Two Sunny Days in a Row!

Tuesday, June, 12, 2007--Tainan (Continued)

There was heavy rain with thunder and lightning all day today. I stayed inside almost all day. I watched a couple of crummy movies on TV. I read in my guidebooks for Indonesia. I finally went out to the Internet cafe down the street for a couple of hours. I had lunch while out for that. Later, I returned to my usual night place and had dinner--a bowl of noodle soup with whole shrimps and pieces of chicken.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007--Tainan

Sunshine!!! I went out about 9:30 and spent 5 hours on a walking tour of the major sites in town following a map in my guidebook. It included mostly temples and an old fortress. It also included a couple of old narrow streets with interesting shops. Clouds built up in the mid-afternoon and it showered lightly about 20 minutes. Then it turned nice again for the rest of the day.

I had only eaten a granola bar for lunch, so I was hungry and went to dinner at 17:30 at my usual place. I splurged and had TWO dishes--a plate of 10 dumplings and a bowl of Taiwan noodles (wide noodles in a broth with tiny pieces of ground beef and vegetables. It was too much and cost a total of about $1.90 U.S.! Then I walked to the park and wandered. I talked to some men who spoke a little English. I watched a man fishing for a while. It was just pleasant to have good weather and to be outside.

Thursday, June 14, 2007--Tainan to Anping and Back

I went to the train station to buy my ticket for Saturday to get me back to Taipei. This will be a holiday weekend here in Taiwan, so I wanted to be sure and have a seat to get back to the big city. The holiday is actually on Monday. It's too bad I am leaving that day. If I had known, I would have left the next day. Anyway, it is the day they have the long boat races all over Taiwan. Of course, I've seen such races in several countries, so it isn't a big loss for me. But they are always fun to watch, and it is always fun to be among the crowd at such an event.

There was sunshine again today, so I headed to Anping, the port area of Tainan. It used to be on a small piece of land out in the ocean, but today the low water areas have been filled and developed, so it is just a far suburb with no break between town and there. It has an old Dutch fort and some old temples. It's about a 4.5 km walk from my hotel there. There is supposedly a #2 bus that goes there, but I never saw it. Besides, I like getting a little exercise after being shut up so much lately. I walked to there and was so HOT by the time I reached it. When it is sunny here, it is almost as bad as if it is rainy!!

After seeing the sights and resting in the shade and reading a while, I headed back to town by foot looking for a place for a late lunch. I finally found a place selling huge, fat spring rolls. I bought one hoping it would be good. Well, it was the best spring roll I have ever eaten in my life. The wrapper was a think semi-crispy one somewhat like a crepe. I worried because it didn't come with a sauce, but one wasn't needed. Inside, it had been sprinkled with just a little sugar and had a layer of peanut chunks all the way through it that gave it the taste of having been dipped in a peanut sauce. The roll was filled with nice chunks of chicken, several small shrimp, and tasty vegetables. Ummm, I could eat another one right now!! Too bad it is about 2 km away from my hotel.

I'll probably go back to the park after leaving the cyber cafe. Tomorrow is my last day here. Saturday, I will return to Taipei getting there around 13:00. Ignatius will meet me again Saturday evening at the apartment to share a dinner and visit. Sunday, I'll go out among the people for one last time. Then Monday morning early I will leave on my flights to take me to Bali. Will update again in Taipei Saturday and/or Sunday.