August 17, 2008

Harbor Park Saturday 8/16

 

We returned to Anping Harbor Park which is part of the much larger Anping Harbor National Historic Park in Tainan County.  We had come to this park briefly when we first arrived here this summer, but today we hoped to spend a longer time enjoying one of our last few nights in Taiwan watching the sun set over the harbor.  When we first arrived around 5 PM it was not that crowded, but being a beautiful Saturday night, many people/families soon showed up.



August 17, 2008

Salty Thursday 8/14

 

When someone thinks of Taiwan, I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is salt!  That is why we visited the Taiwan Salt Museum located in Tainan County.  Shockingly there were very few people at the Salt Museum when we were there.  There were about a hundred kindergarteners on a school trip, but we managed to stay away from them as they traveled in small groups.  When we did run into them they were all pretty well-behaved and cute in their uniforms.  Their chaperons kept them on very short leashes! 

When we first arrived I was happy to discover that the first life-size display had descriptions written in both Chinese and English.  Unfortunately, this was the only place English was used in the entire 4 story museum!  Eva tried to explain some of the more curious exhibits to me, but I often found myself wandering away as my interest waned and Eva’s enthusiasm for translating diminished.  The Salt Museum is very modern and interactive, which I often thought would make it great fun for the kids we were managing to stay one step ahead of.


August 15, 2008

Tree House Tainan Wednesday 8/13

 

Today we went to the Anping Tree House which is in the historic district of Tainan.   Now my first thought of a tree house is a house built IN a tree, but the Anping Tree House is not.  It is actually an old warehouse that was built during the Japanese occupation (1895-1945).  After the war, the warehouse was abandoned and nature took its course.  The property became overgrowth… and so did the warehouse.   The trees grew around, in, up and over the warehouse.  Eventually, in some places the original structure disappeared yet the trees kept the shape of the walls and roof!  Now the Anping tree House is more trees than warehouse.  In many places steel supports have now been constructed to support the trees, as the original wood and brick structure is crumbling or completely gone.  You can now walk under, over and around living trees.  Catwalks have been built in some areas so that you can observe some of the more dramatic blends of tree and man-made structures.  



August 14, 2008

Tainan Tuesday 8/12

 

Tonight after going out to dinner Eva and I decided to visit Cindy’s family here in Tainan.  Those of you that came to our American wedding reception in June 2007, know who Cindy is.  She was the only person there representing Eva’s family, friends and country!  (You can visit Flcikr as well and check our wedding pictures).  Cindy came to stay with us for most of the month leading up to the reception actually. 

I have met most of Cindy’s family here in Taiwan, as some of them came to our Taiwanese wedding reception and I have been over there house once before.  There were a few things different with this visit.     

The most surprising difference with this visit occurred shortly after we entered the living room and sat down on the couch.  I looked across to the TV stand and shockingly discovered there was a picture of a very good looking man on display – me!  Any with me in the picture was the most beautiful girl in the world… Eva!  There displayed prominently was a picture from our Taiwanese reception.  In the picture with us was Cindy’s older sister, Ting (no English name and now 32), holding her then baby daughter.  The picture quickly became a subject of conversation. 


August 10, 2008

Olympic Friday 8/8/08

 

The number 8 is considered a lucky number in traditional Chinese culture (conversely 4 is an unlucky number and is often omitted in buildings).  Today, Friday is August 8, 2008 (8/8/08) so it is a very auspicious day for the Chinese, thus a perfect day for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  In fact there was a very exact countdown so that they could commence at precisely 8:08:08 PM on 8/8/08!  Being the same time zone as Beijing, we had the fortunate experience of watching the ceremonies live, unlike people in America who had to wait 12 hours and see it. 

Eva and I both truly joined the entertainment part of the ceremonies.  There were many times we were truly amazed at the immensity and spectacle of the performances.  More than once I said to Eva, “that is impossible!  How can they do that?!  I have seen the Cirque du Soleil two times, and was astounded both times.  However, the open ceremonies were like the Cirque du Soleil on steroids!  Watching a dozen or two dozen people perform flawlessly at Cirque du Soleil really makes you wonder how talented and disciplined people can be.  To see this human endeavor multiplied by 100 times is beyond my ability to comprehend!  Eva and I both agreed that watching these events on TV was probably the best way to see them as it affords you a commanding view.  To have seen them in person of course would have been spectacular, but would have been at one point total sensory overload and also frustratingly limited in scope. 

The second part of the ceremonies when each nation marches in was at times entertaining as Eva and I tried to name the countries by flags and place them geographically.  (Eva did not do so well at this, but she did get to say many times, “I’ve been there!”)  There are really only two things I would like to point out about this part of the night:


August 10, 2008

Pictures in the Rain Thursday 8/7/08

 

In need of a new pair of glasses and knowing that my wonderful health insurance covers zero for eyewear, I decided to get some here in Taiwan.  We went to Howard Eyewear, which is a chain store here.  I knew I had selected the right pair of glasses when I tried them on and Eva said to me, “They make you look like a teacher.”  I figured I am a teacher, so they must be good!  The frames are all black metal with about the same size lens as my old gold-colored glasses.  Frames chosen, I then need to have an eye test, which I had performed upstairs.  I figured that language would be an issue during the exam, but conveniently the tech spoke enough English that Eva did not need to translate at all.  We ordered the glasses.  They would be ready in two days, but could be one day if we were in a rush.  We said two days was fine.  Total cost for frames, lens and exam $62 US!  I love Taiwan! 

