I left California on the morning of August 11th and arrived in Taipei, Taiwan on the night of the 12th. A dozen or so SayTaiwan guests and I were then put up in a hotel in the eastern part of Taipei for the night. It was around 1am by the time we were dropping off bags in our rooms. Even tho this part of town seemed dead, we decided to venture out, and we had word there was a internet cafe and 24 hour book store available. On the way back, we found a bar, and talked the locals into letting us have a beer, even tho it was 3am. At first them seemed a bit over whelmed with a dozen foreigners dropping into their little watering hole, but quickly we were all chatting, at it was tempting to continue the night, but having an early wake up call, and not sure how much longer they wanted to party, we decided to head back to the hotel.
The next morning I was up around 8am, so I had some time for a short stroll around the hotel. I linked up with Ian and Ritt from Thailand/Miami (who speaks pretty decent Mandarin), and we grabbed some delicious dumplings and soy milk for breakfast. Then it was a quick rush to get in the taxis and get to the train station. Considering how overpacked we are for 2 weeks, it was no surprise that we were getting some chuckles and comments.
The high speed rail was a blast, and we were to Taichung in an hour. My host family was already there waiting for me, so I quickly said good bye to Ian and Serge, and then was off.
The next 10 hours was really a whirlwind of temples, villages, delicious food, statues, markets, and even a fun round of bowling!
There are other SayTaiwaners staying near by, so 4 of us were rounded up and driven around together. Considering that we collectively represent Nigeria, Czech Republic, Israel, and the US, and we're all in Taiwan for the first time, this makes an interesting mixture for sure.
My host family owns a factory, and they have been super gracious and friendly, despite a language barrier that is having me stumble thru my chinese more than expected (which I am happy about!). When I came home last night, I thought I would just head to bed, but a family friend was over and we sat down to have shots of whiskey (which thankfully they sip unlike what I'm used in American). So despite a shortage of sleep, I really enjoyed my whirlwind of first day in Taiwan, and am excited to explore more of the Beautiful Island.
