Hello: Hallo
Goodbye: Bye
Thank you (pronounced Shay Shay)
Time Difference: 15 hours ahead of PST
I made it. And it wasn't even that bad. From San Diego to LA I saw my first red headed 70's porn start. Complete with a wavy mullet and a matching red porn 'stache'. It was awesome! I though San Diego to Taipei was going to be a killer, but the trip started off on the right foot when the captain announced the trip was 13 hours; I had been anticipating a 17 hour flight, so, as crazy as it sounds, I was excited for a 13-hour flight. China Air is great! I got a choice of movies from a decent collection, a foot rest and a seat that actually slid out as it leaned back.
On to Taipei. The population of Taipei is about 3 million and about half of them ride mopeds, including the UPS delivery guy. This gives some relief to the traffic in the city, but the parking is the greatest benefactor of the moped. The mopeds are parked 2 deep and so close they are touching. They are everywhere. Since my time was limited, I spent it in a car with Mike from Taipei. We started off at the Palace Museum. What a beautiful building, but I've got to admit, I am not a museum person. I've never been a big fan of looking at ancient bowls or hand-carved knives, but something makes me continue to go. It's like I am afraid I am going to miss something, so I continue to torture myself. Granted, the history of Chinese calligraphy was fascinating, but that was mostly because I finally realized how intricate and artistic Chinese writing is.
After that, Mike took me to CKS Memorial Hall, located adjacent to the magnificently landscaped Library Square. This is where I got my first taste of how hot it is in Asia. After about 5 minutes and 84 stairs, I was sweating. And for those of you know know me in an athletic sense, you know what that means. It was also the point where I realized that Asians don't seem to sweat. Interesting. My reward for braving the heat was seeing a gigantic status of Chaing Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China, Taipei.
After that, Mike took me to CKS Memorial Hall, located adjacent to the magnificently landscaped Library Square. This is where I got my first taste of how hot it is in Asia. After about 5 minutes and 84 stairs, I was sweating. And for those of you know know me in an athletic sense, you know what that means. It was also the point where I realized that Asians don't seem to sweat. Interesting. My reward for braving the heat was seeing a gigantic status of Chaing Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China, Taipei.
We made a few other stops before we went to Taipei 101. The tallest building in the world at 508 meters (1,667 feet) and the self-proclaimed number one engineering wonder in the world. It was awesome. My ears popped on the elevator up to the 89th floor. 89 floors!
My first day ended with an hour foot massage (I knew it was going to be good when the place was filled with color-coded pictures of the foot identifying each body part's connection with the bottom of the foot) and my first fully dressed, full body massage. There was a lot of pounding and cupped smacks. Although I missed the oil, it was still pretty good. Massage count: 1.
