I just got home and opened up the fridge to get a snack, but what I found was a roach crawling around inside. How did it get there? How long was he in there? As I was trying to get someone else to come kill him, he crawled out of the egg tray, over the top of the door and around the side back into a dark shadow. Dirty little bugger. They have such nerve.
Two months ago I probably would have needed to be rushed to the hospital and would have spent at least 10-12 days on bedrest, but today I was pretty calm about it. I am surprised (and proud) to learn that nothing really shocks me anymore, and I can have such a confrontation with a roach without having instant heart failure. I am a success story. Yay me!
However, I'm not really all that excited that I don't mind roaches anymore, because when I sit here and think about it, I still feel that they are the most disgusting and repulsive things that walk the earth. And the fact that I see so many that they don't bother me is really sad. I can't believe that I saw a roach in my refrigerator and didn't have an appropriate reaction.
Well that's enough about roaches.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Big Trip
So our Moon Festival holiday started out with Emily's birthday party, which was a huge success. Mostly because her sister made some really great fajitas, guacamole and salsa, and her bro in law made really great margaritas from scratch, no mix was used!! Incredible! It was great, my mouth was so happy:)
We got off to a bit of a rough start on Saturday; Emily and I went out in search of our rental car, but couldn't find the place. People don't bother to use signs here so it's impossible to find anything, and it's all in Chinese. Really frustrating. And it was raining on us as we drove the scooter around. So after almost two hours we gave up. She and Shaun went back out and finally got a car, and we left the city around 3. We drove up through Taipei and then down the east coast of the island on a very scenic road that goes just along the sea. It was beautiful except that it was raining. We also had to stop for two hours while a backhoe cleared the road from a huge rockslide that happened. It was really scary because we were just on this cliff with huge rocks hanging over the road. (On our way home in the daylight we saw where lots of huge rockslides had happened because of the rain, and there were places where huge chunks of the road had just fallen off the cliff into the ocean below. It was sobering because we weren't able to see that when we were driving down during the night. Yikes.) We finally made it to a town called Hualien and found our hostel which was a really beautiful place surrounded by fields, palm trees and banana trees, right at the foot of some mountains with waterfalls in the distance. Wowie, it was pretty.
Sunday we drove through Taroko Gorge, which is one the most amazing things I have ever seen. Emily even said it was better than the Grand Canyon (I have not been there yet). It was raining so we didn't get to hike as much as we wanted to, but we still got to see a lot of great scenery and took many many photos. Because it was raining there were tons of waterfalls everywhere--it was so breathtaking! That night we stayed with the friends of the man we stayed with the night before. They decided to take us out that night to see an aboriginal dance and also to eat some dumplings. They were great! They didn't speak much English but were completely enthralled with us. They bought us food and souveniers, and the husband even did some Chinese caligraphy on a rock for each of us with our name on it! It was a really cool gift and we definitely appreciated their kindness and enthusiasm. They just didn't want us to leave the next day, so they took pictures of us outside of their house and then made us stay while they made a cd for each of us with the pictures. It was kind of funny but so so nice of them:) They were great, I will never forget them. How unexpected that we got to stay at their house because we hadn't even planned on staying another night there! I'm really glad we did.
Monday we drove to a twon called Yilan where there are a lot of hot springs. We stayed at a really weird hotel there and bathed in the hot water. We got some great street food for dinner and walked through the streets for a while. The next day it finally stopped raining! It was amazing, after almost a week of rain it stopped the day we had to go home! So we packed up and headed back to the city. We stopped in a little town called Ping Lin at a tea museum to do a tasting and to buy some tea. There was a very beautiful river that went through the town and all you could see were hills covered in tea farms. It was a beautiful place and I would really like to go back there. We then dropped Angela and Shaun off in Taipei since they were flying out that evening, and we drove back to Hsinchu. Emily had the very bright idea that we eat at Fridays for lunch so we indulged ourselves and LOVED LIFE. I had a normal hamburger with normal meat and normal fries. I was in Heaven. That afternoon Sam and I drove the scooter down to the beach about 15 minutes away and walked around a little bit. The beach near us is not that amazing, but a little farther down it is very nice, so we are going there this weekend.
