October 17, 2024 (Twice) I believe this was my 14th trip to Taiwan. That’s 28 crossings of that damned Pacific Ocean. You really appreciate how big it is when you’ve crossed it for hours, then look out and still see nothing but the cold, silent death below that is the great expanse of the Pacific. … Read more
October 16, 2024 Last full day in Taiwan! Tomorrow, we must leave at 8:00 AM to get to the airport, so there will be nothing but the business of travel. Chuwan and I got out reasonably early and had breakfast at WMD. Near the restaurant, there’s a little kiosk-like thing at the corner of Jiankang … Read more
October 15, 2024 Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that these “daily” blog posts are coming out about six days after the actual date. I won’t lie. I’m back home and finally getting around to “polishing up” my daily notes, which are incoherent to anyone but me. As an exercise in style, I try to retain … Read more
Monday, October 14, 2024 I’ve said it before, but I think this one will be a short one! Today was a bit of a “down day” after yesterday’s excitement. Melz was back in school, and Chuwan and I had no plans for the day. We rented YouBikes and headed out for breakfast. We stopped at … Read more
Sunday, October 13, 2024 Yesterday’s post was long because lots happened, even though nothing really happened. Today, lots happened. Full stop. Let’s dive in. My brother-in-law planned a “family day” for today. My father-in-law used to plan these packed excursions, but my brother-in-law has taken over the duties. He learned them well, too. Today’s plan … Read more
Saturday, October 12, 2024 Taiwan loves cute things, and, even though I’m not an afficiando of cute, per se, there’s a certain charm to how enthusiastically they throw themselves at it. For days now, we’ve been walking past a breakfast/brunch place called “A Toast.” Its logo is a cute little alligator poking its head out … Read more
Friday, October 11, 2024 Sometimes, I look over my notes for a day, and I think, “This was a nothing day. I can bang out this narrative in 500 words or less.” Let’s see how that goes, shall we? Double-Ten may have fallen on a Thursday, but that doesn’t mean everyone gets a four-day weekend, … Read more
Thursday, October 10, 2024 We could have stayed in the mountains longer or moved to a different location, but history dealt us a problem. On October 10, 1911, the Xinhai Revolution overthrew China’s Qing Dynasty, and with the fall of the last Emperor arose Sun Yat-Sen’s Republic of China. People can argue all day about … Read more
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Up at 2:30 AM again. This time I managed to go back to bed until 5:30 AM. One of the quirky things about the Taiwanese is an obsession with sunrises. Hotels in the mountains often arrange excursions at insane hours of the day to reach some “famous” vantage point to see … Read more
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 Up at 2:30 AM again and starving. The jet lag is not “sliding” towards normality like it usually does. At this rate, I won’t get on a normal sleep cycle until we leave. I had the instant noodles I purchased at 7-Eleven. One thing I love about instant noodles in Taiwan … Read more