Welcome all! I'm grateful you've have joined me in my latest week of adventures in Taiwan! How was your past week? What new 'friends' have you met? How many people did you greet with a warm smile in the past week? Asking you these questions reminds me of a hotel customer service standard I once read about. The reception staff were asked to remember the eye color of the guests they greeted at the reception desk. The sure way to making eye contact (truly being welcomed??) when greeting a guest.
Sun Moon Lake's comfortable weather was left behind for the hot humid weather (mid 30C's/mid 90F's) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's 2nd largest city located on the southwest coast. I reverted to carrying a spare shirt as I knew I'd need to change my shirt given the amount I perspire in hot weather.
My need to mail a registered letter to Canada got me thinking about how successful Taiwan (Republic of China) is in spite of mainland China's (People's Republic of China) efforts to isolate the country. In researching the viability of mailing a letter from Taiwan I learned the country is not a member of the Universal Postal Union, meaning international mail cannot be exchanged directly and must instead be channelled through intermediary countries. I know the same is true for cooperation with Interpol as only PROC is recognized. Such resourcefulness for a country of approximately 23 million people!
Sincere thanks to my friends for their great suggestions about how I should share my travel experiences through a YouTube channel (Jane) and Instagram (Debra). My hesitation with using social media is three fold: 1) I'm a pleaser at heart, so I have challenges with developing boundaries that prevent me from going overboard with my content, 2) I'm simplifying my life by disconnecting from social media, and 3) I'm prioritizing my own travel needs which may be far less entertaining or engaging for subscribers.
My gratitude to the three different Taiwanese bus drivers who made an extra effort, at the last minute, to stop at my bus stop. An important responsibility passengers have in Taiwan is signaling to the driver in the approaching bus that you want to take their bus. I was delayed in signaling to the bus driver in three separate instances this week that I wanted to take their bus. They managed to bring their bus to a safe stop relatively close to the original stop and welcomed me about without a scowl or any unpleasant words in Taiwanese.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
Remember how convenient WhatsApp is for messaging around the world? Get ready for something new when visiting Taiwan. The most commonly used messaging app in Taiwan is
Line. As the Line Corporation shares on its website:
'Today, LINE is a “life platform” that supports all aspects of our users' lives. By offering diversified services and Leveraging a “hyper-localization” strategy, LINE Messenger has become the No. 1 messaging app in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, and is loved by users all over the world.' The only method I know of to sign up for Line in Taiwan is by having a local phone number (which is excluded from my eSim contract). The local people I met are disinterested in adding WhatsApp when I suggested the option to stay connected! Maybe that's just a polite way of telling me they are disinterested in staying in contact with me...
Travel Update
I've decided to take myself out of my comfort zone in a couple ways for my upcoming travel in Mongolia. I'm going to join a tour to simplify my travel life and I'm going to do a twin-share with a complete stranger assigned by the tour company. I'm investigating this 16 day tour of Mongolia's central region. Stay tuned.
I fly to Palau from Taipei on Wednesday, May 27; returning to Taipei on Monday, June 1. I've booked a flight to Osaka on Tuesday, June 2. I'm looking at flying to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, from Narita on June 28.
Travel Maps
Thank goodness for Taiwan's amazing public transportation system. I used the local tourist bus to explore the Sun Moon Lake area, then headed by bus to Taichung to catch a train to Tainan for two nights which included using buses. Back on a bus to Tainan Station to catch the train to Kaohsiung for four nights.
Taiwan: May 14 to May 27, 2026
Sun Moon Lake
What a great feeling to be back in Sun Moon Lake. Joyce and Amanda were so welcoming when I arrived. It had that 'good to be home' feeling! Amanda offered up two coupon books, left by previous guests, that had coupons for an all day pass on the tourist shuttle bus that stops at various locations around the lake. There was also coupons for a free bus ride to Checheng Village - more below. A small example of my hosts' kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. Thank you!
My changing itinerary in Taiwan initially meant the higher level room with a balcony was unavailable which I was notified of in advance. The universe's benevolence shone on me as a room cancellation prior to my arrival put me back into a higher level room. Thank you to my hosts for taking such good care of me!
