Day 2/3 in Taiwan

My trip to Taiwan was uneventful. Thank goodness. All the stressing and packing and re-packing paid off because I was within my weight limits (barely) and all went well. I even got seats in the emergency exit rows where there is more leg room. That made me even happier!
I arrived in Taipei at about 0530hrs. Aaron had given me awesome instructions on how to get to the bus station, so I just followed his instructions and baboom, I was in the right place. Good thing because I don't think I was really prepared for how difficult it was going to be to navigate. It turns out that I really don't know any Chinese! Who knew?! I don't understand when it's spoken and I sure can't read it!
Thankfully, at the bus stop I met a lovely young lady that lives in Vancouver. Her family is from Kaohsiung, so had come home to visit. She verified that I was in the right line for the right bus.
So, bus to train station - NT$30
Train ride to Kaohsiung - NT$1330
Sign that said Car Kiss And Ride - priceless
The high speed train to Kaohsiung was fast and sleek. And, very clean. I was surprised how clean it was. In fact, I'm surprised how clean Taiwan is in general. Apparently, there is a job for people to pick up the garbage. So, they do. That doesn't account for the weird odor that permeates all of Taiwan. Or, at least, all of Kaohsiung. I thought it was a spice that is used in cooking, but Aaron's roommate, Blake, has informed that it is from the open sewers. I'm not sure if I believe him, but....
My first day here Aaron and I went to a noodle place to eat. I think that probably the funniest part was him and I getting on a scooter together. Two big white people on a scooter. That said, I have seen whole families on a scooter, and their dog, too.
The noodle dinner was good, and cheap. To eat out here is ridiculously cheap. And tasty.
On Tuesday I walked a few blocks away and found a street vendor for breakfast. I looked at the place and walked away, then returned. Aaron had told me of the place to go but I was unsure if this was it.
In any case, I decided that it was busy enough that I was going to try it. So I picked an egg omelet that had corn in it. That was all good until I had to pay and couldn't understand how much it was. Thankfully, a very nice lady named Cathy came to my rescue. She is from the city but has been living in the US for the past 5 years. After I paid she asked if I would like to sit with her. She's very nice and I was very thankful for her help.
It was very hot this day, 30 degrees C or so, and very humid. I walked around after breakfast for a bit, then returned to the apartment for a nap.
In the evening Aaron and I went to the night market for supper. Holy cow! So many people! Had wonderful chicken dumpling things (much like dim sum, Kari) and a chicken sandwich thing.
When we went back to the scooter there were some boys hanging around it. Not Aaron's scooter, just the scooters. Anyway, Aaron just walked up to them and pointed at his scooter and they pretty much scattered. Then they saw me behind him, and.....I don't know what they thought!
Aaron had to manhandle his scooter out of the pack. By that I mean he pretty much picked it up and put it down where he wanted to. We got on the scooter, and as we were leaving, I turned around and the boys were laughing and miming Aaron's picking up the scooter. I think they were in awe. I know I was.
The scooter traffic here is crazy, There are rules, but the people seem to think of then as guidelines only. Aaron wants me to rent a scooter (because I keep grabbing him when things get a little dicey and it scares him more), but I am unsure if I could actually drive one here. They just decide to do u-turns whenever they want. They drive on the crosswalks if it means they don't have to wait for the light. They drive on the sidewalks if there is less people. And, so on....
Today I went to a place called Lotus Pond. Very nice and very pretty. Surrounded by many temples that were gorgeous. This is part of what I've been wanting to see. It was amazing. Of course about half way around, my battery went dead on my camera. So, I bought postcards (you'll be getting some in the mail) and will go back to take my own pictures. I'm going to make Aaron come with me, too.
Oh. One other funny thing.....I went to this market. Kind of a convenience/mini grocery store. I stood at the door waiting for it to open automatically. It didn't. So, I started to slide it open, thinking that it didn't open by itself. The two girls in the shop came running over and pushed the button that opened the door. Duh. But, I couldn't read the instructions! When I got into the store I laughed at myself and they laughed at me. So, it was all good. The big Canadian girl didn't break the door.