November 21st

I have a few packages to post - Christmas stuff heading to the UK - so I opt to ride into town and have a bite to eat in Subway en route.

As I need some snaps to use in an essay class here, my camera is around my neck for some shots that a few teenage students of mine can write about - probably scenes for them to compare. They have their college entrance test in January and the English essay section usually has this type of question. The samples I've seen use pretty boring black and white photos, so the bar is set pretty low.

A man on a scooter with a trolley in tow is on a side street and I pause as he trundles slowly towards me. As luck would have it he stops just across the street, so there's time to take a few shots. Now I just need something to compare him to.

Man collecting recycling stuff by scooter with a trolley

There's some washing hanging to dry outside one home and on the next block a long brick wall looks good with the sun casting a stark shadow over its deep joints. The washing photo might come in handy for the students.

It is just another few minutes to get to Subway and it's before noon, so the university crowd hasn't arrived yet. Another 10 minutes or so and it could be crowded. I hate lining up.

Lunch is a couple of wraps and as I sit eating, it occurs to me to take a shot as perhaps I could get the students to compare this place with a more traditional diner - a place selling noodles or whatever. Taking a photo of one of those won't be a big problem as they're everywhere.

It's nice to get to the post office as the canvas bag aroud my neck is getting heavy. There is no queue, so this is good news and the young woman knows what she's doing. One box is just 50 grams over 2kg, which means it can't go as a 'package' and I wonder about taking something out, but she does some calculations and it seems the cost saving would be negligible, so it gets send it on it's way together with a bunch of cards.

Louisa Coffee is literally just around the corner and I get a large coffee and a Boston cream cake, which doesn't taste as yummy as it looks. The cream is like plastic foam. My seat is outside with my bike in view and I get through a few pages of a novel before I decide to ride home.

It's very windy today and at some points on the journey the gusts are serious, with tall buildings funelling the wind this way and that. My eyes keep a lookout for one of those traditional places to eat but the problem is the sun is strong and some are hidden in shade. A window I recently saw is in bright sunshine, so I snap that but it's doubtful this is something the students can easily describe. I like it.

Further up route 114, over the ring road, I spot some washing hanging to dry beside the road. The backdrop is different: it's just a metal sheet. The students only have to write a total of 120 words and half of that will be something they create - related to two photos - so I just need to think up a question for them to answer.

Carrefour is close to home and it's worth a call to see if there's any beer on sale. England play their first World Cup game tonight and I may see it with Ralph in the pub - it kicks off at 9:00pm here - but it's always good to have a few cans in the fridge and Guinness is now NT$62 a can - about US$2. I buy two.

A couple of traditional eating places are across the 114 and in sunshine - bingo! The students should be able to write a few sentences about one of them and compare it to Subway. Maybe I'll ask them to write about their prefered type of diner.

Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 1,998 km (1,241 miles)

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