When it rains

On a map, Taiwan's latitude is roughly equivalent to place like Pakistan, Iranian Baluchistan, and northern Saudi Arabia.  It slightly closer to the equator than Miami.  On the island, all the vegetation is sub-tropical or tropical - endless palm trees line the road, many of the older buildings have mildewed exteriors, and, outside the city, the ground is covered with underbrush that reaches maybe ten feet off the ground.

Simply put, it's hot, and it's wet.  And I wasn't expecting it to be so.  Or at least not so much. Everyday here has ranged from 88 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit, with what feels certain to be 100% plus humidity.  One simply has to get used to be covered with a glossy sheen of sweat, and plan accordingly.  Among my first purchases here was to buy a travel-sized can of anti-perspirant, because after three hours or so, my morning Gillette would begin to stumble and fail.

What's more, every afternoon brings a thunderstorm, brought on by the condensation at cloud-level of the moisture cooked off the ground during the morning heat.  I was used to this in Mobile, but in Taiwan the showers are a bit more cataclysmic; yesterday, they morphed into an intermittent lightening and rain show that lasted until 11 p.m. and which left me completely drenched, twice.

So, caveat emptor - if any of my loyal readers feels compelled to brave the 20 hours of flight time to come visit their ex-pat buddy - they'd best be prepared to sweat.

What else have I been doing?  Well.  I've a two week interval between registration and the start of classes, so I'm endeavouring to keep myself as busy as possible.  On the business end, I've likely locked up an apartment with two Chinese speakers, one a guy named Eddie from Surabaya, Indonesia, and another from Taiwan whose name I don't yet know (I know, I know).  Here's hoping that works out.  Also, a point of complaint: in Taiwan, it's standard practice to put down two month's rent as a security deposity in addition to the regular first month's rent, which in my case amounts to $27,0000 NT, or New Taiwan Dollars.  It only comes out to about 700 bucks - eat your hearts out, District residents - but still.

I've done my fair share of touring as well.  Among the hot spots I've patronized:

The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.  This massive tribute to authoritarianism was unilaterally renamed the Democracy Memorial by then-president Chen Shui-bian in 2007, and is highly controversial in Taiwan.  So much so, and so complicatedly so, that I can't be bothered to write it out.  However, on my second stroll through the massive plaza on the memorial's west side, I was swarmed by my first group of adulating Taiwanese children (Chinese, maybe?  I couldn't say.). They ran over shouting "hello" and asking for pictures, and one of them almost burst when I responded, haltingly, in Chinese.  Another gave me a bear hug as he walked away.  I felt like a rock star.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.  He was the founder of the Guomindang, and the first president of the Republic of China after its founding in 1911 (The Taiwanese official calendar is only in year 97, not 2007, which gives you an idea of the man's importance).  I was in and out of here pretty quickly, though, both because of fatigue and because I was slightly unnerved by the 70 foot statue of Dr. Sun with a sign at his feet soliciting the Taiwanese to salute as they pass.  There are security guards to enforce the edict.

Taipei 101.  This thing is huge.  At more than 1600 feet, it's the tallest building in the world, although I'm told there's a structure going up in Dubai that may crack the 2,000 ft. barrier.  Inside the building, there's an express elevator that takes passengers from the 5th to the 89th floor in 37 seconds, and which is also the world's fastest - it has a spoiler in the elevator shaft.  From the observation deck, you can see all of Taipei, although my view was somewhat spoiled by a layer of cloud cover (pollution, cough cough).  Still though, it's very, very cool.

Maokong Gondola.  East of Taipei in the hills above town, there exists Taiwan's most famous tea-growing area, called Maokong ("cat holes").  For tourists, it's best accessible by a 15-minute gondola ride that traverses several hills and ridges on its way up to the top.  The view up and down the valleys is stunning, with small homes and farms built into the sides of the mountains, and narrow roads snaking their way from small village to small village.  The undergrowth,  as mentioned above, seems nearly impenetrable - settling the place must have been a tremendous ordeal.  Maokong proper has dozens of tea houses which serve their wares freshly-steeped, and each has a vista overlooking the suburbs on Taipei's outskirts.  Here's a taste of the view from the gondola, both of the scenery and of the little murmuring Taiwanese baby in our car:

Also, I just went and watched the new Indiana Jones flick, Chinese subtitles included.  If you're into farcical action movies, it's highly recommended.

Until next time...