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.

2009

It began with a running start, literally.

I woke up disoriented and looked at my watch. 8:23. Where was I supposed be? I wanted to keep sleeping. Didn't I set an alarm? I did- it was for 5:45, to catch the first bus to Taroko Gorge. But I slept through that alarm. I considered my options: sleep or get up.

I jumped (well, not really) out of bed. Luckily, I was pre-dressed for the day. I grabbed my old black backpack and sped away. I was out the door by 8:25, running (as fast as I could half-awake) all the way to the bus station. I boarded the bus at 8:40 and rode to the national park.

After that it was a walk in the park, literally, again(yes, this is just too much for me, too)! I walked from Tiansiang (a little town in the park) to the park entrance, taking in a few side sights and trails on my way. It was over 12 miles. I am now a little tired. Bed is tempting, but it's only 7:13- too early even for an old-moldy like me.

I met a nice girl, Sasha (from Taipei) on the bus ride home, who told me all sorts of good bits of information, including entertainment options for tonight. So I'm off to the continuation of the 2009 celebration at a local winery.

Cheers to you all! Happy New Year.

Kaohsiung kindness

I promise to post a pile of pictures soon. My battery died tonight in the midst of my walking session.

I had a funny day.

I started out seeing the Taiwanese Museum of Literature in Tainan and was given a personal tour by a guy, "Paul," who'd lived in the USA for a few years and was keen to share his knowledge and English with me. Afterward, I hopped a train to Kaohsiung, which was sort of poo-pooed in the guidebooks and by everyone else here. But I love Kaohsiung. It's a port town. I have an affinity for port towns, so it wasn't a hard sell. Add the former British Consulate on the hill overlooking the harbour (which is now a cafe and museum) and a smattering of art-culture areas, such as the Film Archives, a large Central Park with "Art Spotlight" and the Love River area and I've decided that this is my favorite city in Taiwan.

After I'd whiled away a couple hours on the hill of the British Consulate, I wandered down the stairs to the bus stop and tried to figure out which bus to catch. This proved difficult, since it was all in Chinese. My feeble attempt at Chinese translation by comparing my map to the sign was a complete failure. I finally asked a group of strangers if they could help. After a bunch of back and forth (a Japanese lady who spoke English and Chinese was conferring with her Taiwanese friends), I hopped into a Lexus SUV with two locals and a Japanese couple to get a ride to the nearest subway station. People here are really sweet. Honestly.

In other thoughts, I've been unemployed over a month and a half. It's hard to believe it's been that long. But then it feels like only yesterday I was leaving Portland and that was a year ago. Well. Whatever. I am very happy with my wandering lifestyle. Daily, I think how amazing it is to be having this experience. I feel like I am part of the whole world and we are all connected.

There is something to being "peace" and sharing that peace with the world.

Taiwan musings

I'm in Tainan, south of Taipei, on the west coast of Taiwan. Grace and crew headed back up to Taipei and I headed off on my own to see more of the country via train and bus. It's pretty easy, as there are Taiwanese angels on every street corner just waiting for me to pull out my map or guidebook and look lost. They're very sweet and helpful and even tell me that they like Americans. Ha.

Today I was at the Altar of Heaven, a Taoist temple, where I sat with a local woman who shared all sorts of things in a very short time, including her belief that Obama was Lincoln reincarnated. She had two sons, one daughter and two grandchildren aged three and five. By the time we were through, I'd learned the principles of Taoism, her entire life history, shared a cup of tea, was sent off with a plastic rain poncho and advised to go home early because it was dark and I was alone.

A sick joke - Taiwan's garbage trucks

Singapore and Taipei Photos

Man-made cave in Singapore Botanical Gardens. Good place to hang out when it's 96 degrees and 100% humidity.
The stage in the Botanical Gardens in Singapore, where I whiled away an entire day. Sometimes you have to take it easy. I also met a guy (Paul) at the info center who had a great view of the world and had done his undergrad in Wyoming, of all places!

It was roots on a tree I think. Good colors.

The Mosque in Singapore. I met a Muslim girl there who answered all my questions about Islam- talked to her for about an hour... Just gorgeous inside. It seems like most religions have the same core values. Unfortunately, most also see men as the leaders and more highly evolved. I have not found one yet that I am willing to ascribe to.

Flying to Taipei on KLM airlines. What a treat. I even like the window artifact on this picture. It's ok.

All the buses in Taipei look like this. See the driver in the back door? That's their normal work attire, year round. It's Christmas every day in your heart! Serious. Heheh.

Taipei 101, currently the tallest building in the world. Lots of shops at the bottom, office in the middle and very expensive viewing platform at the top. There seems to be a theme in Asia with this shopping thing.