It was a great break and we all had a super time. I can't wait to see more of Taiwan! I can't believe how much there is to see here on such a small little island. I am in the process of uploading almost 200 pictures, and they are definitely worth checking out. Lots of cool stuff. i had some difficulties with my computer but Sam sorted it out after I nearly chucked the thing out the window. Anyway, problem solved and photos are on the way...
We got off to a bit of a rough start on Saturday; Emily and I went out in search of our rental car, but couldn't find the place. People don't bother to use signs here so it's impossible to find anything, and it's all in Chinese. Really frustrating. And it was raining on us as we drove the scooter around. So after almost two hours we gave up. She and Shaun went back out and finally got a car, and we left the city around 3. We drove up through Taipei and then down the east coast of the island on a very scenic road that goes just along the sea. It was beautiful except that it was raining. We also had to stop for two hours while a backhoe cleared the road from a huge rockslide that happened. It was really scary because we were just on this cliff with huge rocks hanging over the road. (On our way home in the daylight we saw where lots of huge rockslides had happened because of the rain, and there were places where huge chunks of the road had just fallen off the cliff into the ocean below. It was sobering because we weren't able to see that when we were driving down during the night. Yikes.) We finally made it to a town called Hualien and found our hostel which was a really beautiful place surrounded by fields, palm trees and banana trees, right at the foot of some mountains with waterfalls in the distance. Wowie, it was pretty.
Sunday we drove through Taroko Gorge, which is one the most amazing things I have ever seen. Emily even said it was better than the Grand Canyon (I have not been there yet). It was raining so we didn't get to hike as much as we wanted to, but we still got to see a lot of great scenery and took many many photos. Because it was raining there were tons of waterfalls everywhere--it was so breathtaking! That night we stayed with the friends of the man we stayed with the night before. They decided to take us out that night to see an aboriginal dance and also to eat some dumplings. They were great! They didn't speak much English but were completely enthralled with us. They bought us food and souveniers, and the husband even did some Chinese caligraphy on a rock for each of us with our name on it! It was a really cool gift and we definitely appreciated their kindness and enthusiasm. They just didn't want us to leave the next day, so they took pictures of us outside of their house and then made us stay while they made a cd for each of us with the pictures. It was kind of funny but so so nice of them:) They were great, I will never forget them. How unexpected that we got to stay at their house because we hadn't even planned on staying another night there! I'm really glad we did.
Monday we drove to a twon called Yilan where there are a lot of hot springs. We stayed at a really weird hotel there and bathed in the hot water. We got some great street food for dinner and walked through the streets for a while. The next day it finally stopped raining! It was amazing, after almost a week of rain it stopped the day we had to go home! So we packed up and headed back to the city. We stopped in a little town called Ping Lin at a tea museum to do a tasting and to buy some tea. There was a very beautiful river that went through the town and all you could see were hills covered in tea farms. It was a beautiful place and I would really like to go back there. We then dropped Angela and Shaun off in Taipei since they were flying out that evening, and we drove back to Hsinchu. Emily had the very bright idea that we eat at Fridays for lunch so we indulged ourselves and LOVED LIFE. I had a normal hamburger with normal meat and normal fries. I was in Heaven. That afternoon Sam and I drove the scooter down to the beach about 15 minutes away and walked around a little bit. The beach near us is not that amazing, but a little farther down it is very nice, so we are going there this weekend.
It was a great break and we all had a super time. I can't wait to see more of Taiwan! I can't believe how much there is to see here on such a small little island. I am in the process of uploading almost 200 pictures, and they are definitely worth checking out. Lots of cool stuff. i had some difficulties with my computer but Sam sorted it out after I nearly chucked the thing out the window. Anyway, problem solved and photos are on the way...
Friday, September 21, 2007
Moon Festival Holiday!
