Milano coffee shop near the fabric market.

We headed out last week to get some fabric for our classrooms.  Laura’s been there with her friends several times in the past, but it was my first visit so she was my guide.  She said it was like me dragging her around the part of town where all my camera shops and computer stores are.  I’m not sure why I didn’t take any photos of the fabric market, but trust me when I say they had every type of fabric imaginable.  I was looking for a very specific design for my classroom and pretty much decided ahead of time that I wouldn’t find it and was about to settle for my second choice when we come to a stall with the exact pattern I was looking for.

Afterward, Laura brought me to Milano Coffee just down the street.  It was a very intimate cafe with great coffee.  We sat inside for a bit while the rain blew over before heading home.

Getting ready to head home.

This photo is a very typical scene of nearly any street in Taipei.  In a country of 23 million there are about 13 million scooters.  Take away anyone under the age of 18 and the elderly that are unable to drive scooters anymore and that equals about a 1:1 ratio of scooters and people, it’s the highest ratio in the world.  I have no idea how many taxis there are, but you’d be hard pressed to take a photo of the street without getting a yellow taxi in the picture.  Then there’s the double parking.  Parking can be very, very difficult so double parking is accepted up to a certain point.  The common practice is to leave a card on your dashboard that has your phone number so that if someone needs to move and your car is blocking, the other party can get in touch with you.