Driving, percussive beats greeted us as we were spat out with a wave of people at Yuanshan Station on Saturday. The day started to pulse with energy, the tang of BBQ wafted through the air, hawkers bayed, kids played and dancers swayed while a palpable sense of anticipation permeated the park and surrounds.

Like every other celebration or festival in Taiwan, nothing is ever done by halves. Who would have thought there was enough Latin-American influence in Taipei to sustain a carnivale of this magnitude?! Most of the crowd was made up of gawking onlookers just like us, but there was a fair sprinkling of Latinos throughout the performers, sellers and onlookers to make it a reasonably authentic experience. We did wonder how Taipei girls get involved with dancing in costume (see video above now, or here later), but they applied themselves with lots of vigour and expertise if not with the overt sexuality of the "real thing"!

As is often the case with international festivals, the Taiwanese take it and run with it, putting their own spin on the event and molding it to suit themselves. Drumming? Sure, we'll just wheel out the local high school beat band. They did an excellent job sustaining a hypnotic jungle beat, but it wasn't exactly Carnivale. The Minion and Supertruck blow-up jumping castles for the kids also didn't really fit in, but who cares?! The "special and delicious" foods being sold didn't seem to resemble anything I recognized as Latino.....more stinky dofu and pork dumplings if anything, but again, who cares? It was a rollicking great time and we had lots of fun threading our way through the hordes and soaking up all the sights, sounds and rhythms.

The Three Lions pub at the far end of the eating square at Maji sits just beyond all the cacophony of the open air stages, yet still within the hub of general excitement. We love it there: it has a relaxed vibe and feels just like a "real" pub, as Cass put it. The food is always top quality and the beers on tap very tasty and foreign with a nice side serve of house red. We snared an outside table for two just before the place really started humming and as we ordered, waited and then ate, the crowd filled and filled.

The stage just in front of our area had a succession of dancers and bands enticing the willing crowd milling in front to learn some basic steps and shake their booty, Latin style! The experts showed off some slinky moves, and a few of the Latino boys and girls slithered their snake hips and created quite a heated energy! Local experts joined them, a few brave amateurs tapped and twirled around the perimeters and a bunch of kids tweaked and bopped in between the lot of them! It was a great scene to enjoy our mid-afternoon meal by, and we lingered over the meal and drinks to absorb the fun atmosphere.

We took a leisurely stroll back through all the action in the market area and the park. Cass bought a beautiful and delicate cashmere shawl made in Nepal at one of the stalls, and we saw all sorts of hobby crafts, special foods and even some tiny karaoke booths shaped like an old-fashioned phone box, and just for a couple: what will they think of next?! We trained home in a most convenient fashion and reveled in Cassy's rediscovered health: she could enjoy being out and about in the world again!

Photos: Virg'n Mary have taken to sitting silently near each other in perfect unison and style....(kinda freaky like those two sisters at the end of the hallway in "The Shining"!) Some weird artwork on a local building and various shots of all the action down at the Taipei Carnivale.

The Lunar New Year (The Year of the Dog) seemed to splutter and falter a little this year, a cartridge of spirit-scaring firecrackers that failed to properly ignite, at least from our perspective. Normally the neighbourhood is literally rocking, windows being zapped and cracked by errant missiles, cheering and shouting at all times of the day and evening, as well as family groups wandering the streets and parks zombie-like, seeking sunshine, and some relief from some intense days of "special and delicious foods" and family togetherness.

There was, of course, some of the latter, and the more I think of it, the more in evidence it actually was. The real situation was almost certainly that we were not out and about amongst it all as we'd normally be. Our CNY break played out rather pitifully as Cass was struck by a flu like condition which progressed to her sinuses from the very first day of the break until the last, almost perfectly (or imperfectly!) timed.

One thing that was a bonus for both of us was the chance to catch up, guilt free, on some lost sleep as well as recover from quite a hectic Christmas holiday. Despite the fact that Cass was disappointed in falling ill over the break, she was thankful it didn't happen in Europe a few weeks back, as we were out and about in a busy schedule each and every day. This time, we didn't have any firm plans and had nothing to cancel or worry about, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the apartment, the cats and catch up on rest and pastimes in a rather decadent fashion. Cass would sleep in late, rally for some late breakfast and then toddle back off to bed for a long afternoon nap before surfacing again for a short evening stint.

In between times, we made countless visits to the ear, nose and throat specialists for ministrations and drug supplies, sourced some food items for dinners and read books and watched TV series. It was a fairly uneventful week!

