Today was fantabulous. Two girlfriends and I had, about a month ago, attempted to go on a biking excursion. We'd had to cancel it because I'd been sick, and the weather went sour. We were determined to make up for it, and this Sunday we were finally able to do it!
Sarah, Katie and I met up at Taipower Station, which is south of Taipei City and east of where I live in Xinjhaung. Because biking is so popular, there are bike rental shops with decent rates. We stopped at one and each rented a bike (the total for 3 hours was about $120 NT which is incredibly cheap) and then biked the short way to the main path that follows the big river that goes through Taipei.
It wasn't the sunniest of days, but that was just as well; it was actually great weather for biking, not too warm but not at all cold. There were quite a few people outside. Some were fishing, some were playing with kids, some were walking dogs. We passed what looked like a music stage going up (or being taken down), a marshy area with photographers wearing camouflage and presumably taking pictures of various duck species living there. (Signs with the species of waterfowl were posted along this area, hence my assumption.) We passed baseball diamonds with games in progress. We chatted, avoided hitting people and other bikers, and just generally enjoyed the journey and the view.
Sarah gets credit for most of these pictures. She asked if she could borrow my camera to take pictures of Katie and me biking, and I didn't realize how many other great pics she took.
After biking for about an hour and a half, we decided to turn around to ensure we were back in time to return the bikes. Almost as soon as we did so, it started to drizzle. Then the wind started to blow, and the drizzle became half-hearted rain. We got reasonably wet and had to bike against the wind, but it was refreshing, not irritating. Along the way we spotted various packs of street dogs taking shelter under trees and bridges. There are quite a few stray dogs in Taiwan, and they often form packs for company and protection. They aren't aggressive, at least not in my experience. Generally they just ignore you. It's sad to see them. They're not horribly thin, since there's a lot of eating out here and henceforth plenty of leftovers for the dogs to eat, but many of them are good-looking dogs with bright eyes who seem like they'd make wonderful pets if given a trip to the vet, a bath, and a good home.
At last we made it back to the bike shop, with plenty of time to spare. After returning the bikes, we found a restaurant and had lunch. Katie and I had spaghetti with pesto sauce and smoked duck (AMAZING) while Sarah had pasta with salmon.
There is no picture of the food because I was too busy eating it.
I'm back home and it's hours later, and I'm feeling the bike ride in my muscles, particularly my calves. I had a lot of fun, though, and I hope we go again!
Many years ago, a Spanish-speaking female customer came into Bath and Body Works. When I greeted her, she looked nervous, and I realized that the Spanish I'd heard her speaking to her boyfriend outside was the only language she knew. So I tried to assist her using what Spanish I recalled, which went from a little to "Well, that was embarrassing" the second I started trying to use it. Nevertheless, she stayed, and ended up buying something.
I've always felt embarrassed about how bad my Spanish was, until this evening, when a waitress at the restaurant I visited for dinner explained the menu to me in what English she knew. She was clearly embarrassed whenever she had to search for words, and seemed nervous speaking to a native English speaker. But the fact was that she made the effort to help me, and saved me a ton of time on my Chinese Symbol Dictionary iPod app by just telling me what dishes were pasta, which had cheese/vegetables/seafood, etc. And now when I go back, I can order from those options because she helped me.
So now I'm glad that, many years ago, I at least tried to speak Spanish, even though I know that I sucked at it. I'm pretty sure that no person who is dealing with a foreign culture is going to judge you based on your lack of skill speaking their language if you're at least making the effort to use it for their sake.
So I want to thank every Taiwanese person who has spoken English to me, or just taken the time to make hand gestures when I looked confused or unsure. It changes everything to feel you're not completely alone in facing that kind of challenge.
My adventures in Taiwan continue to accumulate and yet I relate none of them to my loyal audience. Where are my manners?
Some weeks ago, near the middle of September, a fellow Shane teacher and friend from training, Rory (name changed as always, guys!) and I hopped a train and went to Fulong Beach, which is about an hour's journey from Taipei Main Station in Taipei City. We'd been planning the excursion for a week and were worried we'd be rained out, but fortunately the day was bright and clear and promised to be fairly warm.
