We've had to cancel Cassy's "Australian House and Garden" subscription because the institution that is the school's mail room has virtually ceased to function! This wonderful service to the faculty and staff has been part of the school for more than 45 years, but from now on can only send and receive letters but no packages, so its main function has been taken away and it will continue to operate only in a severely reduced capacity for the foreseeable future.

New laws, or more severe enforcement of laws concerning the importation of goods into Taiwan, has necessitated the unwelcome changes. Apparently operating under a "3rd strike and you're out" mentality, the government has apparently identified two strikes against the school, so to avoid any possibility of fines or worse, the school made the decision to drastically curtail the parameters of operation of the post office. It's such a shame and an inconvenience: it was a gem for people to send the odd package in and a boon for us to use for outgoing packages or goods. It's now up to us to get goods delivered to home, and deal with the vagaries of the local postal service which can be quirky to say the least!

Virg'nMary are soldiering on and despite Mary's best efforts to avoid any photographic intervention (she runs away whenever I approach with phone/camera, I managed to snap this shot as she soaked up the sun in the back room in quite a groggy state. Virg features in nearly every cat photo as she quite likes posing in various cute positions!

The temple just round the corner on our daily walking commute is being severely overhauled despite being repaved just a few years ago. The temples follow the streets and parks in that regard: with a lightning quick update cycle, they are renewed, refreshed and refurbished, often without any visible need for intervention. We suppose it gives a team of council workers plenty of employment and it's rare to encounter on our daily walk a stretch without diggers huffing and puffing, and workers with darkened skin from exposure to the beating rays glistening with sweat as they beaver to and fro.

We returned to the Royal Cinema at Dazhi for consecutive Saturdays as a much anticipated movie made its debut. I've been fascinated by the moon landings, in particular, the first moon landing from Apollo 11. I was a wide eyed seven year old in 1969 who watched the grainy footage then dog-eared a much loved book of photographs of the events. "First Man" was an amazing biopic of Neil Armstrong and his journey from jet pilot to astronaut and all the associated trials and tribulations that went along with that journey. Ryan Gosling and Claire ("The Crown") Foy were equally splendid in their respective roles. The surroundings were just as sumptuous as the week before and we opted to get some hot snacks and drinks delivered to us this time as a special treat....decadent!

Our jobs continue at a dizzy rate: we've just finished grading literary analysis paragraphs on Fahrenheit 451, about 90 each! This is one of the reasons this blog is a day late. I try to scratch out an entry if I have a period off that is uninterrupted by meetings or other administrative tasks: luckily, I found a little window of opportunity today.

Photos: Cass outside our "Box 12" in the mail-room with our last copy of her magazine, temple renos, sun-soaking Mary, plus photos of the interiors of the cinema and shots of the surrounding buildings, malls and dealerships (The Mercedes building has cars on all four floors!)

 

We checked out a luxurious cinema lounge many years ago in a hotel downtown in Taipei, as well as fancy gold class in the Living Mall more than a decade ago, so we're not surprised they seem to be popping up all over the place these days. It seems there are many people who don't mind splashing a bit of cash to enjoy generous and private seating, blankets and service and all sorts of upmarket snacks meals and drinks.

The latest, gleaming new iteration is the Royal Cinema at Dahzi, run by the Miramar company. All six auditoriums in the complex in the basement level are dedicated to the luxury formula, and there are ushers and waiters and restaurant and bar staff all over the place. The lounge outside is equally luxurious and beautifully appointed: I imagine these types of attractions are especially appealing when they are brand new, and this one is. We selected the front seats in the middle and although there were another few couples in there it felt as if we had it to ourselves. Coddled and cosseted in our blankets, we enjoyed the screening of Papillon, although we suspected it was mostly because of the surroundings!

We decided to check out a different restaurant over in that area as well, so booked it in good time to exit the cinema then scooter the few blocks across and away from the giant ferris wheel in the Dahzi proper shopping district. Mayur Indian Kitchen had a good atmosphere and some exotically rich northern Indian fare: so exotic and rich in fact that we both had some "reaction" to it later on! Cass had indigestion through the night and we're sure it was the very rich flavoured curries and large doses of pastry accompanying the vege samosas and potato balls Mumbai style. She also judges each Indian restaurant by the standard of their lime and sodas, and this one had a weird curry flavour infused in it: we'll venture back, but avoid the curry sodas and the heavy pastry next time!

Cass had a Book Club meeting on Friday night at Lisa's place and of course, wonderful cooking and spirited discourse were on the menu. They've had a flurry of meetings of late and this meeting managed to gather together most of the reading clan. Lisa's daughter is a cute 3 year old supposedly being corralled by her husband, but who kept escaping to reveal certain toys or her Hello Kitty pajamas! They had an excellent night once again.

