Leaving Taiwan today.
Packing took me 45 minutes, a ridiculously long time even when considering the fact I was stalling, hoping something would go wrong. There's just far too many receipts and dongles too keep track of, I need to improve my system.
I’ve just been racing across town on a couple of (non-espionage-related) errands and realized I forgot my suit in my hotel. By the time I have picked up my suit, my flight will be leaving in 60 minutes. And the airport is about 60 minutes drive from the hotel. Now, most people would decide to give up, but I believe I am one of the good guys. As you know, the good guys always win. So I’m going to go for. Did Steve McQueen give up when faced with the impossible odds against him when making that great escape of yore? No, and neither will I.
The whole thing is made complicated by the fact that I really do not want to leave. I passionately do not want to leave right now. So what is a good ending? What is the Hollywood ending of my life? Do I miss my flight, take up residency in Taipei and give up my life of espionage in favour of English teaching or whatever it is foreigners do here in Taiwan? Or will a mysterious miracle keep the plane on the ground, remove all traffic on the roads and turn the ticketing attendant into an angel on a mission of mercy?
UPDATE: I don't know what kind of timewarp I passed through, but I actually made the flight. Now I'm in the Empire hotel in Hong Kong and I'm feeling a cold coming on, probably from the rafting on sunday. Please please please, please don't be ill in Hong Kong again...
Showing posts with label Taiwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taiwan. Show all posts
Monday, September 11, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Hualien #1
I managed to infiltrate a group of employees of a publishing company this weekend on their corporate bonding trip into eastern Taiwan. The Taiwanese are quite a clever lot and I could tell they were suspicious from the start. Nobody seemed to believe my cover story of being an unemployed comedian. Except Vicky. She starts laughing everytime she sees my face.
Most of the trip was spent inside a bus. Normally this would be pretty boring, right? The difference here being that we were driving on one of the most dramatic roads you could imagine. Basically, massive cliffs going straight down into the sea, with jungle covering every non vertical surface. As usual, my pictures do no justice to what I saw, and you'll just have to trust me when i say: If you are going to spend a day in a bus, make sure it's a bus going through Hualien in Taiwan.
Most of the trip was spent inside a bus. Normally this would be pretty boring, right? The difference here being that we were driving on one of the most dramatic roads you could imagine. Basically, massive cliffs going straight down into the sea, with jungle covering every non vertical surface. As usual, my pictures do no justice to what I saw, and you'll just have to trust me when i say: If you are going to spend a day in a bus, make sure it's a bus going through Hualien in Taiwan.
Haulien #2
We made a couple of stops. Taroko ridge is one mother f***er of a ridge. It's a much more impressive ridge than the one you told me about. It made me think of weird english words. Like: gargantean (wonder if I even spelled that right...), humongous, titanic. Boobies. Well, I often think about boobies, and I suppose I thought about boobies when I was at the ridge.
Can you get an idea of the scale we are talking about here?
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice
We also stopped at a daoist temple. I've seen quite a few temples by now, but this was the first time I was accompanied with someone who knows anything about what's going on in there. Apparantly, the people in yellow clothes are there to pray and seek guidance. There was one older dood who spoke in tongues, somehow he was channeling the voice of Buddha (or some other spiritual force, i can't keep track) and advicing the believers. He sounded kind of funny.
Can you get an idea of the scale we are talking about here?
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice
We also stopped at a daoist temple. I've seen quite a few temples by now, but this was the first time I was accompanied with someone who knows anything about what's going on in there. Apparantly, the people in yellow clothes are there to pray and seek guidance. There was one older dood who spoke in tongues, somehow he was channeling the voice of Buddha (or some other spiritual force, i can't keep track) and advicing the believers. He sounded kind of funny.
Haulien #3
The night was spent in a quaint guesthouse in a rather run-down looking town. i had a chance to observe Taiwanese young people having fun. Excessive amounts of drinking, men given make-up and some sort of ritualistic baptism in the guesthouse pool.Maybe the most exciting part of the stay there was that saw two monkeys hanging about in a strange structure nearby. Last time I saw a monkey was in Borneo and he stole my pringles, but these two seemed much more occupied with themselves.
