Hot and Humid

Saturday, June 2, 2007--Taipei

Wow, the weather is hot and humid here! After just a few minutes outside, clothes start to cling to the body. Even two baths a day don't seem like enough. The only respite is to be inside with air conditioning. Still, I am here and need to explore the city.

I started the day by going to the nearby exclusive area. It's very modern with a very urban feel--a cluster of department stores, malls, and huge cinema hall. It was full of people. I wasn't interested in shopping. I just looked around at the buildings and the people and took a few photos.

From there, I headed to the weekend markets that are held under a raised expressway. By the time I was there, I had walked about 4 1/2 subway stops from my apartment and I was hot and tired. I had a bottle of water with me and had been drinking all along the way. One of the markets is a flower market that runs about 3 blocks under the expressway. There were beautiful flowering plants everywhere. There were nice examples of bonsai. But the best thing about the market was the misting machines they had set up along the whole way. They benefited both the plants and the customers! I took a few pictures there and then started looking for food before going to the next market.

I found a sidewalk stand where a couple of people were eating. None of us spoke the same language, but it was obvious they were recommending a soup. I ordered it. It was a thick broth (like in sweet and sour soup) with carrots, mushrooms, and other vegetables and with dumplings and tiny pieces of meat of some kind (pork?) in it. I was so hungry that I almost burned my tongue eating it. I haven't been eating much all week. As had the soup, I watched what others were eating. I ordered a plate of rice with a meat sauce over it. It came with half a boiled egg and also with some dried, powdery product over part of it. It's a popular dish here, because I have seen it being served elsewhere. It was good, but it wasn't as good as the soup. By the time I had finished, I was full. Then I finished my bottle of water because the food had made me thirsty.

Next, I went through the jade market. It was more crowded than the flower market. That means it was warmer there. And there were only a few misting machines inside it with men standing continuously under them. I don't really know how to judge the quality of jade, so I just looked. Besides jade, there were many other related products for sale, too. The jade market was only about half the size of the flower market.

I walked up to the main shopping street to return home. I went into Sogo, the big local department store and wandered through their food halls. Then I started trying to make my way home. I was just too tired from the heat and the humidity. I was coming through a newly developed area that had mostly offices and new apartment buildings and I was so thirsty. I thought I would never come to a convenience store for more water. But finally I did about 7-8 blocks from my apartment. By the time I reached the apartment, I had already drunk almost half of the 2.2 liter bottle of water!

After napping, reading, and cooling down, I took another shower and headed out for dinner. There is a night market near here the manager told me about. I went there. It was full of people buying food to take home. I had expected restaurants to be mixed among the stalls, but there weren't. Instead, there were prepared-food stalls selling food to go. I inspected them and was attracted to one that had nice looking sesame chicken or pork. There was no rice to go with them; that is sold elsewhere, I guess, or cooked at home. The lady motioned for me to take a toothpick and try a piece. I made a mistake by trying a small piece. It was wonderful! I bought a small plastic box of it to go and took another toothpick to eat it while walking through the mall. The first piece was mostly bone. So was the second. It was tasty, but it spoiled it having to eat it away from the bones. And it wasn't nearly as much food as it looked like it would be when I thought it was boneless. Anyway, it served as my dinner.

When I got back, Mark was here getting some final items and using the computer. His new apartment doesn't have a computer, so I think he is going through withdrawal pangs. After he left, I looked into his room, and it looks as if he has left a few more things he needs to get. Although he said goodbye as if he wouldn't see me again, my guess is that he will be back another day to get those and use the computer again! The manager is never here, so things operate here loosely. I guess he could keep coming until the room (and, therefore, the keys he uses to get inside) is rented.