Monday is Update Day
On Friday, couple of coworkers plus another American intern went to TGI Fridays; not my idea, of course. But the coworkers wanted "American food." And Gordon Biersch wasn't taking reservations. The food and crowded seats was forgettable but it was fun overall.
On Saturday we got up at 5:15 to play tennis in probably the most expensive tennis court I've ever played at, measured by square footage, due to its location in downtown Taipei. The Courts are actually part of a club for the managers of Taiwan's Telecom company, and very spiffy. After tennis was hot springs, followed by late lunch of goose (and delicious innards) Taiwan style. We stopped briefly by a gallery opening, as we knew the hostess, before I rushed back home for a dinner with a couple of US University Students at a trendy Japanese Izakaya; 5th Anniversary means live Okinawan music, topless taiko drummers, by 2L get 2L free Orion beer, 10% gift certificates, mugs, and raffle tickets (which all tanked). The food was average good, the place was loud, so conversation was a bit difficult.
All in all an eventful day, where traffic was complicated by massive marches protesting the pending ECFA trade agreement between Taiwan and China. Many fear (justifiably so) that Taiwan will get shafted and what become Mexico after NAFTA.
On Sunday we played tennis at the same place, took the MRT towards Dan-shui (in Northern Taipei) to visit a former Minister's home in Northern Taipei, where there are far fewer cars and people and skyscrappers and far more greenery and rivers and mountains and clean air. The guy owned a floor of a huge condo with an awesome view of Taipei Harbor and Guang-Yin Mountain, with floor to ceiling windows and balconies that obviated the need for AC even on a hot day. He drove us to a golf club up in the mountains for lunch, where the view was even more spectacular. For the location, the food was actually very reasonably priced and decent. During lunch we saw the rain clouds over Taipei city and watched lightning bolts come down from the sky. I think I'll come back here with friends, even if I don't play golf.
The afternoon was rainy and uneventful. Visited my uncle who runs a hospital in Yi-Lan before he headed back briefly and discussed plans to visit the East Coast for some greenery, hiking, hot spring, and superior seafood. I slept at 9 and woke around 6 this morning, in time for Tai-Chi Qi-Gong with the old timers. I might go see a movie with some of the American students I met. There's also an ancient Tibetan artifacts exhibit, as well as a Impressionists exhibit with many works on loan from Philadelphia that I want to see.
Will see if I can finish up work early today.
On Saturday we got up at 5:15 to play tennis in probably the most expensive tennis court I've ever played at, measured by square footage, due to its location in downtown Taipei. The Courts are actually part of a club for the managers of Taiwan's Telecom company, and very spiffy. After tennis was hot springs, followed by late lunch of goose (and delicious innards) Taiwan style. We stopped briefly by a gallery opening, as we knew the hostess, before I rushed back home for a dinner with a couple of US University Students at a trendy Japanese Izakaya; 5th Anniversary means live Okinawan music, topless taiko drummers, by 2L get 2L free Orion beer, 10% gift certificates, mugs, and raffle tickets (which all tanked). The food was average good, the place was loud, so conversation was a bit difficult.
All in all an eventful day, where traffic was complicated by massive marches protesting the pending ECFA trade agreement between Taiwan and China. Many fear (justifiably so) that Taiwan will get shafted and what become Mexico after NAFTA.
On Sunday we played tennis at the same place, took the MRT towards Dan-shui (in Northern Taipei) to visit a former Minister's home in Northern Taipei, where there are far fewer cars and people and skyscrappers and far more greenery and rivers and mountains and clean air. The guy owned a floor of a huge condo with an awesome view of Taipei Harbor and Guang-Yin Mountain, with floor to ceiling windows and balconies that obviated the need for AC even on a hot day. He drove us to a golf club up in the mountains for lunch, where the view was even more spectacular. For the location, the food was actually very reasonably priced and decent. During lunch we saw the rain clouds over Taipei city and watched lightning bolts come down from the sky. I think I'll come back here with friends, even if I don't play golf.
The afternoon was rainy and uneventful. Visited my uncle who runs a hospital in Yi-Lan before he headed back briefly and discussed plans to visit the East Coast for some greenery, hiking, hot spring, and superior seafood. I slept at 9 and woke around 6 this morning, in time for Tai-Chi Qi-Gong with the old timers. I might go see a movie with some of the American students I met. There's also an ancient Tibetan artifacts exhibit, as well as a Impressionists exhibit with many works on loan from Philadelphia that I want to see.
Will see if I can finish up work early today.