Because sometimes thinking hurts…
This website has gone through many revisions since college but always maintained a spirit of fun. This is where I get to speak my mind, as a child would, spilling my thoughts without filtering them. I'm not likely to say anything profound or moving, but hopefully someone gets some entertainment value out of my ramblings.
The last full day of our trip, Michelle and I split off from my parents and their friends to do some of the things our friends told us to do that were not a normal list of tourist attractions. It was probably our most adventurous day, not being able to rely on my parents’ friends to speak and translate for us.
The next was spent wandering around the city to see some sites and gorging ourselves on some more questionable food items, just like a city trip to New York would be like.
I’m back and jet lagged. I have lots of stories to tell, but as not to completely waste your day away, I will break things down into a couple, more manageable posts. They’re still going to be long, so don’t start unless you’ve got some time to kill.
This trip was planned originally, because of my brother. He got married a month ago, and his in-laws live in Taipei. Well, a dinner reception was planned for him. I figured I might as well make a trip of it and invited Michelle along to experience Taiwan.
Well, it’s after midnight, and we’re not prepared for our trip to Taiwan that we have to leave for at 6:00 AM. I am at Michelle’s place right now, watching her pack while talking to herself. She’s delirious from a lack of sleep. After she pulls herself together and gets everything packed, I still have to head home and finish packing myself. It’s going to be a rough travel day tomorrow, but hopefully this lack of sleep will allow us to be right on Taiwan’s time.
I’m sad that I’m going to miss half of March Madness. I seriously don’t know what my brother was thinking, scheduling his wedding during NBA All Star weekend and this Taiwan trip during March Madness. It should be fine though. The Bruins will still be in it when I return. I know they won’t let me down, especially if they decide to deploy a defensive strategy such as this.
I think I have my cultural sensitivity training covered. Thai people do not come from Taiwan. I have also told Michelle not to tell people, “I was here just last year. Shanghai and Beijing are cool.” Mao shirts are not being packed in the luggage. Nor is the matching Mao watch and lighter.
I’m heading to Taiwan for a week. My brother’s in laws live there, so we’re doing the wedding reception times two. I’m excited to get out to experience Taipei. I have a whole list of things to do and eat when I’m there from my friends that make frequent trips back and forth. The only thing I’m afraid of is that it won’t be as exciting as all these people make it sound. Taiwan is a second home to them, where they fit in very well culturally. Hopefully I have as much fun as they do.
This weekend was Tiffany and Ivan’s wedding in San Francisco. I flew out Friday night after work. It took me such a long time to get the airport in the rain. I was so frustrated with all the traffic that I decided to treat myself to a first class seat on one of Virgin America’s new planes. I made my money back on free drinks, six on the plane, and one to go.
I have traveled out of the country twice in the past half year on vacation. Before this, I have never been out of the country, excluding Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas. I figured watching Discovery Channel, History Channel, and reading Wikipedia was enough for me. I could see the world without getting off of my couch. That is certainly not how I feel anymore. I want to see the world. Here is my list of a few trips I want to take still. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
London/Wales/Scotland
Thailand/Hong Kong
The rest of the UK
Paris/Madrid
Eastern coast of Mexico
Australia
China was a blast. We stayed in 5-star accomodations, which were not just 5-star in China. They were 5-star by American standards as well. The food was delicious and no one ended up getting sick from it. Some of us lost our tour group and had to take a taxi to catch up with the bus. We were constantly harassed by the local vendors trying to sell us crap, cool crap but crap nonetheless. Our lives were constantly in danger inside the taxi cabs. I think everyone had a fun time.
There was only one time that I truly felt like I was in China. It wasn’t at the Great Wall or Forbidden City. Those felt like tourist spots for sure, but nothing screamed China to me. The one time I felt like I was immersed in China was when we ditched our tour group to go to Shanghai early. We went to the bus station and there were locals everywhere, spitting and coughing. We thought we were going to catch bird flu. That is when I felt like I was in China. I’m sure the girls felt like they were in China more often with the squatty potties. (more…)
If you are Alice’s sister, please stop reading now. I am going to give you guys a teaser of our trip to China with some pictures and video. You can check out the rest of the pictures on my Picasa Web Album.
I’m back from China. Pictures and video will follow once I get back to my own computer. For the time being, let me leave you with a brief synopsis and a teaser picture.
Chinese people spit a lot. Losing your tour group sucks. Products that are related to communism are always hot. In Shanghai, the ladies of the night work in clubs and bars, not streets. Buying squishy balls is awesome. No matter how enthusiastic you are, making up Chinese words will not aid communication. The air in Los Angeles is actually pretty clean. It’s not okay to just get a good deal when bargaining. You have to take the vendor’s soul too. Just because you live in China doesn’t mean you can’t still accidentally pee on your own leg. I like China, but America is still better. Burritos are even better after staying in China for a week.
