Costco Comes to Tainan

Ok so I realize my life might actually be more of a prosaic bore after all if I'm getting all animated over shopping at Costco, so please just indulge me. After at least 3 years of rumors, since I've been here, Costco finally opened last week here in Tainan. Its right across the street from B&Q (like a Home Depot) and its an utter madhouse. My friend Erica drove us and we used her card.  We joked that it would be like Shilin Night Market in Taipei and it nearly was.The lines to get in reminded me of the Taipei  International Flower Expo. We drove around, bumper to bumper just to get into the underground parking lot (B3). No more driving down to Kaohsiung for Costco runs!



the entrance line

Of course I spent way too much, but the goods will last me a while: a block of sharp Cheddar, mozzarella cheese sticks, fishies, canned wild salmon, organic salsa, RoC night cream (hooray for Retinal!  Its illegal for Taiwanese dermatologists to sell Retinal because of potential Vitamin A overdosing), organic tortillas, a massive container of grated Parmesan and Bob's Redmill multigrain muesli (he really is the highest quality grains goods out there), and frozen blue berries. What I didn't find but looked for: organic peanut butter. Sure they had massive jars of Jiffy, but I'm a purist when it comes to nut butters, no sweeteners (corn syrups probably) or carcinogenic hydrogenated oils, thanks anyway.

Checkout and food court

After the checkout I waited in line for 15 minutes for some massive hot dogs and then called it a night. It was perfect for stalking up on not necessarily needs, but wants. Perfect for stalking up for the following day's typhoon. Next paycheck I will buy maple syrup (pure of course), feta cheese, organic peanut butter, coffee, corn chips, and see if they have some pita bread. Hmmm cant wait!

Astonishing Alishan

Alishan is one of Taiwan's must see attractions after Taroko Gorge and Kenting and I finally made
it. Its a mystical mountain, cloud and tea country and home to the indigenous Rueli tribe. Now its pretty touristy and there was an eye sore of a car park full of mainland Chinese tourists and their smog making mega buses. I am already aware of the reputation of mainlanders, from the personal accounts of local Taiwanese and the confessions of traveler's tales. What was interesting is the Taiwanese steering me away from buying oolong tea that was sold only to mainlanders (cheaper quality). When we dined in Fenchihu, my friends also checked a few restaurants and told me we couldn't eat there because they cater to Chinese tourists.Quality for the locals, nice to be on the receiving end. (For all the pics click here.)I finally made it to Alishan. Ive been meaning to go since Z and I first came to Tainan, especially since she was into Thomas the Tank and wanted to do the old steam train from Chiayi, but that was destroyed by the floods of Morokat (major Typhoon a few years ago.) My friends took us, Allen and his family, Vicky and hers. Allen's wife has a friend whose sister and husband have a home stay outside of LongMei off of road 129. We left Tainan Sat morning, had lunch in Chiayi sampling some of its famous Turkey rice (huo jirou fan) before heading up the winding mountain roads. I braved the black jelly egg (skin egg).

We quickly checked in and were welcomed, getting to know one other over several pots of oolong, and oversampling some local varieties. Their home stay was in a modern, all glass building, with 3 large bedrooms, 2 with double queens and the other a family room with 2 large doubles, all with their own bathrooms TV, wifi. The place is called "53.1" and surmounts  a mountainous valley, complete with a hiking trail through misty tea farms. They have a little cafe in the back that serves the included breakfast (you will be satiated) and a shop in town that sells tea, hand made glycerin soaps, etc.(For their website click here.)

My room was great, actually it was Vicky's but she kindly traded with me since my glass walls commanded the glorious views. Our rooms were 2800 NT per night including breakfast which was hearty and dinner.Two of my walls were all glass and overlooking this grand mountain view that dropped along side the hiking trail. The trail cut through terraces of lush tea and white powdery bamboo full of butterflies. Z and I climbed it the next morning after breakfast while all the others went back to sleep after watching the sunrise.