I received a not so subtle reminder, via a Presidential Earthquake Alert (see below), about the ever present risk of traveling in Taiwan. One more instance where Google Translate is a good travel buddy to have!
My return to Sun Moon Lake involved visiting sights I had purposely omitted from last year's visit. The Pagoda was my first stop. I'd encourage anyone visiting the area to include this stop, on a clear day, for its wonderful vistas of the area from the top of the pagoda. In my opinion, the Pagoda views are much better than the Ropeway with much more flexibility to see the entire area surrounding the lake.
'Ci En Pagoda was built by the late President Chiang Kai-shek in memory of his mother. It was completed in April 1971 and sits on the 954 meter-high Shabalan Mountain.
The pagoda is 46 meters tall, bringing its top to an even 1,000 meters above sea level. It has an imposing traditional Chinese style and is divided into nine stories."
I met (and had a few brief convos with) three young men from Houston who were visiting Taiwan and Japan.
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| Pagoda entrance sign |
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| Road leading to trail head for hiking to Pagoda |
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| 570 steps up/down |
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Taiwanese and South Koreans
buid the best walkways! |
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| Pagoda |
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| Looking up from base |
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| Sun Moon Lake |
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| Looking west - away from lake |
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| Looking west - away from lake |
Xuan Zang Temple is located just around the corner from the Pagoda's entrance, maybe a ten minute walk downhill. While I typically avoid churches, temples, museums, monasteries, etc., this is one temple I am appreciative that the universe guided me to visit. The following description hopefully captures the extraordinary experience while visiting this temple.
While I was wandering about the temple's first level, a non-English speaking volunteer latched onto me trying to find English language literature about the temple. That's about the same time a monk, Datoi, appeared with the intention of teaching me how to recite a prayer while bathing the Buddha figurine. The bathing ritual involves:
- Kneel in front of Buddha,
- Fill the small ladle with water that is in the bowl around Buddha,
- Recite the bathing prayer while pouring the water over Buddha,
- Repeat thrice!
Datoi then gave me a package that she indicated (in her limited English) had liquid contents with cleansing qualities.
She also mentioned there was noodles and red bean soup available and she was off. About ten minutes later I ran into her in the temple's gift shop where I asked to take her photo.
Datoi then reiterated her message about the food, leading me to where the food was being shared with donations appreciated. She gathered up the four different types of food being offered, shepherded me back to the gift shop where I could eat my meal inside. She also arranged a small Buddha on the fern in front of my food. She returned one last time to give me a serviette and wished that I enjoyed my lunch.
She mentioned she had made the red bean soup I was about to eat.
'Monk Xuanzang was the Holy Monk in the Tang dynasty. During the China-Japan War, Japanese took the Monk Xuanzang's remains away from Nanjing to the Tsen Temple of Saidama Ken in Japan. In 1955, the Monk Xuanzang's remains were returned back to the Xuanguang Temple. In 1965, the Monk Xuanzang's remains were moved to the Xuanzang Temple after the temple rebuilding.'
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| Temple name |
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| Temple entrance |
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| Temple |
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| Ist level |
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| Bathing Buddha table |
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| Bathing Buddha prayer I recited |
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| Temple landmark?? |
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| Where the food is shared with visitors |
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| Sun Moon Lake view |
I hiked the Pilgrim Trail (850 m/.5 mi) from Xuanzang Temple to Xuanguang Temple. I chose this direction as the hike would be primarily downhill, a key fact I recalled from last year's visit to the lower temple. Just below this temple is a pier where you'll find musicians, a jetty where you can take the lake ferry and a small kiosk that sells a famous local favorite delicacy -
tea eggs.
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Pilgrim Trail between two temples.
