Silly Funny Happy Fun Land.

So anyone who's lived in a foreign country knows about the silly funny happy fun things you come across here's a few:

One of the main sources of this funtime are locals who don't get a lot of opportunities to encounter foreigners, so when the time comes they get excited and say every English word/phrase they know... for example...
Today three construction workers 75ft up a rickety scaffolding (without ropes, harnesses or any safety devices) stopped everything to shout "HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?! I LOVE YOU!" all this of course while waving and blowing kisses.


I've seen more Buddhist monks/nuns here than anywhere else I've been. They're all over town; on the metro, driving cars, window shopping at the Mitsukoshi Luxury Mall. My favorite nun-experience though was in my favorite neighborhood vegetarian restaurant... I found myself sitting behind a table of nuns... and then it happened... along came the loudest nun-fart i'd ever heard. Now i know this is the only nun-fart i've ever heard but i'm confident nothing will ever top it.

oh and i came across this billboard paid for the Taiwanese Army's Recruiting Center... I think it explains itself:


good times in fun fun happy sunshine toyland.

Sad News.

I've spoken a few times about the great views from our apartment complex. While the view from all of our windows is the neighboring building the view from the balcony is pretty amazing. One of the views we often enjoyed was a man living in a rad but rundown rooftop apartment. He kept pigeons in a large cage on the roof of his rooftop. Most afternoons you could see him climbing out onto the roof to feed the birds. Tonight we heard a loud crash and ran to the balcony to see that his apartment had burst into flames. He stayed on the roof for quite some time throwing buckets of water onto the overwhelming fire while neighbors brought fire extinguishers. Eventually it was too much and everyone retreated. By the time fire department arrived the fire had spread to the lower floors as well as the neighboring buildings. The fire fighters did some very impressive work putting out the fire but the rooftop man's place was gone.

Please raise a glass to Mr. Pigeon tonight, I did.




You can see him on the roof here a few weeks ago.

The roof.

Our building has a shared space on the rooftop. Currently, the other tenants use it for drying laundry, growing two small potted plants and burning "ghost money."

but... look at the views from this place (pictured below), i'm buying a table and chairs and setting up camp

ruins.

Taipei seems to be the home of seemingly unforgiving modern structures of glass and stone standing, neighbor to relics of crumbling brick with jungle growing from their heart. In the middle of the city center, at the core of a seemingly unresting commercial neighborhood you can find the shell of a building overwhelmed by vines. I found the remains of a brick building in Jingmei, like a crab's shell on the beach, left behind by growth or death it stands with the branches growing through its broken windows the only life left inside.

also, more ruins from the jungle near Xingfu Amusement Park.

Building in Jingmei:



same building:


Temple ruins:

Xingfu Amusement Park

Yesterday in the jungle near home, came across the ruins of the Xingfu Amusement Park. I knew it was nearby, didn't realize it was this close. There's not much left now, but rumor has it Xingfu was the place to be in the 1980's

high rise living.

our apartment is on the 12th of 18 floors. yesterday morning the temple down below had some kind of festival celebration. it started at 7:00 am with a parade. drums and bells and firecrackers. oh and the electrified chinese violin. a good time was had by all. there were puppet shows and dancers and nobody watching any of it. it lasted all day.


at the top of the world:


our buildings behind mr. temple:


door:


Our second choice for housing:

door:

here are some pictures

pool :)

my new favorite candy bar.

pedalboats in the neighborhood

retired pedalboat