A suggestion of change from the throat stripping heat? The
first hint of relief even in the sapping shade? An ability to stroll in the
full sun for more than a minute? Could it be? Surely half way through the first
month of autumn we could expect a sliver of relief from the brutish summer that
we've endured? Whether it's psychological or real we don't know, but perhaps, a
tiny, almost imperceptible movement in the weather might be upon us. It's not
before time!
Downtown to the Flower Market on Taipei's newest underground rail line, whispering straight from our station, Mingde, all the way to the famous Central Parkesque, Da'an Park in the south eastern quarter of the downtown. On the fringes of the park and wedged in beneath the great overhead experessways that feed the bustling metropolis of the XinYi district, lies both the Jade and Flower markets, each stretching in a different direction from the central point of XinYi Road for several city blocks in the shadows of the overhead highway.
A carpark by day, the markets are magically transformed after 8 p.m.on a Friday night to house all manner of goods for sale to tempt the weekend bargain hunters over the subsequent two days before a further metamorphosis back to carpark by Monday morning, barely a trace left behind. The Flower Market was our destination today as we were visiting two of the storeholders as they made their maiden journey into commercial horticulture!
Our friends, Marcus and Annie, newly married and sharing hobbies and interests beside, had decided to test their wares in a low key commercial setting down at the markets. They have both had lots of classes in bonsai and pottery and maintain quite the nursery on their rooftop at their new apartment. Marcus travels regularly to Japan for further classes and has developed a very keen eye for the aesthetic, along with the skills necessary to produce the desired results. Their pottery is also developing quite well and they can produce some really interesting pieces, a little rustic, think Bendigo Pottery meets Japan with little nods to Chinese nuance and style as well.
We wandered the cavernous spaces beneath the expressway for many blocks before we spotted their display. Along the way, we found everything one could possibly imagine in terms of plants, planting and associated paraphernalia (and more!). Plants of every variety, shape and size, pots, soil, products, tools, accessories, stands, water features, you name it: they had it! They had experienced a very draining morning and part of an afternoon and had only sold one small pot. It was a big learning curve for them but I think it was fairly exciting to get involved in the whole process. I haven't checked in today with Marcus to hear how Sunday went: maybe they sold the lot!
After staying for a while and having a chat, including Cass trying her style at spruiking customers (!), we decided to forgo the pleasures of the air-conditioned comfort of the MRT and instead walk the three stops down to Wooloomooloo restaurant, our destination for our lunch/dinner. This was a bad move as it was way further that we had anticipated and the heat was roasting us except for some sweet relief from the occasional awning. When we eventually arrived they seemed very reluctant to serve their lunch menu, so in a minor fit of pique, I decided that they could do without our business!
Further wanderings got us to the food-court of Taipei 101, where we sourced some Japanese curry rice and om rice sets, hoping to replicate the moreish flavours of Namba station curry which we had devoured with relish on our recent trip to Osaka. Alas, this Taipei version was but a pale imitation of that wondrous fare! It did the job, however, and revived us sufficiently to haul ourselves back onto the homeward bound train. The building itself never ceases to astonish: even though it has been usurped as the world's tallest building in the last few years, it is still an awe inspiring marvel of modern engineering. Gazing up to the clouds dusting around its upper floors is a sight you'll never tire of.
Photos: we coffeed at a new place, "The Soup" after school during the week.....super! The computer is displaying its "blue screen of death" at the moment....seems infected with all sorts of bugs and I'm trying to eradicate them. Marcus and Annie with Cass at their display at the Flower Market. Shots on the way to 101, including Snow White, an interesting sculpture, me in the food court and finally, the awe-inspiring bulk of Taipei 101, looking up.
Reading: Cassy has just dipped her toe into David Mitchell's pool of genre warping fiction with his new "The Bone Clocks". I have reluctantly put down a finished copy of the transcendent "Eyrie" and am reading the far more pedestrian, "Tokyo Year Zero" by David Peace, the first in a trilogy. The awfulness of the first book after a Tim Winton story: it's a bit like reading "Run, Spot, Run!" after some classic Dr. Seuss!
