7/4/09

Thursday 6/11/09 - Biking & way beyond trolls

Today we went to a different location near the river and found a bike store that was open. We were able to rent 3 beach cruiser style bikes for the whole day for about 65 cents each. There were only 3 in the store, one burgundy and 2 pink with yellow and white polka dots. They all appeared to be the same size but the store owner insisted that I ride the burgundy one and that Todd and Britton ride the pink ones. In a culture much less concerned about the line between masculine and feminine, he was unaware that we thought this was so hilarious! So, the bike seats and handle bars we adjusted to fit each of us and we set out toward the river. The path along the river was a peaceful way to enjoy nature while in a big city. We even found a little stunt park, probably made for skateboards but pretty entertaining on a bike as well.

About 2 hours into our bike ride, it started to rain. Then Todd took us to the worst market ever. LOL! Okay, in fairness, Todd had never been to this market before. He had noticed a market just beside a bridge when he rode the bus and he was curious. So, we went and it was lightly raining and it was a mess and our curiosities were all satisfied.
Then we went under the bridge to get out of the rain and our thoughts about what could/should/would be under a bridge were forever changed. We peeked through a tented area from which we could hear music and discovered a secret ping pong society! Just past that, was a badminton court where a few retired people were playing badminton. Just beyond that, a few more people were using the smooth concrete floor to practice the tango. It was bizarre but entertaining and we were pleased to be out of the rain.

It rained for a while longer and we were getting really hungry and wanted to go but we were hesitant about biking in the rain and then having to take a bus across town. I said, "If only we had some ponchos..." and less than a minute later an older Taiwanese woman came up to us and insisted that we take her two extra ponchos and even her umbrella! Todd tried to refuse the umbrella, thinking that this gesture was too much, but she insisted! I'm not sure what else was said since I do not speak Mandarin but I was sure at that moment that my chi had indeed been adjusted.

Thursday night, we went to the clothing night market. This was a treat to see rows and rows of clothing stalls! Most things were cheap in both quality and price and I only bought a few fun little souvenirs. I really enjoyed the market atmosphere and Britton was good at bargaining with just fingers and hand gestures when Shu-Fen and Todd were not around to help us.

On the way to the market we passed by another temple all lit up at night. Then we went to another night market to get a pork bone stew that tasted like cinnamon, one of Todd's favorites.

We still had room for dessert at a little cafe. Who knew bean curd, red beans, sweet potatoes, taro, and cooked peanuts of a bed of ice covered in a syrup could be dessert? And it was really good!

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