storm
I was on Camera Street getting my 20D’s sensors cleaned when it started raining. Big, heavy drops, but no big deal; I always keep a small umbrella on me.
Then it really started raining. A solid splooshing from the skies that went right through my comically undersized blue umbrella. I threaded my way through the streets towards the safety of my dry office, where I hoped to gaze out the window at the downpour and pity the poor fools out in the middle of it, but this was a marvel of a storm, soaking me even from Taipei’s handy covered sidewalks. I went down into the basement of the Mitsukoshi, falsely remembering some kind of passage from there to the subway mall, but of course there isn’t one. I had to stalk across the square in front, cursing as I went because I didn’t want my camera equipment to get too wet.
In retrospect I should have just entered one of the many cafes, sat down and enjoyed a hot beverage of some sort. The near constant lightning booming immediately after each flash made computing inadvisable anyway. But I’d bought my lunch already.
The streets filled with water. A waterfall cascaded down the steps of the pedestrian overpass on Zhongxiao West Road. Then a large chunk of wet building slammed down onto the sidewalk along Zhongshan North Road where I’d just passed. A man came out of the store with a broom and pushed the bricks, wood beams and other detritus into a pile, and then went back inside.
Packs of policemen on scooters appeared in traffic as vehicles plowed through the flooded streets. I sat down on a covered sidewalk and watched the show for a while before the rain let up somewhat and I could go on to the office, where I am now. My wet socks are hanging off the lamp behind me, and my shoes, liberally coated with baby powder, are on the floor. it’s still raining.
You actually paid to get a 20D sensor clean. Wow. I was in Taipei last week – if I’d have known, I could have brought my sensor cleaning gear and done it for you for free. If you want it cleaned in the future, send me a pm on forumosa and let me know – I’m usually in Taipei once a month or so (I live in Zhanghua).
Comment by cfimages — August 22, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Eh, it was only a couple hundred NT, and I like chatting with the guys at the camera shop about upcoming models, so I don’t mind the occasional trip. But thanks for the offer; we should get together in any case some time.
Comment by Poagao — August 23, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
I didn’t realize it was so cheap. Canon have just announced the 40D which looks really nice. Should be available next month.
Comment by cfimages — August 24, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
I was in the library at Yong An, just about to leave to go to a tutoring job in the neighborhood, when all that rain started coming down. I waited a bit, but couldn’t stay there forever, so I headed out. The long skirt I was wearing was completely soaked after my 10-minute walk, most of it on a covered sidewalk. Every corner was flooded, so my shoes were also wet, wet, wet. I finished up my class two hours later, and it was still raining, just not as hard, and at least the flooding had receded enough to make it easy to jump over the puddles! I think we had more rain with that storm that what Sepat brought last week, huh?
Comment by 500cbfan — August 24, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
I’ve enjoyed the rain here and have tried to capture a little of the post-rain gleam of the streets and surroundings. Any tips for someone with a D80 and 18-135 lens on capturing that reflective gleam such as in this post (and many others I’ve seen previously; I’m envisioning one from a post a long time ago with red street lights reflected around either a bike or a scooter – actually one part of the inspiration that pushed me to really upgrade my camera capabilities)?
Living in Luodong, by the way, in Yilan County.
Comment by Dale — August 30, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
I don’t have any particular technique, Dale, just look around, see something and shoot it. I’d think there are many rain-related opportunities in Luodong, though.
Comment by Poagao — August 30, 2007 @ 10:55 pm