On Thursday, July 3, Eddie (the teacher from Scotland) drove us down to Kaohsiung so that we could grab some dinner and go watch the movie Hancock. While I was waiting by the main gate for Eddie to pick us up, I snapped some pictures of one of the trees I particularly like. I just wish I knew what it was.

Instead of a ticket, you get a token when you ride the MRT (mass rapid transit) system in Kaohsiung.

Be sure to mind the gap!

The movie was quite entertaining, and though the theater was kind of hot, I didn’t mind so much, because I got to bring an iced Americano from Starbucks into the show! I wish I could do that in Frankfort!

The next night Kristen and I decided to go to the night market in Gangshan. However, we had about a forty minute wait for our train, so I suggested a visit to the goats. I hadn’t seen them since my first week in town. They were still as amusing (and hungry) as they were then.

After we fed the goats for a good twenty minutes, Kristen ran off to get something to eat at 7-eleven, so I took some pictures in the train station.

This is what the signs for the trains look like at most of the regular (non-MRT) train stations. Sometimes, if I am very, very lucky, the Chinese will morph into English, and I’ll be able to read the signs. I do know a few of the stations I use on a regular basis, so I’m not totally lost, but still, I do like when the English version pops up.

Sunset was quickly approaching, which was kind of disappointing, because I wanted to get some pictures of the night market in the daylight. I still have a hard time getting used to how early it gets dark here.

We finally arrived at the night market around 6:45 pm. Gangshan (I’ve spelled it Kangshan on here before, so it is the same city, but the street and train signs are all spelled with the G) is only two stops south of us, on the way to Kaohsiung.

We were both hungry, so we stopped and got a couple of grilled things on a stick from this guy. I have no idea what kind of meat I had (might have been cow, might have been pig, might have been something else entirely), but it was good, as were the grilled mushrooms (at least those I recognized) I purchased.

These were so cute – they looked like candy, but they were actually washcloths done up like candy. Pretty clever. They were well priced here. I’ve seen then in novelty stores at a much higher markup.

Now, I’ve seen these snails advertised as “Alcoholic Snails,” but I’m not sure what kinds of alcohol they are soaked in. A google search posits the possibility of wine, but I’m not 100% positive. I’m also not quite sure how they would be eaten, seeing as they are so tiny. I might need to investigate at some point. Either that or direct them to the nearest AA meeting.

The bakeries at the night markets have quite the selection. I always think that I’m going to grab something from them, but then something else grabs my attention and I wind up being too full for baked goods. Terrible shame. One day.

There was one stand dedicated to selling only tomatoes.

There were a lot of vendors selling shoes at this market. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any that I had to have.

In addition to shoes, there were a plethora of hair accessories being sold.

There were also fish and turtles (!!!) being sold. The turtles were about the diameter of a soda can, and were soooooooooo cute. They were only 70 NT$ / about $2.33 US, but I had no idea what I’d do with it when I left, so I refrained.

I was at this night market on July 4th, and I actually saw fireworks that night. They only lasted about one round, but it was kinda cool.

Up next: A little bit about English Camp….

We arrived at the night market fairly early (they usually get started around 6 pm, from what I understand) so we wandered around looking at what people were selling.

Just about all the staples of a typical flea market were present at the market – from jewelry to clothing, from dvds and cds to knick-knacks, it was all there. I kept having flashbacks to my childhood. (For those that don’t know, my father had a booth at a flea market for years and many weekends found me there “working” beside him selling either hair products or wallpaper.

They also had sandals… with flowers… in orange… and in my size! At 190 NT$/$6.33 US, how could I resist?

For the kids, there were diy opportunities…

arcade games (often try your luck, carnival style games)…

and other ways to pass the time. (Yet another flashback to my childhood occurred here, since my nana would often play mahjong with her friends. This booth also had pachinko machines. My parents owned one when I was a kid. Crazy how familiar something so far away can be!) I think this mahjong game is probably played more like bingo, but I could be very wrong.

The man running the mahjong/pachinko booth insisted I take his picture.

There was an amazing amount of dried and fresh fruit at the market as well…

including food combinations I’d never considered. Here prunes are nestled in small tomatoes. The food was the reason I wanted to go to the night market in the first place. After reading about (and watching tv shows featuring) stinky tofu, oyster omelettes, and the like, I was dying to give it all a try.

Food was either already cooked…

waiting to be cooked…

or still alive and waiting to be caught by market goers and cooked by the people at the booth.

Food always tastes better when it’s put on a stick and grilled. I didn’t have any this time, but it all looked delicious.

I was saving my appetite for this – stinky tofu, finally. My nose is rather bizarre. Certain scents (detergents, anything floral) drive me crazy and I’m super sensitive to them. Apparently my nose does not register stink as well. Every time we’d walk by this booth, Kristen, Dwayne, and even Lemon’s noses would wrinkle at the smell. I never even noticed it.

The stinky tofu is served with cabbage on the side. I received a little more than twice what is left here – not bad for 30 NT$/$1 US. I kind of forgot to take a picture when I got my meal, so I took one midway through. It was delicious.

I love that you can either eat on the go, or you can sit down at the tables set up by just about every food vendor. I also had an oyster omelette (good, but the oysters were stronger than I’m used to), a couple of Lemon’s fried mushrooms (yummy), and I took home a red bean bun from one of the three or four bakeries represented at the market (with a 5 NT$ discount, no less)! I had a great time and I’m really looking forward to going to another night market soon.

Next up: I finally get lost in translation and find some amazing street art in Tainan….