Dinner at the guesthouse
young Taiwanese people. And Jussi, the Finish dude
The guesthouse in the morning
Dinner at the guesthouse
young Taiwanese people. And Jussi, the Finish dude
The guesthouse in the morning
Hualien #4
And the water rafting. Vicky and I had cleverly picked up a Finish dood on the road to join our team for the water rafting. Chosen for his well developed muscles, he turned out to be a strong asset. We paddled and we paddled, tried to vault the other boats and basically used every trick in the book. And guess what: we won! ha.
But what a pyrrhic victory :-( the entire adventure was done in pissing rain. Even in a tropical climate such as Taiwan, it get's cold when it rains. Four hours of river splashing into your face and rain rain rain. I'm sure this is not going to be good for my health...
But what a pyrrhic victory :-( the entire adventure was done in pissing rain. Even in a tropical climate such as Taiwan, it get's cold when it rains. Four hours of river splashing into your face and rain rain rain. I'm sure this is not going to be good for my health...
Sunday, September 03, 2006
In awe of chinese civilization (and others too)
I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, so wasn't able to document my experiences there. What I've done is to steal some pics from the official museum website. this is naturally highly illegal, and if you don't hear from me again its because the officials here will have taken me in and locked me up for good.
The exhibits in the museum were truly astonishing and gave me an awesome (100 million hotdogs!) perspective of just how puny my mind is. At school, I was tought that modern civilization arose out of the roman empire. We spent a year learning about how the greeks morphed into the romans and then how the romans dissolved leaving only some outposts in the UK. those outposts evolved into the great British Empire which again dissolved only to leave some outposts in the new lands of America-the modern US and the just heir to the roman throne.
Anyways, not only did the exhibit show equal or more advanced refinement of the chinese civilization at all times through history as their western counterpart. There was also a big map showing the world around 400 A.D. you had the roman empire, you had the chinese han empire (equally large). But then there were also massive empires in India and the Middle East. Sure, I knew that there were other civilizations at other times and that they were all really impressive. But i had never before understood just how massive these empires where, and that they existed at the same time as the roman empire was about to implode from it's own size.
Among the exhibits were a couple of items that were pretty mind-blowing. The heart of the exhibition was a jade stone cut to look like a lettuce. It's masterfully done such that the cutting uses the natural colouring of the jade to get an almost photorealistic replica of a lettuce without any paint- a white stalk with green leaves.
But since I don't eat vegetables, the item that caught my eye was the "stone that looks like meat". These items are related naturally, they were part of some movement where artists had become so sophisticated that they saught after materials that naturally resembled something, and then worked with nature to achieve spectacular effcts. The stone below does really look like the meat they seel here in the night markets and it makes my mouth wet to look at it.
The next item that blew my mind was a small olive stone that had been carved into a boat. It's difficult to appreciate from this picture, since it's been magnified. So just think of an olive, you know, the ones you eat with bread while waiting for the main course in an italian restaurant. They's nice aren't they? Now, the photo below is of the olive stone, the stone inside an olive. Can you grasp how small this is?
The nuts who did this carved a boat with 8 men inside, tables and i think there's even food and drink on their tables. The doors are fully functional, they can be opened and closed.
And underneath the boat somebody who was very bored indeed has written the entire story of the 8 high officials that went somewhere on a boat and signed some kind of treaty. Where do they get the energy, that's what I wonder...
Oh it's pointless, you've got to see it to really appreciate how tiny it is. Come to Taipei and check out the National Palace Museum! It's humbling to say the least.
The exhibits in the museum were truly astonishing and gave me an awesome (100 million hotdogs!) perspective of just how puny my mind is. At school, I was tought that modern civilization arose out of the roman empire. We spent a year learning about how the greeks morphed into the romans and then how the romans dissolved leaving only some outposts in the UK. those outposts evolved into the great British Empire which again dissolved only to leave some outposts in the new lands of America-the modern US and the just heir to the roman throne.
Anyways, not only did the exhibit show equal or more advanced refinement of the chinese civilization at all times through history as their western counterpart. There was also a big map showing the world around 400 A.D. you had the roman empire, you had the chinese han empire (equally large). But then there were also massive empires in India and the Middle East. Sure, I knew that there were other civilizations at other times and that they were all really impressive. But i had never before understood just how massive these empires where, and that they existed at the same time as the roman empire was about to implode from it's own size.
