This evening as I was quietly scouring digital and paper maps of Xinzhuang, I was startled by explosions and drums. Apparently, this is something I’ll get used to, rather like I got used to the constant sounds of police and ambulances in LA, but for the moment it still draws my attention.
At first, I thought it would die down quickly, as some other displays have done in the past week. However, it didn’t stop and in fact seemed to get closer. I finally decided to run downstairs, taking my purse in case it was a funeral and I needed an excuse to look elsewhere. It is either rude or tempting fate to look at funeral proceedings, and either way, gawping is not my style.
Leaving the apartment complex in the company of unknown neighbors gave me the possible indicator that it wasn’t a funeral, since other people were coming out to see, but I still couldn’t tell what was going on. I saw some kind of palanquin just across the street, bouncing up and down in front of a store, but that didn’t help. I bought some steamed dumplings and some guava just to give myself an excuse to linger and look a little longer, but the whole endeavor gained me no information.
I did get some awesome pork dumplings (buns?) and guava, though, so that’s a plus. The amount of guava I got was absurd. I’ll probably have it for breakfast and lunch too.
Taiwandering 