Rory lives in Neili (some forty minutes southwest of Xinjhaung) so he got on the designated train first, and I joined him when the train got to Taipei Main Station. I was filled with no small amount of fear that I would get on the wrong train and end up in God-knew-where in Taiwan. Fortunately, this did not happen, as despite being labeled in Chinese the Taiwan train system is rather foolproof, and Rory and I met up in car 3. We stood for most of the trip, since everyone is assigned a seat but it became quickly obvious that not everyone stays there, until a pair of seats were abandoned by some alighting passengers and we confiscated them quickly.
Rory had, thankfully, been to Fulong Beach before, so we departed the train at the right stop with no mishaps. Fulong is a very small village. The road leading away from the train station is the main one, and the rest are small roads that meander through a variety of short buildings housing businesses and homes. The beach we were going to was actually part of the property owned by a hotel, although they allowed other people on the beach for a fee of NT$100, which isn't a whole lot.
What shocked us was that, when we got the beach, the guard at the gate informed us it was closed. With Rory and I lacking Chinese ability and the guard having no English, we were obviously not able to communicate with each other beyond that. So Rory and I decided to investigate the visitor's center and see if there were other beaches along the coast we could visit--after all, we'd come all the way there! What we found out from someone at the center was that the beach was closed because of the recent typhoon.
So the sun was shining and the weather was pleasant, but the beach was closed for the typhoon. Baffling, really. This story has a happy ending, though, because we walked about one hundred feet down the street to the entrance of another part of the beach, which was separated from the hotel's beach by two thin inlets of water running from land to sea. After we set up a spot for ourselves, I crossed those shallow inlets and used the hotel's own washrooms to change into my bathing suit. (Sometimes it's good being foreign, nobody questions you when you're walking around on hotel property.)
It was a really nice day out. There wasn't much to do in Fulong besides be on the beach, so Rory and I stayed there for most of the day, occasionally going in the water (which was apparently not allowed but no one stopped us, this place was really informal) and talking about our respective Shane schools and home countries. Rory is from New Zealand, so I had a fantastic time learning about "togs" (swim suits) and "jandals" (flip flops) and that New Zealand's animal population consists almost entirely of birds.
BIRDS, you guys. I love birds. A whole country of birds, though?! I am going to New Zealand someday for this.
When it got a little darker we left the beach and grabbed dinner at a restaurant modeled after Africa. The food was pretty good, and behind me I could still hear the waves hitting the shore. Taiwanese and foreign kids were playing on a little playground nearby, and sometimes I marvel at how similar human life is no matter where you go. Kids are always the same.
The trip back was pretty uneventful; the whole day was uneventful, which was very nice on a weekend. I'm teaching 22.5 hours a week, which doesn't sound like much, but it can be draining. I like teaching, but social interaction can be exhausting for me, and when I have to be the source of all entertainment all the time while making sure everyone is involved and learning something, I often finish the day looking forward to solitude and silence. So it was nice to have such a laid-back day at the beach, with no pressure to do anything except absolutely nothing.
I definitely want to go again next year, during the hot part of the year and when the main beach is open. :)
I have to give a shoutout to a local bakery, Pinocchio. A friend introduced me to it and it was one of the best things she could have done. The bread they make in this place... you can tell from the taste, texture, and shape if it that they hand-kneaded it in the back room, like REAL BREAD. You can also tell they cook it fresh because what they have changes based on the time of day, because they only make enough for the day, and this morning my fruit-and-nut mini-loaf with cream cheese in the middle was still slightly warm.
They have sliced loaves, mini cakes (these change with the season and approaching holidays), muffins, and cold cakes (like the birthday and special-occasion kind) in a refrigerator. Everything is always delicious and you can taste the quality. Plus, the loaves are reasonably priced, so I don't feel bad about going once or twice a week to grab something (which I then proceed to devour in one sitting no matter what I promise myself).
But that's not why I'm giving Pinocchio a shoutout today. No, what I want to give them additional credit for is their selection of music. Because damn. The other day I was in there and they were playing "Someone's Waiting For You" from Disney's THE RESCUERS. You know, that song that's playing while the little girl, Penny, is crying on the boat and wishing on stars? That song. I realized what it was and I went, "Oh. My. Dear. God. What is this unexpected childhood nostalgia tomfoolery?!"
And then today I walked in to find them playing "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence, and well...
Shout out. Pinocchio, seriously. SERIOUSLY. I can't handle how awesome you keep being.
Anyway, if you're ever in Xinjhuang, Taiwan, stop by.
