December 9th, 2020

Hey there,

Today was gonna all be about Taiwan's animal kingdom, but want to share a little bit about a party first.  Consider this a tale from the other side of the plague.

To make a long story a bit shorter, Betty used to be involved with a Latina wives club but fell out of contact as she couldn't go to their stuff as she traveled so much and worked the rest of the time.  Since there is no travel, she reunited with them a couple weeks ago and met some Argentine ladies, and from that we got invited to the Argentine Christmas party last Sunday.  

This thing was amazing...about 30 folks, all speaking that certain brand of Argentine Spanish called Castellano, which is extra passionate and flowery.  The food was all the treats from Buenos Aires we miss.  The names are familiar (chorizo, milanesa, empanadas) but were done in typical porteno style and I ate so much that I was physically ill.  The host, who I was led to believe is the equivalent of the ambassador, invited a musician to play sad Tango accordion.  A couple of folks started talking to me in Castellano before realizing I have a bad Mexican Spanish accent and wasn't one of them, but paid me the ultimate compliment (to them) that I looked Argentine.  I am Italian/German and you know they invited a bunch of Germans in the country in the mid 1940's, so it makes some sense.  Everyone kisses each other hello and goodby and it is amazing that there was not a shred of fear or hesitation in Taiwan in December of 2020.

A quality night for me, but very special for Betty as she loves herself all things Argentina.  We're walking home and she says in a tone that I only hear when she has her Spanish brain activated..."weren't those people just lovely?"  Takes more than a big belly full of empanada for me to join her ebullience and reply with, "yeah, for a bunch of Mexicans.".  She adds that it is nice to be out with folks here that don't talk obsessively about their workout regime.   Truth.  Cannot tell you how many conversations I have to excuse myself from with dudes detailing their bike ride or some dumb ass mega run they are training for.  Are those conversations for them or for me...pure torture.  One of the many reasons I always prefer to chat with the ladies at all times.

Allrighty...wacky Taiwan creature time.  First off is this article detailing a Horde of earthworms scare in eastern Taiwan.  That picture is kind cool, showing a running track completely covered in earthworms, but as always, it is the writing that sets this news apart.  

The uncanny scene raised concern among the superstitious. Some residents worried it was an omen of a natural disaster or some other catastrophe, while others considered it merely the result of the heavy rain from the typhoon that swept past the southern tip of Taiwan last week.

I love how they equate people predicting disaster to others considering it merely the result of heavy rain.  If you thought that believing crazy shit as truth was limited to your country...

Another one that popped up recently stated that Eating green iguanas legal in Taiwan.  These dinosaurs are invading irrigation systems and causing all sorts of havoc and there is a bounty on their heads...in 9 months, they have paid out on 5,500 hides.  They do not recommend that you eat them, cause they have parasites, confirmed it is not illegal to do so.  The telling line is that experts don't want people making them a "gourmet delicacy" cause you know that's next. 

Finally, Taiwan police officer attached by flesh-eating Asian giant hornet.  Didn't think there was gonna be much to this article, but this thing is freaking horrific.   Copied in full. 

A police officer on Saturday (Dec. 5) was attacked by an Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), which bit into his ear before he was able to kill the murderous marauder.

While patrolling the Dajia River Power Plant in Taichung City's Heping District at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, Chang Wen-yung (張文勇), 51, came upon an Asian giant hornet, known in Taiwan as a “tiger head bee” (虎頭蜂), which suddenly landed on his left ear — its venomous stinger positioned precariously close to his temple.

According to his account of the harrowing encounter posted on Facebook on Sunday (Dec. 6), Chang wrote that he could hear the buzzing sound of the hornet but he dared not swipe or bat his ear as he feared this would provoke the insect to begin relentlessly stinging him. He said the creature then began to chew into the cartilage next to his ear canal.

He wrote that he walked into a bathroom in order to get a better look at where the beast was positioned. The hulking Hymenoptera continued to chomp on his ear for approximately five minutes as Chang calmly recorded the assault with his smartphone.

Finally, the aggressive arthropod flew away from his ear, and Chang quickly slammed the bathroom door shut to trap it inside. He then grabbed a towel and used it to whip the vicious Vespidae to pieces.

Chang said that the hornet had chewed off a small chunk of his ear, causing it to bleed. Fortunately, he was not stung by the venomous insect and therefore did not seek medical attention.

He wrote that this was the first time he had been attacked by a hornet since being transferred to the facility in July of this year.

The Miaoli County Fire Department pointed out that the hornets are attracted to flowers and plants with bright colors and strong fragrances, reminding people who travel to mountainous areas to avoid wearing brightly colored clothing and perfume, reported EBC. In the event of encountering an Asian giant hornet hovering nearby, the fire department advises people not to try to hit it, but instead to stay calm and carefully walk away.

Jeez...those photos.  This author hilariously described the hornet as The Murderous Marauder, The Hulking Hymenoptera, and the Aggressive Arthropod.  He has to be a big wrestling fan cause those are awesome nicknames.  

Never heard of the Tiger Head Bee or Asian giant hornet, but research confirms that friends in the States will know them as the freaking Murder Hornet that was just found in Washington State.  The article made it sound as if the venom would kill you, but apparently you'd need to get stung a dozen times and then would die from kidney failure, so no 100 steps.  What is 100 steps?  A friend was telling us last week about some snake on this death trap of an island whose bite will kill you within 100 steps.  I kid you not.