Well today we are off to Taroko Gorge for a night, and then will be driving up the east coast until Tuesday. I'm really excited about the trip, and we are about to go pick up our rental car. On the voyage I am joined by Emily of course, Sam, Angela and Shaun. A good group of people.
Yesterday was Emily's birthday so we had a party for her on our roof, and almost all of our 15 friends came for the occasion. It was a really nice sunny day yesterday which we haven't seen in a few weeks, so it was a perfect day for a birthday party!
I know that I promised to post pictures about 2 weeks ago and haven't had the time, but hopefully I will be able to do a big post after this trip of everything for the past couple of weeks. I am really excited about the pictures I'm about to take!!!
Take care and thanks for your emails, cards and comments on my blog!!
Yesterday was Emily's birthday so we had a party for her on our roof, and almost all of our 15 friends came for the occasion. It was a really nice sunny day yesterday which we haven't seen in a few weeks, so it was a perfect day for a birthday party!
I know that I promised to post pictures about 2 weeks ago and haven't had the time, but hopefully I will be able to do a big post after this trip of everything for the past couple of weeks. I am really excited about the pictures I'm about to take!!!
Take care and thanks for your emails, cards and comments on my blog!!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Nothing to say really...
This has been a pretty uneventful week here on the island. It's gone by quickly though so that is GRRRREAT! We can tell that the weather is starting to cool off a bit so that is very exciting. We are a little worried about how we will survive the winter in our concrete house that holds in the heat and cold and does not have a heater. I hear it's pretty miserable, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there (and probably complain about it too). Right now all that is on my mind is, " Six hours until the weekend!" and also "What might I find in my food today?" and "I wonder if the donut shop is still open?"
We leave for Taipei in the morning and are excited to explore the city. We will meet up with Angela and Shaun sometime tomorrow at our hotel-- they are in the air right now!! Really excited to see that Taipei 101 and go to a jazz festival during the day!
The highlight of my week was something imaginary:
On our walk home from work one night there was an ambulance stopped in the street with its lights flashing and sirens blaring. There was absolutely noone around. As we walked by we saw that the bed was inside of it, so I dared Emily to get in and lay there until the paramedics came back. I thought how funny it would be to just watch as they brought down someone who actually needed the ambulance to find Emily lying there. I bet it would be really funny, especially because everything Asians do it funnier for some reason. Of course Emily didn't do it, but I still laugh just thinking about it. I really don't know why, but it's such a funny image to me. Oh dear.
Well I know that all my fans out there were probably dying to know what I have been up to--I've gotten lots of emails asking me to update my blog. Right. This blog makes me feel a bit narcissistic.
We leave for Taipei in the morning and are excited to explore the city. We will meet up with Angela and Shaun sometime tomorrow at our hotel-- they are in the air right now!! Really excited to see that Taipei 101 and go to a jazz festival during the day!
The highlight of my week was something imaginary:
On our walk home from work one night there was an ambulance stopped in the street with its lights flashing and sirens blaring. There was absolutely noone around. As we walked by we saw that the bed was inside of it, so I dared Emily to get in and lay there until the paramedics came back. I thought how funny it would be to just watch as they brought down someone who actually needed the ambulance to find Emily lying there. I bet it would be really funny, especially because everything Asians do it funnier for some reason. Of course Emily didn't do it, but I still laugh just thinking about it. I really don't know why, but it's such a funny image to me. Oh dear.
Well I know that all my fans out there were probably dying to know what I have been up to--I've gotten lots of emails asking me to update my blog. Right. This blog makes me feel a bit narcissistic.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Highlights From the Weekend...
Friday Emily and I had dinner at our favorite Thai place. So good. We tried really hard not to talk about school but it works it's way into most conversations. We both had a long and trying week. We were so tired that we couldn't even name all the 7 continents or remember the name of the "debatable 8th." Wow.
