Archive for November, 2010


TRADITIONAL GROCERY STORE – KAOHSIUNG

Filed under: Entertainment, Small Shop, Taiwan Culture, Tasty Seafood — Leave a comment
29/11/2010

As teenagers in Sydney we’d browse the Cantonese grocery shops in Dixon Street, Haymarket before dining on Chinese food at The Green Jade or Tai Ping restaurants.

This Sydney Chinatown was a small but an exciting part of Sydney in the 1960′s.

Much larger and more tourist friendly today it lacks the mystery that the dark narrow street once offered.

The real things in Taiwan is much better.

Dihua Street in Taipei has hundreds of such stores.

In Kaohsiung I found a street of traditional shops (west of Kaohsiung Main Station and just past the school).

This street has been renovated with a roof that turns the area in what we’d call an ‘arcade’.

It would be even nicer at night with good photographic subjects galore.

I seem to gravitate to dried seafood.  Heavily salted it apparently has a good shelf life.

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HISTORIC NORTH GATE TO CITY OF TAIPEI

Filed under: How to Save Money, Taiwan Museums — Leave a comment
26/11/2010

How many people walked though this gate into the City of Taipei – happy for the security offered within the walled city?

How many others have departed full of despair?  If the stones could speak.  Overhead (almost) is Civic Boulevard which came so close to threatening the existence of this historic structure.

North Gate is a place for people by themselves who have time to think and imagine what the past may have been like.

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FOOD AUSTRALIA VERSUS TAIWAN

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25/11/2010

Thirty dollars in Australia is about NT $1000 at present.

LIQUID SUGAR. Taiwanese eat and drink far healthier than Australians. A scene like this would not presently happen in Taiwan. Cola drinks are rare compared with ‘the western world’. End of aisle positions in supermarkets are rented by the company displaying product. Cola is said to be the single biggest selling supermarket line in Australia. 17% sugar?

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FORMOSA and TAIWAN MEMORIES

Filed under: Entertainment — Leave a comment
21/11/2010

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IT HAPPENED AGAIN – BANK ATM FAILS

Filed under: How to Save Money — Leave a comment
21/11/2010

I stick to my rule of only using a bank ATM when the bank is open.  Just as well.  Upon inserting an internationally recognized credit card in a Taipei city bank, the ATM’s own computer went into a boot mode, the receipt slip was a mass of CAPITAL LETTERS that made no sense.

My card was stuck inside.

Bank staff came to the rescue.  They returned me the card when I proved I owned it.  It worked OK on an adjoining ATM.

Better to have this happen during the day than when the bank is closed.

Maybe foreign cards trigger some machines into panic?

SEARCH : Cheap Lesson with an ATM

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RAIN. DAY. KAOHSIUNG.

Filed under: Small Shop, Taiwan Museums, Tasty Seafood — Leave a comment
12/11/2010

Actually a 2nd breakfast. and look at the English news.

 

Caught train to the ORANGE 1 MRT.  Hired bike and took ferry to Cijin Island.  Rain spoiled plan to ride around the island, so I ate locally near the wharf.  Surprise, surprise – best fish in ages.  NT $350

 

Billed as barbecued fish it turned out to be deep fried.  Quite a dry result and fantastic.  “Crisp skin fish” could be a new name for it.  The species is a relative to Mangrove Jack, probably called ‘snapper’ in many places.  A tropical predator fish.

Walking back to the hotel, along a street full of bridal shops, an amazing retail museum of Egyptian tourist souvenirs.  Mr Mohamed Rashwan, originally from Egypt has been living in Taiwan 14 years.  Here is a sample of what is for sale from the only shop of it’s kind in Taiwan.  The prices are reasonable and a fraction of what the same goods would cost in other cities.

Rashwan International Co, Limited  phone 0913 023 257

 

 

 

 

 

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KAOHSIUNG BY NIGHT

Filed under: Health food, How to Save Money, Inventions, My First Taipei Views, Small Shop
12/11/2010

This new pizza will be a worry for The Pizza Hut people, less than half price  and better tasting.

How does a Turkish hotel manager of a 5-star resort come to live in Taiwan and run a street food stall? Location: nearly opposite Kaohsiung Main Station.

