An Adventure of Accidents: 05/29/11: 13:35, Location: In Transit, Train (4)

05/29/11: 13:35, Location: In transit, Train (4)

I’m currently on the train to Hualien. Even though I landed a little more than 24 hours ago, I feel like I’ve been in Taiwan forever. I think it’s because the weather is so nice. Usually when I’m in Taiwan, the moment I get off the plane, I feel like I begin melting. The sweating gets so bad that the insides of my elbows and knees break out in eczema. Highly unpleasant. Anyways, the weather outside right now is right up California’s alley. It’s sunny with clear skies and a pleasant cool breeze. Unheard of! I’m wondering where the hell I am and what they did to the Taiwan I know.

Whenever I stay with my grandparents, I feel like a goose being prepared for foie gras. At every meal, they insist that I “just take another piece” and if I refuse, they give me angry faces until I acquiesce. Who the heck guilt trips people into EATING? Then, after my grandmother literally divvies up every piece of food amongst the three of us , she proceeds to bring out the watermelon. When I politely decline, the Angry Face returns and she thrusts a fork at me and says gruffly “I bought this watermelon especially for you. Watermelon goes bad quickly.” GUILT. I ate watermelon. Also, the Taiwanese people have this thing where they sprinkle salt on their fruit to make it sweeter. I accept this when it comes to papayas and guavas, but WATERMELON? It’s surprisingly good when you get a lightly sprinkled piece, but occasionally you bite into a block of salt. Blegh.

At every meal, my grandpa grumbles that they should be taking me out to eat, that they’re being bad hosts. Despite my repeated reassurances that I actually prefer to eat in, my grandparents insisted that we go out to eat for my final meal in Taipei. Due to my grandpa’s limited mobility, there are usually three options when we go out to eat in Danshui – Sushi boat, Korean, or pan-fried dumplings. My sister will testify. If we have extended stays in Danshui, we will hit up these places multiple times, no joke. My grandparent’s personal favorite (to take us) is the Sushi boat. It’s more expensive by Taiwans’ standards (about $1 per dish = two pieces of nigiri or three thick slices of sashimi), and thus, more suitable for special occasions. Being the cheap Asian I am, I redirected the conversation toward the pan-fried dumplings. To be honest, I really do prefer the dumplings. Those of you who know me know I hate things cooked in water (I know, a serious personality flaw.). This dude trained in Japan for several years to learn how to make these dumplings. That’s some serious stuff right there. The skin is Q, the filling is crisp, THESE ARE LITTLE BITES OF HEAVEN. But we get there and the store is closed. DEVASTATION. My grandma folds up her (sun) umbrella and says, “Well, guess it’s sushi then.” Le sigh.

The sushi in Taiwan is way fresher than whatever you get in the States. Even though this is the McDonald’s of Sushi, the portions are healthy and the fish is amazing. Like most sushi boat places, they charge by the plate. However, all the plates are worth exactly the same price, 30 NT. Amy and I always try to eat modestly, limiting ourselves to seven plates. However, the key is to slow down at five and INSIST that you are full. This gives you a two plate buffer to satisfy the grandparents. Haha. After lunch, my grandpa peaced out to get his hair washed. Literally. He turned to me and said, “Sorry I can’t take you to the station.” and disappeared. I thought he was just going to sit down and I was following him to give him a good-bye hug, but nope. No tearful farewells for Grandpa. Just up and disappeared. Before I processed that, my Grandma ushers me onto the bus to the MRT station. I mean, who does that?!?

We get to the MRT station, and my Grandma pushes me through the gates. She’s like “BYE! (disappear)”. I swear, these people hate having me around.

OK. Right now I’m praying I’m on the right train. The things around me are getting increasingly green so I’m going to take that as a good sign. Hualien is one of the most gorgeous places in Taiwan. When I get there, the Dentists (Dr. Liu) and her husband (Prof. Liang) are going to pick me up. They’ve promised to bring a sign. I’m excited. Haha. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people with a sign waiting for them at the airport. Makes me feel important. :D

My grandpa lent me his phone to use when I’m in Taiwan. Being the vain idiot I am, I attempted to stick his SIM card into my sexy American phone. Long story short, I put the PIN code in wrong three times and I locked his SIM card. So now…no phone. I’m too ashamed to tell him what I’ve done, and now he assumes there’s something wrong with his phone. Uhh…heh? I still have it on me, I’m going to try to find this particular carrier when I’m in Hualien and have them unlock it.

Anyways, I realize I write a lot about nothing but that’s because nothing too climactic has happened in the past 24 hours. Here’s a few pictures of rural Taiwan, taken from a rolling train. The driver obligingly slowed down for us as we passed the prettier areas.