May 6, 2025
May 6th
Hard-Off in Neili
In Bond films, once 007 has been briefed about his new assignment, you've no doubt seen how MI5's boffin Q supplies him with some nifty gizmo. Well, I'm interested in one myself, namely a Mark I or Mark II Canon G7X. These both have timers that can be set up to 30 seconds, unlike my Mark III.
Secondhand G7Xs on eBay in the UK are crazy expensive - about twice what they would have originally cost new - but in Taiwan they sell for much less and a good place to look is a shop called Hard-Off, which is a Japanese store that sells all kinds of used stuff, from cameras and clothing to bicycles and cuddly toys. The shop's business card says it's an eco-reuse factory.
Yes, Hard-Off seems like a strange name for a shop. The local one is about 30 minutes from home, in a district of the city called Neili, and it's a somewhat unpleasant ride there. I'm on assignment.
The most direct route is seriously urban with quite a lot of traffic, so I choose to go there a slightly longer way, one that incorporates some side roads which are a bit less stressful. The four-lane road near home has a path that I pedal along for five minutes, then it's along a street that eventually turns into a curving lane which goes past smallholdings - vestiges of what was once farmland - before reaching a busy road in Neili.
After another five minutes, I have to cross over horrible north-south Route 1 to get to Hard-Off, where my bike gets locked in the parking area. It's all been a bit hectic and it feels nice to step inside the air-conditioned space.
A couple of weeks have gone by since I last popped here looking for a camera and that was a frustrating experience, as the clerk said he'd just sold a Canon G7X the day before. It was a Mark I, which was priced at NT$6,000 = to about US$200.
The display cabinet doesn't have many pocket cameras in today. They're mostly DSLRs and some old film ones, but there's a Sony Alpha 6000 that I look at. The battery is dead, so I wait five minutes for it charge a bit, then check that the timer can be set to 30 seconds. However, the issue is it means buying a lens, and it looks well used, so I pass.
Before leaving I get a business card and the guy's name and tell him I'll call before coming again. It's not a fun ride.
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2 days ago
2 days ago
It's well gone lunch time and I set off back towards home and I decide to call in at a Louisa after 10 minutes for a bite to eat. This one in Neili is small and for some reason there's a large Union Jack flag hanging in the window and smaller ones strung as bunting across the ceiling. I order what they call a wrappini - a toasted sandwich - and an iced latte, and there's just me sat downstairs at one of the three, two-seater tables.
The three young women behind the counter look on bemused as I place the camera on shelf and sit back and pose for a self-timed photo. It occurs to me to ask them about the British flags, but I decide not to bother.
On the way home I keep an eye out for mops and spot some brooms outside a red warehouse structure. It's unclear what kind of business it actually is, as the doors and window have mirrored glass. Someone could be looking out at me and wondering why I'm taking a photo, but there are no vehicles in the parking area.
I need some bread and decide to pop to Carrefour on the way home. There are a few side streets that I explore en route in the hope of seeing more mops, as it's usually older properties that have them outside, with these homes sometimes also having external sinks.
I get lucky as I ride within a few blocks of the supermarket. One place has gone to town on painting the roller door. It's a rustic landscape loosely done, while the adjacent front door has had a bit more time spent on it, but isn't what you would call professional.
Two blocks away is another house with a utility sink outside, along with the usual paraphernalia, including a mop and broom. The owner has painted 25 - the house number - in white letters using a roller. Who knows what the reason was, but clearly aesthetics is not a big thing here.
I buy some bread from Carrefour, plus a couple of bananas. It's then just a few minutes to get back home and on the way I spot five of the turtles that live in a pond in front of one of the few old homes that have survived. They're lined up on a piece of wood that's sticking out of the water, sunning themselves.
Today's ride: 14 km (9 miles)
Total: 94 km (58 miles)
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2 days ago