Bali, Danshui, and "No cars for you!"

Noah doesn't have school on 5/1 for Labor Day, a n unusual weekday holiday. In the morning, Paul worked, Ben went to school (the most hardworking one in the family!!), and Noah and I went for a bike ride around campus and read Chinese books by the lakeside.

After lunch, we picked up Ben and headed for Dan shui, a historic port at the opening of the Tamshui River West of Taipei. [See Map; we crossed the river from south to north] We've been wanting to re-visit it after six years (last time we visited it with Jessie and Ryan--remember the leisurely stroll without kids?!) but we knew not to go on weekends as it's always mobbed. We figured since not everyone had today off, it's a good day to give it a try. This time we actually drove to the town south of the river, Bali, visited the Shihsanhang Archaeological Museum. The museum is built at an archaeological site which was unearthed in the late 80s, proving the existence of life in Taiwan dating back to the prehistoric time. The actual collection was not so impressive--they displayed whatever they could, but it was not a lot after all, though it was a pretty decent museum in terms of the modern architecture, the presentation, and its touristic value. After an iced latte and mango slushy came the ferry boat. Neither kids slept much, but a short boat ride was enough to invigorate them for a long time.

The weather was breezy, and the crowd just the right number, not too many and not too few, so the stroll the old town was very comfortable and festive. As soon as we got to Danshui, we had to order the famous fish ball soup. Even Paul liked it (he doesn't usually like Taiwanese "something-balls" with ground-up fish or meat, but these were fresh and tasty.) We then walked to the 紅毛城 Fort San Domingo and the British Consulate for a tour. Built by the Spaniards and later occupied and restored by the Dutch, then the British, these beautiful Western buildings are first-class historic site. The consulate reminded me of the aristocratic Northwest DC in its bricks, arches, well-groomed lawn. The view of the river and the mountains was beautiful, and the sunset casts a soft light on the buildings, making it picture perfect. The walk along the river back to the old street was very pleasant, with couples and families stopping to gaze at the setting sun. What a rare moment of leisure in Taipei!

One memorable part of the day concerned parenting: Ben, having only slept for 20 minutes in the car, was quite a brat. We had walked into a Sanrio store (with all things Hello Kitty on the first floor and toys on the second), and the boys spotted an amazing collection of matchbox cars (pictured). We told them that if they behaved the rest of the trip, they'll get to each pick one on our way back to the harbor for the boat ride back. [In a Hollywood movie, the mobsters show the protagonist, some able guy who has 'cleaned up', a splendid tropical island villa. They then told him to kill X, and promised to him that after the job is done, he will be rewarded the villa for the rest of his life. Or he'll lose everything he has.] Well, Benjamin did not behave at dinner, spitting food out, throwing noodles, and just tuned out. After a few warnings, Paul declared with frustration and anger "No Cars for you! No dessert either!" Noah, on the other hand, ate everything and was well behaved all the way. He got the lichee dessert and Ben just looked on. No regret though. He asked for a drink and was told he could only have water or milk. So when we got to the 7-11, Noah picked a yogurt drink. Obviously Ben wanted it too, but he was told he couldn't. He cried, but that was the rule and he settled with a flavored milk (I felt that the sweetened apple milk was sort of a treat which he didn't deserve but Paul figured it was "a kind of milk", which matched his original ruling, so it was a good compromise for everyone).

The trickiest part came when we got to the toy store. Paul and I had to have a small conference: Okay, Ben surely doesn't deserve a car, as he's been told, and Noah should definitely get one. However, being two and quite attached to such 'things', he couldn't take the 'trauma' of seeing Noah pick out a car and holding it all the way home, for close to two hours. We don't need a screaming kid and a lesson too big for him to learn. What shall we do?

Well, after standing on the street puzzling over how to handle the situation, I suggested that Paul take Noah up to pick out a car while I strolled with Ben in the nearby shops. Noah was then told not to show his car to Ben. He agreed and said, "Yes, otherwise Ben will cry all the way home." While Noah picked a city bus, Paul picked out a dump truck for Ben for the future. Since Ben didn't see the event of Noah picking out a car, he sort of (possibly intentionally) forgot about it.

This morning, Noah got up first and opened his bus. By now Ben's still catching up on the lost sleep. I have not figured out what to tell him about Noah's new bus. Help! What should I do?

You are probably totally bored by the trivial details. Or maybe you've faced similar situations? Oh the dilemma parents face!