Sat 12/7-Mon 12/9/02                 Hot Springs, Jade, Breakfast Buffets

 

            Hangover yes.  Had plans to go back to the spa for facials, then Yangmingshan, but got up so late we canceled the spa appointment; Avani had ordered breakfast room service which I finally ate after my head and stomach settled.  I went to explore the hotel and brought my Chinese work to the downstairs café, while she napped.  On our way out we looked at Dior where we found the saddlebag Christina has (knockoff from Hong Kong) was there in small size for well under $200 and we were both surprised.  My Kate Spade cost almost the same.  As she decided which color bag to get I was sneezing and realized I was allergic to the store; that was a sign for me to stop thinking about buying one myself.

 

            We went to the hot springs place in Beitou where BiauJie took mom and me; I’d saved the name card.  Avani got the more expensive large room with city view while I took one of the cheaper on the other side.  Someone’s water was still draining in the room I was waiting for, which was gross.  I looked up and there were cobwebs. 

 

            For dinner we over-ordered and paid more than expected.  My Chinese listening still isn’t so great because I missed the part where the waitress said our miso soup had a fish head in it.  Avani started stirring the soup, hit a chunk of something and brought up the head, and screamed.

 

Taiwan logic of the day:  for my drink I ordered a cup of hot tea.  The waitress said “[Er, you can’t order a cup, you have to order the whole pot,]” indicating the hot plate, pot, bag of tea and cups that people order for their table.  I said I didn’t want a whole pot, just a cup.  She said No, we don’t serve that.  I looked at her incredulously and waved at the teas, said, “[You mean you have ALL this tea here, and you can’t just give…me…a…CUP?]”  Shook her head.  Have you ever tried to laugh and scream at the same time?  It comes out as a funny sound.  I ordered juice.

 

            The cab dropped us back at ShiLin and we went to the famous night market.  We only stayed about 20 minutes because it was way too crowded—we got pushed along with the mass tide of people down one way, unable to even stop and look at things or even want to, then like watching for traffic you had to dash across and into the mass tide going the other way, in order to go back.

 

            I asked if she still wanted to go to Room 18.  To my surprise she hadn’t mentioned it all day and said no.  So Saturday night, we stayed in.

 

Sunday

            We got up early enough for the free breakfast buffet downstairs.  Avani wanted to order room service again which I didn’t understand.  Overpriced cold room service food versus a FREE huge breakfast buffet with the SAME food cooked by the SAME kitchen, plus MORE of it, and for FREE.  But she protested, “Room service is brought right to your room!” 

“This is right downstairs!  You don’t even have to go outside!  And it’s FREE!” 

“But you have to get dressed.”

Somehow I don’t think this word “free” has the same magical-sounding ring to her as it does to me. 

 

            The buffet was incredible.  All kinds of food, American (fruits, rolls, pastries, cereals, eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, potatoes, chef making omelettes and French toast), Japanese (sushi, sashimi, soba noodles), Taiwanese (chef making XiFan with all kinds of things to add) and 4,693 other things I can’t remember.  I tried to get Avani to try XiFan “C’mon this is really authentic traditional Taiwanese stuff” but she wasn’t enthused.  I don’t think I’ve met any non-Taiwanese person who gets as excited about XiFan as we do.  I mean, I understand.  It’s bland white glop, there’s nothing appetizing about it at all, by itself.  I think it just reminds us of mom and childhood.  Jonathan says, “I understand; I’m sure I get more excited about gefilte fish than non-Jewish people.”

 

            We met Jonathan and Arlene for the Sunday flower and jade market under JianGuo Rd.  The jade market was just overwhelming, with hundreds of tables all selling the same-looking things so you had no idea where to go for what, or who had the best price or best quality.  I finally decided on a more unique-looking beaded bracelet for Amy but couldn’t pick out anything else.  Avani was successful bargaining a woman way down for a necklace.  The flower market was more enjoyable, just a stroll down the center aisle and different kinds of plants, flowers, garden decorations on either side.  We came to an area where you could pick out stems for your own arrangement and they would arrange and wrap it for you.  I have no idea about flowers but Avani knows a lot so she and Jon helped me pick them out, and we watched the guys make it into a really beautiful bouquet, to bring to mafia JieFu and BiauJie for dinner tonight.

 

            On our way back Avani stopped in a Rolex store to get a watch for her brother.  She’d been looking for a fake one but none of us knew where they had fake watches here—in fact I haven’t seen any during this trip.  They must have cracked down on watch imposters, yet fake handbags are still everywhere. 

 

            They were taking us to the really fancy Chinese restaurant in the hotel for dinner.  The décor was a traditional mainland China style and of course we dined in a private room.  Avani asked, “Are dinners always in a private room like this?”  I said only if you have the money.  We gave BiauJie the flowers and I gave the kids some presents. 

 

I knew right away this was going to be an elaborate, obscenely expensive and huge feast, and kept warning her not to fill up.  Sure enough, tiny delicate appetizers, dumplings, crab, shark fin soup (she asked, “WHAT is this?” I explained; she drank all the soup, leaving the fin, asking if it was edible.  I refrained from pounding my head on the table and said “That’s the FIN,” but she didn’t like it.  I told her that was like US$30 sitting in her bowl), abalone, king prawns, fish, beef, lamb, and 547 other things I can’t remember, plus mango pudding and tropical fruit for dessert.  As each dish came out she’d yelp, “Too much!  Can’t finish,” but I being past the point of being demure with their family, would go “Oh this is great stuff” and devour it.  Like the massage girls, they found her very amusing.  I was getting good practice being translator all night.  BiauJie said, “[Tell your friend she’s very pretty.]”  I told her.  Then she added, “[Tell her don’t worry, she’s not too dark.]”  I knew this was a Taiwanese compliment but I just repeated to Avani, “Yep, she says you’re very pretty.”

 

Toward the end of the dinner it came out, as it inevitably would, that I switched the room to my credit card at the front desk.  Avani had swiped her card with them too, separately for her room service charges.  JieFu and BiauJie immediately got stern and said that’s not right, and marched us downstairs where he reprimanded the desk for not notifying him, and switched the cards back, as I desperately kept up my futile protests, but he swatted them away like I was a bug. 

 

            Back in the room Avani packed, mourning the amount of money she spent and how much stuff she bought.  I’d brought my large suitcase “in case” she needed it, she’d been reluctant saying she didn’t think she could lug around two large suitcases to California, but now she packed both full to the max.

 

Monday

           Got up early to walk Avani down to the airbus stop outside the hotel.  I couldn’t believe what with rushing around, showering, her mother calling etc., she still ordered room service.   At the stop, we asked the bellhop if he thought the bus would get her there in time and when he heard her flight time, he hesitated and said, “[Should be OK].”  Great.  The cab drivers nearby harassed us and said there was no way the airbus would be fast enough, take a cab.  Finally when I told them, “[Forget it, she doesn’t have enough money]”, they abruptly stopped.  Fortunately, we met English-speaking people on her same flight waiting there too, so I left her with them.  Up with enough time to enjoy the awesome breakfast buffet again.

 

            I used the time between class and work to come back and check out.  Took a cab back to my apartment, fell asleep and woke to realize that my driver was getting a ticket from a cop.  There’s a first.  As we were stopped the meter kept ticking—hey, that’s not fair.  Back at home I didn’t care about the ceiling hole (no more leaking); I was just glad to be back, and alone, and knowing I could come home and eat in front of the TV with my homework and get lots of SLEEP like before.  Man I underestimated hosting.