Asia's best kept secret…

Just got back from lugging two (more) big suitcases, the world’s largest carry-all, and a loaded laundry basket downstairs into a cab waiting to take me to my new apartment.  The cab driver didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t understand when I told him to turn into the alley leading to the building’s entrance.  More lugging then through three doors and up several flights of stairs. (The broker was coming over so I left the suitcases in the lobby.)  Some friends showed up to help me  unpack. Sam (not his Chinese name), the broker showed up early and started showing me how to use the dish dryer (no clothes dryer in the building but each apartment has a DISH dryer! lol), the central AC (wow!), the bathroom ventilation system (not sure why it’s on a different system than the rest of the place), the TV (after plugging in the DVD player), and the washers (two stories up)! He plugged in the mini-fridge (typical for Taiwan) and leveled it (so it wouldn’t wobble when opened). He plugged in the one burner ceramic stove top, showed me how the stove’s eye guard works (for those days when I simply must fry up something tasty), how to let folks in when they “ring up” (like in NYC!), explained why it smells rather funky under the sinks (something about how the plumbing is new in the building), and finally, where to bring my trash and recycleables every evening (except Wednesday or Sundays) and how to sort everything! Let the cleaning and unpacking commence!