I was relaxing, in the middle of watching a movie when suddenly, the screen froze and turned blue (the blue screen of death)! I tried turning the cable box off and on and realized that the power button (on the newly installed box) wasn’t operational. Hmmmm, what now? I unplugged everything from the back of the box, plugged it all back in – and still nothing. The green power light is on but I definitely don’t have a signal. I’m thinking the box is defective. What to do….I don’t pay a lot for the few channels I get on the telly but when I am in the middle of watching something, it’s annoying to be interrupted. Equally annoying is attempting to call Chunghwa telecom on a holiday weekend for a solution. I call the number on the top of the box. The first issue is finding someone who speaks English. Then, after explaining the issue, I wait on hold while an animated discussion in Chinese ensues between several customer service reps. They want to know my username (what?), password (yeah, no) phone number, address, ARC number. All I want to know is, is the cable out in my area. I explain that I think it’s the box and can someone please bring me a new one. Sure, they say, NEXT TUESDAY! Great! I get to take time off of work to wait around for the cable repair guy. Arrrrgh! In the meantime, I’m going to unplug everything and see if perhaps the box just got overheated….
Moon Festival 2011
10 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Taiwan Tags: lotus, moon cakes, Moon Festival, pastry, pineapple, red bean
This weekend is considered a holiday to celebrate the harvest moon. I’m sure it’s an ancient tradition with its roots somewhere in the long Taiwanese history but these days, what it means is:
- we get a day off work
- the company execs give everyone a gift box of moon cakes (moon cake sales skyrocket during this time of year)
- we also get a small bonus.
Moon cakes are small, tart-like creations wrapped in a shaped and decorated pastry crust, filled with – well all sorts of interesting fillings. Flavors include pineapple (a big favorite on the island), red bean, lotus. Lotus is my favorite! Moon cakes are perishable so their shelf life isn’t long; they must be eaten within a short time after being baked. I took an extra box to the temple downstairs and they seemed very happy to receive it.
2 months in Asia
04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Taipei Tags: homesick, island living, moon cakes, Mrs. Fields
Taiwan's public art
For the past 8 weeks I’ve focused on getting to know this fascinating island, or at least parts of it. I’ve really resisted comparing life in Taipei to life in the States, for fear that I will lapse into homesickness. There is much to appreciate here, but sometimes comparisons are inevitable.
Every Monday when I join the line of folks waiting to separate and dump their garbage , every week when I take my clothing from the clothes line several floors up (no dryer but hey, at least we aren’t washing our clothes in a stream), when I realize that I can’t bake even the simplest of cakes (I have no stove; very few people do) I can’t help but wonder what life would be like here with a few extra “modern” conveniences. Taking public transportation is a great leveler – everyone does it. Walking downtown at 11pm? Completely safe, if you don’t count the taxis cutting corners into crosswalks. The Harvest Moon festival, complete with a 3-day weekend, is coming up. We’re each getting a package of Moon Cakes. Guess that’s the Taiwan equivalent to Mrs. Fields…
Worthless money
04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Taiwan Tags: Bank of America, exchange rate, money, US dollars
I went to the bank to exchange the last of my US dollars and got quite a shock: apparently US currency printed prior to 2003 is worthless here! Seriously? Are you kidding, I say? No, says the pimply kid behind the counter. It’s too old. Too old?!! Who looks at the printing date of the bills in their wallet? No one I know! I wonder what the one Bank of America branch in Taipei will say?
Jade market
04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Shopping, Taipei, Travel Tags: jade market, rhino, Tibet, watercolor
Next up, the trek through the Taipei jade market, adjacent to the flower market under a busy overpass. Row after row after ROW of jade, beads, pearls, and all manner of pretty shiny and carved things.
Jade (and other) Treasures
It’s difficult to know where to look next and after just a few minutes, the sheer volume of -well – EVERYTHING overwhelming. I take a deep breath and soldier on. I attempt conversation with various vendors; most don’t speak English. I see a lot of antique-looking items from Tibet, old Chinese textiles (gorgeous!), Japanese watercolors, ivory carvings, and rhinocerous horns (ewww) among the most amazing translucent green, white, pink, and yellow jade treasures.
