new stuff

Today was the day I had planned to go interview some betelnut girls. My guy had chickened out but had roped another guy into coming along to help. We had planned to meet up today in Taipei, but I was a bit hazy on whether we were gonna go see the girls or no. For the sake of 'always be prepared' I took out an audio recorder yesterday, which, a friend I was with, automatically stuck in his bag for safe keeping. I didn't mind, but turned out I should have. Turns out he's more forgetful than I am so when we parted ways I was left with no recorder and no way to contact him (he also forgot about the water-proof cameras I had bought for an up and coming trip, which, he stuck his shopping bag this time and then left on the bus.) Lesson of the day: consider carefully before giving in to chivalry.

Ironically when I got there, he was ready to go, but I wasn't. I still had a great day though.

The driving here is nuts. Like, mental. There are mopeds everywhere, with drivers that seem to think they're invincible (although about fifty percent go around with bandages on their knees/ face/ arms.) I knew it was unavoidable since nobody my age has a car and it's the best way to get to some places, and today was my day. I donned a ridiculous lookin red helmet (so as to coordinate with my outfit) and clung on for dear life. I seemed to be the only moped passenger who wasn't holding onto the back of the bike, but there was no way I was letting go any time soon, as we sped along (actually we were going slower than most, but I wasn't used to it) mascara inevitably running down the side of my face exposed to wind, while getting heaps of stares from people. (You don't see westerners on mopeds so two was just too much to take in.) After seeing most of my life flash before my eyes (although admittedly it was kinda fun) we got to Elephant Mountain. It was so beautiful. The climb up was disorientatingly steep, and in the humidity, was hard going, but it was worth it. There were a lot of clouds over the city so you couldn't see for miles, but you could see enough to appreciate it. I love mountains. There's something to be said about being at the top of one, looking over everything below. It's a similar feeling to the one you get while at the sea, looking out to the horizon. It's like you get your bearings, a bit of perspective how cool the world is.

Later on, after I got back to Ming Chuan, I went for my evening jog, and everything was really peaceful. I got back around 45mins before curfew so had to go straight out if I didn't want to get locked out. There were only four or five other joggers (along with the usual menagerie of couples making out on the stadium type seating) and it was just really nice. It was such a relaxing end to a day that didn't go as planned.