So easy to walk. |
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| Appears to be offerings |
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| Temple |
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| Temple |
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| Lake side below temple |
I added a visit to Checheng Village because I had the time and coupons for a free return bus ride. It's a beautiful little village that has been transformed to support tourism. There is some railroad and logging history you can explore in the village. There are a multitude of shops to explore if you enjoy browsing and shopping. A couple hours walking around the village was just enough for me. A 'nice to see' place if you have oodles of time and have interest in railroads.
'Checheng is a rustic little village close to Mingtan Reservoir. As the terminus of the Jiji tourist railroad, the village prospered for a while in early days due to the construction of the reservoir as well as the logging industry; today, its economy relies on the railroad, logging, power generation, and winery cultures. It is now a recreation area with both leisure and educational functions.'
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| Shops on right, railway yard on left |
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| Railway yard |
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| Delivering goods within the village! |
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| Logging equipment |
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| Village pond - walkway around |
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| Remodeled railway station |
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| Local musicians - great music |
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| More railyards |
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| Natural beauty x2 |
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| Natural beauty |
Ita Thao
Ita Thao is a small tourist community across the lake from my location (Shuishe) that you can reach by renting/riding a bike, the tourist bus or by taking a ferry. Another destination for those who like to browse shops, eat street food/ice cream or talk with the shop owners like I did (with Google Translate, my trusty friend!).
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| Main street |
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| Village from pier; rain storm is brewing |
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| Wen-Wu temple |
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| Shuishe |
Tainan
Through the magic of Taiwan's public transportation system I was in Tainan in a few hours quickly and relatively inexpensively without the challenge of trying to park a vehicle. Google Maps is fairly reliable in identifying the combination of transportation methods, their times and costs to get you to your destination. In this instance, I took a coach ride from Shuishe to Taichung Station (five minute walk from my accommodation), rode the train to Tainan and boarded a local bus (five minutes from train station) to my accommodation (three minute walk) in the Anping area.
The only caveat with using the public transportation system exclusively like I'm doing is I'm restricting my ability to visit more remote areas or less commonly visited areas. Mountain exploring and trekking do require renting a car or finding someone to drive you. Remember Taiwan requires a driver to have an International Driving Permit (IDP) to rent a vehicle.
Anping Area
My return visit to Tainan was focused on visiting the Anping area that I missed during my first visit to Tainan last year. The big tourist attractions are Anping Fort and Anping Old Street. I decided to stay two nights which was more than enough to see the highlights, sample local food and explore other parts of the city.
I was blessed with another extraordinary accommodation experience while staying at the Macchiato Homestay. I had a large comfortable modern room, excellent bathroom and all the other amenities for a great stay. As you'll discover in the Friends section below, my newest friend Yi-ling, transformed a two night stay into remarkably memorable experience. Thank you to the universe!
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| Area map to get oriented |
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| Anping Road |
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Anping Road - a few minutes from
my accommodation |
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Anping Road - the lanterns got my
attention |
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| Near Lu Mansion |
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Police officers cleaning street near police station -
garbage that missed the garbage truck a hour earlier |
'In 1624, Dutch built the first fort in Anping, Taiwan, called "Fort Zeelandia", now known as Anping Old Fort, where has been the administrative center of the Dutch regime, and the hub for trading. The building was originally constructed in square inner fortress and rectangle outer walls. In 1661, the fort was renamed as Anping to commemorate his home town when Koxinga (Cheng Cheng Kung) has driven the Dutch out of Taiwan. Therefore, Fort Zeelandia was also known as "King's Fort" or "Taiwan Fort", nicknamed Anping Old Fort.'
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| Site map |
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| Site map |
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| Remaining section of original fort walls |
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| Path to tower and museum |
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The historical inscription on this monument
were erased in favor a what a most recent
civic government official wanted. Go figure! |
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| What's a fort without some canons! |
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| Tainan from tower |
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| Tainan from tower |
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| Tower |
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I think this is Koxinga who defeated
the Dutch. |
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| Can't get enough tower photos! |
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My newest Taiwanese friends. I was gifted the
chance to join the students & teachers for a photo! |
I 'accidentally' revisited Snail Alley while I was making my way to the Hayashi Department Store. I had spent time last year exploring this truly touristy destination. The alley entrance caught my attention for some unknown reason as I was walking. I took a few minutes to step into Haritts Donuts & Coffee shop near the alley entrance. What a cool donut shop! Lots of fancy donuts, great music and a chill place to dine on their donuts while savoring some java!