Among the exhibits were a couple of items that were pretty mind-blowing. The heart of the exhibition was a jade stone cut to look like a lettuce. It's masterfully done such that the cutting uses the natural colouring of the jade to get an almost photorealistic replica of a lettuce without any paint- a white stalk with green leaves.
But since I don't eat vegetables, the item that caught my eye was the "stone that looks like meat". These items are related naturally, they were part of some movement where artists had become so sophisticated that they saught after materials that naturally resembled something, and then worked with nature to achieve spectacular effcts. The stone below does really look like the meat they seel here in the night markets and it makes my mouth wet to look at it.
The next item that blew my mind was a small olive stone that had been carved into a boat. It's difficult to appreciate from this picture, since it's been magnified. So just think of an olive, you know, the ones you eat with bread while waiting for the main course in an italian restaurant. They's nice aren't they? Now, the photo below is of the olive stone, the stone inside an olive. Can you grasp how small this is?
The nuts who did this carved a boat with 8 men inside, tables and i think there's even food and drink on their tables. The doors are fully functional, they can be opened and closed.
And underneath the boat somebody who was very bored indeed has written the entire story of the 8 high officials that went somewhere on a boat and signed some kind of treaty. Where do they get the energy, that's what I wonder...
Oh it's pointless, you've got to see it to really appreciate how tiny it is. Come to Taipei and check out the National Palace Museum! It's humbling to say the least.
Changing of the guard, martyr memorial shrine
Another attempt at video blogging. Thought you might like it
Extreme sightseeing!
I thought I'd check out the National Palace Museum today, and got a whole rapid-fire tour as part of the deal- what a bargain. Buy one, get two free!
Once we arrived at the MRT station out here somewhere in the north of Taipei, we decided to check out the Grand Hotel that's just around the corner from the station. We got into a taxi and asked to stop briefly for a 5 minute photo session.
Now isn't this GRAND! That's a bloomin' hotel! That's why they call it the grand hotel.
The taxi driver now suggested that we stop by another tourist sight, the martyr memorial shrine. I got to do my peace sign here too. Have no idea what's actually inside, but we were lucky enought to catch the hourly change of guard.
And then we made it to the actual gugong, the museum. It's a palace and a museum. It has some of the most impressive artifacts from chinese history. It has a large temple ground and is surrounded by beautiful hills. And: just opposite, it has the three ugliest high-rises I've ever seen, so ugly and spoiling it almost seems intentional, like an ugly building is a must in every vista.
Once we arrived at the MRT station out here somewhere in the north of Taipei, we decided to check out the Grand Hotel that's just around the corner from the station. We got into a taxi and asked to stop briefly for a 5 minute photo session.
Now isn't this GRAND! That's a bloomin' hotel! That's why they call it the grand hotel.
The taxi driver now suggested that we stop by another tourist sight, the martyr memorial shrine. I got to do my peace sign here too. Have no idea what's actually inside, but we were lucky enought to catch the hourly change of guard.
And then we made it to the actual gugong, the museum. It's a palace and a museum. It has some of the most impressive artifacts from chinese history. It has a large temple ground and is surrounded by beautiful hills. And: just opposite, it has the three ugliest high-rises I've ever seen, so ugly and spoiling it almost seems intentional, like an ugly building is a must in every vista.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Another cross on my bedpost
Ha, third night market in three weeks. I'm now officially a night market guru.
This is Tunghua, around the corner from the main bar district of Taipei. The clothes are rather boring but there's an overwhelming selection of food here. Having developed a strange streak of boringness lateley I stuck to dumplings, my old-time favourite.
And that's it I think. Maybe I'll check out the jade market too to attain the status of night market demigod, but it's not very high up on my list of things todo. :-)
This is Tunghua, around the corner from the main bar district of Taipei. The clothes are rather boring but there's an overwhelming selection of food here. Having developed a strange streak of boringness lateley I stuck to dumplings, my old-time favourite.
And that's it I think. Maybe I'll check out the jade market too to attain the status of night market demigod, but it's not very high up on my list of things todo. :-)
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Everyday confusion in Taiwan
It's a small detail, but important enough in my life. The photo below is of the entry down an underground set of tunners that you need to use if you want to cross the street around the corner from where I live.
It's nothing special when it's used deliberately and consciously. However, as you can see from the map below, it's quite a complex set of tunnerls. Count the exits- 8 of them all together, in a fractal snowflake pattern.