Saturday we hopped on the scooter and went off in search of "Green Lake" which was named in one of our books as a prime touristy spot. We drove out of the city into the hills where we could smell grass and trees and not so much pollution. We stopped a few times to look at some neat temples and an interesting grave yard. At one of the temples we were able to see for a really long way and got some good pictures of the city. We followed the directions to Green Lake but it was nowhere to be found. We drove around where it was supposed to be and were so puzzled that it wasn't there. There was even a hotel called "Lakeview Hotel" and a restaurant with a big deck. Finally we saw a sign that said "No Swimming" overlooking a big grassy field. Then it hit us--THIS IS THE LAKE!!! Apparantly the lake had some "sedimentation problems" a couple of years ago so now it just looks like a big overgrown field. We assume they meant to name it "Green Grass Lake." But even though the whole lake thing didn't turn out we saw some really neat stuff and had a great time scootering around seeing new things in our city.
That night our friends had a bbq out on their roof which was a lot of fun. We got to see the mountains that surround our city that we don't usually get to see because of the smog. The mountains are pretty big and it's hard to believe that they are there because there are usually clouds covering them.
Yao Ming made an appearance to Hsinchu this weekend. He ran some workshop for kids at a gym where our friends work out so they got to see him and wish him a happy birthday:) They said that there wasn't much of a crowd even though Yao is a pretty big deal over here (no pun intended).
Well the weekend was not long enough. Here I am back at school with a bad case of the Mondays. Next weekend we will be staying in Taipei when Angela and Shaun (Emily's sister and bro-in-law) get here, and Sam gets here on Monday! Whooooooo!!!!!!
I will post pictures of our weekend soon including some really great shots of the "lake."
Saturday we hopped on the scooter and went off in search of "Green Lake" which was named in one of our books as a prime touristy spot. We drove out of the city into the hills where we could smell grass and trees and not so much pollution. We stopped a few times to look at some neat temples and an interesting grave yard. At one of the temples we were able to see for a really long way and got some good pictures of the city. We followed the directions to Green Lake but it was nowhere to be found. We drove around where it was supposed to be and were so puzzled that it wasn't there. There was even a hotel called "Lakeview Hotel" and a restaurant with a big deck. Finally we saw a sign that said "No Swimming" overlooking a big grassy field. Then it hit us--THIS IS THE LAKE!!! Apparantly the lake had some "sedimentation problems" a couple of years ago so now it just looks like a big overgrown field. We assume they meant to name it "Green Grass Lake." But even though the whole lake thing didn't turn out we saw some really neat stuff and had a great time scootering around seeing new things in our city.
That night our friends had a bbq out on their roof which was a lot of fun. We got to see the mountains that surround our city that we don't usually get to see because of the smog. The mountains are pretty big and it's hard to believe that they are there because there are usually clouds covering them.
Yao Ming made an appearance to Hsinchu this weekend. He ran some workshop for kids at a gym where our friends work out so they got to see him and wish him a happy birthday:) They said that there wasn't much of a crowd even though Yao is a pretty big deal over here (no pun intended).
Well the weekend was not long enough. Here I am back at school with a bad case of the Mondays. Next weekend we will be staying in Taipei when Angela and Shaun (Emily's sister and bro-in-law) get here, and Sam gets here on Monday! Whooooooo!!!!!!
I will post pictures of our weekend soon including some really great shots of the "lake."
Friday, September 7, 2007
HOORAY FOR THE WEEKEND
In all my days I have never needed a weekend more than today. Spending seven hours a day with eight three year olds then another hour and a half with eleven ten year olds is really not what I envisioned myself doing when I was younger. I'm pretty sure I lost my mind a bit this week. I love my kids but I do not miss them when the day is over...
Phrases I say at least 30 times a day:
-Be quiet!
-Be quiet NOW!
-BEEEEE QUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEET!
-Sit down!
-Sit down NOW!
-IF YOU DONT SIT DOWN YOU ARE GOING TO TIME OUT!
-Go to time out.
-Go to time out NOW!
-Go sit outside.
-Stop crying.
-Stop picking your nose!
-GET YOUR FINGER OUT OF YOUR NOSE!
-Keep eating.
-Put your hand on your spoon!
-Go get a tissue.
