Alasdair's zhuazhou (抓周)

At the beginning of November, Alasdair turned 1 year old.  There is a tradition that I think is fun called zhuazhou (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuazhou) that is done here to forecast the future of a child.  We did this with Ana in Yilan, but we had a more difficult finding a place that does it down south, which is strange because it seems more traditional here.  Doing it in a shopping mall is lame, so we were happy to find a very old house (also a mingsu, which is a relatively inexpensive homestay) in Anping, Tainan.  The place was right in the middle of Anping, next to the temple, and it was great to see Anping at night when the tourists had gone.

The zhuazhou starts with an excellent tiger costume to scare away bad spirits. Then he was handed a green onion (tsong in Chinese, which sounds like the first word of tsong ming, or "intelligence") to make him smart.   Then we started walking around the old house.  He sat at a scholars desk.  Saw an old bed. Jumped up and down in a crib. Played with a tiger.  The usual stuff. Finally, there is a room with a bunch of different toys on the floor.  He chooses three which are supposed to predict his career.  Alasdair chose an abacus, a ball, and a microphone.  So his future involves mathematics, sports, and performance.  Then he got distracted by a little girl and crawled over to smile at her for a while.

It was pretty fun for us.  When Ana did it she was scared and crying, but Alasdair is more relaxed and seemed to have some fun and got the chance to explore some new stuff, which is his hobby.  I like Tainan, and enjoyed eating seafood and looking at the moon in Anping.

Southern Skies

It's super polluted now.  The sky is thick with gunk.  My phone tells me every day that the air is in the red, dangerous to the general population.  I used to think that the little paper masks were useless and silly, but you better believe I wore one today.  My kids need to get out of the house and move, but I don't want them out in these poisonous clouds.  The south has a lot to recommend it - nice winters, good food, and some old culture and buildings remain. But the nasty traffic and air are really unpleasant.

Kaohsiung pt 1

I'm in Kaohsiung now.  It's the second biggest city and it's in the deep south.  The weather remains hot even now in November.  There are plenty of factories around and the pollution is nasty.  There are some nice parts, but too many cars and scooters.  Sidewalks are bad and people are not as laid back and friendly as they are in Chiayi.  It has an MRT, but it's quite a bit less convenient and more crap than in Taipei.  It's not bad here, but not great either. There are a couple of interesting places to visit (Cijin has a beach and some touristy street stuff. The sugar factory is pretty interesting if you are interested in the Japanese period, which I am.) The city is too big to get around exclusively on a bike, and the big roads and pollution make that less fun than it should be.  I guess it's all convenient and reasonably nice, minus the air.

These chips taste like pho.  That's good.

These chips taste like pho.  That's good.

Chungli - Taoyuan

Before I came to Chiayi I lived in Chongli (aka Zhongli aka "the armpit of Taiwan").  Taiwan is a beautiful country, but like everyplace else it has a place that is the worst place.  From my experience, that place is Chungli.  I was there for a job (there are lots of people and lots of jobs there) and there aren't many other reasons to be there.

First the good: Chungli has a lot of southeast Asians.  If you like Indonesian, Thai, or Filipino food, this is the place.  There are a bunch of factories, and nearby there are lots of cheap spots to eat.  The Thai places in Neili serve delicious, large portions for about 70 nt per plate. It's relatively easy to buy fresh lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, mint, pandan, thai chilis, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and other ingredients that aren't common in Taiwan.  For a day trip for lunch, if you can find those restaurants, you will have a delicious meal. 

But that's it.  Chungli has terrible traffic.  People drive like they are in the country but the population density is like Taipei.  Taipei police actually enforce some traffic laws, unlike Chungli.  There are many trucks servicing the factories and the roads are in terrible shape.  It rains a lot, and it is very windy making it feel particularly nasty.  Despite the wind, the air is often filled with foul odors and pollution that burns your eyes.  The buildings are generally ugly - stained by the rain and poorly designed.  Most of the nice, classical buildings were bulldozed long ago.  Public transportation is basically useless.  Taiwan is one of the friendliest places I have ever been, but Chungli people are surprisingly cold.  And with the exception of the southeast asian stuff, there isn't much that you want to see or do. I love Hakka food, but there is nothing that I found that comes close to what I had around Hsinchu.  The night markets aren't bad but certainly aren't special. I heard that there is some beauty out in the mountains, but I didn't have a car and it isn't super close or easy to get out there.  

