Went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 last night. The audience included (but was probably not limited to) Thais, Americans, Germans, Chinese and British. It was subtitled in Thai, which meant the Thais got to understand what the Iraqis were saying as well. Interestingly (or, perhaps, unsurprisingly) everyone laughed in the same places, and when one American muttered loudly "Asshole" at one of Dubya's solecisms the whole place fell around. Then I went back to the hotel and watched the Bush/Blair double act and footage of the Falluja battle.

The temperature here is in the high 20s/low 30s, which would be OK but for the fact that the humidity is appalling. Unless you move very slowly indeed you are drenched with sweat within five minutes of going outside.

It looks as though I'll have no trouble buying engine oil here in the normal way. It was a bit tricky in Japan - they didn't seem to have the concept of "oil to go". When I filled up at a petrol station I asked for a litre of oil. Blank looks. I pointed at a large drum of Shell Helix. "Ah". An oil can was produced. "No, I want to take some away with me". More blank looks. A small container of two-stroke oil was produced. "Er, not exactly, but we'e getting there". Eventually the Yen dropped and I was given a choice of oils so I went for the 10-40. It came in a cardboard carton, like milk or orange juice. And there's absolutely nowhere to jettison unused/used oil or the containers. Japan is very hot on recycling and that sort of stuff, but if there's no facility even at a petrol station to dump things like that the system will be abused (and is, no doubt). I eventually persuaded a local
mechanicky sort of place to dispose of the taped-up carton containing the unused oil for me.

Internet cafes in Taiwan aren't. That is to say, they are places where kids can go to play internet (I assume) games. If you want to do anything remotely sensible, like print something or retrieve pix from a camera, you're stuffed.

Anyway, my cousins will be arriving here on Monday, and as luck would have it I'm in a hotel about 50 yards from theirs (picked it out of the hat at the airport when I arrived). Not only that, but there's secure parking for when I get the bike back. Talking of which, the latest information is that I can go and get it on Thursday.