The sky had a steely haze today and the wind was whipping through the treetops suggesting the day was cool, but it’s that really strange in-between weather that got us leaving the house well clad only to arrive back this afternoon in a bit of a sweat. We’ve been up to the Royal Host at Beitou to have a late lunch of their signature New Zealand steak (and paint thinner red wine!) and arrived back to catch a little cricket from the first game of the Australia/India one day series.
The weekend started in unusual fashion. We got the car out on Friday afternoon from the basement car park in anticipation of a run to the north coast on Saturday. The annual food fair was on Saturday at school and I’ve been caught before: in fact a couple of years ago, I remember wrestling out through the garage with my board in tow to catch a lift with someone and in quite a bizarre scene, walked through hay bales and the four ponies blocking the garage entrance giving little kiddies rides round the outside car park! Anyway, we had no such problems this weekend.
Cass and I drove out from our park nearby on the river road and got to Jinshan to be greeted by very messy, slow moving swell, very wind affected and totally uninviting. Continuing round the always picturesque northern highway round to Shimen and then beyond, I wasn’t expecting a lot, but Dan’s text, “lots of fellas, nice waves” didn’t quite prepare us for the sight as we crested the Greenball hill. The water was thick with surfers, little black dots bobbing and moving with the swell, and the road swollen with cars double and triple parked, surfers and gawkers alike choking the area in front of the scenic lookout.
Dan was on his way out and I followed closely behind negotiating the steep climb over rocks and tetra pods to make the paddle out spot. It was carnage out there: the swell was big enough to be interesting and the surf was smooth faced and powerful. The trouble was the 58 surfers sharing the one very narrow take off zone! After a narrow miss from an out of control mal rider, and three guys washing straight over the top of me during duckdiving a clean up set, I decided that discretion would be the better part of valour and paddled back in…it was just too dangerous, I reckon.
We drove back through the pretty hinterland at the back of Sanjih town and stopped off at a rather unusual structure perched on one of the highest hills beyond the town. It turned out to be an extremely ornate cemetery, the graves gleaming in blue and white tiles just hanging precariously on the steep hillside. Further on we stopped at another temple where we got some lunch at the local 7/11.
I was due to meet my book club group on Saturday night, but we weren’t starting till local lounge bar, “The Red Hut” opened at 9pm, so Cass and I watched some TV and had a very delicious dinner that she cooked, before I eventually meandered off in the mid evening drizzle to take the car back, then walk back to the bar. The book club group is an eclectic mix of men, all of whom work at school, but who represent many subject areas and are drawn from all 3 divisions. I’ve slowly warmed to the concept of this group, even though I had resisted its charms for many years, despite multiple invitations to join as I thought they were a bit elitist. They probably are to a certain extent, but it doesn’t really matter. We have good fun, all the guys are interesting characters and we all have a shared passion. Some of the best reading I’ve had in years is from recommendations from the other men here, so I’m enjoying the whole experience. Naturally, many beers are also drunk by all, which adds to the spice of the conversations as we drift along into the early hours of Sunday morning!
Late brekky this morning then I was delighted to be able to live stream the latest UFC, UFC 104 at 10 am. It was 7pm on Saturday night at the Staples center in Los Angeles: what an age we’re in! It was kind of freaky to watch this live event in our lounge room in Taipei, remotely beaming for the computer to the TV as it took place halfway across the world. In fact, right now, I am typing this on Cassy’s laptop sitting on the lounge as we both watch the cricket from India…I’ll just have to fiddle with the photos a bit later on.
I’m anticipating the photos I will use will be: me negotiating the entry to Greenball, getting out again, Cass at the hilltop cemetery and its Buddha, Cass at another Buddha near Beitou, a garish temple in the hills behind Danshui and one of the manholes which are ubiquitous in the Tienmu streets and lanes…they’re a real work of art. I’m reading “The Writing Book” by Kate Grenville, and Cass is reading, “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks for her upcoming book club meeting.