 It started to rain as we left out homestay and we assumed it would clear.  We bought rain jackets at 7-11 an I had a much needed coffee and we waited for 30 minutes or so and decided to go for it.  It really was coming down hard and the kids were whining to go back and Allen thought we were crazy  to try (maybe we were). We checked out some local eateries. The kids  had bamboo soup and we adults had strong ginger tea. The rain was hard and the kids didn't want to hike so Allen and his wife took them back to our homestay and the rest of us, Vicky and her husband and Allen's mother in law decided to brave the downpour and walked around the park.

Our feet were soaked, but the scenery inside the ancient forests was stunning. The trails were empty but for this young couple we happened upon and we made new friends. Isabella is a finance attorney in Taipei and her ex boyfriend is a lower district judge in Kaohsiung. When we first entered the ancient Cypress forest I was of course amazed when I saw the first few 800 year old Cypress trees. Then we walked along and there were 900 year old specimens, 1000, 1600 and when we started to be in the presence of 2000 year old trees I was awe struck like in the presence of something sacred. I thought about the Rocky mountains that are always growing and they are  millions of years old,  but was is it about trees? Then I thought about a road trip I took when I was 18 to B.C and our chance and private encounter with the Redwoods somewhere on the CA/OR border, all misty and majestic. The darkness of the forest, like in Germany or England the feeling of timelessness, it was dark like that under that tall foliage, the sound of water and birds then the rain stopped. I took off my raincoat for the rest of the day still using my umbrella as the trees were dripping from the recent downpour. I liked how seedlings would land on an ancient stump and revive the stump, make a new and more interesting life. There were 4 seedlings that landed on the same stump and thrived. Some Taiwanese person named them The 4 Sisters and it stuck. There were some funny signs, how this Cypress resembled an elephant head or a dragon and phoenix but there was one tree that had 3 generations all growing from the original stump which was interesting.

In the middle of our excursion we reached a temple next to a small market catering to tourists selling locally grown wasabi and aboriginal wild boar jerky, so Vicky bought 6 bags of the jerky for gifts and gave one to me. We went into the temple and Vicky's husband explained that on that particular god's birthday (the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month) all the forests moths of this particular species come pay him a visit and land all over his idol. There was  a poster showing his beard and costume all covered in moths, kind of weird and creepy and Id like to see it.

When we emerged from the thickness of the forests, we were greeted by a smiling rainbow. I expected it to disappear quickly but it stayed around the remainder of the day to look over our shoulders and watch the sunset w/us. When the sun was setting over the clouds and mt tops obscured by firmament, the rainbow only deepened her hue.Near the parking lot we climbed to a viewing area for the sunset which of course was just as stunning as our day had been. There wasn't this clean sea of clouds like a blanket that covered the earth, like you see on pictures everywhere in every shop and restaurant, but the clouds were curling and moving, with wisps like hair and changing color like a blushing girl or a garden, coral, lilac, rose. Overlooking everything was the aboriginal holy mountain which I instinctively knew was sacred as I couldn't keep my eyes off of it.

We returned in the rain, famished, my feet blistered from walking in soaked sockless shoes and were greeted by a big pot of noodle fishball soap, dragon fruit for dessert followed by hours of endless Oolong. Our host was a self confessed expert (as is every Taiwanese' friend I have haha), but he really did know hi s stuff and his English was excellent.  Im so well educated in tea from my friends, thanks for teaching me to taste if the tea was picked in spring or winter, from the high Nantou peaks to lower tropical Taidong. (High is best). Drinking a pot of oolong is like having a body high, alert yet calm, like smoking a spliff w/o the paranoia or coughing. The sweetness, after a few good cups my whole palate is sweetened, refreshed.

