Rain Riders

Rain, Rain, Go Away:  I had the hotel window open last night, so I heard the rain begin around 2:30 am.  It was still pouring when I woke up at 6.  It has rained all day.  In fact, it has rained every day since I arrived.  I checked the climate statistics, and they confirm that this amount of rain is abnormal.  And an article in the Taipei News announced that the red bean crop had been devastated.  November and December are always Taiwan’s driest months.  The law of averages is just catching up with me, I guess.  I traveled for almost three months earlier in the year and had no prolonged periods of rain.  I guess my luck couldn’t last.  People here seem prepared; the scooter jockeys all have raincoats, some quite fashionable.  And pedestrians have umbrellas, which are used in sunny weather (parasols) as well as in the rain.  If you forget your umbrella about 3 US dollars will buy you one on the street.

Coffee with Ronald:  My umbrella and I ventured out a little later.  This city does not come alive as early as US cities, so I actually had a hard time finding a place to sit down and have a cup of coffee.  Even though it was after 8, the café by the Kbus (Kaohsiung Bus) station was not open.  There were a few places to get coffee (mostly 7-11s), but nowhere to sit, and sitting outside was out of the question.  Plus, I wanted somewhere to work on my laptop.  After scouting out quite a few blocks, I found myself outside a McDonald’s.  I must admit it was perfect for my needs:  coffee and a place to sit.   I dislike patronizing American chains while I am traveling, but when the local economy presents no alternatives, that’s the only choice.  Judging from the number of Taiwanese patrons (every table occupied), this city’s economy could support some entrepreneurial competition.  Regrettably, I find myself patronizing McDonalds all over the world, but I have my reasons:  (1) They are open early and late, and on holidays; (2) they have tables where you can read or work, and no one will bother you; (3) they usually offer free wi-fi (but not here).  Kaohsiung needs to give the western chains some competition.  Serve  better coffee, dream up some Chinese/international fusion fast food, offer plenty of seating, make sure the heat and air are working as appropriate, keep the premises clean (a real virtue in this part of the world), and provide free wi-fi.  I would say that Taiwan lags a bit in the wi-fi department.  In two hotels, now, I have had ethernet cables, and in one hotel I had a weak internet signal.  Nevertheless, this trip has convinced me to move Taiwan into the category of developed countries.  It would easily qualify as our 51^st state.

Shopping Precincts:  Despite the rain:  I ventured beyond the city’s old central business district around the central railway station (where all the hotels seem to be) to see some other shopping districts.  The others are more modern and chain-ridden, but when you move into the alleys and sidestreets, people live their days as they always have.  I wandered through a thriving street market that covered multiple city blocks.  I couldn’t even name a quarter of the foods that were for sale, and some, like the dragon fruit, I had learned to identify only last summer.  The rain eventually became so heavy I ducked into the only sit-down establishment I could find, an Italian restaurant.  For lunch, I had spaghetti, mushroom soup, and pomelo tea (it’s like grapefruit).   I waited for the rain to let up, then returned to the streets.  Shortly, it started again to pour.