Despite the fact that it is a vile place, the rents and real estate prices are high!  It's farther and less convenient than Keelung when it comes to getting to Taipei, but the rent I paid was about double a Keelung rent!  Shocking!  My advice is to stay away.

Chungli - Taoyuan

Before I came to Chiayi I lived in Chongli (aka Zhongli aka "the armpit of Taiwan").  Taiwan is a beautiful country, but like everyplace else it has a place that is the worst place.  From my experience, that place is Chungli.  I was there for a job (there are lots of people and lots of jobs there) and there aren't many other reasons to be there.

First the good: Chungli has a lot of southeast Asians.  If you like Indonesian, Thai, or Filipino food, this is the place.  There are a bunch of factories, and nearby there are lots of cheap spots to eat.  The Thai places in Neili serve delicious, large portions for about 70 nt per plate. It's relatively easy to buy fresh lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, mint, pandan, thai chilis, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and other ingredients that aren't common in Taiwan.  For a day trip for lunch, if you can find those restaurants, you will have a delicious meal. 

But that's it.  Chungli has terrible traffic.  People drive like they are in the country but the population density is like Taipei.  Taipei police actually enforce some traffic laws, unlike Chungli.  There are many trucks servicing the factories and the roads are in terrible shape.  It rains a lot, and it is very windy making it feel particularly nasty.  Despite the wind, the air is often filled with foul odors and pollution that burns your eyes.  The buildings are generally ugly - stained by the rain and poorly designed.  Most of the nice, classical buildings were bulldozed long ago.  Public transportation is basically useless.  Taiwan is one of the friendliest places I have ever been, but Chungli people are surprisingly cold.  And with the exception of the southeast asian stuff, there isn't much that you want to see or do. I love Hakka food, but there is nothing that I found that comes close to what I had around Hsinchu.  The night markets aren't bad but certainly aren't special. I heard that there is some beauty out in the mountains, but I didn't have a car and it isn't super close or easy to get out there.  

Despite the fact that it is a vile place, the rents and real estate prices are high!  It's farther and less convenient than Keelung when it comes to getting to Taipei, but the rent I paid was about double a Keelung rent!  Shocking!  My advice is to stay away.

Chungli - Taoyuan

Before I came to Chiayi I lived in Chongli (aka Zhongli aka "the armpit of Taiwan").  Taiwan is a beautiful country, but like everyplace else it has a place that is the worst place.  From my experience, that place is Chungli.  I was there for a job (there are lots of people and lots of jobs there) and there aren't many other reasons to be there.

First the good: Chungli has a lot of southeast Asians.  If you like Indonesian, Thai, or Filipino food, this is the place.  There are a bunch of factories, and nearby there are lots of cheap spots to eat.  The Thai places in Neili serve delicious, large portions for about 70 nt per plate. It's relatively easy to buy fresh lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, mint, pandan, thai chilis, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and other ingredients that aren't common in Taiwan.  For a day trip for lunch, if you can find those restaurants, you will have a delicious meal. 

But that's it.  Chungli has terrible traffic.  People drive like they are in the country but the population density is like Taipei.  Taipei police actually enforce some traffic laws, unlike Chungli.  There are many trucks servicing the factories and the roads are in terrible shape.  It rains a lot, and it is very windy making it feel particularly nasty.  Despite the wind, the air is often filled with foul odors and pollution that burns your eyes.  The buildings are generally ugly - stained by the rain and poorly designed.  Most of the nice, classical buildings were bulldozed long ago.  Public transportation is basically useless.  Taiwan is one of the friendliest places I have ever been, but Chungli people are surprisingly cold.  And with the exception of the southeast asian stuff, there isn't much that you want to see or do. I love Hakka food, but there is nothing that I found that comes close to what I had around Hsinchu.  The night markets aren't bad but certainly aren't special. I heard that there is some beauty out in the mountains, but I didn't have a car and it isn't super close or easy to get out there.  