If I use these tunnels with something on my mind, maybe already choosing in my head which Taiwanese delicacy I will try tonight or trying to decide whether to brave the buses to work today or take a taxi... I always get confused.
So when I get to the final exit tunnel i often find myself facing a completely different set of buildings than I expected. Very disorienting and it has happened often enough to warrant a mention as one of my Taiwan experiences. :-)
It's nothing special when it's used deliberately and consciously. However, as you can see from the map below, it's quite a complex set of tunnerls. Count the exits- 8 of them all together, in a fractal snowflake pattern.
If I use these tunnels with something on my mind, maybe already choosing in my head which Taiwanese delicacy I will try tonight or trying to decide whether to brave the buses to work today or take a taxi... I always get confused.
So when I get to the final exit tunnel i often find myself facing a completely different set of buildings than I expected. Very disorienting and it has happened often enough to warrant a mention as one of my Taiwan experiences. :-)
Mysticism in the context of commerical interests
If you haven't been to one of Taipei's night markets, you haven't been to Taipei.
Now I've been to Snake Alley and Shilin market. That must mean I'm a Taipei veteran.
Shilin market is the night market of night markets. A maze of narrow alleys with door to door shops and food stalls, plus a throbbing crowd. My mate the hotel guard downstairs tells me I chose a bad day, because the heat tonight will have meant there would be less people. Really? I'd like to see it more crowdy than it was!
Something that caught my eye was a shrine/temple in the middle of the maze. Don't know who's being worshipped here, but it looked kind of cool in the middle of all the huzzle.
There were food stalls in front of it, and you might just make out the shop underneath the temple where the strong light is coming from in the pic below.
I find the contrast between mystical structures and commercial interest very fascinating. It's so against the ideas I've been tought about mysticism in the west. Jesus chasing out the merchants in the temple and all that.
Now I've been to Snake Alley and Shilin market. That must mean I'm a Taipei veteran.
Shilin market is the night market of night markets. A maze of narrow alleys with door to door shops and food stalls, plus a throbbing crowd. My mate the hotel guard downstairs tells me I chose a bad day, because the heat tonight will have meant there would be less people. Really? I'd like to see it more crowdy than it was!
Something that caught my eye was a shrine/temple in the middle of the maze. Don't know who's being worshipped here, but it looked kind of cool in the middle of all the huzzle.
There were food stalls in front of it, and you might just make out the shop underneath the temple where the strong light is coming from in the pic below.
I find the contrast between mystical structures and commercial interest very fascinating. It's so against the ideas I've been tought about mysticism in the west. Jesus chasing out the merchants in the temple and all that.
Underground (MRT) observations
I've been using the underground a bit lately, which is one of the best way to get some sort of physical relationship to the map of a new city. It's all very exciting, and I though I'd share an interesting observation.
These people take their queing seriously! At some (most?) stops, they hvae lines drawn on the floor to indicate the queing lanes, or like in the other photo, how you should be standing on the sides to let people off before bording.
How organized is that?!!!
So I asked myself, naturally: is this civilization so evolved that it had established multiple systems for queing? Are these people the world experts in queing?
I don't know the answer. However, I do know that in a station without such markings on the floor, it was almost impossible to get off with all the pushing and jostling.
Another, rather meaningless, observation: Hong Kong underground is called MTR, whereas it's MRT here. Why can't we just standardize on one acronym across the world, people!?
These people take their queing seriously! At some (most?) stops, they hvae lines drawn on the floor to indicate the queing lanes, or like in the other photo, how you should be standing on the sides to let people off before bording.
How organized is that?!!!
So I asked myself, naturally: is this civilization so evolved that it had established multiple systems for queing? Are these people the world experts in queing?
I don't know the answer. However, I do know that in a station without such markings on the floor, it was almost impossible to get off with all the pushing and jostling.
Another, rather meaningless, observation: Hong Kong underground is called MTR, whereas it's MRT here. Why can't we just standardize on one acronym across the world, people!?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
I went to a really nice lounge this evening, which combined lovely wine with an amazing view.
I had to take a picture of it, and even though it is pretty crap, you can see 101. You can see how ridiculously tall it is.
