"It had rained for more than half a year straight. Our guns rusted. Iron just rotted away. Wounds wouldn't heal. Marching in the rain was horrible. Drops fell from my cap into my mouth mixing with my sweat. You slipped and fell, got up, went sprawling, stood up, like an army of marching mud dolls. It went on without end, just trudging through the muddy water, following the legs of somebody in front of you." -- Ogawa Masatsugu. Human Beings in Extremis: The Island of Death, New Guinea.
Rain sucks in two ways. First, it's wet. And second, conversations around here have been reduced to using the word rain in conjunction with various expletives.
The rain has caused more than just misery, however, as it has washed out roads all over the island. Local elections were canceled in some areas today, because many localities were cut off and could not receive their voter registrations. Prices are also rising around the island:
The rain also put the central part of the island on landslide alert, as Taiwan's steep mountains and poor soils make for frequent landslides. The Central Weather Bureau, always a font of happy news, reports that the rain will continue through at least Monday.
Recent torrential rain has caused over NT$200 million (US$6.06 million) worth of agricultural damage, Council of Agriculture (COA) officials said yesterday.About 16 percent of the country's arable land has been adversely affected, resulting in damage worth NT$237.52 million.
Watermelon and muskmelon farmers in Miaoli will receive compensation for their losses, the council said.
In southern Taiwan, the price of vegetables has reportedly been soaring due to crop damage. The price of eggplants rose from NT$30 to NT$80 per kilo and the price of balsam pears went up to NT$80 per kilo.
[Taiwan]
3 comments:
Another point i would mension about the rain: Its constant thumping noise.
I spent the last summer in India, and after 100 hours of consecutive heavy rain (with windows opened as we didnt have AC), i got to start to be nervously pissed by the ploc ploc ploc sound it would do on pretty much everything (even worst if there is a lot of large leaves vegetation nearby you).
So here in Taiwan i get to enclose myself in a closed environment of music, and light.
Gotta love your comfort :D
I'm supposed to be movin' to Taiwan at the end of July. Will the rain have stopped by then?
But TODAY the sun is shining! Enjoy! :-)
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