Leavin' on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again. But I will be back. Taiwan was too good to leave it forever.

The best laid plans . . .

I didn't make it to Lanyu, and I came back a day early. Here is a list of things that went wrong:

1) There were no seats available on the train. So I stood/sat on the floor for 5 hours. No biggie!
2) There were no ferries available to Lanyu until the next morning. Not really an issue, except that I was at a harbor far, far from Taidong (and the nearest hotel that I knew of).
3) After arriving at Green Island (a reasonable alternative), I discovered that the campsite I had paid for at the visitor's center did not come with a tent or a sleeping pad.
4) No one has tents available to rent after 6:00.
5) Scooters can run out of gas unexpectedly, at awkward times.
6) The sun rises very early, and the wind off the sea is cold without a sleeping bag.

However, it was still a good trip. I got to swim in one of the only two salt-water hot-springs in the world, which were conveniently open 24 hours. I made a bunch of pretty cool short-term friends to hang out with and have barbecued seafood with. The stars are AMAZING on Green Island at night. No one will bother you if you sleep on the beach (though you may be cold, and wake after only 2 hours of sleep, but if that's the case it's your own damn fault). The ocean is warm but still refreshing after the heat of the day.

I am tired, I am sunburned, and I never made it to my destination, but it was still worth it.

Winding down

Last day of work was on Friday, said goodbye to all the kids. It was a sad parting, of course, as these things tend to be, but a happy one, too. Mimi was especially sad, having been very close to me all year, and kept saying, "Today is a terrible day. I hate today!" I took her aside and told her that she'll always find days that are both happy and sad, and that it's okay to be sad, as long as you remember to be happy, too.


Saturday I went out to Danshui with Lizzy, Dianna, Hannah, and Alva, latter day friends of mine who I wish I'd met sooner. I guess that's how it will always be when I sign up to live somewhere temporarily. Saturday night was partying at Roxy and in my recently emptied apartment. We drank from milk bottles and wine glasses, lacking all other vessels. Sunday was a lot of reading, and a lot of sleeping in. And today I did my taxes, and shopped for camera lenses.

Things are winding down, but I've saved one more adventure for the time I have left: Monday morning I'll catch a train to Taidong, and from there a ferry (or perhaps a hovercraft) out to Lanyu, called Orchid Island. A few days on a tiny, quiet, tropical island sounds like a good thing right about now. One last bit of peace before I gotta figure out the next few years.

Beginning of end

I have a return date. I will leave Taipei shortly after 11:30 PM, August 30. I will arrive in San Francisco shortly after 8:00 PM the same day. TRAVEL BACK IN TIME!

I don't have a job in the States. But I have a massive family, and more friends than I think, and I miss them all quite enough to have finally decided to return.

Last call for anyone who wants neat Made in Taiwan stuff! Limited time offer! Don't let it expire!