puppies and bunnies and...

orchids.  At the Hsinchu flower market.  I almost gave in, but now is not the time to adopt an animal.

So instead, I bought myself this beautiful plant...

I always wanted an orchid but my mom said they don't live long.  We'll see how long it survives.  Lately I've been missing having plants around.

The flower market was a cool place.  I hadn't been to the Hsinchu market before.  Lots of food and clothing vendors.  A bad place to go for someone like myself, who is always tempted to buy things.

I went to the market with the two new teachers (who are super nice) and we also went to the Hsinchu zoo.  Not too fond of this zoo.  The habitats are crappy and I felt really sorry for the monkeys who were going nuts.  One monkey kept flinging himself at the bars/walls of his cage in agitation.  My favorite animals were the ultra cute sunbears though I also felt sorry for them in their poor living conditions.

People here are obsessed with feeding the fish which inhabit the man-made lakes that dot the city.  These fish are enormous beastly things and one can buy containers of fish food for them pretty much anywhere.  At a lake near the zoo we tossed pellets in and watched as some prehistoric looking creatures surfaced and chased all the smaller fish away.  I'm thinking the fish food is full of hormones.  Will have to take pictures next time!