When we were preparing to leave I asked if they could replace the nose pieces on my old glass.  I expected there would be small fee, but no! It was free.  Seeing as I could get something for nothing, I asked if they could then replace the same pieces on my sun-glasses.  Yes, for free!  I really love Taiwan. 


August 9, 2008

Dancing Sunday 8/3/08

 

Tonight we went to the Tainan International Chihsi Arts Festival: The Coming–of–Age Celebration.  It is a multi-day event being held at a very famous temple here in Taiwan.  Actually, it is the same place Eva & I had our wedding pictures taken in traditional Chinese costume (Eva in red dress).  There were many vendors, some even giving away free samples of food!  But we did not come for the vendors.  We came for the entertainment, which featured performers from Japan and Taiwan.

The first act was a Taiko, or drum, group from Japan.  It was composed of teenage and maybe early twenties boys and girls.  They were incredible.  I was simply amazed how organized, disciplined and talented they were.  I actually got goose bumps a few times during the performance it was so great (this usually only happens during U2 shows, so that’s a big deal).   They are excellent representatives for Japan oversea, because as I watched them my respect for and admiration of Japanese culture grew by leaps and bounds.  Any country that can produce kids like this has to be pretty damn good.  Eva shot some videos (see Flickr).  The video do not do the show justice, nor do my pictures, but give them a look.


August 8, 2008

"No Soup for You" Friday 8/1/08

 
"No soup for you!"

Per doctor’s orders I was basically in bed with my foot elevated for two days upon our return to Taiwan.  This was a frustrating time.  There is not too much to do in a one room apartment with no English TV.  I read books, listened to music and used the computer (when I could fight it away from Eva).   Eva had to do everything for me, as I was supposed keep the walking to a minimum.  Funny thing I discovered.  My foot actually hurt much more than it did in the Philippines.  I guess this was because I was taking so much Advil for those 3 days.  Limping around the apartment, I could only imagine how smart it was to walk all over Manila with a freshly broken toe!  We removed my vegemite soaked bandages after 2 days.  My foot was brown.  I had taken showers for the last 2 days with a plastic bag over my foot – fun times! 


August 6, 2008

Return to Taiwan Tuesday 7/29

 
This picture is me seasick with broken toe 3 days before leaving the Philippines.

When we checked in for our return flight to Taiwan we were informed that there were no longer two seats next to each available on our flight.  This meant that Eva and I could not seat near each other!  I was exceeding displeased with this development.  Eva was to sit in the row in front of me, but this is a world away on an airplane.  I devised a simple foreigner solution to this problem – I would sit next to Eva anyway and when someone came to sit in the seat I would simply tell them in Chinese “I don’t understand.”  If they spoke to me in English, I would reply in Chinese “I don’t understand English!”  I would pretend to be French and ask them “Parlez-vous français?” Eva disagreed with my deceptive and scene-creating plan and said she would simply ask the person if they could switch seats with me.  If the person was native-English speaking (highly unlikely), I had to ask nicely!   Eventually a Taiwanese girl came to the seat and looked at me in a confused manner.  I looked at her with no expression on my face, as I secretly still liked my plan of feigning ignorance.  Eva quickly resolved the issue with a brief conversation in Chinese.  We could now sit together! 

Three days out from hurting my toe, it was still killing me.  I figured I could not keep taking 600 mg of Advil forever, so I decided in Taiwan I would go to a doctor and maybe get some better pain-killers!  Eva’s mom had thankfully arranged prior to our flight to have an airport shuttle waiting for us to drive us back to Tainan.  It was raining when we landed, as Taiwan was still under the back end of a typhoon that had just passed through the Philippines and Taiwan.   I was happy to discover that we were the only passengers in the shuttle van, so our hour long trip would be quiet.  I soon fell asleep.  Unbeknownst to me, Eva and her mom coordinated via cell phone and made arrangements for the shuttle to take us directly to a bone doctor in Tainan.  Eva’s mom would meet us at the office with her car to get us and our luggage. 


August 5, 2008

Manila Mall Monday 7/28

 

We had big plans for today.  Today was going to be the highlight of the entire Philippines trip (maybe the whole summer).  We were planning our trip to Corregidor Island in Manila harbor, so we got up at 6AM to get the one and only boat to Corregidor at 8AM.  Our taxi driver did not know where he was taking us and we wandered around the port of Manila looking for the private ferry company.  He was quick to give up, but I was not.  I urged him on until our destination was found.  Bad news.  The boat to Corregidor was cancelled for the next few days because of possible typhoon activity!  It was not raining at the time, so I was not happy.  We returned to the hotel despondently (just me, Eva didn’t really care).  It did start raining on the way back, but it did not last long.



