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I was keeping track of the days, so please read on. More to be posted shortly, as well as pictures. Just landed in Seattle this morning.

happy birthday oldie

This morning I state that I want to see something historical. A bi decides us to take us off to a little island from the city, the first inhabitated area of Kaohsiung. We had been there earlier in the week to eat seafood, and the last time I will ever eat the inner workings of mammals. We get to the island and of course, all the locals are touring the island, eating! I can’t explain to you how much Taiwanese people eat. You would actually be surprised if you have never experienced it firsthand. I thought Jason was all talk but it’s strange. Most people imagine Asians being tiny and petite, but there are definitely a fair amount of overweight people here.
A bi reassures me that where we are going, these people don’t want to go. We finally park and Dune jumps out of the car – for the first time – and heads down the road leading the way. “Wow, he is speedy”. We get to a demolished old brick and stone structure, very Eastern in design and architecture. Dune points to a front room and explains that this is where he was born. The main room and structure was constructed during the Tsing (spelling?) (Pronounced Ching) dynasty and then during the Japanese occupation more was added on. You can see the separation of the two from the outside wall.
His old neighbors come out and his childhood friend. They take us around back to show us another structure. There are also 3 additional older women sitting in the shade and 1 or 2 additional men approach and speak to us. One of the women looks like Jabba the Hut and is a bit scary, the other has the most beautiful skin and face but she must be in her early eighties. I mean, her skin, it was almost like a natural Botox and I wanted to use whatever she has been using to keep that beautiful texture of skin. Dune Dune sat down and they were all chatting about something, while those under the age of 50 were listening to the history of this block. One of the buildings roofs was demolished when the Japanese bombed Taiwan and when the current residents (still living there) returned, they had to put a new roof on – obviously if they are still living there. Dune Dune finishes singing an old Japanese song, in Japanese, and we head along to the ocean. There are old bunkers in the bottom of the mountain you have to walk through to get to the water. Jason explains that I want to get some pictures of dune dune before we leave in his birth house so we head back over. Happy 77th birthday you crazy old man.
We have dinner, which I have a hard time eating the fish. It’s one of those bloody fishes and the texture is weird and is very reminiscent in shape to a snake. I just can’t do this anymore.
Tomorrow we leave for Taipei in the early evening after having a buffet breakfast with some of Jason’s family again.