Posts
Taipei 2020
This is our seventh trip to Taipei. I must admit Taylor and I have become a little complacent about our visits. This is our forth year to rent an apartment from the same landlady, Jennifer. Before we met Jennifer, we had some interesting and sometimes uncomfortable living situations. With Jennifer, we have learned to expect an apartment that is clean and well functioning. The buildings have trash management systems so we don't have to meet the garbage trucks with our trash; the kitchens are workable; and last year we were able to flush toilet paper for the first time.
So...........this year we expected more of the same.
We arrived at our apartment building two weeks ago, around 7:00 pm after being without sleep for over 24 hours. We weren't in the mood for any kind of challenge, but we knew we would meet Jennifer, move into the apartment and go to bed. That's not how it happened.
We met Jennifer at the apartment lobby. She informed us that we would not be able to stay in the expected apartment because the previous renters refused to move out (that is a separate story that I will not include here). However, we weren't to worry because she had another apartment for us. Please sit in the lobby, she would drive us to the new apartment.
We sat for quite a while. As we sat we watched a man moving stuff up and down in the elevator. We assumed he was the building custodian doing his regular business and didn't pay him much mind. Eventually, Jennifer reappeared and told us to follow her to her Mercedes. The man who we had seen hauling stuff would take our suitcases. Boy, were we surprised to enter the back alley and find this truck with all the stuff from the apartment loaded onto to it. The moving man, added our suitcases to the pile.
Jennifer drove us, with our carry on bags and computers in our laps, to the new apartment. Little did we know that the truck load of stuff was going to come to the apartment with us.
The moving man brought us, with our suitcases, to the apartment. Our first reaction was "This is beautiful. We'll be fine." He then proceeded to bring all the stuff from the truck up the elevator to the 7th floor apartment. During this time we looked around the apartment, and by the time Jennifer arrived we had moved from "We'll be fine," to "This is unacceptable and horrible," "Should we go to a hotel?"
This apartment was clearly not ready for renters. Jennifer brought all the stuff we would need to live for the next month: blankets, sheets, towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, hangers, dishes, silverware, pots, pans, a clothes drying rack, hangers, toilet paper, etc., etc....... Not only did this apartment lack all the supplies that make an apartment livable, it was FILTHY.
There was a fine layer of sheet rock dust over everything because recently there had been a plumbing problem which required drilling into walls and installing pipes on the outside of the walls. Both bathrooms were hideous. It was hard to decide which one was the least disgusting to use. One bathroom actually had a toothbrush and toothpaste on the side of the sink. It was like the owner of the toothbrush had just brushed his teeth. The doorknobs were covered with toothpaste as if he would brush his teeth and then smear the toothpaste on the doorknobs. The kitchen was filled with other people's food that was way past its pull date, and when I tried the water in the kitchen sink water poured out from the base of the faucet. And then there was the refrigerator:
By the time Jennifer rejoined us, I was beside myself. All I wanted to do was go to bed, but I didn't want to touch anything. She made the brand new beds up with clean sheets, and gave us some towels. She was also beside herself. She had occupiers in her apartment, that she had rented to us, who wouldn't leave, and she had us in an apartment that she wasn't aware was in such horrible shape.
She eventually left, and we went to bed without unpacking. I did not take my shoes off until I was ready to lay down in bed.
The next day Jennifer returned with a cleaning lady. They worked until 9:30 that night cleaning and putting the stack of stuff away. A plumber came and put in a new kitchen faucet. During the course of the day a pipe in one of the bathrooms broke, so the plumber came a second time.
The day after that moving men brought a new refrigerator and a washing machine. Moving the washing machine in involved taking doors off the hinges. Men also came to try to get the WiFi and the TV to work. At one point as I sat on the couch I counted 5 people working in here. WiFi and TV proved too much for the experts, so they left and we went without for more than a week.
As we settled in, we discovered that the new washing machine didn't work properly. It was clogged up and the water came in so slowly it took about 6 hours to run a load of wash. Jennifer got us another new one that works. Water was pouring from under the kitchen sink. That turned out to be a faulty water filter which was replaced. Of course, we had been drinking water from the ineffective water filter for about a week. We didn't care about the TV but we felt WiFi a necessity.
The place was finally in good enough shape to have David and Solomon stay over night. Guess what? The water in their shower only had boiling hot water which disappeared after about 20 seconds followed by howling pipes. The next day another plumber came to fix the shower.
I hate to end this story on a negative note, so I will list the positives of this apartment:
This is our seventh trip to Taipei. I must admit Taylor and I have become a little complacent about our visits. This is our forth year to rent an apartment from the same landlady, Jennifer. Before we met Jennifer, we had some interesting and sometimes uncomfortable living situations. With Jennifer, we have learned to expect an apartment that is clean and well functioning. The buildings have trash management systems so we don't have to meet the garbage trucks with our trash; the kitchens are workable; and last year we were able to flush toilet paper for the first time.
