Eurasia under me

Carewna, you were not right. This what they told you in Kaliningrad communist school some 30 years ago, is just an illusion. There exists Europe AND Asia. Now I checked by my own eyes, watching from the Jumbo jet of KLM on line Hong Kong-Amsterdam.

What mnakes them separate continents is not some Ocean of sea, but Ocean of rock, sand and grass. Or Tibet, Himalayas and Sybiria. Anything more needed?

Flying above the Tibet highlands, and then between the deserts Gobi and Takla Makan for hours, I realized this fact. I felt it as an Economy Class fact imprinted on my ass, when Tatars, Mongolians etc. felt it also on their back, but because of horse-riding. Not a big difference, really, only that mine was much faster.

Europe for a week is a good joke. Only joke, anything more. Here a scent of Warsaw at the end of (mild) winter.

I think this is my last pic of this oldtimer. It served us well. When I bought it, in summer 2000, it was already 13 years old, now it is to be 20. Even for 1987 Opel Kadett it is too much, especially after 350 000km and so many travels Potsdam-Croatia-Poland, later his "experiences" in Croatia as a 4WD on Pag, and even worst Athens and now Warsaw (where all the old cars from Germany go? To Poland! :-D ) . It was magnificent car. It still manages to eat freeway with 150km/h without problems. My bow, my friend! Good job!

Now comes a little of geography. Flying back from Warsaw, good weather and seat allowed to make some not too bad pics.
Polish-German border: river Odre

Sky over Berlin...river Spree with Alexanderplatz and TV tower, meeting of East and West Berlin captured. It remained in good memory to me.

Gross Glienicke and Sacrower see-only for locals :-)

A bit west from Golm

And I found it in Google maps, exact position, it is amazing how it is possible to locate your picture using Google satellite maps.

We are closing to Amsterdam, known piece of sea when landing for Schiphol, Google Maps helps, it is along A6, street is Ijsselmeerdijk, I located wind-mills :-). It is neer Lelystad and road N302 goes on this bridge in the sea. They really take the land off the sea, literally.

Lots of people goes into B747-400, it was full flight. Funny, I took this pic before boarding, older couple in the middle were my neighbours in seats for next 11 hours, they were flying further 11hrs, probably smwhere in Pacific.

Somewhere above Danmark

In fact, "somewhere" became 'where' with a bit help of Olaf, it is above Harbollebro, and the peninsula is at the peak of Falster-google maps is magnificent tool! Olaf says they call this all Lolland, so, this would be between Mol and Lolland islands.

Next to see was Bornholm and Ronne, nicely visible here. Thanks to googlemaps and peculiar multi-molo structure, I can be pretty sure it is really Ronne.

Funny, here I was biking centuries ago, Rugen in Germany

Kaliningrad Region, part of Russia encircled by new EU countries. I do not know what are these smokes, spring cleaning or what?

Thin thin thin and long sandy line in front of Kaliningrad region and Lithuania

Morning Tibet below me

Towards Himalayas. Few thousand kilometers of mountains. Incomparable with Alps, which are like one walley in this Ocean of peaks.

Hong Kong airport. Buildings piling up up up, like ghosts here

Nice trip. And even nicer to come back HOME. Yes, home.

Food?

Marijan from Helsinki asked me to, at least, show some of food I am treating myself to here in Taiwan...hmmm, yes, I would not expect some delicacies there in Finland, is there something like Finnish cuisine?

There IS, definitely, something like Taiwan cuisine, as this is probably the best way to call this mixture of Chinese cuisines here. You can find virtually everything. In nearby stalls on the night market, you do not have to go toexpensive, fancy restaurants. From ordinary noodles to...snakes.

I showed, I think, enough of 'ordinary' food in my Tw1 posts, let me show, specially for Marijan :-=D, some rather 'special' specialities, that you do not think my life here is too easy ;-)

But, there is a story to it.
Godfather of a friend did us a favor and took us to VERY cheap shop nearby Taichung, where small vendors buy. He has a membershio card, so he could take us there. Can imagine, the shop where Chinese sellers of 'everything for 1 euro' go to buy things? And I can tell you, not everything there was shit, they sell this shit to the West, and stay with better part of it.

I was really amazed. 3-10 times cheaper things than in the cheap shops. E.g. 2700 mAh AA rechargeable batteries costed 5 eur for 4 pieces pack of AA. Pack of 40 heavy duty usual AA batteries for 3eur; toys in half or 1/3 price of one in night market. Various LCD flash-lights (with batteries included) for less than 1 eur. Home small technics for a third of usual cheap price.

I know some people who'd leave fortune there :-D

Btw, "Godfather" is a function which exists in Chinese traditional world, it is not adopted from Christianity. People go and say "bai-bai" in front of family altar, promising to take care in life of kids of their friends or so. Interesting. I find really lots of similarities which would suggest Issa did not travel only to India for his religious ideas :-D

OK, now to food. Next day we invited Godfather and our friends to some sea-food restaurant. It was in some obscure place near Changhua, towards the sea. It is amazing how little the sea is present here in Hsinchu or Taichung, and it is a matter of few kilometers only.

