(^54) I liked the hostel and the people who stayed there - nearly all of them were in the
process of looking to find teaching jobs in Taiwan. I even met a South African lady,
which was quite unique as I seldom met South Africans and could count on the
fingers of one hand the ones I did. The others consisted of a Dutch guy (Martin), who
didn’t look or sound Dutch at all, a British guy, who looked and sounded British but
who’d been teaching English for more than ten years in Taiwan, a New Zealander
who’d spent eight months working and travelling in China, etc. It is always
fascinating company in a hostel.
I met Borut Kocar, a cyclist from Holland (Yugoslavian by birth), who spent seven
weeks biking in Taiwan. He was charming and worked as a dance/movement
therapist in a small psychiatric hospital in Holland. On my return to the hostel, a tiny
box was placed in front of my door. It contained a lovely message from Borut and a
small porcelain clog - how sweet and thoughtful.
Taipei offered a host of exciting sights, one being a visit to the famous Taipei-101,
the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2009. The building was also the tallest
and largest “green building” globally. Moreover, Taipei-101 was one of the most
stable buildings ever constructed. Besides various piles and reinforced foundations,
the building was fitted with a 660-ton steel pendulum serving as a tuned mass
damper. Suspended between the 92nd to the 87th floor, the pendulum swayed to
offset the building’s movements caused by typhoons and earthquakes.
I paid a visit to the Martyrs’ Shrine; not so much for the aesthetic grandeur or to pay
respect to the fallen servicemen, but more to watch the straight-faced military
guards as they changed shifts every hour, followed by an elaborate marching
ceremony.
Yay, I received my Chinese visa and then had to wait until Sunday before the ferry
departed. My poor, old, tattered and torn passport was filling up and needed
replacement.
Taiwan’s coffee industry was brewing, something I wasn’t opposed to. Starbucks
seemed to have targeted the upper-income levels and coffee drinking was fast
becoming a fashion. The young and the hip were sipping their brew (I wasn’t even
sure they liked it) in trendy cafes. Tiny and intimate coffee shops, as well as a few
“hole-in-the-wall” type places, roasted their coffee right on the pavement, making it
quite impossible to pass.
leana
(Leana)
#1