Tainan city

Tainan City, Friday 01/03/12.

 

It's been four and half months since I first arrived in Taiwan and I've decided to start keeping a diary mostly so that I don't forget whats happened. These are some of my favourite photos I've taken since I have arrived. Taiwan is a crazy place, imagine busy nightmarkets selling all kinds of random, bbq, shrimp, fruit, noodles, pancakes, duck tongues and stinky tofu- we'll get to that later. Rammed up back alleys caked with petrol spewing scooters. The most seven elevens you will ever see. Infact Taiwan has the densest population and also most amount of seven elevens. Why you ask? Because you can do everything at seven. food, bills, booze, taxi's, internet the list goes on. Tea shops too with my favourite beverage DO DO LOOOOO dot every corner. Food places everywhere, for a skinny people they sure pack away a lot of greasy unhealthy food. Where does it go? intimidating stray dogs rule the streets hunting in packs skulking along the railroad tracks. They'll chew up TOTO thay little fluffy white dog from the tea shop so thats why he's not allowed out of the garden. Strangely sweet foods and weird ginger man pubes which is infact pork floss speckle shiny sugar cakes from 85 cafe. People everywhere and at any time it truly is a 24hr place.

Well thats a brief overview of course there is still a lot to add and add I will as the days pass.

Today was an ordinary day as in uneventful but also placidly normal. I went to the gym today and bussed out some moves in the pool. Me, SAm and RIk are on our get ripped quick scheme. We invested in a smoothie maker a great investment as Taiwan is a 12 season country, every month there is some kind of tastly tropical fruit being sold for pennies. The abumdance of papayas and passion fruit is sometimes too large for the population to consume and they start browning on the 24hr shop shelves. At the moment it is Papaya and weird strange apple pear fruit season. So after indulging in a nice cooling swim- it was 27C today we ate a fruit smoothie feeling smug withourselves. Followed by an unhealthy lunch at seven eleven. Fried shrimp balls, sushi triangle and coffee sets me up for a day at work. 

I work at a buxiban prononced busiban one of the largest cram school chains on the island. I enjoy working there but they are so bloody disorganised at times it drives me crazy. I had a one to one tutorial with a lively seven year old. He is a very intelligent, violin, piano playing studios boy with a love for fiddling with paper and anything he can possibly fiddle with. He almost had a hulk moment today. He couldn't understand the work and to be honest his enthusiasm has been waning recently and I thought he was gonna full on temper tantrum. Luckliy I had a little chocolate coin in my bag. I feel sorry for the poor little buggar. These Taiwanese kids wake up at 6.30, head straight to school, finish school at 4.30 head to the buxiban for maths and english, then go home and do homework. They even have to go to school on a Saturday sometimes. So I can understand he would get grumpy. I lighethened the mood with a game and the green faded from his cheeks. 

Rode the scooter home at 8. Its been about a month since we bought the scooter and the novelty is yet to wear off. I don't wanna get in to a crash it's so easy to get complacent. And the poeple here drive like maniacs. They wear facemasks whenever they get a cold but strap their children onto scooters with homemade chair devices and no helmets, cutting you up at every possible chance. Its madness. It's surprising who the worst drivers are.  I mean there are the boy racers thats to be expected but the crazy grannies who come up the wrong side of the road with ten big bin liners tides to the scooter their mirrors all bent- you know they are not using those. There is actually a red white and black triangle sign with a granny with a big cart. BEWARE the grannies. Then you got the young, i'm not gonna stop for nothing girls. Who ride around in stillettos going through red lights. But I'm used to it, through the chaos there is order, there is predictable madness so I'm used to it. Plus if a car hits you they are always in the wrong so they stay away from the scooters.  Still since i've been here two of my co workers have crashed. They were boys however with a penchance for dangeroud driving.

Well I'm staying in tonight, I'm almost 27 now so can't be fucked with endless shitty bars like I used to love. I'm going out tomorrow so that will be my weekly dose of booze. As i said trying to get ripped quick and trying to save money. If you go out you will honestly spend more money on drink than on your rent its pretty pricey comparitively. Looks like its movie night with the boys.