First Day in Chang Hwa

Customary to Leave Shoes at the Door
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Our first day in Chang Hwa, and we have already recovered from the long flight and we're doing ok on adjusting to the time difference.  We had a 2 hour drive from the airport and adventures along the way.  Our first experience was an amazing and crowded  local street market where Evan enjoyed observing the raw meats (plucked whole birds, pig's feet, internal organs, etc).  We bought some litchi and other interesting looking fruit that was delicious--Taiwan has a subtropical climate and one of the things it is famous for is the tropical fruit.

Street Vendor Selling Chicken
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We are staying for the next 2 weeks with my brother, Nathan and his Taiwanese wife Jessie and their children Joey (8 years old) and Gwen (6 years old).  They live in a modern highrise apartment complex in a huge 5 bedroom apartment.  Lucky me--I have my own bedroom and private bath.  Evan sleeps in the study.  Everyone has been very nice to us.  They are at work now, both are teaching.  The cleaning lady is here and we're trying to stay out of her way.  Fortunately the air conditioning works great because it is very hot and humid, around 95 degrees.

Our first experience was an amazing and crowded local street market

Busy Streests in Chung Hwa
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Jessie's mother took us out to a beautiful tea house last night and we had a great dinner and afterwards  we each had a different and delicious iced tea or blended tropical fruit drink (like a smoothie).  The waiter told a joke in English--"who is the thirstiest Chinese person?  Bruce Lee."  There was more to it than that but I didn't really get it and Evan tried to explain it to me and said it was a great joke to tell to Americans--I guess Evan is doing better than I am already at understanding the culture.

Scooters & Bicycles Share the Road
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There are so many contrasts here.  Incredible technology is everywhere--big screen tvs, computers, smart cars, cell phones; and yet in other ways the culture seems to be very family-oriented and traditional.  The city is about the size of Spokane in population but not in square miles--it is dense and urban with not a vacant lot in sight.  There are no sidewalks and seemingly no traffic rules (they say there are but I haven't figured them out yet) and small cars and scooters zoom past us while we walk on the street--terrifying for the pedestrian but somehow it all works and is actually safe.  Last night there was a big celebration for Matsu the goddess of the sea and there were fireworks everywhere, but I was suprised to see that they were lighting them off from the middle of the street (all fireworks have now been banned in Spokane).

Street Vendor in Chung Hwa
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So far, what has made a biggest impression on me is that of the thousands of people we've seen here-- in the public market, at the city park with the huge 22m tall Buddha, at the municpal swimming pool, at the tea house for dinner, because this is not a big city or a tourist area we have not seen another Caucasian yet.  That and the vernacular architecture of the city  make it feel just so different that the best description I can come up with is that it feels like we are in some exotic  movie.   And I can tell that we are certainly not going to have any problem getting the "cultural immersion" that we were seeking on this trip.