TAIPEI AIR STATION |
John Hurst Remembers….
I remember….. I remember the sidewalk restaurants that popped up at night; my favorite dish was beef and green peppers (and no Hepatitis B) I remember the taxi ride was 40NT to the 63 Club I remember the first three words I learned in a taxi (cho-bien, yo-bien, and ting) I remember the Falcon Club Happy Hour; 10 cent mixed drinks till 7 PM I remember the penny slot machines – and wasting hours just to win 50 cents I remember the TAS Chow Hall – some of the best food and Hennessey Trophy Winner in 1972? I remember ordering toast at the NCO club - and always getting peanut butter too I remember the drink tickets with every Happy Hr drink at the new NCO Club; and the drawing for bottles of booze every night I remember the Commander provided a keg of beer after Commander’s Call I remember buying a round-trip airline ticket to bring my American spouse over without ‘sponsorship’, and the return ticket was held by the 1st Sgt – with the threat of returning your spouse if you screwed up I remember the best Mongolian BBQ place in Tienmou – it was all you could eat on Tuesday’s for $2; my personal best was 3 bowls I remember early night vs. late night barhopping – late night was always better I remember the ‘steam-bath’ massage parlors – enough said I remember the motorcycle lanes on Chong San Pei Luo – and the crazy scene when 50+ motorcycles took off at once I remember the crazy things I saw transported on a 3 wheel pedal-cart – I saw an old man transporting a 25 foot long light poll I remember the drive from TAS to Taoyuan – and the winding country road and Isuzu trucks hauling everything I remember burglar bars on all apartment windows and balconies I remember my first stereo system – receiver, turntable, and speakers I remember buying a new Datsun (station wagon) for $2050, and selling it 18 months later for the same price I remember downtown Linkou Club – great place to get pre-loaded before barhopping I remember my 1st camera – a Ashai Pentax I remember McCauley Beach – lots of fun at the beach and a great snack bar I remember golfing for the 1st time – and everyone had to hire a caddy (all were ladies) I remember the Bruce Lee mania – and all the Kung Fu movies I remember the hotdog stand in on the front covered walkway of the NEX I remember the frozen meat at the commissary – and the re-constituted milk I remember my APO 96263 (but not my PO Box !!!) I remember my 1st typhoon – taping windows and pulling in butt cans I remember membership night at the clubs – usually prime rib or steak I remember some very classy floor shows – Philippine singers and bands I remember the TAS pool – had a toddler pool for the kids I remember the barracks houseboy – took care of the bed, shoes and laundry – cheap I remember eating 1973 Thanksgiving dinner for Shu Linkou dining hall for BAS rate – what a bargain I remember 1973 New years Eve party at the Falcon Club – $5 per person which included steak dinner, midnight Champaign and breakfast, and overhead dance floor balloons filled with tickets for free bottles of booze (we took home 8+ bottles) I remember that at least one friend or another had a party going just about every weekend I remember my boss lived in the BOT housing – nice big house and no burglar bars I remember the American Express bank I remember free Chinese language classes taught on base on duty time I remember golden flow – and ‘witnesses’ watching the event I remember HoJo pot stickers – 10 for $1 I remember sidewalk vendors selling sweet sausage links (only good if you were drunk) I remember benjo ditches – large and small I remember the sulfur pits and ‘ta tofu’ (very stinky) I remember the fantastic value of teak-wood furniture I remember custom embroidered jackets with nickname on the front and dragon on the back I remember prawns with garlic – the biggest shrimp I ever saw! I remember the chop man – couldn’t wait to buy my Sony TV I remember carrying 5 gallon water jugs up three flights of stairs I remember my neighbors’ wife was Vietnamese and we all knew when she made ‘nuk-mum’ I remember Datsun 240Z rally races at Shu Linkou I remember Hibachi’s on the balcony – cooking BBQ pork tenderloin with local charcoal I remember point-of-use hot water heaters and getting burned in the shower…
|