So...........this year we expected more of the same.
We arrived at our apartment building two weeks ago, around 7:00 pm after being without sleep for over 24 hours. We weren't in the mood for any kind of challenge, but we knew we would meet Jennifer, move into the apartment and go to bed. That's not how it happened.
We met Jennifer at the apartment lobby. She informed us that we would not be able to stay in the expected apartment because the previous renters refused to move out (that is a separate story that I will not include here). However, we weren't to worry because she had another apartment for us. Please sit in the lobby, she would drive us to the new apartment.
We sat for quite a while. As we sat we watched a man moving stuff up and down in the elevator. We assumed he was the building custodian doing his regular business and didn't pay him much mind. Eventually, Jennifer reappeared and told us to follow her to her Mercedes. The man who we had seen hauling stuff would take our suitcases. Boy, were we surprised to enter the back alley and find this truck with all the stuff from the apartment loaded onto to it. The moving man, added our suitcases to the pile.
 |
| There's my red suitcase with my carry on bag on top of it. When I saw this situation, I grabbed my carry on which had my computer in it. I couldn't imagine that any of this stuff would survive the trip across the busy city of Taipei. |
The moving man brought us, with our suitcases, to the apartment. Our first reaction was "This is beautiful. We'll be fine." He then proceeded to bring all the stuff from the truck up the elevator to the 7th floor apartment. During this time we looked around the apartment, and by the time Jennifer arrived we had moved from "We'll be fine," to "This is unacceptable and horrible," "Should we go to a hotel?"
There was a fine layer of sheet rock dust over everything because recently there had been a plumbing problem which required drilling into walls and installing pipes on the outside of the walls. Both bathrooms were hideous. It was hard to decide which one was the least disgusting to use. One bathroom actually had a toothbrush and toothpaste on the side of the sink. It was like the owner of the toothbrush had just brushed his teeth. The doorknobs were covered with toothpaste as if he would brush his teeth and then smear the toothpaste on the doorknobs. The kitchen was filled with other people's food that was way past its pull date, and when I tried the water in the kitchen sink water poured out from the base of the faucet. And then there was the refrigerator:
 |
| This beauty was filled with molding, mildewed food! There is actually black fluid mildew running down the gaskets! |
She eventually left, and we went to bed without unpacking. I did not take my shoes off until I was ready to lay down in bed.
The next day Jennifer returned with a cleaning lady. They worked until 9:30 that night cleaning and putting the stack of stuff away. A plumber came and put in a new kitchen faucet. During the course of the day a pipe in one of the bathrooms broke, so the plumber came a second time.
The day after that moving men brought a new refrigerator and a washing machine. Moving the washing machine in involved taking doors off the hinges. Men also came to try to get the WiFi and the TV to work. At one point as I sat on the couch I counted 5 people working in here. WiFi and TV proved too much for the experts, so they left and we went without for more than a week.
As we settled in, we discovered that the new washing machine didn't work properly. It was clogged up and the water came in so slowly it took about 6 hours to run a load of wash. Jennifer got us another new one that works. Water was pouring from under the kitchen sink. That turned out to be a faulty water filter which was replaced. Of course, we had been drinking water from the ineffective water filter for about a week. We didn't care about the TV but we felt WiFi a necessity.
 |
| This big ass TV had never been hooked up. Now it has wires coming out of the top and bottom of it. We asked ourselves who buys both a big ass TV, and the mildewed refrigerator? |
I hate to end this story on a negative note, so I will list the positives of this apartment:
- It is very big and potentially quite lovely
- The kitchen is nicely laid out
- The beds are new, so they are very comfortable
- The dining table is large and there is enough seating for all of us to eat dinner without having to move the table, or get out folding chairs
- We have a working washing machine
- The WiFi works
- The TV works
- Although we sort the trash, we take it to the stairway landing which is very convenient
- The location is very convenient to David and Chia's house
- The apartment is located on a lane off of RenAi Road. Being on a lane means it is very quiet.
- Who doesn't love lime green leather couches?
- We are living in a fancy pants neighborhood with stores like Cartier, Tiffany, Marimekko
- The neighbors seem to drive mostly Mercedes and BMWs
 |
| Although I like the furniture it doesn't make up for the general disaster that lurks in this apartment |
 |
| This is a great table for family dinners, and art projects with Solomon |
 |
| What's not to love with lime green couches? Behind the larger couch is an alcove with a desk. The windows open to a nice porch, which we are using to hang our clothes to dry. |
Now that most of the horror of this apartment is behind us, I have looked around me and remembered that I like Taipei. I walked to the park today to meet David and Solomon and this is what I saw:
 |
| Taipei 101 |
I love it here.
No comments:
Post a Comment