We’ve packed a fair bit in to our regular weekend already. I went out with Wal and Brandon on Friday, Becky joined us for a while and we had a great time telling various tall stories and true and all reveling in the four days stretching ahead of us. The boys were playing golf off a late start on Saturday, but I had a nice sleep in. We breakfasted out yesterday and ate a very filling big breakfast down at Jakes, eggs Benedict for me and Cass got some kind of Mexican stuff and we shared some pancakes as well! Back home to watch some cricket, with the Aussies taking on India and we watched a fantastic Canadian movie that Dave Millard had lent me, called “One Week”. Bit of reading, bit of fiddling on the computer before we both settled in to a big sleep of about 10 hours….now that felt good!
I was up before Cass today to try to catch the opening to the Bathurst 1000. I just love this race, and although I can’t really sustain my interest for the whole day like I used to be able, the coverage is just sensational. I’m sure I could be fairly accurately psycho analyzed over these comments, but I’ll make ‘em anyway: that guttural V8 sound and those massive, grunting metallic beasts cutting and thrusting up and down that mountain all day? Come on, you’ve got to love it! (?)
Anyway, I did tear myself away from this testosterone fuelled feast to make the trip over the mountain to the coast with Cass. We couldn’t believe, once again, that as soon as we approached within view of the fumaroles at the top of the mountain, a wet blanket of fog dropped on the car from nowhere, an insistent drizzle worried the wipers and a stream of overly cautious drivers switched on their hazard lights, dropped their speed to 20 km per hour and drove as if they were in a funeral cortege. In sight of Jinshan town on the lower reaches of the mountain, the curtain of mist lifted, people sped up a touch and all again in the world was right….it happens nearly every time we go across!
The surf itself was nothing to be exclaimed about, but we went to Cassy’s favourite spot, the cliffs at the far end of Jinshan. Armed with my new phone (which is now also our camera) she had a crash course and managed to take some really great shots, so much better than my initial offerings…this thing is very unforgiving to even a mildly unsteady hand. After the surf, we decided to check out the new (and only) classy looking restaurant on the corner of Highway 2 and the road down from Yangminshan. Called “Victoria”, we were waved into a car park by a valet and a little self consciously, as we were wearing just our “surf day rags” we were ushered to a table in a glass gazebo jutting out the front of the restaurant. We were in for a real treat. The set menu consisting of salad, soup, bread, coffee and dessert along with your choice of main is usually very perfunctory in most Taiwanese restaurants. These were amazing: prawns and fish roe in the salad, toasted parmesan on the bread and Lavazza coffee! The mains themselves were equally impressive: it really was some fine dining. To top it all off, in this very bucolic outpost on the north coast, we were stunned to be asked by the manager about our experience in absolutely perfect English and checking whether it was “authentic” (his word)! Not only this, but the entire bill came to less than NT$1000 (about $30A): stunning.
Not content with our big day out we decided to shoot off to the movies this evening and see the reprise of Gordon Gecko in “Wall Street”. It was slick to look at, but fairly unbelievable characters apart from the evildoer himself, who according to all reports we may not see in any other movies as he is on the way out: a shame, he really carried it. Well, we’re up for another two days of this: we’re looking forward to it. I am reading the intriguing, “Await Your Reply” by Dan Chaon and Cass is reading “The Secret Scripture” by Sebastian Barry. Photos: Cass with lots of cute doggy outfits, Virg, surfing at the cliff and food at Victoria.
