of Mayfield's Moose Tracks. But there are a few great places to go out for ice cream if you are willing to pay relatively high prices. On Saturday night, the teachers from our school got together at the Haagen Dazs restaurant near my house. This wasn't the 31nderful flavors of Baskin Robbins. This was a sit down, fancy picture menu experience. I was pleased to find out that my manager would be paying for my $7 milkshake. Here are 2 photos:

Turkey Rice

>> Sunday, July 22, 2007 – food, taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

When I get tired of the same old chicken, beef, or pork in Taiwan, I head down to the local turkey rice restaurant. Here are some photos:

Sprouts, Greens (Sweet Potato Greens, maybe), and Cabbage

Tofu and Eggs

Turkey Rice w/ pickled radish

Homeless

>> Sunday, July 8, 2007 – taichung, Taiwan Photos

Ice Monster

>> – taichung, Taiwan Photos

Ice Monster

Mango Ice

Mixed Fruit Ice

This dessert is shaved ice with fresh fruits and sweetened condensed milk. Click each picture for a more appetizing view.

The Sandwich Shop

>> Tuesday, July 3, 2007 – taichung, Taiwan Photos

Lunch with Ariel, 4 times a week.

An Accident

>> Monday, July 2, 2007 – Photos, taichung, taiwan

Sunday afternoon was really great, an ideal Sunday afternoon. David and I went to a yardsale at his co-teacher, Katrina's house. It may have been the first yardsale in the history of Taiwan. Afterwards, we went to the library, and then to Chung-Yo department store to do some shopping and eating. I hung out at a nice outdoor cafe and read for a while. Later, we were walking to a CD store, and I tripped over these two metal poles sticking up out of the sidewalk about 4 inches. They were spaced perfectly so that I tripped over them both in succession. It was a lot like that old nintendo game, if you remember it, Adventure Island. Sometimes, if the little island hero would trip over one rock, he would then uncontrolably trip over other rocks in succession. I can only assume that's what i looked like.

I immediately blamed David for walking too close to me. It's always someone else's fault. I was okay for a few minutes, but my big toe started hurting more and more. I decided that I better head back home, so I told David I was leaving. About halfway back to my scooter, my foot started hurting so badly, that I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the parking lot. I couldn't just lay down on the sidewalk and wait on someone to carry me, so I kept limping along. People here stare as it is. "Look, look, a foreigner, and he seems to be injured."

When I got home, I did the absolute worst thing one can do when he is injured, I googled my symptoms. A broken big toe...the forums say I'll not be able to walk normal for 6 months. David found a bilingual hospital, and led me there. An xray confirmed that there is a small fracture in my big toe. I got a splint and some pain medication. (Emergency room visit including medicine = $15)

For the next few days, I'll be here, getting as much couch time as I can out of this.

A Life of Beverage

>> Saturday, June 30, 2007 – taichung, taiwan

People often ask, "What is life like in Taiwan." I usually don't have a good answer, but while walking back from 7/11 yesterday holding an umbrella, bottled water, and iced coffee, I found the answer. This is a life of beverages. In America I predominately drank water. It was plentiful and drinkable from the tap. But in Taiwan, you'll find me more often than not with a 700ml cup of tea in my hand, or an iced coffee from a cafe around the corner. My favorite and most ordered has to be a bai xiang lu cha, da bei, wei tang, shao bing. Thats a large passion fruit green tea, a little sugar, and less ice. Once in a while I enjoy a Zhen zhu nai cha, or pearl milk tea.

Taichung, my home in Taiwan, claims to be the birthplace of pearl, or bubble tea. Tea shop menus here are huge. My only limit is my lack of language skills. I can only order what I know how to say or read, unless a Taiwanese friend is with me. I do miss tap water. Carrying jugs down the stairs to fill up with drinking water from a machine on the street feels like an unnecessary burden in a modern country. I have no real reason to trust that the water from the machine is potable. Come to think of it, I've never actually seen anyone else getting water from it. To the tea shop!

Statues outside of Taichung

>> Wednesday, June 13, 2007 – Photos, taichung, taiwan

Rainy Season

>> Friday, June 8, 2007 – taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos

This has been life for the last week. Rain rain rain, day after day. I don't remember when it started raining, and I am told that it won't stop soon. We had 200mm of rain yesterday...that's nearly 8 inches.

Every morning I wake up and hear rain. Every afternoon, I put on my rain gear and drive to work in the rain. Even with a rain coat, I get wet, so I drive to work in one set of clothes and change when I get there.

I had a little break with reality inside my helmet on the way home from work today. I was tired of being wet, and I told myself that, loudly...and then I honked at some people just because they were driving near me.

Performance Day

>> Wednesday, June 6, 2007 – taichung, taiwan, Taiwan Photos, teaching, videos

Yesterday was performance day for one of my classes. This is one of my favorite classes. The video is of them practicing before their parents arrived.

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