We were all set last evening to watch the Patriots game. We had snacks, a couple beers, the computer was all hooked up to the TV. Alas, it turns out they didn't play on Sunday afternoon. They had the Monday Night Football slot. You'd think that on Monday night we could watch Monday Night Football but, of course, it was still Monday morning over there.

The Patriots games are our little splurge. We haven't bothered getting cable  - I haven't got the time to get sucked into Korean drama, I get the news on the computer and the bulk of the English shows are kids' programming. Instead we plunked down $130 to watch sixteen NFL games. It's nice to have a little reminder of home and our lovely Sunday afternoons with the extended Sheldon family. We don't have nachos but we do have mixed nuts with dried fish. It's an acquired taste, one that Lee has not yet acquired.

So without football and it being only 6:30 we decided to go for a walk. Our destination was the ATM to get account balances and some cash. It would have been better if I had actually remembered to bring my ATM card but it was a nice walk anyway.

There's a pretty major thoroughfare a block away from us that goes down to the Kaohsiung Arena and Hanshin Mall. The mall is nine stories tall (the top floor is where the PTA banquet was last Friday night) and full of shops like Gucci and Dior. The basement floors have some shops that I might shop in but in general it's pretty high-end.

Walking on Bo-Ai, the main road, is louder than most streets we travel on what with all the traffic but the sidewalks are wider and there are less scooters actually driving on the sidewalks. I am continually amazed at the driving habits of the Taiwanese. Lee said that Bangkok was a lot worse but it's hard to imagine. Every day commuting on the bikes I have at least one near miss with a car, taxi or scooter. Walking is generally safer since you're traveling at a slower speed but you still better pay attention and always expect a scooter to come zipping by. An evening stroll is not like our old walk around the block in quiet little Weatogue!