-No running.
-Sit still.
-Pay attention!
-Get your hand out of your pants!
-Pull up your pants!
-Put on your shoes!
-Flush the toilet!
-Dry your hands!
-Color inside of the lines.
-No pushing!
-No hitting!
-No hitting Teachers!
-I don't understand Chinese!
You get the idea. No wonder I've lost my voice. They have become like my children, we see them more than their parents do. I am so glad it's the weekend.
Phrases I say at least 30 times a day:
-Be quiet!
-Be quiet NOW!
-BEEEEE QUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEET!
-Sit down!
-Sit down NOW!
-IF YOU DONT SIT DOWN YOU ARE GOING TO TIME OUT!
-Go to time out.
-Go to time out NOW!
-Go sit outside.
-Stop crying.
-Stop picking your nose!
-GET YOUR FINGER OUT OF YOUR NOSE!
-Keep eating.
-Put your hand on your spoon!
-Go get a tissue.
-No running.
-Sit still.
-Pay attention!
-Get your hand out of your pants!
-Pull up your pants!
-Put on your shoes!
-Flush the toilet!
-Dry your hands!
-Color inside of the lines.
-No pushing!
-No hitting!
-No hitting Teachers!
-I don't understand Chinese!
You get the idea. No wonder I've lost my voice. They have become like my children, we see them more than their parents do. I am so glad it's the weekend.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Earthquake
Last night I woke up to the unsettling feeling of my bed rocking all over the place--the first earthquake I have felt since being here. I read a news report that said it lasted 30 seconds--that's a long time!!!!. It was scary because it was so long. Taiwan has earthquakes pretty often, they say about 200 per month, but you can't usually feel them becasue they're just tremors. There was a big one last December that killed 2 people, and in 1998 that killed over 2000. I have lots of respect for the earth's power to totally demolish me. Anyway, found a an article about it this morning, take a look:
earthquake
earthquake
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Octopus Balls
No Dad, not genitalia. See photo 9 of my "Around Town" album, which you can get to through my link "Photos" to the right of this paragraph. At least I don't think I have been eating the balls of an octopus... oh geez. Besides, I don't eat them, it was just that one time when I decided they are not for me hence the weight loss because they are served often.
Hope that clears things up.
Hope that clears things up.
Time Zones
Time is not real, it is a man-made concept to measure light and dark. I don't get it. It seems like the more I travel the less I am able to comprehend time differences! I am always calculating in my head what time it is in other countries to know if people are awake there so I can call them (my skype name is "thisisbethany"). Anyway, it does my head in on a daily basis.
Right before I came out to Taiwan I had a funny conversation with my mom and sister, we were talking about what Emily might be doing since she was already here. Lydia said; "I just don't get it... so if the world ends on Wednesday does that mean that Emily dies first?" Very good question. This morning I had a message from Emily's dad that said "Did tomorrow make it there alright?" It's sort of funny to joke about. I wonder if it affects the way you age if you go back and forth in time often enough through traveling--no because time doesn't really exist.
Well I am obviously delirious, it is past my usual bedtime of 9:30.
Right before I came out to Taiwan I had a funny conversation with my mom and sister, we were talking about what Emily might be doing since she was already here. Lydia said; "I just don't get it... so if the world ends on Wednesday does that mean that Emily dies first?" Very good question. This morning I had a message from Emily's dad that said "Did tomorrow make it there alright?" It's sort of funny to joke about. I wonder if it affects the way you age if you go back and forth in time often enough through traveling--no because time doesn't really exist.
Well I am obviously delirious, it is past my usual bedtime of 9:30.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Taiwan = Jenny Craig
Apparantly I have lost 7 pounds in the last three weeks. Wowie. All that tofu and fish and octopus balls have really paid off!
All my students are sick right now. My classroom is a breeding ground for all sorts of germs at the moment. Here kids go to school if they have a fever--no biggie. Coughing, sneezing, snot flying in all directions. It is so gross. Guess who else is sick? That's right, Teacher Bethany. We have put masks on most of the kids so I look around me and wonder if I am actually working at a hospital now. I don't get it, but oh well because TODAY IS PAY DAY!! I MADE IT!!
