A stroll through the market.

Note:  This entry was written yesterday (Sunday 12/11/11).  I ran out of time to post it before having to board the plane.  After getting into Harbin and taking care of some business I was too tired to do it last night.  Here it is, better late than never.


I'm sitting in Taipei International Airport, Gate C5, waiting for EVA Airways Flight 768 from Taipei to Harbin China.  This is easily the nicest, most modern airport I have ever seen.  Everything is clean and new.  There are computers and iPads in the gate area for passengers to surf the internet or check email.  There are touchscreen information kiosks, and even a reading room with a fairly impressive collection of books to borrow.  As with most things about Taiwan, they have not failed to impress me.  


Yesterday started early.  We were both awake by 6am.  Neither of us have suffered much from jet lag.  I went downstairs to the coffee lounge of the condo building to catch up on emails.  While there I made two new friends in Zhen and Tom.  Zhen works in the coffee lounge and speaks little English.  We managed to find enough common vocabulary to carry on a conversation.  Tom, a security guard in the building, came along with his excellent English and helped out.  I had a great time practicing my Mandarin while making two new friends.

We took a walk to the local market which is a collection of alleyways and warehouse type building divided into individual shops.  

No matter how crowded the streets or walkway there are always plenty of scooters.  In fact, I can't think of anywhere in Taiwan where I didn't see scooters.  It seems to be the preferred method of transportation.  

There are rules on the roads, although they don't resemble what we would see in the US.  Basically, scooters can go anywhere they will fit.  

At stoplights all the scooters wind around the cars stopped at the light and get to the front of the line.  When the light changes it looks like the start of a race, which it is.  Wendy's cousin explained to me that if you missed your chance to get through a light and got stuck behind the cars, you would be sitting there for quite a while.

  
The market is what I would have expected in an Asian market had I ever taken the time to form a set of expectations.  It was crowded, and noisy, with unfamiliar sights and smells.  A complete assault on the senses.  

I was very surprised that not only was I not overwhelmed, I had a great time taking it all in.  I know Wendy was shocked when I volunteered to try a sample of food from a street vendor. 

I was the only non-asian person I saw the entire time we were walking through the markets.  I think there was a bit of curiosity from some the the people I saw.  There were plenty of smiles when I offered a "Ni Hao", and some pretty good laughs the few times I tried to take the conversation further.  We had a great time at the market.

  
In the afternoon we had another lunch in downtown Taipei.  We met several of Wendy's cousins.  I have met so many people now that I am lost when trying to recall names.

Last night we got a visit from Wendy's cousin Jack and his family.  Wendy has mentioned Jack many times.  His sister, Alice, lives in Raleigh.  Jack lived in the US when he was a teenager and now teaches English in Taiwan.  His wife, Meghan, also teaches English in Taiwan.  They have an adorable son named Joseph.  The 5 of us went to a hot pot restaurant for a late dinner.  We really connected with Jack and Meghan.  It seems silly to say of someone we've just met, but I will miss them and look forward to seeing them again.  Everyone really enjoyed the food at the hot pot place - although, one of us may have sampled another local delicacy instead.  

Some place called McDonalds!


We have just a few minutes before we board.  Just a bit over 24 hours until we meet Sophia.