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Saturday, Phoenix, AZ
(3/25/2000)
Our flight started uneventful, leaving Phoenix only 15
minutes late and arriving in LA precisely on time.
I got a slight fright when the check-in clerk at EVA air
told me I wasn't going to be allowed in Taiwan because I could only get a
14-day entry into Taiwan without a visa. We told them that this directly
conflicted with what the Taiwanese authorities told us and so they let me go on
the plane anyway... but the fear that I'd be turned back at the gate in Taipei
was in my mind the whole flight.
We had frequent flyer upgrade tickets and rode in the
Economy Deluxe class. Each seat had an individual TV with a choice of movies,
but I only sat through the latest 007 film 'The World Is Not Enough". It sure
beat the 4 times I had to watch "Snake Eyes" on our last trip. We also had
expanded leg room, footrests and better food. All in all, it was a comfortable
flight (as much as 14 hours on a plane can be.)
During the day we flew over Alaska, within sight of Russia
and, at night, we had an impressive flyover of Tokyo with its city lights
stretching as far as the eye could see.
We arrived ontime in Taipei, waiting for over an hour to get
through immigration (I made it) and arrived at Chu-Wan's parent's place about
12:30AM Monday morning.
Unfortunately, their phones were out due to construction in
the area, so there was no Internet access and no way to call and tell people
I'd made it safely to Taiwan.
Monday, Taipei (3/27/00)
In front of my in-laws building used to be a secluded
cul-de-sac, which was constantly choked with parked cars. Apparently it is now
being converted into a through-road and the construction crews were out early
working on it... very early. I first noticed them about 2:00AM, filling the
dumpsters with construction debris. They didn't start using the jackhammer
until about 8:00AM.
About 8:30 we went out to the nearby park and finally, after
3 separate stays in Taiwan, I managed to get the GPS (Global Positioning
System) unit to lock onto my position. I'm not lost anymore. 
At this time of the morning, the park is swarming with
people doing Taichi and other meditation exercises.
I had a uniquely Chinese-Western breakfast: A hot dog in a
croissant, a plain croissant and a chocolate-covered croissant.
As I had suspected, already the tenor of this trip had
changed. The long duration made this more of a "move in with the in-laws" trip
rather than a "vacation". They began working me pretty hard on my Chinese, but
their pronunciation is considerably different than my Chinese teacher back
home... even different than Chu-Wan's. Initially, I wasn't having much luck. I
was able deciphering the instructions on the toilet. Apparently this is a new
phase of water conservation: Two position flush levers. The standard "down"
flush is a low water flush, the new "up" direction flush is the satisfying
old-style flush we all know and love. I had to go it alone on this one; no one
could come in and help me. Luckily, I recognized the Chinese character
combinations: Up/Big and Down/Small.
Our first order of business was banking. Chu-Wan and her mom
went to establish a US Dollar bank account that we put our travel cash into. At
the same time she opened a credit card account. (How can she get a credit card
with no income?) I think the whole exercise was just to get the free "Miffy"
dishcloth holder and dish towels.
What's a Miffy? Miffy is a small, cutesy rabbit-like animal
that looked like it might be due to unseat Hello Kitty as the "cutesy" item of
choice for Taiwanese girls. I found them virtually indistinguishable.
Exciting as the bank was, after 45 minutes watching them
setup the accounts, jet lag hit me and my day was essentially ended. Before I
conked out we had "beef noodle" soup. They was the "real" thing - beef broth,
long noodles, chunks of roast. Fresh -- not dehydrated like the 6 for a $1
ramen soups at the supermarket. Very good!
Many hours later when I awoke, the phones were still out. We
made our way out for me to find some dinner and to Taida (Taiwan
Daxuexiao - Taiwan University) to find a Cybercafe.
I ate at "Gold In Tex" (sic) a western style fried chicken
place, where everything is relatively familiar to me; however, right outside,
doing a much more brisk business was a food cart selling mostly unidentifiable
bits of chickens. I recognized wings and feet but the rest were a mystery.
Then we grabbed a bus to find a Cybercafe; I spotted one
from the window of the bus only 3 or 4 blocks from the in-laws' place.
There was an interesting collection of people inside... 5
Caucasian girls and 5 weird looking Taiwanese guys. The guys looked hopeful,
the girls looked disinterested. Clearly the dynamic in the room was going to be
interesting. I made a quick check in with work, grabbed a glass of iced tea and
left before watching the show. |