I met up with Shaun and Wal down at Ulis: we started quite late as Wal's boys were having trouble settling into bed. We've had Shaun as a special guest two weeks in a row now....I think he's trying to squeeze in as many visits as he can get now the dreaded shippers have been and gone from his place. They say that when your worldly goods have gone and you're living from a suitcase that the impending move really hits home. The whirlwind of farewell parties starts in a couple of weeks, so I don't know how many more chances we'll get. We had a chat about all sorts of things, including some school issues as well as plans for the trip back home.

The "girls", VirgnMary, are in declining health, at least Virg is. She's taken to sitting on the very corner of our big floor mats much like an Olympic gymnast preparing for a tumbling run. The analogy ends there, unfortunately, as she is increasingly skinny, listless and suffering from arthritic joints in her shoulders and front legs. Neither of them is eating very much, but they drink loads, meaning their clumping litter is filled with big, urine hailstones at regular intervals. Virg meows to jump up on Cassy's lap where she turns and turns, settles and re-settles trying to find a spot to ease her aching joints. Despite these ailments, they both seem happy and almost in reasonable health with shining coats and cool, wet noses. They're 15 and they're hangin' in there.


A horrific train derailment happened yesterday in Yilan on the east coast. As sad as it is, it also resonated with us as we had very tentative plans of visiting the east coast during Thanksgiving break by train: I think if we do it now, it will be by car! I can't keep up with Cassy's voracious reading habits of late and she's read countless books: I'll try to catch up with them next week. I gave up on Richard Flanagan's book and have since read new titles from some of my "comfort" authors including Lee Child, Stephen King and John Sandford. I'll sink my literary teeth back in to some quality steak soon: I needed a little break with some fairy floss! Photos: some cat food for the picky, "New Square" at Dahzi shots, including a Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly style toilet sign!

We taught a full day on Tuesday, walked home and had a quick shower and last minute pack and within the hour we were whisked off by Daniel's giant Merc to Taoyuan International Airport's AirAsia counter. We were Thailand bound and expecting to be ensconced in our hotel in Chiang Mai just after midnight.

Despite a few spazzdoggies who we didn't really want to see boarding the same airplane, we managed to ignore the disturbing influences and in less than 4 hours we'd touched down, negotiated customs with our carry-ons, found our driver after a slight confusion and realized on the 15 minute trip to the hotel that none of our aforementioned "friends" were joining us...relief!

A bargain airfare and a short break had seen us decide to go big on the accommodation, and the X2 Riverside Resort, Chiang Mai certainly lived up to (and exceeded) our expectations of luxury, style and comfort. The incense was silently puffing from strategically located gourds, the receptionists were impressively liveried and attentive, and the room itself was gargantuan; luxuriously outfitted and stylish. We played with all the room "toys" for a while and ate some exquisite tiny cakes that had been left for us before collapsing into crisp linen on a king sized bed.

Dad would have been proud of the fact that we got up early enough to partake of the "pre-paid" breakfast in the stunning all glass "Oxygen" dining room and bar the next morning. The room blends into the scenery despite its soaring ceilings and decadent space. The glass walls and roof make it seem like it's floating in the manicured gardens, perfumed by frangipani and lily. We were surprised to realize that the breakfast was by menu, rather than buffet, and rather stunned by the open ordering of any number of dishes, we slightly under-catered. Hot meals slid from the waiter's hands onto our placemats, croissants and pastries occupied cake stands between us and quality champagne was offered (and consumed!). Bowls of piping hot, strong roasted coffee were accompanied by fizzed milk and whipped butter was slathered on cakes and breads.

We spent the vast remainder of the day lazing in the cabana room poolside or lolling in the water itself of the impressive, infinity edged rooftop pool straight above or top floor unit overlooking the Ping River. This beautiful pool ran the length of the main building and had a shallow section for banana lounges and tables in the water and a section for swimming in the other half. The pool was sparkling with mosaic tiles, some of which were rainbow coloured and with an electric hue and dazzle. We claimed a cabana room with gigantic daybed, snavelled towels and were served glasses of ice water by the barman looking after the well-stocked bar and keeping an eye on the fitness gym as well. Later on in the day, we ordered a few beers to sip on as we swam and floated our way through the remainder of the morning and afternoon. For the entire time we were there we didn't need to share the pool with any other guests: it was not only our private pool, but we had our own dedicated barman as well!

