I got a taste of the colour and spectacle of the approaching Chinese New year when we took the kids way downtown to the puppet theatre mid-week. An early arrival meant a stroll down the dockside streets and alleys near the old trading port on the Danshui River, which used to be the bustling hub of Taipei City at the turn of the century. The area is now more famous for its iconic fabric market and also the fact that Dihua Street transforms itself into a sea of brightly coloured traditional foods and sweets as the Chinese New Year approaches. All sorts of wonderful edibles can be found here, along with all sorts of very mysterious packages: it’s probably better to be a little more adventurous, but I can’t bring myself to sample foods that look like they’ve been made as mutant, viral dog biscuits to be fed to a subjugated nation under a victor’s control. Oh, and the smells….well, enough said!
The theater is housed within a very old restored building with hints of the Japanese occupation, in its carved stonework and finials. Inside the house has been kept pretty much intact as well and I was in fear of the lives of our little kiddies as they traversed the narrowest, steepest stone staircases, all devoid of handrails and with potential head splitting falls just a bump away. I let my breath out audibly each time they successfully negotiated another floor! The puppets were actually really interesting, showcasing puppets from around the world but particularly Asia, including a Vietnamese water puppet tank on the rooftop.
Cass and I both had our respective Book Clubs on Friday night and once again they proved to be rather different experiences. Mine starts at about 9 o’clock, by which time Cassy’s is nearly winding up! The fare at ours is a lot of Taiwanese liquid gold in the shape of the tasty and originally named, “Taiwan Beer” (so much of which was drunk that we drank the bar dry and had to switch to another type!), yet Cassy’s consists of various home cooked delicacies perhaps accompanied by a couple of glasses of wine or champagne. As surprising as it may seem however, we do indeed both talk about books, and the boy’s version takes away recommended tomes presented by our fellow members: therefore, I’ve always got something new and different to read!
I’m suffering from an acute attack of laryngitis which came on about halfway through Friday night and I’m still restricted to a whisper now. I find it very frustrating! Partly because of this and the accompanying cold or flu or whatever brought it on, we haven’t felt much like venturing out this weekend, but instead have read a lot and watched all sorts of sport on TV. The Australian Open tennis has been providing great entertainment as has the cricket which is on right now.
Cass and I are both really looking forward to our Chinese New Year break next week: its only 3 weeks after Christmas holidays, but they already seem a long time ago! Photos: Puppet theatre and surrounds and a couple of shots at Wendels for our 23rd wedding anniversary. Books: Cass is reading the Rankin that I bought in Delhi (The Complaints) and I’m diving into the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the first on my e-reader, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