That's the thing about most impressive buildings in the world. They often have observatoriums or really expensive restaurants or bars in them. But you dont actually want to sit inside these buildings. Thats rubbish. You want to sit in the building across it so that you can see it when your sipping your vintage Chilean wine.
I had to take a picture of it, and even though it is pretty crap, you can see 101. You can see how ridiculously tall it is.
That's the thing about most impressive buildings in the world. They often have observatoriums or really expensive restaurants or bars in them. But you dont actually want to sit inside these buildings. Thats rubbish. You want to sit in the building across it so that you can see it when your sipping your vintage Chilean wine.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The life of a spy- park adventures
The life of a spy is a dangerous one. Actually, it's not, but Taipei is definately the most dangerous place I've been to in Asia. A couple of weeks ago someone stole NT2000 from me while standing behind me in an elevator.
And tonight, an evening in the park was interrupted by a couple of thieves trying to snatch my friend's handbag. Not in a violent way, but in a creepy skulky way. It was kind of scary how neither me nor my friend noticed the creeping creep, until the very last minute.
Since I've been spoiled by the safety of other asian cities I've been to, the idea that this was a thief just didn't occur to me. I just assumed that creeping around in parks was somehow a traditional behaviour of these strange Taiwaneese people. I mean, just that night I had passed several groups of people doing Tai-chi and various kinds of dancing. Most of it looked very alien to me, why wouldn't they do a bit of creeping too?
Anyways, the man scurried off when my friend, who obviously understood his intentions, screamed after him and she even tried to chase him. Kind of a silly thing to do considering he was joined by a friend and I'm sure people who creep have no qualms about dirty violence. (i.e. I was a coward and did nothing...)
Yes, it's a rubbish pic to go with this post. Would have been cool with a pic of the thieves, wouldn't it. Instead we have some palms. Cuz the park had palms, which I think is cool. And it's the only pic I have from that evening.
And tonight, an evening in the park was interrupted by a couple of thieves trying to snatch my friend's handbag. Not in a violent way, but in a creepy skulky way. It was kind of scary how neither me nor my friend noticed the creeping creep, until the very last minute.
Since I've been spoiled by the safety of other asian cities I've been to, the idea that this was a thief just didn't occur to me. I just assumed that creeping around in parks was somehow a traditional behaviour of these strange Taiwaneese people. I mean, just that night I had passed several groups of people doing Tai-chi and various kinds of dancing. Most of it looked very alien to me, why wouldn't they do a bit of creeping too?
Anyways, the man scurried off when my friend, who obviously understood his intentions, screamed after him and she even tried to chase him. Kind of a silly thing to do considering he was joined by a friend and I'm sure people who creep have no qualms about dirty violence. (i.e. I was a coward and did nothing...)
Yes, it's a rubbish pic to go with this post. Would have been cool with a pic of the thieves, wouldn't it. Instead we have some palms. Cuz the park had palms, which I think is cool. And it's the only pic I have from that evening.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Taipei nightlife
For some reason, I'm not very interested in nightlife right now, I'm too busy with work and trying to navigate yet another highly unique Chinese city. But the arrival of toby & company naturally meant it had to be done.
Nice shirt, Toby.
I'm happy to report that Taipei's clubs are quite excellent. Beautiful people, cool music and there's some dancing going on, as opposed to the shuffling that all to common in this region.
Nice shirt, Toby.I'm happy to report that Taipei's clubs are quite excellent. Beautiful people, cool music and there's some dancing going on, as opposed to the shuffling that all to common in this region.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Why does everything in my life have to be so bizarre?
This must have been the strangest restaurant I've ever been into. The restaurant is called "5 cent driftwood", named after an experience the owner/designer had on a beach (involving a 5 cent coin and some driftwood. Fancy that.)
The interior was a massive labyrinth of strange shapes, reaching up five floors. The theme-restaurant idea struck me as a slightly american concept, kind of like a Disneyland restaurant. However, it was done with a lot of sincerity, which made it feel highly unique.- the owner is a designer and artist. I've heard that it's unusual for Taiwan, but I will leave here with this restaurant having made the strongest impression on me as far as architecture goes.
The food was excellent as was the company. I learned to swear in Taiwanese, although not very nasty swearing.
When I got out I realized that the building I'd been into was themed on the inside of a woman. very very strange, I think you'll agree.
For obvious reasons, this a very popular restaurant and actually has four branches across Taiwan, though I think this one is the largest.