Twice during the break I strapped on my walking shoes and headed up the mountains for some fresh air and exercise, leaving my sleeping beauty behind to continue her recovery. On Wednesday, I walked through the backstreets of our area and marveled at the newly remodeled path and park through to the supermarket in Mingde Road: it's now quite the Grand Boulevard! I picked my way through the hospital grounds of Cheng Shin before negotiating the labyrinthine Veteran's General Hospital grounds on my way to the back track to Dog's Head Mountain, passing all sorts of outer wards and a subway tunnel along the way. The walk up the mountain is paved and cut in steps, and on a gradient so steep that I was huffing and puffing by the time I reached the top. The sandstone outcrop at the peak is very impressive: I just wish that one day I might get it to myself to enjoy. As it was, despite the fact I didn't encounter a soul on the way up, it was populated with lounging couples and other conquering climbers, most of whom, like me, whipped out their phones to take a commemorative photograph!

I headed down the off-side of the mountain, which I'd never done before, and it gave another interesting perspective to the hill and the back areas of the hospital: seems like all the neurologically challenged folk are catered for in the quiet shadows and calm vibes of the forest and mountain, a pretty good choice.

Yesterday, I completed my more regular challenge of the 1400 steps leading from the staging point at the top of Chung Shan North Rd all the way up to the forest trail of the Formosan macaque troop, who were, mercifully, not in evidence. The slow moving train of family walkers grinding its way up the steps probably encouraged the monkeys to take solace in the deeper foliage: the groups were languid and annoying, stopping short at odd moments in the middle of the steps and/or shouting and jabbering all sorts of nonsense to one another, whether there was a fellow walker passing by them at that time or not! Not to mind, I enjoyed my cooling draught at the bottom before arriving home much refreshed and energized to find a slightly more "with it" Cassy, just starting to recover, of course, just in time to go to work again on Monday!

Photos: trail shots as well as the ingenious way a 7/11 dealt with the blow-out of its ducted air-conditioning....just get giant plastic bags to catch the water and keep trading! Also the hospital's food court offers at least 25 different food outlets, while Cass got out of the house near the end of the break to do some food shopping via the new "Grand Boulevard".

Chinese New Year signifies a whole range of concepts and practices for the local population and centres around family celebrations, special foods and ceremonies, especially some that take place on designated days throughout a two week period. There are extensions either end, but most of the action takes place over 4 days, beginning with New Year's Eve which occurs in a couple of days. For us, the nation-wide celebrations have little effect, except that we get a week off school, there is a surge in activity on the streets and shops, then a complete shut-down for a few days as families travel and visit one another.

We're currently in the pre-phase, meaning that despite the persistent chill in the air, there is a sense of bustle and hurry around the streets. Unfortunately, Cass has been smote by a throat ache and general associated malaise and lethargy, necessitating a few trips to the doctor to arm herself with various pills and potions. These are doing a reasonable job in controlling her symptoms, but we've laid low over the weekend and today to give her every possible chance at a good recovery.

On the way to the doctor's this morning we were swaying and dipping along Chung Shan Nth. Road on the scooter, laden with blue city bags full of garbage and various, voluminous packs of recycling goods. After I dropped Cass at the doctor's, I went back for a further load, weaving my way through the taxis and buses, great plastic balloons full of tin cans and flat plastics whipping behind me as I motored my way up the local garbage depot. Once there, I deposited said goods in their appropriate hessian bags then went back across to wait for Cassy to emerge from the doctor's surgery.

During my stint waiting outside the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic (see streetscape above...), I bid greetings to all sorts of folk in the hub round the school. Kids from the high school nodded hello, fresh and sweating from basketball games, and various colleagues asked what I was doing waiting there, probably menacingly lurking in the shadows as they strolled by! Parents and kids passed by and said "hi", while lots of traffic went in and out of the clinic itself as well as to the nearby restaurants and shops. There is definitely a sense of expectation in the air as people clean up their garbage, get supplies in, and tidy up their places in anticipation of the arrival of family.

We scootered down to the big Carrefour store after this to pick up a few essential supplies and were shocked to find every single scooter park in the vicinity, both legal and illegal, filled to overflowing! People were actively seeking those last minute supplies! I boldly parked straight out front on the red line and sent Cass in to grab the supplies while I sat astride Blackie, challenging any parking cop to try and move me on. While she was in the store, it gave me further time to observe the general population in preparation for the next few big days as well as the shut-down of stores; singles, couples and families came out with boxes and bags precariously balanced in and on trolleys and cradled in arms as they made their way home walking, or to their various transport options.