Holiday flower market
04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Shopping, Taipei, Travel Tags: Holiday Flower Market, lilies, lotus, roses
A lot of Taiwan’s sights are located in spare spaces: hidden underground, beneath overpasses, in some really unlikely spots. You might easily drive, ride, or walk by them without notice. The Taipei “Holiday” flower and jade markets are no exception. I stumbled onto the flower market when I walked down the wrong side of Jianguo, trying to find the main Taipei Library.
Greenery Galore!
Inside the market, the first thing you notice is the fragrance of a million flowers and flowering plants. There are blossoms of every shape, size, and color. It’s like a wacky kalidiscope image, bursting at the seams. The market stretches farther than I can see and I wander along, simply amazed by it all. The Taiwanese love their greenery and you can see why – so many options. Bonzai galore, one even taller than me (and that’s saying something!). Water plants (lilies, lotus) for dish gardens and outside fountains. Pots, saucers, rocks, gardening implements and garden furniture. Herbs, fruit and citrus trees, strange insect-eating plants, orchids galore all being misted from above to maintain their health (I guess the intense natural humidty isn’t enough, but I must say the mist feels good). Vendors pass out samples of their teas and various drinks made from herbs, and lots of, well, I’m not really sure exactly what the ingredients were, but most of it was delish! So many choices but finally I settle on a bunch of sweetheart roses (20 stems for 50NT) for less then 2.00US. Of course the bouquet is beautifully wrapped, the stems inserted into water for the trip home, and then placed into a long plastic bag to protect it on its journey on public transportation.
Bougainvilleas
Library card
04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Shopping, Taipei, Travel Tags: humidity, Jiangao, library, Taipei Mail Library, weather
Heat was coming off the road in waves; oddly, you can feel it most when a slight breeze kicks up. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long for the 235 to show up on An He and transport me along Heping road to Daan Forest, a green slice of botanical planning. I walk through the “forest” and watch groups of people practice martial arts under the the cool of the trees, families bicycling along the packed clay paths, and one lady playing a haunting melody on her flute, under a gazebo. When I reach Xinyi I realize I’ve gone too far and haven’t seen the library (too-shoe-gwahn). But I have discovered the Flower Market! (I’ll go there later; now I’m focused on finding the library.)
I ask one of the policemen directing walkers across the busy streets. He points back the way I’ve come, on the other side of Jiangao. I’m feeling the heat and humidity descend now, wishing I’d brought a bottle of water. I’m not sure what the library’s address is exactly but I figure it should be easily visible – it’s the main one after all. And there it is, all 11 floors of it. I go inside, present my ARC and within a few minutes receive my very own card. Now to check out the books….
The entrance to Taipei's Main Library
On 4F there is one section of books in English, mainly non-fiction (I select a macaron cookbook, despite not having an actual kitchen) but there are a smattering of fiction options as well. One consideration: anything I select must be lugged around so I pick our several paperbacks and go up to 8F to check out the movies. Maybe I was looking in the wrong area but I found nothing of interest. Oh well, it’s hot inside and I still want to make it back to the flower market…
Drama in the pet store
04 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Shopping, Taipei, Travel Tags: Breeze, pet store, police, Zhongxiao
We were walking along Zhongshao after dinner, on the way to Breeze, when the normal, ambient road noise spiked. Looking around it wasn’t difficult to spot where the cause: something was happening in the pet store. An iguana on the loose? A cat coughing up a hairball? A customer complaining about the price of Iams? Who knows?! What became obvious is that someone wasn’t happy – and they were letting everyone know about it! I could see a stocky man with short dark hair winding back to sock someone – it seemed like that object of his ire was a store employee (wearing an “official” smock). Several other people were attempting to hold him back. Then the altertercation spilled out onto the sidewalk with the angry man chasing the other man Next, they were down ono the ground (sidewalk actually) and at least half a dozen bystanders had their cell phones out. Literally within 2 minutes, the cops showed up: 4 on scooter and 4 in two cars, all with lights and sirens. What excitement! A crowd gathered to watch. We had a great view point from across the street. Instead of cuffing or tasing anyone, the cops surrounded the angry man and his nemesis. No guns were drawn; I’m not sure the cops here even carry. And then they LISTENED to what each person was saying. What a concept! Even from a distance it was obvious that the angry man was calming down. After a few minutes the crowd began to disperse; talk can be boring when drama is expected. And just like that, the soothing sounds of another evening in Taipei enveloped the shoppers…
Humidity 1, Me 0
15 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in Daily Life, Taipei Tags: haircut, lavender, Paul Mitchell salon, scalp massage
I give! I’m crying “uncle”! Enough is enough! I cannot stand the humidity one second longer! So…I made an appointment and had my hair cut REALLy short! Halle Berry I said and after some internet searches by the stylists (it took three) the cutting began. An hour later, a lot more of my hair was on the floor than on my head. But boy did it feel a whole lot cooler. I love it! It takes no time at all to style in the mornings and I especially love that I only paid 600NT (20US) for the cut, shampoo (which was essentially a 15-minute scalp massage with some lovely lavender-infused Paul Mitchell product), and blow dry. I’ll post a pic soon!