The interior was a massive labyrinth of strange shapes, reaching up five floors. The theme-restaurant idea struck me as a slightly american concept, kind of like a Disneyland restaurant. However, it was done with a lot of sincerity, which made it feel highly unique.- the owner is a designer and artist. I've heard that it's unusual for Taiwan, but I will leave here with this restaurant having made the strongest impression on me as far as architecture goes.
The food was excellent as was the company. I learned to swear in Taiwanese, although not very nasty swearing.
When I got out I realized that the building I'd been into was themed on the inside of a woman. very very strange, I think you'll agree.
For obvious reasons, this a very popular restaurant and actually has four branches across Taiwan, though I think this one is the largest.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Taipei 101
So, I headed over to Taipei 101, the world largest building and the site of what my guide book described as Taipeis best food court and a great shopping mall. While I can confirm that the food court was excellent (I had an excellent New York stake for just under £5), I’m afraid I have to warn you that the mall is NOT the right place to look for single-use hiking shoes. It was definitely upmarket, with plenty of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Versaci, Gucci etc. but no £10 roughing-it shoes. The cheapest shoes I found were an outrageous £50.
The mall itself was really impressive. The fourth floor gave way to a massive space that almost gave me vertigo as I looked upwards. It was a really cool feeling as I came up the escalators and was suddenly treated to this splendid experience of space. Speaking of upwards. My neck is still hurting… Walking towards 101 from the underground and looking up at the top of the building- it’s given me a really sore neck. It really is a huge building and you really need to strain your neck to take it all in.
Of course I took the elevator up to the top. from 5th floor to 89th in 37 seconds. A bit disorienting, you walk in close to the ground and you come out to a view of the world similar to what you see from an airplane as you are about to land.
Cool sign in the stairs up to the outdoors observatory on the 91th floor.
The mall itself was really impressive. The fourth floor gave way to a massive space that almost gave me vertigo as I looked upwards. It was a really cool feeling as I came up the escalators and was suddenly treated to this splendid experience of space. Speaking of upwards. My neck is still hurting… Walking towards 101 from the underground and looking up at the top of the building- it’s given me a really sore neck. It really is a huge building and you really need to strain your neck to take it all in.
Of course I took the elevator up to the top. from 5th floor to 89th in 37 seconds. A bit disorienting, you walk in close to the ground and you come out to a view of the world similar to what you see from an airplane as you are about to land.
Cool sign in the stairs up to the outdoors observatory on the 91th floor.
Snake Alley
I made a run into “Snake Alley” just around the corner from Longshan temple. I believe this was a an infamous red light district until not very long ago, but now it’s mainly a night market.
The foodstall area of Snake Alley. I don't particularly recommend the soya sauce chicken here, it looked yummy on the cart but was a bit like chewing the sole of the hiking shoes I never bought.
As usual, the main market street was nothing compared the adventures that lie hidden in the narrow alleys sprouting out of it. One seven eleven I walked past had an exit at the back out to one of these alleys. It looked really dark and interesting, kind of like the magical closet in the Narnia books.
Coming out of the seven eleven on the other side, this is the sight that greeted you. Another world behind the facade...
I was hoping to pick up some sturdy shoes in case I would get up to some hiking while I’m here. However, I realized that I don’t understand anything about shoes and experimenting with hiking shoes in notorious nightmarkets is probably not a very clever thing to do. I remember hiking through the jungles of Kuching national park and one of my shoes literally falling into pieces.
The foodstall area of Snake Alley. I don't particularly recommend the soya sauce chicken here, it looked yummy on the cart but was a bit like chewing the sole of the hiking shoes I never bought.
As usual, the main market street was nothing compared the adventures that lie hidden in the narrow alleys sprouting out of it. One seven eleven I walked past had an exit at the back out to one of these alleys. It looked really dark and interesting, kind of like the magical closet in the Narnia books.
Coming out of the seven eleven on the other side, this is the sight that greeted you. Another world behind the facade...
I was hoping to pick up some sturdy shoes in case I would get up to some hiking while I’m here. However, I realized that I don’t understand anything about shoes and experimenting with hiking shoes in notorious nightmarkets is probably not a very clever thing to do. I remember hiking through the jungles of Kuching national park and one of my shoes literally falling into pieces.
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