Just so you're not kept wondering about my banking dilemma, I'll start with an update. Daisy, the wonder woman, called the bank for me and Jeffery, the teller who speaks English, waited for me at the bank until I arrived around 4:00. Jeffery comes to the school the day after payday every month and helps all the expat faculty transfer their money back home. He was also the one who helped us all set up our accounts when we first arrived. There's no shopping around for the right bank to fit your needs. The school chose the bank and there we are. Not that I'm complaining. I can't even use my ATM card correctly so just imagine how I'd do if I had to navigate the banking sector on my own!

But not to worry, Jefferey got me all straightened out. Now I have my ATM card working, cash in my pocket and my online banking up and running. And since we had cash it was time to shop.

Our friend Nancy took us on a tour of the late afternoon market near her apartment, about ten minutes from us by bike. Like all the open-air markets we've been to it was crazy busy.

The stalls lined both sides of the street and while the street is closed to cars it's filled with scooters, people and random mini-stalls selling garlic or clams or flowers. Here is a small sample of some of the things one can buy at a market in Kaohsiung:

 Whole roasted chicken, heads included.

An incredible variety of fish, including stingray.

Odd little pink bread-like things. I'll have to try one some day and let you know what they taste like. But not today, sorry.

More fruit and vegetables than I have ever seen in one place.

We were actually just looking to buy produce since we'd just been to Costco a couple days ago to stock up. Here's what we came home with:

The inventory, from left to right: sugar snap peas, pears, cucumbers, carrots, onions, dinner rolls (in a plastic bag), plums, mushrooms (bagged), sweet corn, Taiwan limes, baby corn (bagged), and ginger.

Not bad for less than NT$500 (less than US$20) and we had dinner too - dumplings, iced tea, maki and assorted sausages. Every transaction includes a plastic bag.  I think if Taiwan decided to go the way of California and ban plastic grocery bags all commerce would come to a grinding halt.