Kaohsiung

Just arrived yesterday but already we have managed to do a lot. Went to night markets near here last night. The Kaohsiung night markets have a real different feel to the Honk Kong markets we were at over the last few days. Here they are much less serious and commercial and a lot more fun and family orientated. there are a lot of fun games stalls and fluffy animals as well as a few stalls selling snake soups and quite a lot selling frogs and frog dishes. bloody big frogs too.

haven't seen a glimpse of the sun or clouds in sky since we left melbourne. Hong Kong was foggy and raining all the time we were there and Kaohsiung seems to be very polluted ( or extremely dry and foggy)

We are off tomorrow to see Tainan and then on a big train trip right around the island stopping for a few days in Taipei and also down the coast at the Toroka Gorge.

I'm enjoying the food better here already than HK as there is less emphasis on sea food. In HK it seemed the whole island lived on seafood- I even had seafood stuff in a beef dish once.

I've found a coffee shop a few blocks from Bridgets flat. SAIGON COFFEE knows how to make real coffee and also sells great Vietnamese food.
There are scooters every where here. On the road, on the footpath, on the parks, in hallways, in foyers, in shops anywhere you can park or ride one.
Taiwan runs on scooters. No one walks anywhere. A trip one small black away is taken by scooter. Two shops up - go by scooter.

Last night we went to the big huge D$llar supermarket - more a mix between harvey normal, K mart, Target and a super market. I had to get a helmet for the scooter. I got a half face one mid to top of range for NT$200 = ~au$8. Mind you it feels about as solid as an eggshell. All plastic. I've seen italian terrazo pavers in melbourne with more robust handkerchiefs tied on their head.

It compulsory to wear a helmet on a scooter - unless you are a kid. So whole families will be on one scooter. With dad with helmet and kids with none!!

The road rules here -if there are any - seem to be optional - especially if you are on a scooter. Red lights are only a mild suggestion there might be a point in being slightly more careful.

Dodgey keyboard here at local net cafe .

More later. Back on scooter to go back 5 blocks home