'The name "Snail Alley" is derived from the scene of "Snail Alley" mentioned in the novel "The Past is Like a Cloud" written by noted Taiwanese literary scholar Yeh Shih-tao. The current location of Snail Alley was the last residence of Yeh Shih-tao in Tainan before his death. Some of the lines from "The Past is Like a Cloud" were also engraved on the tiles of Snail Alley.'
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| Snail Alley entrance |
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| Snails everywhere! |
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| Harrits entrance |
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| Harrits interior |
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| Harrits interior |
Yes, I was expanding my horizons by visiting a restored Japanese department store that was originally built in the 1930's during the Japanese colonial period. The vintage elevator is a major attraction onto itself. Once again, more browsing and shopping for those so inclined. The stores are definitely more uniquely Taiwanese including lots of locally sourced items for sale. The rooftop cafe was my intended destination which I captured in my photos below.
'In 2014, its status as a department store was restored, with a great many limited edition Hayashi goods on sale inside. In addition, there are some important points that must not be missed: The elevator's floor indicator is the old style dial type, now probably the only remaining one in Taiwan, which preserves the authentic feel of the place. The Torii shrine on the top floor is also one of a kind, be sure to go upstairs and have a look. A hole in a wall from the bombing by US Forces during World War II is a link to the building's past.'
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Sidewalks in Taiwan are mostly finished.
Pay attention to the sudden changes in height!
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| Fighter jet overhead |
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Fighter jet up close. A reminder
of the tension Taiwanese people
live with everyday! |
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| Tainan street by department store. |
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| Famous elevator |
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| Original floor indicator |
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| Elevator opening |
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Red bean filled Boba Tofu pudding with
peanut crisp! Yummy! |
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| Tofu pudding selection |
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| Black tea with ice cream with my tofu pudding |
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| Many delicious delights to tempt you! |
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| Cafe service counter |
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| Cozy cafe |
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| Tofu pudding heaven |
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| More cafe seating |
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| Shinto shrine on rooftop |
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| Tainan street |
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| Tainan street |
Kaohsiung
My next destination was a 45 minute train station to train station ride between Tainan and Kaohsiung. During my 40 minute wait at the train station, I managed to meet a retired Taipei couple who were wrapping up a five night excursion to Tainan and Mavis, a Hong Kong resident who is working in Taiwan, on her way to Kaohsiung Airport. More details about both encounters in the Friends section below.
My primary priorities in revisiting Kaohsiung included attending another Taiwanese baseball game, exploring the bean to bar chocolate culture/business in Pingtung, visit Qijin Island (adjacent to Kaohsiung) and journey to Liuqiu Island located a 30 minute ferry ride from Donggang. Mission accomplished on all four priorities! I also wanted to visit the Sunny Steamed Buns location near my hotel which makes the most amazing variety of delicious buns. A visit to the nearby Lihue Night Market would also be both good entertainment and a place for good food.
TSG Hawks Baseball Game
I LOVE Taiwanese baseball because it's more than a baseball game, it's non-stop entertainment! There is activity happening throughout the game, irrespective of what team is at bats. The team cheerleaders are on stage while their team is at bats. Fans know the cheers and the dance moves so they are fully engaged in cheering their team to victory. I'm guilty of missing a few good on field plays because I was distracted by action in the stands. The Taiwanese copied the cheerleading idea from the South Koreans and, in my humble opinion, have mastered the art of fan engagement better than the South Koreans. You'll find my photos are disportionately focused on the action in the stands versus action on the baseball diamond. That's my Taiwanese baseball experience!
