Chiayi city, home to some 270,000 people, is in the southwest of Taiwan, roughly sandwiched between better-known Tainan in the north, and Kaohsiung in the south. Until CNN reported a train accident in Chiayi in March 2003, few people had even heard of the city, unless they'd travelled to one of the major tourist attractions in the area, Alishan (Mt Ali).

Walking through Chiayi is a bit like walking into the past. Chinese-style houses, one-storey with red doors marking the main entrance, are still common. There aren't many skyscrapers, and more padi fields than passersby.

The locals seem very much into agriculture, autos, health, and religion. There are a lot of pigeon shops and plant nurseries, car showrooms and mechanics, hospitals and pharmacies, as well as temples big and small. Nearby Alishan provides mountain tea that is sold in teashops, as well as the betel nut (pinglang) sold by scantily clad girls in transparent booths. Anything else you need you get, if you're lucky, at Carrefour - or perhaps an itinerant hawker will sell it to you.

The coffee culture that has hit Taipei hasn't really taken root in Chiayi. There is an exquisite teahouse, Gengduyuan, just opposite where we live. Most of the tables have a view of the carp pond, which is ringed with weeping willows and an unusual, local species of bamboo with green streaks on yellow stems. The first time we visited, it was after dinner time (6-8pm). All the patrons were sitting at low tables, Japanese-style, and playing Chinese chess. If it hadn't been for their modern dress, it would have been a scene right out of a Chinese painting.

The Taipei work ethic, where commercial areas open for long hours, usually 7 days a week, doesn't exist in Chiayi. Many shops literally close at lunchtime, and there is a very narrow window for lunch 12-2, or dinner 6-8. There are few restaurants open past 9pm, though of course there is always fast food. The local vet, across from our place, closes on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Even the shabu shabu place we visited this evening (closes 11pm) has a rest day on the last Monday of the month. The jade market, near the train station, opens Fridays only - 9am to 3pm - those who work office hours certainly can't visit, nor weekend tourists.

There is still a lot of land devoted to farming. The Chiayi area is also known for oysters, though these are cultivated nearer the coast. Padi fields, clothed in an unmistakeable brilliant green, are the most common, but I've seen pineapples and gaolicai, a type of cabbage. Occasionally a farmer will ride by on a bicycle, then stop to tend his fields.

I don't know which is the chicken and which the egg. All the locals have their own vehicles, and public transport is rare. There is a single hourly bus that runs to town from 6.30am to 4.15pm, but most people don't know about it. Considering I've found I can walk to town in 30-40 mins, it probably doesn't matter. There aren't any taxis to be found plying the roads, unlike in Taipei. Instead, they congregate around the train station in town, on the premise that anyone who comes by train probably has too much luggage to get onto a scooter, or is a tourist who'd like to travel a bit farther away (fare negotiated, rather than by meter). Still, they are a phonecall away. The flagdown fare is a standard NT$100, higher than the NT$70 in Taipei, whether a taxi has been called or flagged by the road; but considering they are unlikely to get a return fare, it's a reasonable amount.

Chiayi is the terminus for both the Alishan railway and buses up to Alishan. There is a spot marking the tropic of Cancer, as well as recreational farms and coastal areas in Chiayi county. It also happens to be a convenient jump-off point to sightseeing in nearby Tainan, Yunlin and Kaohsiung counties, so stay tuned - we will continue to explore.

Update June 03: We may be living in the red light district.. our area is full of large KTVs, some of which have an added "C" in front, for "club KTV". Apparently, while you can sing your karaoke at any KTV, CKTVs charge much higher prices and I was recently told that amount includes..female companions. This may explain why the CKTV near the nearest 7-11 is called the "climax", its logo a figure of a woman sitting in a martini glass. And here I was, thinking they were trying to be original. There are also two motels opposite my building and one more being built behind, and which our estate agent says are extremely popular. These motels are called "qi che lu guan", or car motels, as they have a parking space for your car below the room. We once stayed at one between Taipei and Hualien, and I admit they had condoms in the room, a jacuzzi tub, complete with disinfectant sachets, and X-rated channels (most hotels would require you to pay to watch the X-rated channels). I've not been watching closely, but I've rarely seen cars crowding around these motels..but then you wouldn't always need a car, would you.

More pictures of Chiayi are at: http://community.webshots.com/user/shimmertje