Travel to the South-East Asia: Hong-Kong and Taiwan
01 February, 2004
Part 3. Sunday - a day-off before the workweek:-)
Morning. I hardly woke up on hearing the alarm clock in the mobile go off - I wish I slept more and more, but ... the pre-paid breakfast is until 10 am, so I have to get up definitely at 9.
Repeating it again - it is 5 am of our Moscow time :-)
There are quite a few people in the restaurant hall - either the hotel is half-empty, or the guests may have had breakfast much earlier. There is a vast choice of breakfast meals over here, and the early rise was not a problem for tasting local fruits and vegetables, and cheese. While in Moscow, Andrey has breakfast at supper time, so it's coffee, more coffee, and a bit of juice...
Today companies are off work, all our meetings start from tomorrow, so today we are looking around the city, the boss is going to show me round as the time allows.
First, the rear part of our hotel - "Paris' gardens"
Three-tiered "gardens". 
Waterfalls...
Colonnade and waterfallsThen, we are coming down the local underground. Andrey is teaching me: -
"First thing is to remember two MOST important hieroglyphs or you go to the bad - nothing here is written in English, all hieroglyphs around, and the underground is multi-tiered, so you have no idea where to go."
"Exit" in Chinese OK, "exit" - got that, agree there must be an exit, be it in English or Chinese!
The underground is new, light, abundant in hi-tech - lots of metal in the finishing of stations. There are merely three stations with one "hub" stations, all is arranged smartly, many templates and pointers, but... you never what they mean :-)
At the underground station
The train is coming
Andrey took a picture of the train's arrival sitting on the floor, putting the camera lens on top a pack of cigarettes. Polite Chinese were reverting their eyes :-)We are riding to the "building" - a 51-storeyed tower with an observation platform. Arrived a bit early, but on the occasion of a day-off all works since 11 o'clock, so we went off to a local "rag fair".
The computer market looks very much like ours, but the choice is greater because all is produced over here - all the factories are at hand. At the same time - something which is not yet in demand at our place has not been delivered...
Very nice, overchoice, it's a pity that taking pictures is not allowed. Bought a small cooler - weighs as much as half a kilo!
The housing - a dream of any modder - is something between a PC casing and a car housing :-)
"The Mouse Kingdom" - mice, mouselings, "rats" for gamers. I did buy a mouse for myself, optical, metal - wonderwork! Andrey brought me an amusing mouse from the last Computech as a gift, but after six months it is malfunctioning.
We strolled around the market over all the storeys and decided to come back by the end of the week (a great pity, it didn't work), we could have picked a lot of souvenirs, but for today we've got a lot to walk and walk and don't feel like carrying all with us.
We got back to the tower - observatory, 244 meters high, 51st storey, construction completed in 1993. The observation platform is on the 46th storey, the lift is fast and we feel a bit of zero-gravity while lifting up, the flysheet proudly telling it took 30 seconds to get to the 46th storey. The first what we see through the opening lift doors is a huge photo of Gorbachov with a comrades who also used to be here. Only then we see photos of other world's eminent people...
Here it is, the tower!The view is magnificent indeed. There is some little fog, and the mountains are not seen well enough, but anyway it's beautiful.
| TAIPEI Taipei, the capital of the republic is a huge mega polis of 6 mln population. The capital's population is continuously growing due to the migration of locals coming over here in search of incomes and entrant businessmen. All this results in a permanent rise in prices for accommodation, land and primary necessities. Not only is Taipei the most "expensive" city in the island, it is one of the most expensive cities in Asia where life and work are very hard...
The city comprises 12 districts: Changcheng, Changshan, Nankang, Xinie, Neihu, Peitau, Shihlin, Sangshan, Taang, Tatong, Wanghua and Uwengshan. The main street of Taipei is called Changshan. It is a marvelous place for promenades, there are lots of shops, restaurants and snack-bars offering a choice of Chinese delicacies.
(guide-book - Sights of Taiwan) |
The Government House. You can't buy souvenirs from the 46th storey! It would be nice to have a snack on the 46th storey, but you don't feel like eating at all although there are lots of small cafes and restaurants. We walk around, the whole Taipei and lots of Taiwan is seen from here-) Local humidity prevents from looking far away...
A souvenir shop
"Wow!!!" We are contemplating the Chang Kai Shi memorial from above to which are now turning our steps - it is a must-see place.
The Chang Kai Shi memorial complex
The impressive Chang Kai Shi memorial complex is situated in Taipei's business part. It comprises a small history museum, the National Concert Hall and the National Theater which is the house of Chinese opera, classical musical concerts and dance shows.
(guide-book - Sights of Taiwan) |
Chang Kai Shi memorial - top view. The road down below proved not that short and clear like it looked from the 46th storey - we had to look into the map to get to the street we needed. We were walking for quite a long and felt tired:
- Which gates shall we take to enter the memorial - the Central?
- The closest!
I sent this photo immediately to those who asked me about the weather over here.
The chilly, rainy winter of Taipei-))))
Note
The weather in Taiwan's capital is broken and crotchety. The winter is grey and rainy, from June to September it is stuffy and hot. Only October gladdens you with warm dry weather, it is the best period to visit and look around Taipei.