My seat was three rows up from the field on the home team side of main plate. While the seat offered a close up view of the action, the protective webbing was annoying plus the location felt a little isolated from the ongoing action in the stands! There were limited seats available by the time I bought my ticket. I bought my ticket online with the help of Google which automatically detects the website language offering to translate the website content to English. I had bought my ticket by credit card and received my electronic ticket by email in a matter of minutes! A phone option was available, if I had had a local number, that is!
The home team won 3 - 1 in a well played and entertaining game - assuming you find baseball an interesting sport to watch to begin with.
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| Baseball field |
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| Pre-game photo op with team 'mascots' |
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| Food queue |
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| More outside food stalls this year than last year |
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| Many different variations of hot dogs |
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| Pre-game prep |
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I had to buy hot dogs for the complete
baseball experience! |
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| More pre-game prep |
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| Warming up the crowd |
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| Warming up the crowd |
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| Yes, even more crowd engagement! |
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| Oh yeah, there is a baseball game as well |
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| Crowd in action |
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| Crowd in action |
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| Opposing team's fan in action as well |
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| Following the cheerleading dance moves |
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| Team candy tossed into the crowd |
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| Team button giveaway |
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| TSG Hawks cheerleaders 'on stage' |
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Cheerleader stage - a stage for each team next to
team's dugout |
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| Opponents team cheering fans |
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| Opposing team cheering fans in action |
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| Singing with mobile phone light on |
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| Meanwhile, back to the baseball game - hahaha!!! |
Bean to Bar Chocolate Pilgrimage
The Pingtung area, just east of Kaohsiung, is renown for its cocoa growing and bean to bar chocolate international award winning reputation. A short 30 minute train ride brought me into chocolate heaven.
My key destination was Choose Chiu's as this is the place where cocoa beans were first grown by Chiu. I was traveling to the equivalent of Taiwan's chocolate mecca. I was in for a small surprise. Choose Chiu's is a large restaurant now with a small display case for the dark chocolate they sell. My expectation was seeing several large display cases where upteen varieties of dark and milk chocolate were available for my purchase! Sadly, it wa not to be! I consoled myself with an iced chocolate mocha while I researched another chocolatier nearby.
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| I digress on my pilgrimage |
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| Another gorgeous flower distracts me. |
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| The chocolate mecca |
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| Service area |
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| Chocolate sold is in white cabinet |
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| Entrance to a beautiful restaurant |
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| Restaurant |
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| Chocloate liquers |
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100 grams of pure dark chocolate delight - that
I decided against buying. |
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| Iced Chocolate Mocha |
My second chocolatier visit was a 3.4 km stroll (in 34C heat) from Choose Chiu's. While this chocolatier was more to my expectations, the only products they sold were boxes of dark chocolate in 5 gram wafers (24 wafers in total). I did purchase a box of 24 dark chocolate (85%) wafers. This is the best 85% dark chocolate I've ever tasted. I know I will debate with myself whether the money was worth this dark chocolate experience!
It was about 2 pm at this point and all my walking in the heat tempered my ambition to visit more chocolate shops. Here's an example where having an air conditioned vehicle would make a difference. I found the nearest bus stop and started my return trip to my hotel.
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| Nearing store on right |
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| Store entrance |
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| Look at all their awards! |
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| Sampling area - including a taste of a cocoa bean |
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| Store sales team |
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| Box that contains my 85% dark chocolate |
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My 22 dark chocolate wafers - I gave two wafers
to hotel staff I had met. |
Liouhe Night Market
Saturday evening was ideal for the 15 minute walk to a nearby night market. This market, with tourists as its primary customers, was busy with lots of people being offered a good selection of street food. Night markets are amazing places for people watching and seeing what different types of food is available. Deep fried is an operative word in a night market! I settled on deep fried tofu with cabbage - a somewhat mundane choice given the variety of food available. As boring as it might be, it was delicious.
Better yet, the table I was eating my tofu at was directly in front of a cosmetics store. How convenient as I'm been looking for marine safe sunscreen which I did find, with a store employees' wonderful assistance. Trying to find sunscreen section was relatively simple as compared to trying to read the packaging to identify what was marine safe. The young woman did all the reading for me, leaving me with two choices. How blessed I am!!!