“I met my wife-to-be about nine years ago” says Halit Toprak in his version of the English language.

“I did some trips to Taiwan and she visited me several times in Turkey before we got married over one year ago”.

One food item cooked by Halit is a deep fried dumpling, (San Chow Bow in Chinese).  Meat or potato & cheese.  NT $40 each.

We met during my last visit to the city a few weeks ago.

It was Halit’s English voice that stood out in the busy crowd as I walked past.

In a city where the number of English words spoken is  minimal we both found a common interest, easily

Taiwanese people are helpful and very friendly toward foreigners.  Almost every day there is some little high-point that makes life that much better and worthwhile.

In addition, everywhere in the city is something new and interesting happening. if you are able to take time and enjoy.   Australians actually live a quiet life.

A regular bit of both cultures would be ideal.

 

CHINESE HERBAL DRINKS – EASILY OBTAINED

Hot or cold drinks for better health made with Chinese herbs!  Some are extracted via an espresso machine, others mixed in a blender.  New shop on a prime corner position opposite Kaohsiung Main Station and MRT.  Next door to a McDonalds.  Will these herbal drink shops increase a higher awareness in looking after ourselves?

Hangover treatment?  Flu treatment?  Anger, PMT – the list is endless.  Now there is a drink to alleviate anything.  Nervous re a job interview? -Have a herbal drink.

I’m just guessing that these drinks can be a help in these situations – but it’s a calculated guess based on my limited understandings.  It might just be the new thing internationally?

There’s a YouTube video of the crowd outside this shop on opening day and a demo of drinks being made. See below:

(Need to manually copy the  address, or enter herbal.wmv at YouTube).

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MAOKONG STATION AREA – VIA GONDOLA

Filed under: Nature, New Products in Taiwan — Leave a comment
10/11/2010

Tip #1 – select a day when the sky is clear

Tip #2.  Avoid the glass bottom version (every fourth cabin) if there is a long line waiting.  The gondola is too high above the rain forest canopy to see anything worthwhile below.

Tip #3 If the view is exceptional, chances are the food isn’t.  Near Maokong Station.

Tip #4 Go for a walk along ZhiNan Road.  There’s a regular bus if you need a ride.  Beautiful rain forest scenery far superior to anything available in the tropical north of Australia.  Highly under-rated by locals I fear.

Tip #5 Sample some tea but don’t expect same value as McDonald’s.

Tip#6  It can be cool, have a jacket handy.

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SUNNY DAY AT THE ZOO

Filed under: Entertainment, Nature, Taiwan Museums — Leave a comment
10/11/2010

Testing  Sony TX9 today.

The lioness performed nicely on movie mode by playing with her mate – who was too sleepy to respond.  Fish is an Arowana in the Nocturnal exhibit.  He’s been there for years and is my favorite.

No hippopotamus’ in the Sydney zoo to the best of my knowledge, I’m not sure about rhinoceros.

Taipei zoo is smaller and in many respects more visitor friendly than the Sydney zoo.

No queues today for the panda exhibit.  Panda’s were separated and appeared more playful.

Lioness sees a foreigner with a camera!

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SANCHONG CITY. NEW MRT STATION OPEN

Filed under: Taiwan Culture — Leave a comment
06/11/2010

Sanchong is different to Taipei in that it’s obviously poorer.  People everywhere are friendly. A foreigner should relax and feel safe in Taiwan, within reason.

The absence of street bars as per Pattaya (Thailand)  attracts red necks elsewhere.

Best, friendliest cat in Taiwan.  Shop window adjacent to Sanchong MRT.  Such a perfect pose at first  it could have been mistaken for a statue.

 

Street market.  Seafood and a small shark (with fins)

Campaigning Taiwan style in Sanchong City. ‘Entertainment’ and local politics combined. Australian politics is asleep by comparison.  Democracy is obviously a more important issue in Taiwan.

Australians take theirs for granted, voting is compulsory for everyone over 18 years of age.  A few handbills and posters is all you will see in rural Australia, plus media advertising.

Australian market vendors offer customers very little as compared with Taiwan.

Local laws protect shops and restaurants from this type of competition.

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