The things you can buy for 一百塊

When I am at a night market, particularly 新崛江 in Kaohsiung, I am rarely looking for anything specific. (Though "funny t-shirts" is a permanent item on my shopping list.) However I often come home with at least a few items. But... I'm so cheap! And my salary is so nonexistent! How can I afford such behavior?? Here's your answer: almost everything I buy costs one hundred Taiwan dollars, roughly equivalent to US $3 (give or take a quarter, depending on the exchange rate).

So, the question is... What can you buy for 100 dollars?

Answer: Ridiculous handbags.

Answer: Colorful hats.
(...that you can make your boyfriend wear!)

Answer: Graphic T-shirts with bad English.

Answer: Multiple face masks to protect you from SARS, swine flu, or industrialized air.
Answer: Cloth or (p)leather belts of any color.

Answer: These sunglasses, or any of the others that I've purchased since I got to Taiwan.

Answer: This watch, or many others like it.

Answer: A USB-powered keyboard vaccuum cleaner?

So this, my friends, is how things like fanny packs, orange t-shirts, and neon pink hats happen. Remember this when you see me (and what I'm wearing) back home.

PS: Let this also be a catalogue for you of the many souvenirs I could bring back for you from Taiwan. Because with my salary, I can't afford much more. If you don't believe me, you can look in my neon rainbow-zippered wallet.

Rafting shoes + Friday pants + Taipei pedicure

This past weekend, I went rafting in eastern Taiwan. I don't have the time, energy, or group photos to write an appropriate blog post yet, so until then, you just get this picture.


Matching shorts, sandals, and pedicure courtesy of Taiwanese fashion.

Just don't tell my middle school self how much bright pink I've gotten into as an adult.

Did you know there's a Hello Kitty Bakery and Restaurant?

Because there is. In Taipei. And I went there.

My Hello Kitty hamburger:

The Hello Kitty decor:
To quote Dani's friend Alex, "I feel like I just walked into an eight-year-old girl's bedroom."

Hello Kitty pastries:

Even a Hello Kitty Bathroom:

Oh, and Hello Kitty says "Happy Mother's Day!"

Spring Scream

As I mentioned briefly in my last blog post, last weekend (Thursday to Sunday) I was at something called Spring Scream. Basically, it was a three-day outdoor concert by the beach in Kenting. I like live music and I like the beach, and ever since I saw 海角七號, the big Taiwanese hit released this fall, I thought Spring Scream looked like a fun time.

If I ever get the opportunity to go to Spring Scream again, I'm not sure I'd choose to camp outside in a tent next time around (apparently North American hippies are alive and well and living in Taiwan). In any case, the whole tenting thing was certainly an experience. Maybe waking up at 3, 4, and 5am to the sounds of a drum circle is a rite of passage into adulthood?

Anyway, I had a good time watching dozens of different bands in probably the most beautiful concert setting I'll ever see.

Saturday afternoon, before the action started:

I also got to use the awesome backpacking backpack that I had gotten as a going-away present (thanks Aleecia!).

I'm supposed to be "pointing to adventure"? Or maybe I'm about to rough up some hippies.

As you can see, in embracing the obnoxious fashion trends of Taiwan, I procured a very neon hat and a very pink fanny pack. (Okay, fanny packs aren't even a trend here, I just found it awfully convenient not to carry anything around. Why bother to blend in when you already stand out anyway?) You can also see evidence of the removable tattoo on my arm, which served as the three-day concert pass.

Faux glamor shot by the beach to showcase the ridiculousness of my hat, fanny pack, T-shirt, and tattoo:

Here is one poor attempt at photographing a music act from far away in the dark. I like the three girls in the foreground wearing matching light-up red devil horns. (I later purchased blue ones.)

There were also some new experiences, like visiting the southernmost point of Taiwan...:

... and drinking wine in a can:

And the staple beach experiences, like watching the sunset over the water:
So I was once again reminded that Taiwan is a very beautiful place. I guess I can't really blame the hippies for coming here, then, can I?

Your average Tuesday?

I was in the middle of an entry on my trip to Lotus Lake with Lauren when the sound of several fireworks in loud succession coming from very close by interrupted my train of thought. I was forced to investigate.

Apparently, the temple across the street from my apartment building is having some sort of temple parade right now. I saw some temple parades in Tainan, but they were all around 10am on a Saturday (or was it Sunday?) morning. A very logical time. Right now, at 10:30pm on a Tuesday, I would not expect this amount of liveliness (read: loudness). But alas... fireworks, cymbals, Asian horns, and deities shrouded in neon lights are filling the street in front of my apartment and pouring into my very large window. The dog is going crazy, racing from my bedroom door to my lap and back again, trying to find a way to escape the noise and/or find its source.

I took this video from the porch. Not a great view, but maybe it will give you an idea of what is going on (and has been going on for at least 30 minutes) and what will prevent me from falling asleep until it has finished. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this wouldn't happen back home... at least, not on a Tuesday night at 10:30.



Also, in my family, this is not just an average Tuesday. It is my 奶奶's birthday today. Happy birthday, Nan!

My new shoes

Before they get any dirtier. My most important souvenir from Tainan.


Yes, they are so Asian, thank you for noticing.