Cass has made a huge batch of lemon butter as is our tradition in recent years over this holiday break. This combined with great slabs of white toast, piping hot with butter and a strong filtered coffee make a decadent and delicious start to each day. We're sleeping in and taking our time over pretty much anything we like.....reading the paper online, reading magazines and novels, watching TV series and more. We're breaking our time routines and doing what we feel like, within the constraints of Cassy's illness....it's a decadent treat for teachers who observe time protocols like Pavlov's dogs during regular weeks of timetabled school teaching.

Despite the imminent shut-down of the city, we're hopeful we'll be able to get out and about a bit more as the week unfolds. Photos: The "Moop" has been spotted in various parks locally in his preferred damp and cold conditions of late. We're doing poetry at work: it's fun as Cassy's and my preferred genre. The clinic streetscape from where I was lurking, the girls in a tiny patch of brief sunshine, and a bustling, red-lanterned festooned Carrefour.

The grand old ladies have been buried deep in down and cocooned in wool during an extended cold snap here in the last couple of weeks. The cold has gripped Taipei by the throat and shows no sign of lessening her hold at least until next week. Our apartment leaks warmth and radiates dampness from its cold, uninsulated walls, rattling windows seem to tremble in the icy onslaught and our air-conditioner pumps out a steady defense against the arctic invader. At least we now have a proper heater: until the air-conditioner was installed in all its reverse-cycle glory before last winter, we were battling along with a tiny ceramic blow heater!

We joined the two fluffballs in their dotage all weekend, taking advantage of the cozy atmosphere we were able to create indoors while reluctantly and quickly getting any outdoor duties or chores done in record time. We watched lots of cricket with the Twenty 20 games internationally and the Big Bash final both taking place, along with breaking out the latest series of The Crown, which we'd been saving for just such an occasion. The cats have even been spoiled by Cassy to be allowed to linger on our bed in the cold days, hitherto a forbidden zone, where they squirrel between the two quilts and create quite the tropical paradise for themselves through body heat and close proximity!

I mentioned briefly before that I'd damaged my shoulder at camp grasping at an errant kayak, somewhere in the process ripping and tearing all sorts of muscles and tendons. I've been going to a physiotherapist once a week for months now, and although the joint feels free and nimble immediately after his exertions, by the time I go back a week later it's all bound up again, an ancient Chinese maiden's foot. Somehow, I've still managed to keep up my push-up routine, but the injury wakes me up many times each night and really restricts my movement as well as being quite agonizing if I twist or turn the wrong way. Suffice to say, I'm going for another visit today, but may soon need to look at other options.

We're relishing the prospect of Chinese New Year approaching, in fact it looms just over the horizon of next weekend. Some good may come of this current cold spell: CNY is traditionally cold and wet, yet this may prove to be inaccurate this year, as all the long range weather forecasts indicate we may have already experienced the cool and damp....fingers crossed! Regardless, we'll no doubt revel in the closed shops, the paucity of pedestrians and cars, and the general sense of sparse population as the local folk attend various temple and family duties on assigned days throughout the week. Some of the "on-island" stayers have already been tentatively making plans for get-togethers: we've been so busy it will be the first time we've caught up socially since the beginning of the academic year, let alone the calendar one!

That's it! I'm very slowly reading what turns out to be the last Sue Grafton book, Y is for Yesterday, because she's rudely up and died on us before completing the last chapter in the alphabet series. Along with Peter Corris going blind and retiring, it's almost more than I can take! Cass will need to start feeding me more of her Book Club tomes by the look of it. Photos: screen shot of recent weather, a curious winter promotion from KFC, our lonely shopping trolley against a wall of rice, and very pampered cats! Stop press: the last shot was taken on our walk to school, and yes, that is snow on Yangminshan!

Stop Stop Press: (Wednesday morning) see photos above:

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien at 11:50 p.m. tonight (Feb. 7) causing dramatic shaking throughout Taiwan, with Hualien suffering the brunt of the quake and at least five major buildings have collapsed, two bridges closed and sections of two highways have been shut off to traffic.
The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was 18.3 northeast of Hualien County hall at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, according to Central Weather Bureau (CWB) and was the 94th earthquake since a spate of quakes started on Sunday. As this was the biggest of all 94 earthquakes, the CWB believes this was actually the main quake that the previous tremors were building up to, but only time will tell.

Also this.