A valuable lesson
14 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in Travel
None of the clothes I brought with me fit anymore. After a month in Taiwan, my pants were a bit looser, so I used the one belt I’d brought to keep them up. Now it’s time. Time to run the dreaded gauntlet of clothing stores where there is nothing in my size! So, I’ll go find a new pair of pants. Definitely easier said than done. I’ve checked Costco (DKNY and Calvin Klein in size 0-8, $35 – $50 US). Next, Sogo department store where I actually found several options in a size that fits (CKs for almost 200 USD – yikes – and some equally spendy brands I’ve never heard of). I checked the stores on Nanjing on the way to the MRT. Nada. I felt like I’d walked into the petite department of EVERY store!
On the way to Wellcome to do grocery shopping, I see a clothing store and, ever hopeful, I stop in. Hey, this looks promising. The prices aren’t horrendous and the clothes look stylish. None of the staff speak English. Really? (I still find this odd, that adults in a progressive society don’t know even the basics of the language most parents here insist that their children learn.) It’s frustrating too because my Chinese is rudimentary at best (Lady, that one, how many money?). So, I browse the selection. The sales ladies have a unique method of telling whether pants will fit: they hold them up to a person’s NECK and drape the waist band around. If the ends meet behind the neck, it’s a possible fit. Hmmm….so I try a pair on and they are okay. Too bad there’s no lycra in the content and that they’re made in China.
On the way back from shopping I decide, what the heck, I’m losing weight so it won’t be long before the pants are a more comfortable fit plus they are on SALE. I buy them. Then the fun starts!
This morning, I try the pants (khaki capris with a black belt) on again, at home, and even though they fit, they aren’t that comfortable. Hang onto ’em or return ’em? By this afternoon, I decide to return ’em. No big deal, right? Walk around the corner, hand the pants + receipt to the mono-lingual sales staff, smile and walk away pantless. WRONG.
The staff acts like they don’t understand me (ok, probably technically true, but it can’t be the first time someone has returned something). The THREE sales ladies and one salesman speak among themselves while I try to discern what is being said. Then SL1 makes a phone call. To a manager to authorize a low value return? Apparently she has a friend whose English skills exist. I speak with someone on the phone. I’m told that they cannot do a return on a sales item. (Everything in the store is on sale.) I’m told that I must do an exchange (they don’t do gift certificates) and I must do it TODAY. The pants I have are their “largest” size (a US size 10, which for my height is SMALL) so exchanging for another pair won’t work. There are exactly 3, count ’em 3 t-shirts in the store in size 40 (the largest read:”my” size) and none of them appeal to me. In the meantime I call a friend of mine who speaks fluent Chinese and ask her to tell the sales staff I am not pleased. SL1 calls her friend who then explains that, oh wait, yes, I can do a return. SL2, 3 (and now 4) gather ’round smiling and saying sorry.
So, what did I learn? Lesson 1: don’t EVER buy anything that doesn’t fit me the way I want it to it. Lesson 2: don’t shop any establishment that doesn’t have at least one English-speaking sales person. ‘Nuff said?
Asia's best kept secret... 