I had our host swear to wake us for the sunrise. He said 5:15. My body is always on farmer time so I woke at 4:45, made myself some instant Alishan coffee and when I saw day breaking at 5,woke up Vicky. We were ready by 5:15 and walked 5 min up the road to a grand pavilion, empty but for us and our hosts 3 dogs. I had to carry Z on my back, she was tired. We waited til 6 am and the clouds all but obscured it. It wasn't the photo perfect blanket of clouds and this golden orb but it was still mystical and magical and I love early mornings. We returned and everyone but me Z and Jeremy (Vicky's son) stayed awake and ate. I was pretty beat but Z and I hiked the top of the mt behind our guesthouse. Of course at the top was all white clouds. On the walk down I power napped at a few rest stops. We checked out and took lunch at one of the better rail stations, Fenchihu, with its old street, reminded me of Anping or Makong. The kids had fun climbing all over the old steam engines parked in the garage. We ate at an old wooden restaurant that served Japanese style worker lunches from times gone by. Walking along the shops and sampling some of the snacks we were tired and returned home Vicky's husband driving like a speed racer and us asleep in the back a lovely weekend with friends what can be better?

Ghost Month Monologue

The veil between the dead and living has been temporarily lifted for a month, so locals believe. The 7th lunar month is Ghost Month when the hungry ghosts come to haunt the undead. There are many superstitious rules to follow and I only remember two: don’t swim or hang your clothes outside to dry for fear of being possessed. Did I mention possession is a real, normal phenomena here, like catching the flu. I have one Taiwanese friend who takes her only son to the temple to be routinely exorcised. He comes home with a big red stamp of approval on his forehead.

My friend told me it all started during the Ming dynasty, a royal astrologer to the Emperor told him that the 7th lunar month was very auspicious, so the Emperor being the caring leader wanted to horde all the good luck for himself and had his people told the converse. Superstition and ghost stories grew throughout the years. It can’t all be bad luck, as the Chinese Valentine’s Day is also this lunar month (a very nice little folktale I wrote a poem about "On this night of 7's" ). I’ve also heard stories that Ghost Month originated in India with Buddhism, that during the 7th lunar month, Buddha’s disciples attained enlightenment more during this month than the others and that one follower in particular was told that his mom was unable to pass onto the next world unless he appeased her ghost. Apparently she was starving, her belly was insatiable and her throat too thin. Who knew? Whatever the origins my neighborhood has been full of more people burning ghost money outside their buildings than usual, paying off their ancestors to find peace.

Last weekend during the full moon was the climax. All the temples were active. Every building had a table full of offerings and the ghost money burnt so fiercely, the air was hazy, my eyes stung and my throat was irritated. My apartment building had several tables outside the front door covered with bowls and large trays full of snacks, fruit, ghost money and the neighbors’ apartment number. The temples put on shows for the gods. I’ve seen puppet shows, burlesque teases, Chinese opera all with full blast sound systems (because the ghosts are hard of hearing). Its seriously loud, loud enough where even me (I think I may be slightly deaf no joke) have to stand away from the stage to take pictures.

Do you take me for a cynic? Truly I believe in ghosts, I saw them with my own eyes twice and have had more experience than I can count with spirits (mostly in night terrors, out of body experiences) so have my folks. The first ghost I saw I was a kid and I saw it with two of my brothers. It was late, my folks had company over it was around 10pm we were outside on the driveway, a summer night when a little ghost like Casper, no bigger than 3 feet ran past us, luminous, flying as he ran. As he flew past it left imprints with a face each more terrorizing than the previous. We all screamed and my youngest bro John ran in the house and told my folks- who didn’t take us seriously. The second time I saw a ghost I was 20 years old in Catalonia, a seaside village north of Barcelona. I was an au-pair and my then family was staying at their summer home, the grandfather’s home. The baby had a nightmare and for some reason neither me nor the mom heard him crying (it was our job to be there when he woke as the Dad was too macho for that.) Anyway as I walked in I saw the Dad (not happy to be the one comforting his son on a Sat morning) asking me why I didn’t hear Pedrito crying. Standing behind them was a man, life-sized, tall, dressed, luminous, who commanded me in Spanish to enter “Venga!” I was so shocked I really didn’t even pay attention to the annoyance of Pedrito’s father. After 30 seconds or so the ghost faded. Maybe it was the grandfather? Maybe Pedrito saw the ghost and got scared or he had a nightmare and the ghost came to comfort him?