Palau is incredibly proactive on environmental issues meaning only marine safe sunscreen is allowed to be used in the country!
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| The streets are alive... |
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| More people having a great evening! |
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| Potential dining delicacies |
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| Potential dining delicacies |
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| My deep fried tofu and cabbage. |
Sunsets
I continue to be blessed to witness the sun disappear beyond the horizon. While my preference is watching the sun set over the open sea, I'm grateful for the daily gift of seeing the sun set in whatever form it may take for that day!
Sun Moon Lake - May 17
An amazing combination of clouds and the sun setting over the hills set the stage for this dramatic sunset.
Sun Moon Lake - May 18
Tainan - May 20
I had what turned out to be a naive idea to chase the sunset to the water's edge during my first night in Tainan. A quick look at Google Maps would have confirmed the distance I needed to go made my idea unrealistic. So common sense took over after a few kilometers and I settled for these two photos from the path I was walking on.
Friends
What an amazing week of meeting new friends or getting reacquainted with existing friends! I do hope that everyone who travels has the same gift of conversation (and friendship) with people they encounter as I do.
Joyce and Amanda
One key reason I had for returning to Taiwan was to explore the area around Sun Moon Lake more extensively AND to stay at MeiJen Guesthouse, the same place I stayed at last year. Returning to the homestay was like returning home. The warm greeting I received when I arrived made me feel at home. At the end of most days (I missed one day) Joyce endured my daily debrief of my adventures. The common area had the best sweet treats and coffee I could ask for. A wonderful healthy breakfast was ready on 7:30 am to start my day, which I enjoyed on the rooftop terrace. It's so good to be home!!! 💞
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| Amanda |
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| Joyce |
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Thank you again for the ice cream!
I LOVE ice cream! |
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| Our friendship being shared at the guesthouse |
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| Our photos and the kindest note posted on the wall |
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Close up of our photos and the note my
friends posted below the photos! |
Datoi
I mentioned I met Datoi, a monk, while visiting the Xuan Zang temple. My new friend agreed to have her photo taken with me. She then guided me to where the monks were sharing meals for any donation visitors are inclined to leave. Datoi gathered up the four different types of food available, escorted me to an indoor area where I could enjoy my meal in peace. She also placed the small Buddha on a fern in front of my food to bring blessings to my dining experience. Datoi returned one last time to bring serviettes for me as well! What an incredible temple experience for someone who typically avoids temples. Wondering what message the universe is sending me???
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| Datoi |
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| My meal |
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| My meal companion |
Yi-ling
I was blessed to leave one 'home' to be greeted like 'family' at Macchiato Homestay, my next temporary home in Tainan for the next two nights. Yi-ling was so warm and welcoming on first sight. She was impressed of the travel I was doing at my age (67) and the fact I was using the bus. She said many Taiwanese relied on scooters to get around and would be unlikely to get about using the bus. Yi-ling had prepared ice tea that was waiting for me in my room's bar fridge. She also had the A/C turned on plus a fan going to cool the room. After walking me through the mechanics of living at the homestay, she identified a number of local eateries to eat on - all personally tested by her or her husband. How blessed I am!!
I'm sharing the messages I received from Yi-ling during my two night stay with the hope these messages (italics below) convey her sense of warmth, hospitality and caring. Thank you again Yi-Ling! 🙏
Good morning! Those two spots nearby are great for breakfast, just a 5-minute walk away. Wang's Fish Skin is famous for its fish soup, and Egg Wrap House has delicious egg wraps with various flavors. Just giving you some options! ☺️
"It's super hot in Tainan. Don't forget to drink water when you're out!"🤗
Hi hi! The newly renovated area has become very popular recently. On weekdays it’s much more relaxing and less crowded. It’s also very close to the Crystal Church, so you can explore the shopping area together. It’s not far from the Literature Museum, Hayashi Department Store, and Haian Road Art Street either, so you can visit those places together as well. Just for your reference 🤗
Hello! I’ve placed the tea bags and amenities on the platform outside the door, please help yourself 😊
I also prepared some seasonal fruit — lychee — for you to try. It was the favorite fruit of Yang Guifei in ancient China 😁 (I had asked for additional coffee for my second morning)
Will you need help carrying your luggage downstairs tomorrow? (Yi-ling organized someone to carry my luggage from my 2nd floor room to the ground floor reception area).
