Made it to Taiwan after a 13.5 hour flight in coach on China Airlin
es (unofficial KB and KC nickname = Panda Air)! Thunder, lightning, rain greeted us upon arrival. Wind sheer forced the pilot to abort his first landing into Taipei, but at that point, we were too groggy to be neurotic.Casey headed over to the conference workshop and I hit the grocery store for some mystery grub to stock our self-contained accommodations.Tasting the oh-so-sweet bananas here, it's impossible to forget that bananas were first domesticated in Asia. I also made several random purchases, given that I'm totally at sea when it comes to reading the local text. I did manage to pick up a copy of "The China Post" which featured a great story on Yankees' pitcher, Wang Chien-ming, plus an undershirt and pair of dress socks for Casey, who quickly realized that apparel in Taipei is a bit more formal than that of the REI, technical gear worn by folks in Colorado.
The people of Taipei (in my 6 hour experience) are incredibly friendly, which fina
lly explains why our good friend WuChun is one in a million. Realizing I needed a plastic bag to carry my loot home, I requested a bag after I'd completed my purchase. I only had a $1000 New Tiawanese Dollar (NWT) in my wallet, and the woman behind me quickly began digging around for pocket change in order to buy me a bag. I heart you, Taipei.All for now. I've got to hit the fitness center and see how far my oxygen-saturated hemoglobin will take me at this new altitude. Bring it, Taipei!
5 comments:
Weather in April at Taipei can be as predictable as a teenager. Hopefully it will clear up for you for a day or two. Since Taiwan is a small island and has relatively less space for landfills, it is more sensitive to recycling. Plastic bags may come with a surcharge just to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags...
WuChun - I kind of figured that about the bags, and was mildly sheepish that I even needed one. I happened to buy way too many liquids and snacks, and was too stubborn to take a taxi back in the rain with an armful of stuff. I promise I shall bring my bag back to Colorado and reuse it! The rain, by the way, is simply wonderful.
Glad you made it! I picked up the wonder-dog this morning and she is happy and healthy and frisky!
Next time Casey needs to travel overseas with work, lets work it out so that Jason and I come along too. I would love to explore an area with you. I am much to afraid to wonder a foreign city on my own. Looks like you are having a wonderful time. Glad you are blogging!
I'd forgotten that you have to pay for bags - I LOVE that! What a difference it would make to people's habits here in the US.
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