We had a pretty light day today, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get up early. At least I’m sleeping in until 7:00, but I’ve been waking up with a little bit of a sore throat the past two days. At night, I’m going to sleep with a little tightness in my lungs from breathing in the city pollution. I think the two are related. Breakfast was a hearty chi fan and some fruit. After filling up, my dad rested while my Uncle and laoshi went to a local market, about a block away. Finally, I was going to get some exposure to the local life.
Most of the buildings in this area consist of at least four floors, many a little higher. The first floors are always some kind of business or garage with the remaining floors used for housing. This makes for a lot of commerce, either prepared foods or more durable goods, on every street. The local market had this setup, with the first floors of every building being a closeable stall, lining a walking street, about the width of one car. That’s not to say there were cars on the street. In fact, pedestrians ruled this area with scooters and bikes struggling to make way. The crowd was a complete mix of the old and young, shopping for food, clothing, toys, and candy. Not much in the way of durable goods, which are probably left for other open markets or small shops. The air was surprisingly neutral, considering the variety of foods being sold. The sounds were pretty stereotypical. Music was playing in the distance, there was a hum of conversation, with the shouts of competing vendors rising above it all. If you caught the eye of a vendor, they would instantly rapid fire some prices at you in an attempt to sell of their perishables. The local meals we’ve been getting are really cheap. A breakfast or lunch will run you about 1 U.S. dollar, and is more filling than fast food, States side. Unprepared food is even cheaper, and one could easily live on 15-20 U.S. bucks a week, eating well; especially if you enjoy seafood.
After that quick foray, we relaxed the rest of the day, leaving again only to take a quick trip to the famous Camera Street, were I wanted to compare some prices. There are supposed to be about forty camera stores in this area, but we only got to a handful of them because laoshi kept stopping every twenty feet to point out a building of interest to my dad. Because of this, we ran out of time, since we needed to head to my aunt Ellen’s for dinner with my cousins from California. If I want to explore more, I’ll need to head out on my own.
Dinner was a home-cooked affair with every dish being edible and very enjoyable. I haven’t seen my cousins for 15 years, so it was nice to catch up a little. They brought two of their boys with them, and it was enjoyable watching those bundle of energies race around the house. Last time I was in Taiwan, I was probably about their age, and I’m told we stayed at that same house. It’s retrospective times like these that make me slow down and enjoy things a bit more. They’re in town a few more days so hopefully I’ll be able to see them again. My cousin Geoff has made multiple invitations to go out, so I might take him up on the offer, just to see Taipei from a younger perspective.
Tomorrow should be another restful day, but I ‘m thinking about going out on my own. I’m beginning to feel comfortable enough with the rails and brave (or restless) enough to attempt it. Travel is cheap, and I always have a cellphone and GPS to help.
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