I am teaching an elementary class now with 11 little 10 year olds. I think they think I'm cool, but they keep drawing pictures of me like an old granny with glasses, a bun and very fat. They say "It's you teacher!" I really hope that's not how they see me. We are at work now from 8:30 until after 6 (I am lucky though because some teachers aren't done until 8!!) so it seems like a really long day of taking care of and teaching children. I'm starting to wonder why people even have kids... but then again, if you live in Taiwan it's nice because you can just send them to school until 10pm. Sad actually.
Emily and I are planning our trip to Thailand and Vietnam at the beginning of February. It's Chinece New Year so everyone travels and we have to plan ahead. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!! We really want to go to Cambodia and Laos as well during that holiday so we are hoping we have time to see everything.
We have a four day holiday coming up in September while Sam and Emily's sister and brother in law are here. We are either going to Orchid Island south of Taiwan, or to Taroko Gorge which is in Taiwan not far from here. I'm very excited to see more of Taiwan! Whooo!
We also have plans to go on a casino cruise ship that goes to a Japanese island--but that's just a weekend trip, sounds like fun... I think??? A lot of people do the cruise for visa runs if they don't have an Ailen Residency Visa like we do. So those are our travel plans for the next few months. Very excited as that is the main reason I'm here.
Anydangway, I am going to take a nap, which is another great benefit of this lovely job--my kids have a mandatory nap from 12-2 at which time Teacher Bethany usually joins in, and then I will prepare lessons. I still can't believe I am a teacher, who am I kidding???!!!!!!
All my students are sick right now. My classroom is a breeding ground for all sorts of germs at the moment. Here kids go to school if they have a fever--no biggie. Coughing, sneezing, snot flying in all directions. It is so gross. Guess who else is sick? That's right, Teacher Bethany. We have put masks on most of the kids so I look around me and wonder if I am actually working at a hospital now. I don't get it, but oh well because TODAY IS PAY DAY!! I MADE IT!!
I am teaching an elementary class now with 11 little 10 year olds. I think they think I'm cool, but they keep drawing pictures of me like an old granny with glasses, a bun and very fat. They say "It's you teacher!" I really hope that's not how they see me. We are at work now from 8:30 until after 6 (I am lucky though because some teachers aren't done until 8!!) so it seems like a really long day of taking care of and teaching children. I'm starting to wonder why people even have kids... but then again, if you live in Taiwan it's nice because you can just send them to school until 10pm. Sad actually.
Emily and I are planning our trip to Thailand and Vietnam at the beginning of February. It's Chinece New Year so everyone travels and we have to plan ahead. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!! We really want to go to Cambodia and Laos as well during that holiday so we are hoping we have time to see everything.
We have a four day holiday coming up in September while Sam and Emily's sister and brother in law are here. We are either going to Orchid Island south of Taiwan, or to Taroko Gorge which is in Taiwan not far from here. I'm very excited to see more of Taiwan! Whooo!
We also have plans to go on a casino cruise ship that goes to a Japanese island--but that's just a weekend trip, sounds like fun... I think??? A lot of people do the cruise for visa runs if they don't have an Ailen Residency Visa like we do. So those are our travel plans for the next few months. Very excited as that is the main reason I'm here.
Anydangway, I am going to take a nap, which is another great benefit of this lovely job--my kids have a mandatory nap from 12-2 at which time Teacher Bethany usually joins in, and then I will prepare lessons. I still can't believe I am a teacher, who am I kidding???!!!!!!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Scooter Driving 202
Since I have been here nearly three weeks, and in that time I have gained significant experience on my scooter since my first post, I have prepared another lesson in Scooter Driving:
-If there is something stopped in the middle of the road, it is your responsibility to go around it. This includes swerving into the opposite lane of traffic to avoid the roadblock--the other cars will stop.
-To avoid catching the sun wear shirtless sleves, you can find these many places, and in many fashionable patterns to match every outfit.
