It’s not a long one, but it’s funny. I wish I had a photo or video. I was walking around the shopping district not far from my house. This area, XiMenDing, is a lively place at night, reminds me of Tokyo. Legit stores to shop at, the roads are wide and cars aren’t allowed on the streets. Lots of people, I saw a foreigner performing some circus act, juggling flaming somethings and swinging chains of fire. I know that guy didn’t have a license. Of course there are the street vendors with their carts and delicious foods, they make the place even greater.

So, what I’m getting to is, I just got some ice from a lady with a push cart selling fruit, (I needed the ice because I bumped my head really, really hard on the corner of some darn metal box which I didn’t see because it was dark. I am lucky I didn’t get hurt badly, seriously. It reminded me of when I was about 8 years old and went to the grocery store with my mom and little sister, and I was running across the street towards the Be-Lo [cheapo grocery store we always got fried chicken from] and I was gonna jump over the garden area on the sidewalk. I jumped and in mid air, bam! the railing hit my forehead. I was running fast and went straight to the ground. I’m lucky I wasn’t seriously hurt then either. I’m way off track now.) So, the ice helped. As I was walking away, the lady starting screaming (and laughing at the same time I think) and running away with her cart. And so did the rest of the vendors. It was so funny. The cops came on their scooters. The vendors hid under the shelter of the sidewalk. The cops actually stayed a while, they didn’t write tickets, just told the people to get outta there. One lady was talking on the cell phone while the cop was talking to her and there were two ladies that were playing hide and seek and they weren’t seen and got away without a word said to them. Ah man, where was my camera.

All street vendors are illegal but in some places, like in some night markets, they permanent fixtures. I guess here they want to keep it nice and up standing but without the street vendors it’s not as fun. I’m sitting in Starbucks, I just looked out the window and saw a vendor, they’re back. I’ll have to write another day about how I like Starbucks’s frappuccinos now and when you are in another country, you begin to do things you didn’t do much before. And another entry about the laws of Taiwan and who follows them.

Bump go away. I had a good weekend, did you? It’s 11:00, Starbucks is closing, time to go home. I didn’t do my work, like I planned on doing. What to do, maybe do it at home. Goodnight..