I have met many travelers throughout the years with their own ghost close encounters and I always thought it would make a great travel book. I collected the most stories in Egypt and Sudan, some local folklore, others first-hand encounters and also some  ofmy own personal experiences I shared with a group of volunteers outside Khartoum. I believe in ghosts, spirits, demons, angels. Am I afraid of them? Not after Sudan. I have my recent stories of Z and I and spirits in Taiwan. Ghosts are abundant here, like mosquitos, maybe because people believe in them so much.

Malaysia-SIngapore Itinerary

So this is a rough sketch. I usally have an idea what Id like to see and where Id like to go, but Im very open to winging it, depending on the situation and with traveling, especially with a child anything is possible. My coworkers are going to KL at the same time too, so maybe if I send them my info we might have lunch together or something. On my list is henna for me and Z, she wants to go supra red, Indian anything, maybe get some salwar kameez made from an Indian tailor (always fun). I have to buy tea for friends, which is a good excuse to sample too much, or visit some of the plantations. A Malayisan cooking class, make some batik, shadow puppets and loads of street stall satay washed down w/fresh coconut milk.

Malaysia/Singapore Itinerary


Day 1-Day3 –Sunday July 18- Tuesday July 19 KUALA LUMPUR

Arrive KL 725am check in http://www.seraiinn.com/location.asp (45MYR x3= 1290TWD)

.Take Hop on/off bus around major sights, get familiar with city.

.Fish foot spa, Little India walk

.Petronas Towers (Tues am), KLCC Park (playground), Mercura KL Tower (38RM adult/28 child) (630TWD)

.Batu Caves (bus 11,4RM, 45 minutes).

Day 4-5 July20-21 Wed/Thurs: KL to Ipoho (train 4 ½ hours 20RM), bus to Lumut (12RM) or KL-Lumut bus (38 RM), then Lumut ferry to Pulau Pangkor(40 min ferry). Sleep at Teluk Nipah 2 nights. White sand beaches, snorkel, walking trails.

Day 6 July 22 Friday: return to Ipoh. Take 8 hour train (night train?) to Kota Bharu (50RM).

Day 7 July23 Sat: Kota Bharu Check in at KB Backpackers www.kb-backpackers.com.my. Watch Cultural Center shows, shadow puppets, batik painting

Day 8 July 24 Sunday: Kota Bharu, market 3pm in Marang, then take ferry (RM 25) to Pulau Kapas, sleep at Light House (RM50), diving, beaches, snorkeling. [Or skip Kapas and go to Cherating.]

Day 9 July 25 Monday: Pulau Kapas (RM 25 ferry), sleep at LightHouse. Stay another night or go to Cherating?

Day 10 July 26 Tuesday: Cherating, sleep at Mazrah’s Guest Home (RM35), beach, kayak, batik, turtle watching)

Day 11-12 July 27-28 Wed/Thurs: Cherating to Mersing to Pulau Tioman, stay at ABC Bungalows 2 nights(RM 50-150).

Day 13-15 July 29-31 Friday-Sunday: Mersing to Singapore (3 hours 14RM, 2buses daily). Check in at http://www.betelbox.com/hostel_rates.htm $S$34.50 p/night ladies only dorm ( NTD)

http://www.backpackers.com.sg/bookingpromotion.php

Fri: SIA Hop on bus www.siahopon.com , Universal Studios ($120= 2812 NTD).

Sat: all day at the zoo, Night Safari ($32 adult 16 child = 1125 NTD).

Sunday: Little India am market, last minute shopping, New Creation Church, check in airport at 2pm.

