Hey Folks,
Things have gotten a little crazy around here on account of Typhoon Sinlaku making landfall over the weekend. Friday was a more or less normal day of class, a bit windy and just a smattering of rain after the sun went down. Well, maybe more than a bit windy. I stood next to an open window in my apartment with a sock in my hand to test the breeze that was coming in (har har get it? wind sock) and it was horizontal and flying around like an epileptic in a disco.
Friday night I went out with a bunch of other Hess teachers to Jogoya, a restaurant on the 11th floor of Taichung Central, a mall type place. I parked my scooter in the basement, expecting I could get it the next morning/afternoon. Dinner was a bit pricey, 636 NT per person ($1US = 30NT) but holy cow was it worth it.
All you can eat, all you can drink. Score.
My boss Shaun and I were the first to arrive and after we got our table he showed me around. There was a massive sushi bar, complete with green noodles, tuna, sailfish, tilapia, oilfish, prawns, snails, and a ton of other stuff I couldn't identify. I re-discovered how much wasabi reminds me of napalm as I mowed these delightful treats of raw fish (the oilfish was far and away the most amazing sushi I've ever eaten), and then we moved on to the fried food. Fried cuttlefish, pumpkin, taro, chicken, and crabs. Yea, crabs. Picture all those little guys you find when you go tide-pooling on the coast that got their claws ripped off and then deep fried. It reminded me of eating crunchy paper, so not that great.
Several more plates of food, including raw oysters, and many, many pitchers of beer later we were asked to leave because they were essentially closed. A short cab ride later and I was at Jon's place with a six pack of Taiwan beer and the rest of the night ahead of me.
I woke up around seven or eight the next morning because the windows were shaking and there was this weird whining howling noise. After going to the window I realized the crazy noises were the wind and rain screaming around the concrete frame of the apartment building at 40 or 50km/hr. Trees danced like lunatics at a rave and rain flew horizontally as if fired from a gun. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, back home I'd seen my fair share of heavy thunderstorms, but this was a completely different animal. No lightning or thunder but my god these clouds were pissed at something.
After lunch I was standing in front of a small doctor's office, after I watched Jon get acupuncture needles inserted into his flesh, enjoying the gusting wind and not really minding the light spray that was coming around the corner. That's when the woman in her yellow poncho appeared, lightly stepping over a deep puddle onto the slick sidewalk tiles. As soon as she did so the wind magnified ten-fold and with mounting horror I watched her slip and slide and skate her away across the ground, trying with all her might to get purchase with her soggy sandals. She was almost at a running speed when she ate shit. She didn't hit the concrete pillar like I thought she was going to, but it was a near thing. Both feet kicked out in front of her and she went down like a sack of potaters. And all I could say was:
"Holy shit!"
She got up and walked away but man, it was brutal looking. Anyway, we spent the afternoon watching British CNN and napping before dinner. A few more hours of drinking followed in celebration of our Typhoon weekend. It was about 3am when most of the beer and all of the whiskey was gone that Jon proposed we go outside. Sure, wind and rain would be fun. But, Dave took it a bit further:
Why not go for a swim?
...
Sure.
I borrowed a pair of shorts from Dave and everyone else changed their clothes and then we headed outside, into the maelstrom. We hopped the gate, out of sight of the security camera, and stripped down to our swimming clothes while trying in some fashion or other to keep at least one article of clothing somewhat dry in the driving rain. The water was fantastic, not nearly as cold as we anticipated; I thought it was warm, but I'm also used to swimming in the Atlantic ocean.
This was one of those moments that I still get from time to time, where I look around and say "Wow, I'm really here." Rain drilled down on top of the pool, whipped to and fro by the angry, howling wind. Hanging lights in the garden around the pool swung back and forth and gave only the faintest illumination on the water. There is nothing quite like drunkenly swimming in an outdoor pool at 3am in the middle of a typhoon with several of your friends.
Oh, stop worring, the water was only chest deep.
Another night on Jon's couch and then breakfast at Early Bird, a really bitchin western-style restaurant. It had been almost two months since I had eggs and toast with a good smattering of tobasco and ketchup...I might have heard angels singing.
Then, I had to get my scooter, which was still parked in the basement of Taichung Central. Supposedly the typhoon is on its way out of town, but it's beating us up before it leaves. The rain was coming down in big sheets of cold drops, once in a while driven by gusts of an angry, howling wind. Every street had standing water on it, there were puddles the size of station wagons everywhere, and in the middle of it all was me. And my scooter.
Rain gear only does so much when its already pouring and you're driving 40km/hr into an equally strong headwind, splashing through puddles and trying to navigate through an army of taxi-cabs. In other words, by the time I got home I was soaked. Well, not entirely; a had a big dry patch on my shirt, but my left pant leg looked like I had an "accident." If I inherited free rain gear with my scooter, am I allowed to complain about the holes in it?
On account of my last entry being an enormous caffiene induced rant, I'll keep this one a bit shorter. Next week I'll touch on the stuff I promised, I just thought some Typhoon Sinlaku news from me would be more interesting than the lunatic kid named Alex with the coke-bottle glasses and a piss poor disposition. I'll get to him later, along with the other stuff.
So for now, stay safe kids, and dry. I need to go see if the chicken guy is open downstairs so I don't have to eat cold noodles from OK mart for dinner. Many days and pleasant nights, say thankya.
Fun Facts:
-Raw oysters are weird.
-Stewed snails are awesome.
-Typhoon Sinlaku actually had two "eyes" at one point.
-American movies that are shown on TV here frequently have violence cut out, but not profanity.
-When eating it is considered acceptable to raise your plate/bowl to your mouth and shovel food in.