I went with my friend Sean to the Core Pacific City the other day. If you have ever played Sim City, it's one of the landmarks you can build. In the game it's known by it's more common name, "The Living Mall". The building itself is amazing. Inside and out it is totally something to see. As malls go, however, it's pretty weak. It has nothing on the Mall of America. In fact, I would rather go to Southdale. As Asian malls go though, it was pretty cool. They actually had Lacoste shoes in size 12. Finding shoes in Asia is a chore on the best days, impossible on most. For someone with a size 13 foot, usually I have to have my mom buy a pair for me, and then ship them over here. Lame.
The coolest thing about the day wasn't the mall though. It was the ride there. Taxis in Taiwan, and Korea for that matter, are amazingly cheap. About a $10-$1 compared to US taxis. A 7 mile ride will cost around $3-$4. But the taxis are usually old beaters. Sometimes the guy will have a brand new car, but on the whole, they suck. The taxi we got, however, was an immaculate Buick Regal. Unlike Korea, you see lot's of American cars here. Usually they're Fords, but Buicks and Chryslers are popular also. It is a refreshing break from the boring cars in Seoul.
Riding in this Buick really made me think of home. My dad has the same car, and after I graduated and was staying at home for a few months, that was the car I drove everywhere. Cruising the gravvies with my friends, heading to the mall, wherever. It got me thinking about home and old friends. Living so far from The US has advantages, but sometimes you really get homesick.
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