Links:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia +++

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Malaysia/kualalumpur.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1771440/top_five_best_things_to_do_with_kids.html?cat=25

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Singapore/singapore.htm

http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

http://www.rwsentosa.com/Attractions/UniversalStudiosSingapore

http://www.newcreation.org.sg/announcements/new-english-service-venue-at-the-grand-cathay

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2069034

http://www.mymalaysiabooks.com/singapore/Singapore%20to%20Malaysia.htm



KLM

Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park – Start your day with a trip to the Petronas Twin Towers, 88 stories high, the third tallest building in the world (1,483 feet). Take the elevators to the Skybridge that connects the two towers of this elegant glass and steel building. The Petronas Twin Towers are open Tues.- Sun., and the Skybridge is closed on Fri. from 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

Adjacent to the towers is a large public park, Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park. There is a two acre modern kid's playground, wading pools (bring your swim suits), a musical fountain, artificial lake, sculptures, plenty of grass and shade trees.

Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) – Get the bird's eye view of Kuala Lumpur from the KL Tower, a big concrete communications tower with a space age look. Take elevator to observatory deck and grab a snack in the revolving restaurant.

Back on the ground, follow the walkway which links the KL Tower to Bukit Nanas Forest Recreational Park. Suddenly you'll find yourself in a green, shady forest, right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. Bring your picnic lunch (picnic tables provided). There are trails through the park and a playground.

Central Market (Pasar Seni) – The Central Market, housed in a charming art deco style building, is a place to find out more about Malaysian culture, arts and crafts." Look for shadow puppet plays (wayang kulit), batik painting, art exhibitions, traditional music and dance performances. While you're at Central Market, buy kites. Kite flying is a national pastime in Malaysia. Look for the distinctive "wan bulan" or moon kite, cat kites, bird kites. Ask at your hotel for the best place to fly your kite.

Batu Caves – Hindu shrines were created inside these huge limestone caves, and the combination of spectacular natural beauty and brilliant colors is incredible. The Temple Cave is as big as a church. The Art Gallery Cave has statues and wall paintings from Hindu mythology. As you ascend the long stairway up to the caves, you may be accosted by macaque monkeys (kids hold onto your things)



SINGAPORE

Little India – From Arab Street, cross over the Rochor Canal to Serangoon Road, a neighborhood teeming with Hindu temples, shops with saris and spices. (On Cuff Road, one spice shop still grinds spices by hand.) In flower shops, watch garland makers creating beautiful flower leis. Have your hands painted in traditional henna designs, or your fortune told by a parakeet (the bird picks out a card with your fortune on it.) Shop for bangles and other lovely Indian jewelry, or a Kashmiri shawl. The Cultural Corner at the Little India Arcade has videos and other exhibits, where you can learn more about Indian culture and customs.

Don't miss the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore. The gopurum (tower gate) is intricately decorated with gods, goddesses and fantastic animals. Inside the temple is a statue of Kali, with the elephant-headed Ganesha on one side, and Murugan, riding on a peacock, on the other.

Stop into the Temple of a Thousand Lights, the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple to see a large footprint of the Buddha and a big 50 foot Buddha, adorned with colored lights. For a small fee, you can spin the wheel of fortune to have your fortune told.

Singapore Zoo – In this top-notch zoo the animals are in open enclosures, not behind bars, in a lush tropical rain forest. Plan to spend the day here.

Start out at Treetops Trail, a re-creation of the Southeast Asian rainforest, where you walk high above the trees, looking down to see red langur monkeys and siamangs, mouse deer and water birds below. Visit Orangutan Island and the Asian elephants enclosure, elephant rides are also available. Check the schedule for feeding times for elephants, white tiger, king cobra, and more.

As a special treat, have breakfast with an orangutan. You can feed the orangutan, (how are their table manners?) and have your picture taken. At the entrance to the Zoo, lockers, strollers and wagons are available for rent. Within the zoo are picnic areas, cafes and snack bars.

The Climatic End of Something or Other

The past weekend was pretty meaningful and exhausting and brought together a culmination of work, friends and fellowship. It was full of saying farewells, like a closing of a chapter. The climatic end of the academic year in any Taiwanese ESL kindy is the “graduation” show. It’s a pretty big deal for the parents. My class (like last year’s) was the ‘graduating’ class. Next month they will start elementary school.