Despite the fact that it is a vile place, the rents and real estate prices are high!  It's farther and less convenient than Keelung when it comes to getting to Taipei, but the rent I paid was about double a Keelung rent!  Shocking!  My advice is to stay away.

Chungli - Taoyuan

Before I came to Chiayi I lived in Chongli (aka Zhongli aka "the armpit of Taiwan").  Taiwan is a beautiful country, but like everyplace else it has a place that is the worst place.  From my experience, that place is Chungli.  I was there for a job (there are lots of people and lots of jobs there) and there aren't many other reasons to be there.

First the good: Chungli has a lot of southeast Asians.  If you like Indonesian, Thai, or Filipino food, this is the place.  There are a bunch of factories, and nearby there are lots of cheap spots to eat.  The Thai places in Neili serve delicious, large portions for about 70 nt per plate. It's relatively easy to buy fresh lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, mint, pandan, thai chilis, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and other ingredients that aren't common in Taiwan.  For a day trip for lunch, if you can find those restaurants, you will have a delicious meal. 

But that's it.  Chungli has terrible traffic.  People drive like they are in the country but the population density is like Taipei.  Taipei police actually enforce some traffic laws, unlike Chungli.  There are many trucks servicing the factories and the roads are in terrible shape.  It rains a lot, and it is very windy making it feel particularly nasty.  Despite the wind, the air is often filled with foul odors and pollution that burns your eyes.  The buildings are generally ugly - stained by the rain and poorly designed.  Most of the nice, classical buildings were bulldozed long ago.  Public transportation is basically useless.  Taiwan is one of the friendliest places I have ever been, but Chungli people are surprisingly cold.  And with the exception of the southeast asian stuff, there isn't much that you want to see or do. I love Hakka food, but there is nothing that I found that comes close to what I had around Hsinchu.  The night markets aren't bad but certainly aren't special. I heard that there is some beauty out in the mountains, but I didn't have a car and it isn't super close or easy to get out there.  

Despite the fact that it is a vile place, the rents and real estate prices are high!  It's farther and less convenient than Keelung when it comes to getting to Taipei, but the rent I paid was about double a Keelung rent!  Shocking!  My advice is to stay away.

Chiayi pictures

Chiayi

I currently live in Chiayi, also spelled Jiayi.  It's a smaller city in the south of Taiwan.  There are good and bad things to be said about Chiayi, so let's take a look.

I like the place.  The weather is much better than the soggy north.  It doesn't rain anywhere close to as much as the north.  People are generally friendly, but also generally more reserved as country people often are.  Children will stare at foreigners, and sometimes adults will too.  That's kind of a naive thing though - they still haven't seen a lot of us big noses.  There are some interesting and beautiful old buildings that people haven't had the money to demolish yet, which is great.  The food is excellent and cheap.  The specialty of Chiayi is turkey rice, which is simple but can be delicious.  Turkey, rice, and gravy.  Happy Thanksgiving.

The population is comparatively small and old.  Young people, especially educated young people, often leave to get jobs in Kaohsiung or in the north.  It might be boring for young people - there are limited opportunities to go out at night and things like foreign food are less common than they are in the north. The streets are wide and often feel empty.  That's nice.  The population grows over Chinese New Year as everyone returns to see grandma, but for the most part there isn't a lot of traffic.  I usually ride a bike, slowly, and enjoy a different pace.  Things still cost less.  You encounter people who don't really speak Mandarin.  There are beautiful mountains on the horizon, and tea is everywhere.  The air pollution can be bad because there are some factories and farms burning whatever horrible things they like to burn.  It's not a super rich city, but apparently there are homes belonging to the richest of the rich.

All in all a nice place.  I'm old and married and a dad now so I don't do much anyway.  Rents are low, but buying property is ridiculously expensive, as it is all over Taiwan.  It's mostly made for people who have owned a home here for a long time to retire.