Wednesday 15 December 2010

taipei, taiwan


taiwan was amazing, it made me realise how rude people in customer service are here in hong kong. (except for today at marks and spencer. they said merry christmas and smiled and i thought i had just mistakenly paid them 1000 instead of 100). unfortunately, i didn't take my camera on my trip (oh speaking of trips i slipped and fell down a flight of stairs in central today, it was pretty embarrassing so after i was helped up i went and stood facing a wall for about ten minutes until my body stopped aching), but taiwan! the fun times shall burn in my occipital lobe forever! everyone was so kind, strangers were lovely, it made me want to be a better person haha. i could feel my cheeks swell up wanting to smile at everyone i saw and everywhere i passed.

but a trip in asia isn't a trip in asia without some tiny scam! we call him 'squid guy'. he sells grilled squids and told me it was 120 each after he had made them. i laughed and asked, 'uncle, are you scamming us? everyone else sells them for a fraction of that!'

squid guy: no! my squids are better than everyone else's, they are not frozen.
me: but behind you is a huge cube of squids defrosting in that face washing pan!
squid guy: that's um... for something else. my squids are fresh.
me: i can get 6 for that price though.
squid guy: i've already made them for you, be a samaritan, 220 for the two.

he actually said be a samaritan.

see what happens when you travel in asia with someone with blonde hair and green eyes? *eyes sofia sitting next to me right now*

4 comments

  1. That squid guy is too much! I can't believe it, hahaha! About bad customer service, I was ordering something at mall restaurant, and that asian lady was so rude with the previous guest who came back (because he realized that it wasn't what he ordered) and she was going to charge him two shrimps that he already ate! I jumped in into the conversation and was so mad that I left without ordering anything, lol!

    Anyway, glad you had fun in Taiwan!
    Linh

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  2. Aw, it's so sad that your friends would say you are bad luck. I sometimes feel like I attract random crazy people in public too.

    I just read about a tea scam in China yesterday. There are too many scams to keep track of - it makes me nervous about going to Asia!

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  3. I super duper love reading your stories on this blog. Haha. They're always very entertaining. :)

    - kyki xx

    BLESSEDWITHGOODJEANS.BLOGSPOT.COM

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  4. mina, haha the tea scam, i've known a few people who succumbed to that one! well i guess in asia it's still common sense, and it's far too exciting to be nervous of :)

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