My former co-worker and housemate Megan (also from Denver) came Thursday night with her 9 month old son Cyprus to crash at our place. She came to see my class’ play (she used to be their teacher for 2 years prior) and her fiancé works for the airlines and they fly everywhere (so jealous). They slept on Z’s bed. I was shocked how heavy her backpack was, being partially guilty as my Dad passed onto her some books and bags of pinto beans from my mom. You’d think I’d be better prepared for a baby but I wasn’t. My floors are tile and Cyprus hit his head pretty hard a few times. He was fast and got into everything, I wish I had a playpen. Its so much easier to soothe a baby when its your own, in my case I’d just pop a boob in his mouth and strap him to my back, like Z. Speaking of Z, she was in total love. Prior to Cyprus she was saying how she hated babies because they drool and dribble and stink, but she couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted to feed him and be near him, sometimes to the dismay of Megan and Cyprus. It was encouraging to see Z empathetic and not focused on herself. Now she is talking about having a baby brother names Zander and a baby sister names Zoe (yikes).

Z feeding Cyprus

Since March, we have been learning and rehearsing our play “The seeds that grew to be a 100” based on the book of the same name, a kid’s rendition of the parable of the sower. At the end we sang my old time favorite “Let it Grow” by Eric Clapton. We were told the theme was “grow” so my coworkers did a play based on growing up in Africa and the “Very Hungry Caterpillar.” My kids did well, better than the rehearsals, they got their lines straight and didn’t mumble.


Friday night was the commencement ceremony, the play, the kids gave their parents tea and received their “diplomas.” I had to give a short teacher’s speech and when I felt the emotion starting to gush upwards and eyes swell, I quickly passed the mic to my co-Teacher Sandy. I’m not a crier by nature but when I get into a state of thankfulness and realize the simple things I’m grateful for, Grace around me is made manifest, I get choked up.

Cyprus, Megan, Z, Binh at dinner

Saturday lunch was my language exchange with Vicky, Saturday night was the parents of Megan and I’s student took us out to a Cantonese restaurant. Sunday lunch was a farewell to my Indonesian friend Nadia as she is returning home after finishing her MA at NCKU. She had danced a traditional dance that was closed to the public (I was disappointed), so we met at the second hand bookstore and walked around the corner for a cheap lunch and said goodbye. She kindly gave us a T-shirt from her city (Indonesian Borneo) and some yummy desserts. I thanked her for her kindness when she and some others came to my house to celebrate my 35th b-day 2 years ago (and I ate some of her yummy Indonesian cooking) and all the other times she was a friendly face.  So I hoped we could meet again, take a boat from Java or Lombok and see her hometown. That Sunday night Erica treated us all to some nice Taiwanese food near NCKU, great company.

Plans, plans, people, time passes and we find each other through the fog and mess of life. My two good co-workers from my Kid Castle days in Chu Wei just contacted me and one has been living in Tainan. It will be good to see her and her baby and catch up.

Megan and Cyprus left early Monday morning I heard him cry around 530am and fell back to sleep, totally missed seeing them off. And now there are 2 days left of the semester, tomorrow night is a staff dinner, one chapter is closing and ‘Im chilling in a proverbial hammock, expecting a better year.


Nadia and Z

Of appetites and a great (normal) day

It was a great food kinda day (well after I left work). For breakfast I took last night’s Tzatziki (homemade yogurt of course) and put in the blender and drank it like a Lhassi. After school, Z and I were feeling peckish so snacked on Norwegian smoked salmon on 7 grain French toasted bread, and I washed it down with a small glass of chilled white Spanish, organic wine. I had to go grocery shopping and when we came home saw a bundle of food, a full on dinner that my soul sister single mom left by my door. Yah tomorrow is covered! Had I known dinner would be delivered I would not have left, but then I would not have bought steaks.


Dinner was simple. I grilled steak, corn and had some of yesterday’s potato salad (mayo w/ an olive oil base, not soybean), with a glass of Spanish red. Z gave me the comment I didn’t know I coveted, “Your dinner is better than any Travel Channel show” and she said I was better than the “Take Home Chef” which obviously I’m not. I just think she appreciated something that wasn’t Italian, quinoa, fish or Indian. She is a such a cool kid and likes to watch cooking shows with me, she likes Jamie Oliver! For desert she had some green tea/red bean ice-cream and I had some papaya from my friend’s tree right across my street. Fresh, first fruit papaya from the little tree I watched grow up and weather typhoons.