Downtown to the Flower Market on Taipei's newest underground rail line, whispering straight from our station, Mingde, all the way to the famous Central Parkesque, Da'an Park in the south eastern quarter of the downtown. On the fringes of the park and wedged in beneath the great overhead experessways that feed the bustling metropolis of the XinYi district, lies both the Jade and Flower markets, each stretching in a different direction from the central point of XinYi Road for several city blocks in the shadows of the overhead highway.
A carpark by day, the markets are magically transformed after 8 p.m.on a Friday night to house all manner of goods for sale to tempt the weekend bargain hunters over the subsequent two days before a further metamorphosis back to carpark by Monday morning, barely a trace left behind. The Flower Market was our destination today as we were visiting two of the storeholders as they made their maiden journey into commercial horticulture!
Our friends, Marcus and Annie, newly married and sharing hobbies and interests beside, had decided to test their wares in a low key commercial setting down at the markets. They have both had lots of classes in bonsai and pottery and maintain quite the nursery on their rooftop at their new apartment. Marcus travels regularly to Japan for further classes and has developed a very keen eye for the aesthetic, along with the skills necessary to produce the desired results. Their pottery is also developing quite well and they can produce some really interesting pieces, a little rustic, think Bendigo Pottery meets Japan with little nods to Chinese nuance and style as well.
We wandered the cavernous spaces beneath the expressway for many blocks before we spotted their display. Along the way, we found everything one could possibly imagine in terms of plants, planting and associated paraphernalia (and more!). Plants of every variety, shape and size, pots, soil, products, tools, accessories, stands, water features, you name it: they had it! They had experienced a very draining morning and part of an afternoon and had only sold one small pot. It was a big learning curve for them but I think it was fairly exciting to get involved in the whole process. I haven't checked in today with Marcus to hear how Sunday went: maybe they sold the lot!
After staying for a while and having a chat, including Cass trying her style at spruiking customers (!), we decided to forgo the pleasures of the air-conditioned comfort of the MRT and instead walk the three stops down to Wooloomooloo restaurant, our destination for our lunch/dinner. This was a bad move as it was way further that we had anticipated and the heat was roasting us except for some sweet relief from the occasional awning. When we eventually arrived they seemed very reluctant to serve their lunch menu, so in a minor fit of pique, I decided that they could do without our business!
Further wanderings got us to the food-court of Taipei 101, where we sourced some Japanese curry rice and om rice sets, hoping to replicate the moreish flavours of Namba station curry which we had devoured with relish on our recent trip to Osaka. Alas, this Taipei version was but a pale imitation of that wondrous fare! It did the job, however, and revived us sufficiently to haul ourselves back onto the homeward bound train. The building itself never ceases to astonish: even though it has been usurped as the world's tallest building in the last few years, it is still an awe inspiring marvel of modern engineering. Gazing up to the clouds dusting around its upper floors is a sight you'll never tire of.
Photos: we coffeed at a new place, "The Soup" after school during the week.....super! The computer is displaying its "blue screen of death" at the moment....seems infected with all sorts of bugs and I'm trying to eradicate them. Marcus and Annie with Cass at their display at the Flower Market. Shots on the way to 101, including Snow White, an interesting sculpture, me in the food court and finally, the awe-inspiring bulk of Taipei 101, looking up.
Reading: Cassy has just dipped her toe into David Mitchell's pool of genre warping fiction with his new "The Bone Clocks". I have reluctantly put down a finished copy of the transcendent "Eyrie" and am reading the far more pedestrian, "Tokyo Year Zero" by David Peace, the first in a trilogy. The awfulness of the first book after a Tim Winton story: it's a bit like reading "Run, Spot, Run!" after some classic Dr. Seuss!
