Is that the ice cream truck?

Every once in a while I hear a vehicle playing music as it drives through the neighborhood. A kind of simple, sunny, happy music you would associate with carousels or ice cream trucks. So I was thinking, "Great, they must be selling something. Maybe ice cream or Hong Kong sweets, or something else delicious." I even had a picture in my head of a little slightly beat up, brightly colored van roaming the streets and selling tasty treats out of the back. Alas, when I finally found the source of the music I was in for a surprise because the vehicle was... drum roll please... a giant yellow garbage truck.

I suppose they play music to let people know the truck is in the neighborhood in case someone forgot to take out their trash. Not a bad idea really, although as a foreigner I find the choice of music a little odd. I've run into the weird music thing a couple of times here, most memorably on a train. As the train approached each stop, it would play calypso music. You're sitting there surreptitiously checking out your fellow passengers and the next thing you know you're singing, "Day-o, day-ay-ay-o, daylight come and he wanna go home." Anyone remember that scene from Beetlejuice? Anyhow, I have yet to see a real ice cream truck in Taipei.

On a completely unrelated note, I got an email from the couple I gave my cat, Aya, to when I left. It's like an open adoption and they give me updates on how Aya's doing, pictures too. I felt terrible about giving her away when I came here, but I'm glad she's got a good home with people who enjoy having her.