Kaohsiung is a big city, and, as I've mentioned before, at this point in my stay here I very much have my routines. Routine routes, routine restaurants, routine stops along the way, so it is that when I'm, for instance, going somewhere with Fonda, I'll look around and realize I am surrounded by unfamiliar streets, restaurants, shops, and parks which look absolutely amazing.
And when better to discover these than now, while I'm on break?
So, today: Thing 1
...is actually Thing 1 and Thing 2. First of all, I finally learned the above-ground route to Karina's apartment, and actually rode my scooter there, rather than depending on the time-sensitive MRT. (Thus I just got back from there, and learned that my building closes the door to the garage before midnight. Luckily they have motion sensors to open it, though.) And the journey was gratifying: I spent about an hour wrangling with Google maps trying to get a more direct route, watching them add minute by minute to the expected journey length as I did so, before finally saying "screw it" and taking my own route. Which, as it turned out, was a full 20 minutes faster than they said it would be.
That's right, I officially know enough of the city to outsmart Google. Woohoo!
Thing 2 falls into the "new restaurant" category, though it was a bit of a cheat. Karina and I went to a Mexican restaurant near her apartment which neither of us had tried before, but which Karina's roommate, Esther, constantly raves about. I've been craving Mexican food for about a month now, so it was a good fit, though obviously not nearly of the caliber of most places at home (smidge soggy, missing some of the normal spices). But it was pretty well priced, had all the fixin's, as well as can be provided here (Spanish rice, refried beans, cheese-and-sauce topped enchilada, "chips" and "salsa"), and bottomless free soft drinks.
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| Mmmm, Taiwanese Mexican...also, those chunks on the right are the "salsa" |
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