Puppet show

Tonight I learned about Taiwanese puppets at the See-Join Puppet Theater Restaurant. After the performance everyone gets a small puppet (about 8 inches tall) to practice with and they teach you basic movements and how to properly pose the puppets. Then everyone gets to practice with a large puppet (about 2 feet tall) and put on a show for the rest of the audience. It was a little difficult for me to follow since most of the show and about 1/2 the instructions were in Chinese, but the puppetmaster was pretty funny and one of the shows that two guys from the audience put on was hilarious.

Cloudgate 2

Went to see Cloudgate 2, Taiwan's premier dance company, perform last night. Very cool show and amazing dancers. Wasn't able to film any of the show, but here is a clip from one of their other performances.

Breakfast

There is food for sale everywhere in Taipei. I don't think it's possible to walk more than a block without running across a restaurant, food stall, or fruit seller of some kind. Every morning I pass a row of food stalls on my way into the office, but have never eaten at any of them because I can't read the menu. Today though I decided to stop and try my luck at a stall selling what looks like big empanadas. So I walked up to the stall, smiled, and pointed at an empanada. The guy behind the counter said something to me which I couldn't understand and then showed me two bowls of the empanada filling. Both bowls looked to be filled with different combinations of veggies (sometimes they sneak pork into stuff so you never can be sure) so I just picked one and said 'yes.'

So what did I end up with? A pretty tasty empanada filled with steamed corn, lettuce, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and cellophane noodles. I also bought what I thought might be soy or rice milk (both very popular breakfast drinks), but was actually a slightly vanilla flavored milk with some sort of pudding/jelly stuff in the bottom. All in all, a successful breakfast adventure.

I ♥ bendy straws

I thought bendy straws had gone the way of the El Camino and all but disappeared, but let me assure you they are alive and well in Taiwan. Virtually every drink of any kind is served with a straw, typically a bendy one.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

After a slight lull in sight-seeing activities (my 'two-month slump' if you will) I was back at it today, visiting the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

Air Quality - Portland 1, Taipei 0

Taipei is a great city in many ways, but the air quality here is terrible. It didn't bother me at first, but after being here for two months, I'm getting tired of the always hazy views and the inescapable smell of car exhaust. Many people here cover their mouths with cotton masks à la Michael Jackson when walking around the city and I've been told by locals that the rain here is acidic and will ruin clothes. Much of the pollution comes from vehicles and local industry, but some of it also blows over from mainland China.

Like many Taiwanese, I hang my clothes outside to dry. While I love the idea of drying my clothes in a sunny, quiet backyard, the reality of drying clothes eight floors above a busy street is a little different. I've noticed that my clothes often smell ever so slightly oily, no doubt as a result of the non-stop stream of vehicles passing by. Think I'll be heading to the laundromat from now on.

Bahala na

The Philippines was an interesting experience. Cities like Manila and Cebu are very crowded and dirty, but the smaller islands and towns are fantastic. In Cebu I checked out Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, Magellan's Cross, and Fort San Pedro. Then on to Bohol and Panglao Island to see the Chocolate Hills (green this time of year, they don't turn brown until late April), tarsiers, and Alona Beach.

Mabuhay!

And hello from the Philippines. My visa only allows me to stay in Taiwan for 60 days at a time so I decided to take a weekend trip to the Philippines as it's just a few hours away by plane. I arrived last night and my plan was to do some sightseeing in the city and then head to the nearby island of Bohol to hit some beaches, but I'm not sure the weather is going to cooperate.

So far my favorite thing here is the jeepneys - colorful minibus that are the most popular form of public transportation.

When I was a kid...

...I used to dress my cat up in doll clothes. I haven't seen any dressed up cats in Taiwan, but I've seen an awful lot of dressed up dogs. I've also seen a few people with pets in strollers (no kids in sight) or carrying pets in other child transportation devices. Small dogs are popular here, as are labs and retrievers.

Mahjong

Got my first taste of mahjong last weekend at a dinner party and have to say it was a lot of fun. I don't entirely understand the all the rules (there are a lot) and I had some trouble deciphering the Chinese characters on the tiles, but I had a good time. It's kind of like playing poker, but with 16 tiles instead of 5 cards. The goals is create 4 sets of three tiles and pair. I can't even begin to explain the rules, but I hope to improve my game while I'm here.