Taiwan Surf Report

Yes, I went surfing last weekend. Rented a long board and totally destroyed some knee-high sets. Thrilling.

It was more of a cultural experience, I suppose. Unlike America, where it seems that one either is a surfer, or isn't, here there are a lot of folks who rent boards and goof around just because it's something to do at the beach. And when I say alot, I mean that in the Chinese sense of the word. A middle-school English teacher once told me that there are 3 basic plots in all of literature: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature and... what was the third? In any case, surfing in America is a man vs. nature sort of thing, while here it is man vs. man.

Not that anyone is violent, or even heavily competitive. It is just the sheer density of humanity afloat in the water that makes riding a wave feel like you're trying to wriggle your way to the source of an underground stream.

I was taken to the beach by a nice fellow named Jason, who I met under highly coincidental circumstances. He and his brother run a surf-theme restaurant in Taipei which I stumbled upon after getting off a bus at the wrong stop. These friendly guys were eager to help out a fellow surfer from across the globe, and tossed plenty of bar snacks and beers at me as we planned a trip to the coast.

While the waves were not impressive, the brothers assured me that there would be better to come, at least waist high. They also assured me that the crowds of rental-board newbies thins out considerably as wave height increases. If I don't see any bigger surf up here near Taipei, I will take a few days at the end of my trip to head south, where the waves are more consistent this time of year. Just like California, Taiwan gets its summer swells from the south.

This weekend I don't think I will try to surf again, as I caught a little cold and want to fully recover. However I do plan to catch a performance of Kunqu opera, which is like Beijing Opera buy older and less shrill. One of the main singers is actually a teacher at my school! I am very much looking forward to it though I fear I will not understand much of the archaic language. Let's hope that at least basic plot comes together for me.