Formosan Notes and Anecdotes cleaning out my desk I stumbled across all the things I wrote down on my 8 days there. Things I ate in Taiwan Bean and shrimp cake. Not a big hit in my book Guava Juice: packaged and fresh. Bubble tea: Pearl tea with tapioca balls. One of the coolest drinks, huge amount that lasted for three servings, all for 25 NT$ or about 80 cents. Egg and rice paper omelet: yumms President Papaya Milk: neon orange but a frothy texture that tickled me tongue. Fun notes from a trip to the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Taipei: A room called "foam space" which, was indeed, a room with an obvious void and foam flooring. 3-D butterflies that really made me lose my balance. A stroll on bundles of newspapers set on end. There must have been a few year's worth of newsprint. A room where everything was made of sculpted wire. It made me feel fat. The best part about the MOCA is that it is housed in a brick building which sports a clock tower and some commendable shrubbery. I took a bus and that was fun because in the seatback there was old school Nintendo, and as the bus droned northward from Puli to Taipei I enjoyed a good stint of Mario Bros and 1942. In almost every town there were roast duck restaurants, and inevitably the head cook was an old man smoking a lazy-ashed ciggie while preparing people's dinners. In Puri I went to this noodle shop the hotel's concierge recommended and ended up being the culture ambassador. They even let me sign the wall of the place. It specialized in ginger tofu and beef spareribs, which were fabulous. The owner's granny had lived in Japan before WW2 so he played me Sakura on his guitar and I talked to his son in English. In the Taipei train station, I went to Mos Burger, which was at the early hour of 6:45 a.m. open and ready for business. Nothing like a rice and beef burger to get the juices flowing! At this place called "Let's tasty. Let's Enjoy!" in Tainan, I had a good asparagus thing topped off with a triangle of this lemon stuff. A mix between a popsicle and cheesecake. then I went to a bar and they were playing Anne Murray. Then a Heiniken-clad girl bugged me. But that I have already written about. More than a few times I noticed Taiwanese fighter jets screaming overhead. Usually, they timed it so when I was having a zen moment inside a temple the place began to shake and tremble as the jets (sans mufflers) did low-altitude sweeps across the island. at this one temple in Tainan, Fahuah Temple, the guard dog was rather menacing, at least until I left the temple grounds. The site itself is cool, and a long time ago the sea lapped at the temple's periphery, but in modern times creative development and canal-making have sent the sea back several kilometers to the west. Warner cinemas are all over Taiwan and many are 24-hours. I have never seen such hours being kept. Well, at legit and all-ages theatres, anyway... One of the many joys, I found, on my inaugural venture into business class travel, is the lounge which offers clean toilets, all the bear you can guzzle, free international phone calls, and a nice window to watch the planes get clean, stocked and all prettied up. And the experience of being served steak on real plates, oh the service. I get teary thinking about my inevitable return to economy class. All over Taiwan one can find Japanese chains such as Kohiken, Yoshinoya and Mos Burger. Even the bakeries are Japanese. But I am a Starbucks fan if for nothing else, their policy of no smoking seems to be worldwide, Taiwan being no exception. I got to see a wicked taxi-moped collision and actually no blood was spilled and they really didn't get that angry. I was impressed. Also, I had a deaf taxi driver once, or at least he had those tubes in his ears like many deaf people did. But to his credit he was the the safest and slowest taxi driver I hired the whole week. For anyone going to Taiwan I recommend the performing arts center called Taipei Eye hands-down. It is like 880NT$ but so cool and the performers are soo adorable and skilled. note transcription complete. ---------------- This is an ad I found in the Taipei Times newspaper: "Erotic sensual transvestite. Business English translation. Personal painting design!" then, in the same ad it states: Gentle oil smoothing theyapy." Then, a number for Nina/Mark. I guess it depends on the time of day as to what you get, either Nina or Mark. That is one diversified Portfolio! ----------------