"...of droughts and flooding rains" can equally apply to Taiwan as Australia these days! Hard baked grounds and looming water restrictions have been alleviated by some biblical dumps of rain overnight, to add to the regular showers we've been having for the past week or so. Despite it being awkward to negotiate, especially on our daily walking commute to school, it's good to know that the spectre of water shortages has disappeared, for now at least.
The first flush of spring is also in evidence in the parks and gardens around the city. Tiny blossoms are bursting from buds on the apricot and cherry blossom trees lining the riverside walks and dotting the local parks. Photographers snap these minuscule puffs of powdery beauty with gigantic DSLR lenses, prowling and circling the trees to find just the right angle for their shot. As we wandered through the park to do the food shopping, the older, park-loitering gentlemen seem to be slightly more subdued as the regular mahjong games take place beneath the burgeoning blossoms: the regular rowdy exclaims are muted, and the constant clack of tiles is the only sound to disturb the pretty petals.
We don't often make the trek down to Shilin on foot, but decided to do just that on a delightful Sunday afternoon. Eschewing the practicalities of the MRT and the scooter, we decided to take advantage of the glorious sunshine and mild temperatures to enjoy a slice of the neighborhood's ambiance. We weren't the only ones! There were gaggles of schoolgirls giggling their way to noodle houses, and throngs of people buzzing in and out of the Jishan MRT station when we passed. Kiddies were riding their mini-scooters along the tiled promenades of the station, screaming with delight. There were groups of oldies sharing a meal at the tables in the 7/11 and couples and families You-biking all over the place: along pathways, footpaths and bridges, while people danced and played on the river banks as traffic whizzed above them.
There was a large bank of electric battery pods for scooters to make use of in the spacious scooter park under the MRT. These scooters are reasonably popular in Taiwan, but haven't really taken off for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is no subsidy, so subsequently they are dearer than petrol-powered ones and secondly, they are so deathly quiet that people step in front of them causing accidents on a regular basis! Even so, this battery exchange system is a forward thinking service.
We were shocked to see even more development across the river towards the Shilin district: how much more growth can this city sustain?! One slick looking building was clad in bright orange tiles, however: Cass commented that those things would really date! We took a few backstreets closer to our destination and spied all sorts of interesting tea houses and dessert bars in the shadows of the overhead railway tracks in the approach to Shilin station...maybe another time!
Burger Ray's has an interesting ordering system. There is a window facing the footpath where you order your food, and after ordering and payment, you're given a drink cup and ushered inside. Once in, you can find a space among the shared long tables or by the long bar on one wall, help yourself to a drink, then wait till your order is called. The custom hamburgers arrive in a metal basket with the top bun displaced and then you can load up your burger with various salad options and sauces from the shared salad bar. The outside ordering obviously attracts a crowd, and the inside loading of toppings allows you to personalize your meal: both very clever ideas!
We enjoyed the usual excellent food and the decor and vibe: there are a lot of young people who go there and the music, the pulse and the energy all feel quite uplifting. Afterwards, we re-traced our steps, pausing on the bridge to spy a group of "Moops", who were alternatively quite happily extracting long, juicy worms from the soil to gobble or posing in a familiar statuesque stillness by the water's edge! We passed a funny little dumpling museum which we'd never seen before with examples of ubiquitous cute creatures representing the product. As we wandered, we also passed a joinery shop shut for the weekend, but with a lethal looking bench-saw exposed for any passer-by to rip themselves to shreds on if they so desired: imagine the "OH and S" issues back in Australia!!
Photos: Blossoms budding and shopping bags being transported back through the park. The remainder are sights from our Shilin stroll.