August 4, 2008

Dark Knight Sunday

Sunday was our first full day in Manila and we wanted to do some touristy things.  However there were two things we had not planned on.  Firstly, my toe was still killing me (bad sign since I hurt it 2 days before).  Secondly, the weather in Manila was still being heavily affected by a typhoon.



August 2, 2008

Say Good-bye Saturday


Saturday was our last day on Boracay, so we got up early.  One of the first things we had to do was release our pet crab.  We took him down to the beach and let him go.  Not surprisingly, he ran right for the water.  Eva and I also needed one more massage before leaving, so we went back to the same place we had gotten them a few days before.  It was before lunch and we were the only people there at the time.  Same good time and same low price!  I did have to tell the girl to not touch my right foot because my toe was still killing me. 


August 1, 2008

Fractured Friday (7/25/08)


Went to the Talipapa Fish Market to buy fresh seafood and have it cooked for lunch.  While I waited for Eva & company to shop, negotiate prices, and arrange cooking, I decided to walk around to other non-seafood shops.  My first stop, of course, was to find the cheapest price on beer.  The beautiful thing about Boracay is that you can buy and drink beer anywhere.  Prices do vary between .75 and 1.00+, therefore you really do need to shop around!  I found a store that sold beer for 75 cents, so I returned to it frequently when shopping.  One discovery I made was that female salesgirls were much, much friendlier to me while I was shopping alone.  Eva and I had shopped around together and everyone was extremely courteous, always calling us ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’, but when I was flying solo, I noticed girls actually wanted to have whole conversations with me!   This was a new experience for me, cause salesgirls in America certainly don’t like talking to me.  Now, this is a family-friendly blog, so I won’t get too crazy, but some of the girls were somewhat flirtatious.  Being a happily married man, this flirting made me uncomfortable and had the effect of chasing me out of shops!  I found one instance rather humorous.  When one girl was talking to me in an alluring manner, up walked Eva!  I introduced Eva as my wife, and the girl’s manner instantly changed to courteous!  (Eva for some reason does not find this as funny as I do.)

Later in the day as it was getting close to sunset, we decided to go on a sailboat cruise.  I was in favor of this trip, but after drinking 75 cent beers all day, I would have agreed to diving with sharks!    Once again, Eva made all the financial arrangement ($12.00 for 4 people for 1 hour) and we were soon strolling down the beach escorted by our sailboat guide.  As we approached the boat, I began to take some pictures while walking…


July 31, 2008

Thursday Walk in the Sun


Today we took a tricycle ride to another part of the island so as to see more than just the busy main tourist area where we were staying.  The whole island is a tourist area, of course, but some areas are more built up than others. We rode to Diniwid Beach, northwest of where we were staying.  Naturally, there was the usual attempt to cheat us out of money by our driver, but this time Eva wasn’t buying it.  She told him what the correct going rate for the trip should be, paid him that amount and walked away.  There was no one around at Diniwid since it is off the beaten-path.  From Diniwid there is a costal path you can walk that leads back to our hotel area.  This trail covers some beautiful beach and coastline, but it does involve some precarious parts that require using rope handrails and some fancy footwork.  It also involves getting hit by waves!  We had a good time walking back and stopped to take many pictures.


July 30, 2008

Wednesday Boat Trip (7/23/08)

Decided to go for a boat ride around Boracay, and to be honest I was a tad hesitate.  Last summer when we were in Thailand we went on a boat trip that was a total disaster with me seasick with blood streaming down my leg from a cut on the coral watching Eva vomit over the side of the boat.  Hopefully, this year would go better! 

I could expound at great length about the fiasco that negotiating a boat trip on Boracay entails, but it will suffice it to say it is a Third World encounter wrought with duplicity and scheming.  Even Eva who is seasoned traveler to some of the more dubious parts of the world, found the experience embittering.  We eventually decided to not focus on the trivial amounts of money that were embezzled out of us at every turn, and instead just enjoy ourselves.  We both decided that had we simply had been told honestly how much everything would cost in the beginning we would not have cared, since it was not a lot by American standards (a movie and popcorn in the US cost more than the whole trip, extortionate fees included.)   It was the insult to our intelligence and deceitfulness that left a very bitter taste in our mouths.  But enough unpleasantness.    It was actually a good time!

We first went with one of the crew to the market and procured food to be prepared later in the day on a small island off Boracay.  The crew member was nice enough to carry all our many items free of charge! This was actually helpful, since Eva, Gordon and Sonny purchased half the market, including prawn, clams, crabs and chicken. 

When we finally cast off it was pleasing to discover that we the only 4 people on the boat which could have held about a dozen people.  (Last summer when Eva and I got sick in front of strangers, it was very embarrassing!)  Our boat, Adrian, was a wooden out-rigger style boat with a crew of two.  The captain, Danny, was friendly enough and spoke ok English.  I don’t think his first-mate spoke at all the whole 3 hours, but was helpful and affable.



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