7 May 2023
Lizards and ducks
Non food court dinner in Yilan
Last night in Yilan. As threatened I decided to see if there's more to it that first meets the eye. Not really. The University area is another busy area, and the city does extend a long way in each direction, but no part of it has the night market vibrancy of Luoyang. So there you go, if you want bright lights and deep fried foods, stay in Luoyang, which also has the cool tiny houses stacked on each other with a train restaurant hotel (refer last nights pics).
I had grand intentions to treat myself to Coco curry tonight, but they turned me away! 'Table for 1', with 1 finger raised I asked, there were 10 empty tables... and the table guard says, '90 minute wait' in perfect English. OK then, message received, no sad lonely diners allowed to lower the vibe of your fast food curry restaurant.
I headed to a nearby place on the same top level of the same mega mall, that also served curry, and ramen, and omurice, and allegedly okonomiyaki, but when I tried to order that, I think I was told that the chef who knows how to make that is on holidays. Then I had to scan a QR code to order via a website, the waiter guy helped me do it, and got to witness the app crash twice, and then a full screen pop up ad for shampoo to block the place order button. I found this very hilarious, and a guy at the table next to me also chimed in about this, the poor waiter was very ashamed.
I set off on a long loop around what seems to be the main ring road around the old market in the city centre. This is a morning market, it appears to be very large, I might go investigate tomorrow morning before I take my train to Keelung, but I digress. My journey took me past this very grey sort of a temple.
Here is a street scene near the university. The university was large and modern, a lot of sport was being played. I describe it and yet, no picture.
Bubble tea is serious business, I have no idea how so many stores survive in Melbourne, I especially have no idea how many stores survive in Taiwan. Some of them are very elaborate, this one has medium levels of elaborancy (new word alert).
Crap pic, but this is part one of tonight's title, a lizard. Or actually, a dragon!
Requests were made to show more pics of crumbling old houses. Well here is a demolition site and a view into the rear of some houses.
And this is more your typical Taiwanese style non high rise apartment house. Covered in tiny tiles. They will happily tile a 40 level building also. In an earthquake they rain down into the street. Also that green plastic car port that is actually a scooter port, that is the colour of all plastic in Taiwan.
Someone has a garden full of sheep. I would not have been surprised if they were real sheep, but alas, they are not, stay tuned.
Here is my dinner that is not Coco curry, but a nearby Osaka something branded restaurant that is on the 4th floor restaurant floor and not in the basement food court. It was a pretty decent omurice, which for those who are wondering if this is a chocolate sauce covered pancake, it is fried rice, with an egg on top and curry sauce. Japanese junk food... in Taiwan.
I then went on more of my loop around town, here is a night street scene.
A very common site is the helmet shop. They are everywhere. I think girls collect helmets like they collect handbags. I do not think helmets were actually mandatory the first time I came here, they very much are now.
Now for some scenes of the nearby to my hotel night market that I already showed some photos of. Here is the general vibe of the place, less busy on a Sunday.
This guy has no customers.
Large wok's full of boiling oil.
Stick world!
And finally for the final pic of this evening, the other part of tonight's title, ducks. Out the front of a cosmetics shop. They appear to have a tiktok page. Either that or you scan that tiktok QR code to bid on them / pay to keep them alive.