-If you are wearing a skirt just ride "side-saddle."
-When it is rainging, do not drive on the painted lines on the road, your scooter will slip out from under you.
-Exhaust pipes are hot, do not touch them, and do not bump into them on other scooters while driving/riding.
-Adults are required to wear helmets while driving/riding scooters, children are not. It is perfectly acceptable to not put a helmet on your child or infant.
-Dogs are good scooter passengers.
-Wear your jacket backwards to lessen drag.
-Two-person scooters easily seat up to five people--the more the merrier.
-Honk to let people know you are coming.
-Green lights: drive quickly through light.
-Yellow lights: drive very quickly through light.
-Red lights: drive extremely quickly through light and blare horn.
-No one has a right of way, they have a "right of space." So you have the right to be wherever you are and do whatever you want.
-Driving in Taiwan is just one constant game of chicken, surely the other person will stop??
-It is not okay to get mad at someone who cut you off, they have the right to do that.
-It is okay to park in the middle of the road to run into a store and get a drink. This is also true for cars.
-There are no sidewalks in Taiwan, vendors, cars, trucks, carts, scooters, bikes, dogs, and pedestrians all share the road to do what they need to do. The road is also where you park. This is a very interesting dynamic on two lane streets.
So there it is. More tips. I'm sure there are more to come as time goes by.
Here is a quote by me to Emily one night on the scooter. I won't give details, but just know that it was a really hilarious situation and we both nearly wet our pants...
"Were you wondering when we were going to stop? Me too, I had no idea."
-If there is something stopped in the middle of the road, it is your responsibility to go around it. This includes swerving into the opposite lane of traffic to avoid the roadblock--the other cars will stop.
-To avoid catching the sun wear shirtless sleves, you can find these many places, and in many fashionable patterns to match every outfit.
-If you are wearing a skirt just ride "side-saddle."
-When it is rainging, do not drive on the painted lines on the road, your scooter will slip out from under you.
-Exhaust pipes are hot, do not touch them, and do not bump into them on other scooters while driving/riding.
-Adults are required to wear helmets while driving/riding scooters, children are not. It is perfectly acceptable to not put a helmet on your child or infant.
-Dogs are good scooter passengers.
-Wear your jacket backwards to lessen drag.
-Two-person scooters easily seat up to five people--the more the merrier.
-Honk to let people know you are coming.
-Green lights: drive quickly through light.
-Yellow lights: drive very quickly through light.
-Red lights: drive extremely quickly through light and blare horn.
-No one has a right of way, they have a "right of space." So you have the right to be wherever you are and do whatever you want.
-Driving in Taiwan is just one constant game of chicken, surely the other person will stop??
-It is not okay to get mad at someone who cut you off, they have the right to do that.
-It is okay to park in the middle of the road to run into a store and get a drink. This is also true for cars.
-There are no sidewalks in Taiwan, vendors, cars, trucks, carts, scooters, bikes, dogs, and pedestrians all share the road to do what they need to do. The road is also where you park. This is a very interesting dynamic on two lane streets.
So there it is. More tips. I'm sure there are more to come as time goes by.
Here is a quote by me to Emily one night on the scooter. I won't give details, but just know that it was a really hilarious situation and we both nearly wet our pants...
"Were you wondering when we were going to stop? Me too, I had no idea."
Taxi
Cabs are very convenient here, and cheap. If you don't feel like scootering, walking or bike riding, take a cab... very nice for long distances. Emily and I took a cab to the bus station this weekend and when the driver pulled into a parking lot to let us out he nearly drove off the side of the streed into a huge ditch where they were doing construction. If you find yourself in a situation like this stay calm. The driver will most likely get out, chuck your bag out of the trunk onto the pavement, mutter some strange things under his breath and drive away without looking at you. This happened to us. We were standing there with our money out but he just completely ignored us and drove away. I guess cab drivers feel that when they nearly kill the passengers, they should not be required to pay. We appreciated his thoughtfulness!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