Hi hi 👋 In a little while, I’ll leave you a cup of coffee that I brewed myself. I also roasted the beans myself! Since you like sweet drinks, I added some caramel — I hope you’ll like it 😊 I’ll leave it on the outside platform for you 🤗
The farther south you go, the hotter the weather gets. Remember to stay hydrated and take care not to get heatstroke. Wishing you a safe and pleasant journey 😊
BTW - I shared the link to my travel blog post with Yi-ling which she had such positive comments about!
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My amenities - missing is the package of mini
Pringles that disappeared rather quickly! |
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My homemade goodbye coffee!
What a gift! |
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| Beef soup from a recommended restaurant! |
Taipei Couple without names
I met a retired couple from Taipei as I was navigating my way to the Tainan train platform for my ride to Kaohsiung. They were ensuring I was on the right platform. The husband retired at 51 (now 63) spoke about the need to look beyond working to enjoy life. They were returning to Taipei after five nights in Tainan, a place they visited a few times every year. His message about looking beyond work is a message that I live by and reinforce when I speak with anyone who will listen! Thank you to the universe for the reinforcement! My bad for failing to introduce myself and asking for their names!
Mavis
After the Taipei couple boarded their train, I turned my attention to a suitcase that belonged to a young woman sitting next to me. Why? Because it had several baggage routing stickers that airlines use still affixed to her suitcase. I'm diligent at removing the stickers to reduce the probability that my suitcase ends up at the wrong destination! Mavis was on her way to Kaohsiung International Airport as she, as a Chinese national from Hong Kong, was only allowed to stay in Taiwan for a 30 day period. She was going to decide where she was going to fly to based on flight availability once she arrived at the airport. Mavis mentioned she once flew to Osaka without having any accommodation booked. As she was looking for a place to stay, she stopped a stranger (an Australian) for directions. She accepted his kind offer to stay at his place for the night. I now have Mavis' contact info as she invited me to connect with her should I return to Taiwan.
Terry
Terry and I met while we were both waiting for the bus after the Friday night baseball game. Terry, who was from the People's Republic of China, had lived sufficient time in the USA to have what I thought an American presence including how he spoke American English. One of Terry's initial comments was he was from Atlanta, a city I used to fly to periodically on client business. He was traveling on his own in Taiwan, being at the halfway point of his two week holiday. He was the only one from his family that was granted a visa to enter the country. Another indication of the ongoing tensions between ROC and PROC. I had a chance to share some info about Taitung, Terry's next destination. We also exchanged contact info which also included me sharing my travel blog post link.
Neipu Angel
My Saturday chocolate pilgrimage included a most extraordinary act of kindness that's created an indelible memory. During my 3.4 kim walk to the Zeng Zhi-Yuan Chocolate store, I was passed by the open garage door (coconuts in front) in the photos below. As I was walking by, a woman in her 50's was getting on her scooter with a bag of several small bottles of coconut water she had just purchased inside this store. When she saw me, she got off her scooter, took a bottle from her bag and gave the bottle to me, all with a big smile. She refused to have her photo taken. While she only spoke limited English, she spoke one word that will make this moment last the rest of my life. The word she spoke was 'friend' - she was sharing a bottle of coconut water with a friend. Wow, how special a moment in my life!!!
The vendor also refused to have his photo taken. Before I left, he gave me a second bottle of coconut water (photo below) with a clear indication through is body language that the bottle was free of charge!
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| Where new friends are made in Neipu |
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| Get our coconut water here! |
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| Coconut water |
Next Week
I say goodbye to Kaohsiung on Tuesday morning as I travel to Taipei for a night. I'm off to Palau around midday Wednesday to start my five night last minute adventure in Oceania!
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