Final Facebook post from Southeast Asia, at least for now: My flight back to JFK has been delayed for some reason, so Im using the free computer internet at the Taipei International Airport in Taiwan. Today I spent the morning and afternoon touring Taipei with my new friend from Hong Kong who speaks Mandarin fluently and pretty good English. We stopped in at two courthouses, one civil, the other criminal. The judicial system here is also a civil law system, like Bali and all of Europe: three judges who decide all questions of law and fact, without a jury, and a civil or criminal prosecuting attorney and a defense lawyer. Finally, in a criminal case I saw a defense lawyer arguing forcefully for his clients innocence. Until now, I feared that the lawyers in Bali and Taipei were mostly likethe potted plants which Attorney Brendan Sullivan told the Senate Judiciary Committeee he was not, when he defended Oliver North during the Iran-Contra investigation, during the Reagan era. This lawyer today in Taipei criminal court was about 55, pepper-gray hair, and a very dramatic courtroom actor. The three judges, two men and a woman, were extremely attentive, though the chief judge, a man of about 60, kept his head in a slightly downward position, as if he couldnt concentrate on the literal meaning of the defense lawyers strong words without being swayed by the strong emotion of his presentation. We then took a taxi to the oldest Bhuddist temple in Taiwan, built in the late 1700s. I took a lot of photos both of the fancy and impressive building and colorful woodwork and statutes, the beautiful Taiwanese worshippers, and the smoky holy monuments in which people place burning incense sticks and bow to the gods to grant them good health, luck, and the like. My Hong Kong friend, whose Anglicized name is, of all things, Pierre, explained all of this to me. We then walked to the oldest part of Taipei. A large section of old buildings, stores at street level, apartments up top, have been preserved as an outdoor museum. Then we walked to a famous bakery to buy some bread with sweet outer covering, which Pierre said people queue up (his words) to buy each morning. This made me wonder if the sellers at the bakery are like the Soup Nazi on the old Seinfeld re-runs, although they were very nice to me when I bought the bread and a custard pie treat. Finally, we took a taxi to an amazing Taiwanese buffet restaurant in a non-descript building in another old part of town. For $15 dollars US in Tawian dollars I paid for bother our dinners. We sat at a table which, like all of them, had two burners built into the table, one able to heat a pot of broth in which items like pork, beef, and shrimp are boiled with vegetables. The other had a metal grate over a gas burner so meats and fish could be grilled. Beer on tap, all sodas, all smoothies, and other drinks were included in the prix fixe. Finally, all desserts and unlimited Hagan Daas ice cream, with warm dark chocolate from a chocolate fountain, was included. I had twelve small scoops of ice cream which would probably cost about $4 per small dish at Coldstones in Middletown, Connectiuct, so that $16 U.S. dollar value (I pigged out on four dishes of it) more than paid for the dinner itself. I told Pierre I could live in Taipei and eat three times a week at that place without eaver touching another piece of food, and still re-gain a lot of weight that Ive lost on the Balinese food. Then Pierre and I went by taxi to the Taipei bus station where I bought a ticket for transport to the airport. That trip takes 40 minutes and is cheaper than a taxi. Pierre and I agreed that I will fly first to Hong Kong in late January, just after my birthday on January 22nd, to hang out at his place for the Chinese New Year and take the ferry over to Macaw for a few days. Then Ill fly back to Bali for three months, February, March, and April, 2014, to further evaluate whether I will re-locate there for the indefinite future. I already miss Bali and my friends and acquaintances there. But I also look forward to seeing a lot of you back in Middletown again. Finally, as for the possibility of my moving to Bali to live as an expatriate my good, wise and trustworthy friend Steve Crabtree wrote yesterday on a comment here that I should return to Middletown and then all will become clear about what decison I should make on that question. I plan to take his advice. I will say this: traveling in Southeast Asia is quite easy and of course enjoyable. This is especially true for a man such as me who is naturally gregarious, loves people, is open to all cultures, and enjoys learning a new language.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 11:41:56 +0000
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