I just so appreciate when everything comes together (dinner or the house being clean) w/o my trying. When things get done somehow, effortlessly, with no sacrifice (which I mean time away from being fully present w/ Z), I owe it all again to Grace. We had a nice dinner, nice conversation we enjoyed each other’s company.

Today, I bought my first dragon fruit (red) of the year so looking forward to that tomorrow for breakfast. One of the advantages of living in Taiwan is the access to year round exotic fruits, which deserves its own chapter (along with ice-cream and ways to beat the heat).

I must applaud myself (because no one else will) for consistently buying myself flowers, wine and chocolate (because no one else will). I couldn’t abide in a space long w/o fresh flowers and old books and Taiwan is so blessed with cheap flowers, decent affordable wines and chocolates and I have no trouble finding books at the used book store. I have more than enough and now to get my fill of zzzzzzzzzz’s.

A place to lay my head (or hang my art)

This past month my paintings have been taking themselves off my walls.  Ive had them up for three years and now the hooks (sticky tape ones) just aren't cutting it. I have been going through boxes of that sticky tape and they just wont stay. I don't think the canvases have been gaining weight. So Ive come to the conclusion that maybe its time to move.
Ive been at this apartment for 2 years, maybe more. I first came to Tainan and shared an apartment with Vicky and Megan, which was ok for a while (who wants a roommate with a 2 1/2 year old tantrum queen?).

The place I'm in now has its benefits, its close to work, (I literally get dressed at 820 and am out the door at 830 although I wake at 6), there is an awesome community garden across the street and I am often the recipient to friends' and neighbors all around year harvests, and its not congested around here. Id hate to live where all these 18 story giants are towering, rubbing shoulders with each other. I like space, I like having an open field overgrown with weeds and packs of stray dogs out my window. I like the old man who thinks he's a security guard; he watches my back, like when I didn't pay a bill sometime when I was out of the country, he hopped on his scooter and got me covered. I like living 2 minutes by bike from the beach or Anping. I have parks within walking distance.

 Now our apartment ain't paradise for sure. Its old, there are roaches, we sleep under mozzy nets, I doubt if its earthquake safe, and all our crap is starting to get crowded. Last Typhoon it flooded and I am on the 5th floor. Mostly its lack of storage space, winter clothes and blankets take up a lot of space and even though winter isn't so long here, one definitely needs coats, scarves, layers and layers of blankets and thick comforters. (Ok 60 F may seem comfortable to you, but after a while your sense of what is hot or cold definitely alters at the Tropic of Capricorn.)

Also my kitchen sucks, its small, cramped and I may be 5"2 but even I find the stove top fan too low. I hardly have room to cook, my sink is small and I get the feeling that living here is akin to camping (which I don't mind at all, but sometimes Id like the feeling that I wasn't camping). I am at the point where I don't mind cleaning the lizard crap I'm just so happy I have allies in my war against the roaches.

I need a space that is a large enough (but not too big), a sunny house or apartment with a view, and large closets. A view is very important. From my kitchen I have this little table and high stools and I can see over my high window to the port where the big ships dock on their way from or to Kaohsiung and the seas behind, but its such a sliver of sea. Id like a full on sunset view, like the apartment I covet on my bike ride along the river that flows out to the sea, you know the summer homes for the rich that have these incredible windows facing west. Anyway, one takes it for granted living in Colorado and being so close to sky (my cloud brethren) always being in some auspicious position to be apart of the day's passing. If I want to see the sunset here in Tainan I have to consciously make a plan, go to the beach, the old Anping port or a friend's house.

Could I muster the energy to move? I would have to ask friends and bribe them with beer and  pizza and I hate doing that. Having to box up alot of crap and move it and unpack and cleaning all the while, I wonder what will happen when October comes around and my lease is up.