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I've been working a lot lately, subbing and getting my kids ready for the big test this semester which will show the owners of the school just how dumb or smart my kids really are. My kids are smart, they just all lack control a lot of the time. they get this stuff, it's just that it's boring. Hell, it's boring for me as well. I decided to shake it up a little two weeks ago when we finished this gawd-awful King Arthur book and needed something new to read. I'm an English major... I figured I could come up with something better and more interesting than a children's version of the legend of King Arthur. I racked my brian and tried to thin of what I liked when I was in Grade 5. So, I dipped in the endless tales of Edgar Allen Poe and taught them the Tell-Tale Heart. It was very advanced for them, but what kid that age shouldn't learn the meaning of the word 'DISMEMBERED'?
Three parents called to complain about their kids having nightmares because of what their new teacher (see: Me) read to them. And guess what? All three of them were boys who were scared. I need to toughen these kids up a little. A vulture eye, a dismembered body and a disembodied beating heart... what kid doesn't like that?
So, to get away from it all this weekend we got hold of a car and drove for the hills. Actually, we drove all through the mountains outside of Taipei until we hit the coast town of Jioufen. Jioufen is on the side of the mountain overlooking the ocean and is basically a monstrous market town with little trinkets everywhere and every type of food and tea you can think of. We started out a little late so it was dark when we arrived, and over half the shops were already closed, but it was really cool.
The shops are like a maze and you can find some really great local treasures as well as the typical tourist crap (see: everyone's Christmas presents). I actually didn't buy too much since I am on a very tight budget until payday on the 20th, but did find some cool stuff. Hopefully we can get back there when it's all open and really look around for stuff when have money, but that may be a little into the future.
I kept stopping at the different alleys and stairs between shops as it was just so cool looking. I got a few good pics of some of them, most looking like an Asian version of the Exorcist steps. We worked out way into the food area where every restaurant owner was out front inviting us in, some in broken English, most in Chinese. We ended up at a very popular tea house which overlooks the coast... it was cool looking out, but it was dark and foggy so it was more the knowledge that the darkness beyond the lights was the ocean was cool.
The tea house serves your tea in small personal teapots which are kept warm on a small stand with a tea light (I finally get the reason they are called that... duh) and you serve yourself. They will continuously add hot water to your tea, so you can have as much as you or your bladder can take. Liza had a rose tea and mine was an orange citrus tea. Mine was so tart, but so good! You could see into the pots and hers was a bed of small roses floating in the tea and mine was a nice orange-red color with slices of orange and I think grapefruit inside. I have to say, I love tea, and this had to be one of the best cups (see: about ten) of tea I have ever had. I want to go back just for that again, but there is a tea village I just found out about that is only ten minutes from where I am here in Muzha, so that is one of my next adventures.
Driving on the highways here is interesting. People (see: everyone but my roommate) actually stay in the lanes and drive relatively sane unlike the free-for-all of the city streets. Motorcycles and scooters are banned from the freeways, highways and overpasses in Taiwan so it takes away a lot of the stress and danger of avoiding them. Scooters are everywhere here and probably outnumber the cars about 50-1. Parking a car is completely impossible here (we have to take the scooter to get the car where we park it) so it's almost best to not even have one.
Today was volunteer day for me when I help out withe the weekly flea market for Animals Taiwan. We ended up at the facility where about 50+ dogs are kept and (hopefully) adopted out. They are all strays, many with physical problems due to traps and injuries. the dogs were in a frenzy today since there were about 20-25 people there to walk them in the parks. The dogs didn't even know what to do with themselves. I didn't get to walk any since we were picking up all the donated merchandice we needed to sell at the market. I did get to see some of the dogs I remembered including Elvis, a large three legged dog who loves to lick your hand when you aren't looking, then run before you know it was him. I didn't see my (big) baby Napoleon, the biggest dog there, but I'm sure he was out dragging some poor volunteer through the park.
Dinner was a small pizza place owned by the girlfriend of a friend of a friend. Confusing? Welcome to my world!!! Maryjane's Pizza is a small shop down a small alley which makes some of the best thin-crust pizza I have had in a long time (and I don't usually like thin crust). A full six slice pizza to myself, green tea and dessert was $200NT. I know I always mention the price of things, but a gourmet style pizza, teramisu and tea for the equivalent of $7 CAN, it's worth mentioning.
Last bit of into that I found strange... restaurants give you glasses of warm/hot water with your meal in the wintertime instead of cold since it is better for you to drink something warm. At first I found it weird, but it is getting chilly here (see: Canadian fall weather) and a glass of warmed water with a little lemon is actually really good.
Enjoy the pics... all are from Jioufen. The night shots overlooking the lights are shots of the harbor and the ocean. Very cool and ominous looking...
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| | Posted 12/18/2006 2:54 AM - 5 views - 0 comments
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