(guide-book - Sights of Taiwan) |
Chang Kai Shi memorial
Central gates to the memorial
One of the gates of the memorial
At the memorial park
The central buildingThe memorial is humane, without much piety, but with much reverence and respect. What I really liked about the memorial library is that the personal library of Chang Kai Shi is turned into a computerized reading-room with free access to Internet, there are many children here - all study, and they do study, not play!
There is a strange feeling that when all these kids get education this great number of well-educated Chinese will flood the whole world!
Madame Chang is a beautiful woman
With a limousine behind...
Change of the Guard of HonorThe photo against the background of flowers was taken after my phone call home - in Moscow, there fell the rain, frost, everywhere all skating-rink, but here...
The winter in Taipei :-))))Andrey is laughing:- "They kept telling me the winter is awful here - damp, dank, chilly, no central heating - dreadful! But over here it is paradise, 16-18 C (23 C in the sun), all is in bloom, warm wind, sunshine...
An alcove at the memorial against the towerWe are coming back to the hotel by taxi, with feet hardly moving... the taxi driver reading the hotel card closely and delivered us to the place.
Andrey is telling me what superb kneaders we are having at the hotel and we are going to find out more details. A flock of charming Chinese ladies not understanding a word in English chattering something in chorus...
Andrey is trying to explain that "Massage for a lady!" is needed.
In the end, employees from the reception get involved and we are trying to explain it with joint efforts - massage can be done immediately because there will be a two days break. Long, uneven explanation that I need a massage of feet, and... three Chinese ladies leading me away.
The boss feeling keen about me is asking all to call him to his room if something goes wrong or is the Chinese ladies and I fail to understand each other.
That's all right - the lady kneader knows five English words, I - fifteen, so we talk fine helping each other with gestures. She is tiny, delicate, but with very strong and cunning hands. They are bringing in some delicious tea for me - I am hardly help yelling of pain.. She is wresting limbs and massaging the muscles. It is especially painful in some points of feet, the lady kneader is showing on her belly what precisely is wrong in me and why it is so painful (that's right - these are my nephroliths), then pointing to my thoracic girdle (that's also right - I sit a lot at the monitor) etc.-))
One and a half hours of agony ( plus peeling, salts of the dead sea, strong hands) and I am given firm guarantees that my feet will be so strong that I will fly, which was right - once I got to the room I completely forgot about the weariness. By the way, on leaving we were given two bills - one from the SPA for my massage at 3240 Taiwanese dollars (100$), the other for the mini-bar at merely 280 for 6 days. VIP-services!-)))
Then we are going to the mall for lunch, it's very close. On the way, we come across two jaunty Chinese old ladies on scooters - they are getting used to the modern lifestyle.
Andrey's favorite Chinese young ladies at the entrance to the mall...Noodle soup with seafood, very thick - big helpings, too much for me, but Andrey asked for a porringer of rice additionally and added - no sauce. I admired at that, but he was telling tutorially:
- That is rice! Sacred food for Chinese!
Another Chinese of himself-)))
Andrey went off to the hotel to lie down for a while, and I decided to look around the mall closer - my feet are now revived. May and Jean-Pierre were asking me surprise - how could I do without shopping, so I had to go for it...
There are lots of young people working at offices, many couples with kids walking, watching, buying - indeed, you can spend a whole day in here. The clothes sizes are never bigger than 9-11, all nice is a bit too tight to me.
Some digression.
In the long distant times, one of our friends traveled to China, and on return told us as follows:
- Chinese ladies are of three sizes - small, middle and big. Big are those wearing size 34, so you girls are all very big! (we are all of size 36) |
By the way, where do fat Chinese ladies attire, do they all walk in robes?
In our luxurious five-star hotel there many rich and fat Chinese men are living, and we immediately understood why a plump Chinese god should be caressed over the bald patch and big belly - to keep fortune in.
It looks like getting married to a rich (i.e., fat), old (bald-headed) Chinese man, caress his head and paunch is done for making money pouring in - that's what happiness is all about! :-)
Got back to the hotel, we took a breath, chatted with Moscow over the Internet by turns, got a progress report from colleagues despite Sunday...
By the way, as the evening came, the boss tired of favorite sushi declared he urgently want some "fried ribs with meat", so we went out to "Ruby Tuesday" pub. European food, young Taiwanese families walking by the windows, nice music playing. Discussed things to be done tomorrow and headed to the cinema center (as many as 23 cinema halls).
With a T-shirt on by the New Year tree - it's winter! 
At the stairs of the cinema center - Andrey's feet were not massaged, it's easier for him to sit than stand up...
Hello, Batman!
Here came the MONKEY year!Coming back to the hotel, we saw a TV commercial on a round pedestal - so unusual, interesting.
TV-pedestal. Late in the evening we watched Armageddon in English over the TV, Andrey was interpreting it to me carefully, we were nipping whiskey until got into a serious quarrel as usual. The next morning we couldn't recall what the row was about (I vaguely remember that I felt doubts of his artistic nature - anyway, the contrariety was indeed very serious!).
But mostly we are on friendly terms in this fantastic trip :-)
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