As usual in such places, we choosed our food when still merrily jumping in aquarium near the entrance to the shop. In some minutes, we got it on the table.

So, Marijan, for you not to think life is too easy here. Sorry for not too sharp pictures, my camera is not too good one. Also, for some of them I preferred not to focus my eye too much on it ;-)

Everyone was delighted with this fish, eating it completely, almost no bones remaining, together with head. I had troubles with even watching at it, as it seemed like...eee...a forgotten food when you go for few days trip, come back and feel a strange smell from your kitchen.

Blju.

The next delicacy I know thanks to Ranko d'Melbourne, although here they were sea-snails and not the ones from fields shitted by sheeps.

Here they fire it in front of you...literally. Giordano, where are you?

As you can see, I enjoyed my meal

OK, not everything was so 'curious', these small, quite green tomatoes were brought to table also

It was quite expensive place, obviously such delicacies are not easy to find ;-)

Rice for the restaurant was not far away:

I will stop-well, almost...we went to one shop where you should not go if you do not like snakes. Restaurant specialized in snake drink and meals. Brrr. In front of it are cages with some unhappy Zaratustra's followers, and here is someone's meal (and drink) (not ours, luckily!)

Funny (well, not for the "model", should we call it "M. S."?) is the thing that these pics are taken in the time order in which I am showing them here.

Feel some unrest around Ur neck? Bjorneboe would be delighted...

After the meal, a stroll in the city... Here is how Taiwanese Homo Urbanicus imagines nature (and all only a few kilometers from the beautiful hills and mountains):

Well, yes, this was one of city parks... around is this:

Streets are typical, if you forgot or are visiting my blog for the 1st time, one for you, not to have to go to 'Archives' here. This is in one of towns nearby Taichung. Walking the street is still not the recommended activity here, obviously. You have to find your way among the cars and motorcycles. Here it was Sunday noon, not working day (since 7 years or so in Taiwan), so no usual crowd.

Sometimes some 'mushrooms' are atop the other buildings:

Well, not too far away is even a real "mushroom"

And some buildings around look rather like after atomic mushrooms...this one would really need renovation, or, rather, tearing down and making some rice field there, again. I am sure mushroom from this building could conquer some less resistant life on some far away planet...

The last one is "chinglish" fun from the cup with juice in student's restaurant on TsingHua university in Hsinchu. Kazutaka, my colleague, revealed to me that not also "chinpanese" on this cup is "meningful" as English text, so, dear WASPS, do not feel so privileged ;-)

Btw, some perwy associations? ;-)

Bike nr. ...hmmm...Tw2, nr6

Month here and no bike? When the new one costs only 40 eur? Yes, as I did not want to buy the new one, and then have to give it away, I like my bikes!

So, I was trying to find used one. But did not manage to find, so I asked L. to find some 2nd hand shop here in Hsinchu.

Yesterday, after 9PM, we went to the shop, yes, this is Taiwan and if you want to buy something you go and buy, does not matter if it is a bit late in day.

They had one, better quality, for the price of new one from Geant, a bit more than 40 eur, and another one, usual one here, in not too bad state, for 20 eur. I took the cheaper one, as it seemed to have everything OK. Except pyramid, which they changed to the new one in a spot, it took 5 min for a guy from junior high school or smthing like this.

We bargained down to 15 eur., I felt 600NT$ is a right price. Tires were changed to new, as the bike was obviously standing somewhere parked in open for a longer time. It needed cleaning-what was my 1st thing to do today morning, and here it is:

"Bicikl u cvijecu" (=bike in flowers) :-) . I need 10 min to my work with it. Walking is nice, but it becomes tedious to do every day 25 min walk.

In Athens I had a nice bike, but there was no chance to use it much, too dangerous and too many hills for a city ride. So, for last 1.5 years I was not biking a lot, and I miss it. Here it will be these short rides, but better something than nothing. Tw2 seems perfect for its purpose.

Now a short European break, one week in Warsaw follows. What one must do, one must do.

Taiwan Strawberries

Ticket to Europe is expensive, so a bit of part-time earning will not harm. Especially if it comes during the Chinese New Year. Sure, for me it was more part of getting to know Taiwan from inside. It is possible only by doing some work, Taiwan is country of hard working people.

And if it some fun also, even better :-) . And this was!

We were on DaHu Farm in the walley up from Miaoli. The worst part of this job was to get from Hsinchu to DaHu, as there is no bus Hsinchu-Miaoli or similar. 7 days of train+bus, in every direction 2 hours. A bit tedious, and good that it lasted only 7 days.

It was the largest number of pics I ever took in my life! Shaking hands with kids and making pics with kids and their families and schoolmates and grandparents and...

But now we have quite funny collection of our own pics, and I can add to CV this very american "post" :-D

Sweet, no?