Come On Pilgrim

He Nan Road at Da Duan 11ish. Friday afternoon about 3:00.

I saw these guys when I got to work on Friday. I went out to take pictures and chatted with the computer teacher, who didn't see the photographic appeal. I told him that I'm interested in how, when and where traditional culture meets modern society. It's part of what I love and hate about living in a country - indeed, a city - which offers the best of 1st and 3rd world conditions.

So what's the rub? These guys just want to parade their godhead masks around the neighborhood, banging drums and cymbols, while demanding donations. If a business owner won't give them what they want, the supplicants stay outside the door raising a racket, driving away, not so much ghosts as customers. Extortion pilgrims - you pay them to leave - the anti-Xmas carolers.

So the cops got them on noise pollution! Taiwan is SO loud - at least before 10 pm - that I never would have guessed. Business people, from the most educated to the least, routinely blast firecrackers to scare away ghosts and bad omens so as to make room for the good luck and money to roll in. There are insanely loud and slow-moving advert trucks clogging up the roads, mini parades of KTV trucks and skantily clad xiao jies blasting music to thank/appease some god or other plus the garbage trucks which announce themselves with an ice-cream-truck version of Fur Elise, played so loudly it gives rise to a doppler shift.

Lots of cops and tow trucks around my school this week. I barely eeked out of being towed on Wednesday...