Monday, January 5, 2009

Leaving Taiwan

Again, I'm in the airport killing time. Luckily someone has taken pity on us poor souls and installed free internet terminals that actually work.How much duty free shopping can a person do in one day, really? I find when you have one small bag, it's not very fulfilling. (However, one pair of my pants already has see-through patches and I've repaired one t-shirt and my swimming suit, so I'll have to break down and shop one of these days.)

A two-minute synopsis for you:
Taiwan is where...
You are greeted with "morning!" or "good morning!" regardless the time of day when entering a store.
About a third of the population wears face masks to protect against pollution and reduce disease spread.
They have the most extensive recycling sytem in a McDonald's that I've ever seen.
When you hear the ice cream man, it's actually the garbage truck!
The people are exceptionally friendly and genuinely want to help.
The center of the island is filled with mountains and hiking trails are abundant.
You can get food anytime of the day at one of their glorious night markets. (Just watch out for the "stinky tofu"- it is just as it sounds.)

The next journey begins when Carrie arrives in Bangkok in the wee hours of January 9th. I'll be waiting with bells on at the airport. For the new year, I'll continue spreading peace and gaining knowledge. I'll also clean up the skeletons in my closet and get home to see my loved ones.

3 comments:

geekdave said...

When I saw your video about the Taiwan garbage truck, I wasn't sure what the meaning was. After turning up the volume, it brought back memories when I was growing up. Those things always played music.

About the stinky tofu peddlers, I remember the smell even from inside the house as the peddler passes by. I've never had it before but the people who's had it swear it's really good.

Sara said...

I ate the stinky tofu. It was totally fine! I actually liked it. Course there were some condiments on it and it was deepfried. :)

Mark Travels said...

Welcoming you to Cambodge soon. I have a blog for you to check out to give you some ideas (look in the archives). www.marktravels.blogspot.com