Life in Kaohsiung

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I am overwhelmed by the kindness of the Taiwanese people. It is amazing how friendly everyone is and how everyone will go out of their way to help. The other day I took the train for the first time to go to the night market. There was a lady with her 2 sons that helped me every step of the way. The night markets are very popular and very crowded. It is a great place to shop, eat, and for kids to play games. Some of you have heard of stinky tofu... and it definitely is stinky. If I walk by a stand that sells stinky tofu, my clothes smell disgusting. I guess it is tofu soaked in some kind of fish juice. It amazes me that people eat this stuff. The food here is okay, but I have a feeling I will get tired of choosing between rice or noodle dishes (definitely not the variety that can be found in SF). However, I am also amazed by how westernized Kaohsiung is. I expected to find McDonalds, but I've also seen TGI Friday's, Outback Steakhouse, Ford SUVs, and the 7-11s are everywhere (there is even a body shop here). This city is much bigger than I expected which means I have much more exploring ahead...

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