That night we booked at the amazing Oxygen Dining Room and experienced their Michelin chef designed menu. I had the Thai set and Cassy the vegetarian.The courses were suitably fancy and Michelin style: lots of explosive and exotic flavours, delicately arranged and decorated plates and jellies and foams in abundance: it was all a little overwhelming, and we staggered out after our multiple courses very full and wondering what culinary train had smashed us down then thrown us up and flipped us like pancakes on a griddle! It was an amazing experience however, made especially memorable by sitting outside overlooking the mood lighting in the frangipani trees and the sweeping lawns running all the way down to the banks of the Ping.

Gilt soaked dragon heads, elephants and buddhas overran us the next day as we did a temple crawl of the inner walled sanctum of old Chiang Mai. Our (private as it turned out) shuttle bus delivered us in style to the Three Kings Monument, a notably bland edifice among such gaudy company, but a central point for drop-offs and set-downs. Trusty old-school paper map in hand, we managed to find a few things, get ourselves lost, find our bearings again and soak up most of what the inner township had to offer. The temples were suitably grand and dripping with gold, while the grounds were neat and impossibly pretty with water lilies and other flowers lighting up every nook between the buildings. Eventually, templed out, we hailed a rough and ready tuk tuk for a hair raising trip back to the resort as he chopped and choked down inside lanes and between cars before depositing us in a plume of blue smoke at the front door!

We enjoyed yet more private pool time in the afternoon as well as a couple of beers while we made use of the comfy cabana room to read the day away on our duelling Kindles. As the sun stated to drip away for the evening we headed off down the road in search of authentic Thai food which we found just a hop and skip away from the resort. The crowds were just startiing to trickle in and we ordered from a huge menu some grand favourites like Green Curry Chicken. Other dishes followed including some exceptional prawn spring rolls....what a treat! Kayaks carried inexperienced paddlers down the river with the current, local ferries plied the Ping and dextrous geckos entertained us by gripping the inner window panes of lanterns dotted along our eating platform. It was a moving canvas and a delicious meal....oh, authentic Thai cuisine is just so wonderful! Satiated with food (and more beer!) we strolled back along the riverfront to reach the little gate leading to "our" jetty. From here, after a sit in the grounds again for a while, we made our way up to our room and another restful sleep and sleep-in.

A full breakfast the next morning followed by further private pool dipping and associated reading, we reluctantly showered and packed to make our way home. Car, plane, car and back home to our attentive girls, we still had a whole lazy weekend ahead of us! We'll definitely do this again!!

The link to the full photo album is here.

We added to our Taipei tradition of watching the AFL Grand Final at Patio 84 on Saturday. Formerly the Green Bar, we started watching the big game there so many years ago that it's difficult to recall: let's just say it's more than one decade and less than two! Many of the same old jokes eventually came out as well, including the always hilarious cry of "Who's throwing coasters?!" which Marcus skillfully demonstrates in the last photo above.

This celebration was tinged with sadness as our trusty companion, Shaun, will no longer be with us in coming years as he's packing up mid-year and traveling back to Tassie with his family. My half time brickbats and bouquets to the tipping club participants went off without a hitch, although I do admit I avoided saying too much about farewells lest I lapse into sentimentality and suddenly find myself unable to talk!

There are a plethora of farewells coming up: Dame Nellie Melba springs to mind as does our mate Lewy who organized about 4 farewell shows just for himself! This time, Shaun is already having an official farewell downtown at the Hyatt organised by the school, a full on weekend of golf and roasting organized by some mates and another friend's gathering at a restaurant downtown which we will attend. The AFL final was an un-offcial gathering, but Wal and I will hope to get Shaun down to Uli's at some point as well, if he can squeeze anything else into his already very full dance card!

Cass enjoyed the usual stellar fare at Il Mercato's cafe on Friday night for her Book Club monthly get-together. The weather was squirly with a typhoon bothering the northern tip of the country as it meandered its way to Japan. The wind and rain didn't deter all of them, but they were a little light on their usual number. Nevertheless, they enjoyed the outing and vowed to double time on the book talk next occasion, as they demurred on the discussion this time due to the absentees.

We watched the wonderful Sydney Roosters clinically dissect the Melbourne Storm in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday evening. What heroics and brutal defense! What courage to play through shocking injuries! It was quite the spectacle and emulated the huge excitement in a very close contest the day before.

We've been so busy grading essays at work that we've barely drawn a breath lately: 100 or so each later we've just handed them back ready for another onslaught on Wednesday and Thursday. We've decided that we need to reward ourselves after that, so in the next break we're jetting off to the Thai city of Chiang Mai and the luxe resort of X2 Riverside. Should be blissful.....we just have to make it there now!

Cass finished Richard Flanagan's First Person but I ditched it half way through. She's now reading Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday and I'm reading the latest Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, The Midnight Line