Kaohsiung Day 2: Downtown

It was typical summer weather--28 degrees C but thanks to a special cooling bamboo bedsheet(reminiscent of the gongfu-enhancing 冰床 in 神雕俠呂) and a standing fan, I slept in comfort. The night before, I was stupid enough to watch, together with YJ and 小J, a talkshow on supernatural activity in Taiwan, particularly that involving dead relatives coming back in dreams to express dissatisfaction at their funeral arrangements or to protest against their untimely deaths. Watching this type of eerie show right before I was to sleep alone in an unfamiliar house was not really a good idea... fortunately the night was uneventful.

When hunger pangs struck next morning, we headed to the corner breakfast place where, as usual, the staff recognized the 陳s(Chen)s on sight and chatted like old friends. I've seldom had such an inexpensive and wonderful breakfast. Sandwiches should be made this way everywhere *yum*.

蛋餅 (too busy wolfing this down and forgot about the sandwich)

Replenished, we headed to the local market.

The sun beat down like a hammer, but every vendor seemed oblivious, enthusiastically touting their wares. Apparently it was a nomadic market, in the sense that different vendors showed up each day, some on alternating days. According to the ladies, one had to spend time unearthing gems. 小J and I quickly wilted though, and after a futile attempt at cooling off by eating some 鳳梨(pineapple) and 蓮霧(wax apple/jambu) topped off with 奶茶青(Milk Tea Green--some things just don't translate smoothly but take my word for it--it's pretty refreshing), we retreated to a nearby air-conditioned (for the umpteenth time, I paid homage to the inventors of air-con) department store to browse magazines. The local department store was just like any other one--comprehensive yet soulless.

Lunch was a superb 米糕(rice cake), a succulent glutinous rice pudding packed with crunchy sliced cucumbers and flavourful pork floss.

In the true tradition of a hot summer's afternoon, activities came to a standstill for a siesta. I could almost hear the crickets chirping in the background if there were any...

In the evening, we headed out for a drive to the sea! 旗津(ChiJin)，西子灣(HsiTzuWan)，中山大學(ZhongShan University, ZhongShan is, of course, Dr. Sun Yat-sen's first name) were some of the names that 陳叔叔 rattled off, not that they made any sense to me : ) but thoughts of a cool sea breeze kept us in a buoyant mood the whole way. We weren't disappointed; after crossing an undersea tunnel, we arrive at the 濱海公園(Marina Park), a vast stretch along the coast set aside as a recreational area for the locals. Statuesque streetlamps, people strolling along the breakers, flickering lights from distant ships, waves gently lapping at the shore...

Sunset

Lights

It was there that I witnessed YJ's and 小J's passion for photography in action. They make a great team--one with an artistic to compose a picture and the other with the technical knowhow to tweak the camera exactly how she wants it to be.

Dinner was never far from our minds. Along the way back to Kaohsiung downtown, we stopped at a stretch of roadside vendors to partake of a local delicacy--

烤小卷(literally, little grilled roll) which consisted of a 6-inch-long squid grilled over a charcoal fire and brushed with a sweet sauce and crunchy sesame seeds.

Juicy, hot, tender, I finished one despite warnings of high cholesterol content.

On the way back to the mainland, next to the coast, Chiang Kai-shek's old home stood, now part of 中山大學. We could see his old Rolls-Royce parked in a lonely garage. 陳叔叔 regaled us with tales of how he used to study in that little pavilion next to that garage, how access to the house was regulated by passes and funneled through a long subterrenean tunnel guarded by armed soldiers, how he met 陳阿姨 when they were in college. Those spoken memories lent much life to the surroundings...

Next stop: The famed 85樓 or "85 storeys" buffet, a popular destination for Kaohsiungers who want to treat their friends to a good dinner with a view. Opulent compared to the local eateries and considered a typical example of a high-end restaurant in these parts.

The shrimp/prawns and the tuna sashimi were really fresh and overall the selection was lighter for the palate than that of the Vegas casino buffets. Regrettably I had to pass on the baked desserts after polishing off a succulent sirloin steak. As 陳叔叔 and 陳阿姨 were paying for dinner, I also had to make sure they get their money's worth. So I ate as much as I could (which after the grilled squid, wasn't that much). I ate for my family, for my friends and all those whom I cared about. That night on the 39th floor, I ate for my country and for all that I held dear. Hopefully it was enough : )

While waiting in the car for the ladies to walk around the hotel, I experienced a bonding, karaoke moment with 陳叔叔 : ) He seemed to be a fan of Mandarin pop and as soon as Jacky Cheung started singing an old favourite "朋友(Friend)" from the car stereo, I simply couldn't resist singing along with 陳叔叔 at the top of our voices. Silly as it sounds, that was a defining moment for me because it revealed a softer side of him that I had not seen before. 陳阿姨 had been the chattier of the two and up to that point, I was a little unsure of how to talk to 陳叔叔. But once we began slaughtering the ballad with gusto, all my apprehensions melted away. I could never imagine singing together with my dad, for example. 小J pretended not to hear and discreetly distanced himself from the car : D

That was still not the end of the day! To walk off the obscene amounts of food we consumed, we went up 壽山(Longevity Hill) for a look at Kaohsiung's magnificent skyline.

A wonderful panorama of 高雄, courtesy of 小J

On the hill, lovers abounded, blissfully oblivious to anything else beyond their immediate radius, including a boisterous karaoke stand a little further away, next to a war memorial.

Our last stop was the harbour front promenades of 西子灣 and 好望台. I don't remember much beyond pretty fountains and walkways, but I remember thinking that Kaohsiung seemed a great place to live in. Wonder how many locals make use of these recreational facilities. As 小J remarked, Taiwan, compared to Hong Kong and Singapore, has a more relaxed balance between materialistic progress and retention of traditions, lifestyles and cultures.

Once we returned home, I collapsed gratefully into bed, dreaming about squid propelling themselves gracefully in the sea and ending up spitted and grilled to a delicious brown.

(Romanization done in Taiwanese style and British spelling used)