Jerry and Jasper's Big Day Out

It's still raining, but I don't mind cause I don't have to ride any mopeds this morning. Jerry even backs the van right up to the door of where we are sleeping so we can go in and out without getting wet. I hoped we were going to work again today, because I didn't really have anything else to entertain myself with, but we did not. No one usually sets an alarm. They just get up, but today no one set an alarm, and no one got up. After a while I got hungry, and so I got out of bed, right as one of the other guys (Ji Xie) got up also. I asked him about breakfast, and he pointed towards our 'emergency' noodle bowls. We both grabbed one (Jerry was still asleep), and went and filled them with hot water. Jerry woke up as we were finishing breakfast. He explained to me that because he had hurt his toe last week, he didn't want to work in the rain again because he would probably loose circulation to his extremities, and that would not be good for his hurt toe. He ate breakfast, Ji Xie went off on his own, and we took off in the van.

We were going to his office, because he had to do some calculations to figure out where to put the steel beams for another part of the wall. Rivers we passed were very high, but I think Taiwan already has a very good water management system. On the hike the other day, and around the camp, I had seen multiple dry creek beds. While we were hiking I asked if they normally had water in them, because I wondered if Taiwan was having a drought. The dad told me they weren't and now I think they serve as emergency water control. At one point on the way to his office, we encountered some people driving on our side of the road. We had two lanes, so Jerry got out of their way without trouble. We soon saw the reason. Their side of the road was flooded with water for about 50'. A couple cars were driving through it, but they were having a pretty hard time.

We finally got to his office, and I looked at climbing books and catalogs, while he did what he needed to do. He shares his office with Adventure Taiwan and Taiwan Outward bound. One of the courses Outward Bound Taiwan offers is stream walking. They get suited up in wetsuits and life jackets, and special sticky shoes, and walk up streams. I think the deepest they walk up might be about waist deep. I think it sounds pretty cool. After he got his work done, we headed back into Taipei. He offered to take me to Dragon Cave, the local climbing area, but it's on the coast so I decided against that. What with the Typhoon and all. I suggested we might go to one of the gyms in Taipei, and Jerry new the owner of one. Apparently his name is Duck. Anyway Jerry called him, but the gym was closed, so we just went h0me.

It was good to be back at Jerry's home. His mom fed us lunch and dinner. It's kind of funny, she never asks if I'm hungry. She just puts food on the table and tells me to come and eat. Also, shes taken to telling me to take my time eating. She just says 'slow slow eat' , and at first I thought she was telling me I was a slow eater, but she says it once or twice every meal and that would seem a little excessive for that sort of name calling.

The whole family plays the Wii. Jerry and I watched a climbing video in the afternoon, and the dad napped, but he woke to play some tennis before dinner. He's good too. He had me play one round, and I lost every round. Every single one. After dinner Jerry took me to my apartment, and I slept in my new home for the first time.