Since the Typhoon Jen and I were able to get a few adventures in (when I showed up to help Monday, they sent me away saying it was mostly sorting personal things, larger mechanical/electrical work and tree clearing). Here is a few of the things we have been up to:
Wooooo! We sure pack things in, don’t we?
Oh! And we bought $5 peaches from a guy in the street. Don’t ask.
- We FINALLY tried the famous mango shaved ice. My reaction: WHY HAVEN’T WE DONE THIS YET?! It was by far the best thing we’ve had since getting here and possibly the most refreshing thing I’ve ever had in my life. Sure, it’s big (see the picture) but it’s over half just ice.
- We explored some more shops. The shopping culture here is not at all like China. For one, you don’t haggle for prices (insert sad face here) and for two (?), prices are on par with home (insert another sad face). We also haven’t seen any knock-of type markets full of scarves and purses. Instead, there is mostly cheap (quality) clothes and jewellery or brand name stores (Nike, for example and ROOTS! are popular) but the prices there are the same as home. We sometimes luck out and find little hipster boutiques and they are by far the coolest (expensive but super cool). In those shops, I know for SURE that I’m not in China!
- We had McDonalds. Yeah, yeah, BUT they had…wait for it…PINEAPPLE on the burger. How could we not?!
- I met a guy who learned bagpiping at the Gaelic College! I randomly started talking to a white, English speaker at the train station. He is from New Mexico (I think it was) and is studying at UBC in Vancouver and living in Shanghai. I mentioned I was from Nova Scotia, he asked where, I told him Cape Breton and he said his grandmother was from St. Ann’s Bay. Say whaaaa?!
- I got a full-blown 90 minute traditional massage from a blind Taiwanese man. He and his brother own a shop and Apple and I went for the massage. Man, he was impressive. Even though he was blind, I had what looked like Grandpa’s boxers on and two Taiwanese teacher and Jen were snapping away at pictures (I can’t wait to see those haha). We started with a half hour food massage (he got a kick out of my toe ring) then had an hour long body massage – and I mean a FULL body massage; from my head and ears to every one of my toes haha (no, no nothing inappropriate). He cracked all of my fingers and toes, he was up on the table getting his elbows and knees into muscles I didn’t know existed. He got a kick out of me. I was in SO much pain at times (I couldn’t see my reaction) haha but I only asked him to ease off twice or three times. He did give me the option, but I figured I’d see what it was about. He ended up telling Apple that I have a very high pain tolerance. Yeah, I’m awesome.
- We’ve been hitting up hot pots on the regular now. We went to “the good one” across town with Apple, Penny and a new intern that doesn’t really speak English.
- An old friend of mine from Acadia messaged me after seeing the Herald article saying that he lives in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese girl who worked at L’arche in Wolfville, moved back here and had a baby. Jen and I met up with him (at the best hot pot place we’ve been to yet, hands down) for dinner (he was sweet and bought!) then went to their place for a quick visit. The baby was ADORABLE, it was neat hearing about the international school where Tavis works and it was lovely catching up.
Wooooo! We sure pack things in, don’t we?
Oh! And we bought $5 peaches from a guy in the street. Don’t ask.