Kaohsiung
This weekend we went in to Kaohsiung, the big city. It is the second largest city in Taiwan, and is about an hour bus ride from Meinung. The day started out a bit rough, as we were unable to find the tourist info center. In the end it didn'’t matter because we realized that had it been where the guidebook said it was (which it was not) it was not open on Saturdays. Our quest for pizza was also problematic, and I we ended up at McDonalds. Some of you may know that I do not usually eat at McDonalds, because I think they are an evil company. For the sake of avoiding group mutiny I agreed to ignore my one man boycott, admittedly I was interested to try a sandwich made from sliced beef, with sauted onions and sticky rice cakes in place of the buns. I have to admire McDonalds for at least including menu items that acknowledge the culture. The day improved when we located a bookstore that carried English language books, and an expat restaurant with pizza. Our last stop was Holiday KTV, for a bit of karaoke. Unfortunately we missed the bus back to Meinung, so we had to take a cab. If you think cab rides are scary in New York....