Melting

I arrived in Taipei on Sunday, and was greeted by 80-90 degree heat and humidity. It rained hard last night, so this morning has been a bit cooler. I'm drawn to any a/c vent I can find, and over the course of the trip, I've become quite skilled at locating and just lingering around the vents. Hong Kong, Suzhou, and Nanjing were other humid cities in my recent memory, so I'm a bit more acclimated to this weather, but I still feel like I'm melting. Enough whining, here's the good stuff.

Met up with my Dad in Taipei, and am staying at my grandma's house (or technically my uncle's house since grandma passed it on to my uncles, but in my mind it is still grandma's house) in what can only be described tactfully as the bar district, and more truthfully as the red light district. Back when my Mom was growing up, this area was one of the most affluent areas in Taipei, which is why her family moved there. Over time, the bars and karaoke came in and took over the neighborhood. The great thing is that the older buildings are slowly redeveloping, and its location in the center of the city cannot be beat. It's also a very lively area, and one of the joys is being able to walk out the door in the morning and getting hot pan-fried buns, fresh warm soy milk, and going to the fruit sellers.

I'm in a very CLEAN and SMOKE-FREE internet cafe right now, which is the complete antithesis of the internet cafes in China. My hair and clothes won't stink of second hand smoke after I leave, and for that I am thankful. I also don't need to use my antibacterial wipes on the keyboards.

Because of the heat, I generally tend to stay indoors in the afternoons, and go out strolling the 'hoods with my Dad after dinner. It's a lot of fun talking about the different buildings and discussing the good and bad elements. Dad also took me to see the building where my grandfather had opened up a store selling fishing wire, and the neighborhood he grew up in and the routes he took to go to school. He would reminisce and point out that one of his classmates lived there, and their parents owned this or that business.

One of the more interesting tidbits is this little bakery called the Astoria, which has been there for over 50 years. The bakery was originally opened by a Russian, and they're famous for their longan nut bread, which is super thick but moist and really delicious. There is also a cafe on the 2nd floor of the bakery, which used to be a kind of speakeasy. Back when the Japanese ruled Taiwan with an iron fist, the Taiwanese would be punished for criticizing the Japanese regime, and so politics could not be discussed on the streets. People would go to the 2nd floor of the bakery and secretly discuss politics. Growing up, my grandfather would tell my dad not to get involved in politics for fear of being killed by the Japanese. Dad also pointed out the old city gates, and where the city walls used to be. He also likes to point out the police stations and post offices to me, even though both have large signs in English. I'm enjoying sharing this with my Dad.