Holiday Inn East Taipei

... said that they'd ask their clients and if they were OK then we could go with them. The first taxi's clients came back and the driver didn't really ask them I don't think but sort of told them and we weren't sure whether they were OK or not and we just stood there and the clients, two Japanese women, looked a bit lost also. But before you knew it the driver had already put our bags in the back and ushered us inside.
He drove ...

... service. 11 hour flight to Taipei. I slept 5 hours and Chris didn't sleep at all.
Arrived in Taipei @ 1 pm local time and it was already Monday there. Lost a day in the air. Taipei bathrooms were the cleanest I've ever seen. Airport security was super efficient too. They should train our peeps.

... to Hip hop and 80's power ballads. Made the girls there laugh, but Sarah is a keeper and I have no idea what would ever pull me away from her. I was also looking at dresses for her since I'm planning to pop the question in the next few days. ^_^ Well, I'm just writing this after a breakfast of hot orange juice and sweet potato soup. so time to enjoy taiwan and get me a ring!

... floor on the airplane and a near private cabin. Random observations include 1. People that travel must really get smelly because I've never seen so much perfume for sale 2.long live the universal symbol for "home page". 3. Chinese writing really does look way cooler then English.

... park activities line the walkway along the river. A landmark of Jhongjheng Park is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy. This is the biggest Goddess statue in Southeast Asia. The park provides three levels for tourists to explore. The first level has an historic canon fort. The second level has a Buddhist library, Chung Lieh Temple and Chu Pu Tan Temple. And the third level has the Kuan Hai Pavilion. From Lauren: Taipei was an interesting ...

... we were not too concerned. We checked in to one of the hotels and asked for a map of the hiking trails. After paying for two nights the staff cordially informed us that all trails but one (easy 1.3 mile stroll) were closed. Now it made more sense why the place was deserted... I guess with the amount of rainstorms, rock slides and river damage that has occurred most paths were deemed too dangerous to go on. As we drove up to the gorge I often thought that even the ...

... The policeman recommends to us one place with small huts and a hot spring pool area and tells the lao ban ( boss ) " Pien Yi " or cheap. So we get a hut with bath and TV and free use of hot spring pool and spa for 1000 a night. We thell them that we just arrived and wanted a look around the village first. We see a very cute restaurant which has won prices for it's creative cooking ( see photo of garden ). Other places are more expensive and it is now ...

... I know from home where everyone " Pssst " the other if he/she speaks a word, more a village gathering. The same experience I had in the Sheng Shi Bao Presbyterian church some other time. By the way, most of the sermon and singing is done in the tribal language. The texts are printed in Romanized letters, meaning you and me can read it. The romanization of the aboriginal languages was brought there by the priests and missionaries ...

... city and seems to be, language barriers aside, a rather comfortable city in which to live. Although we went to ancient temples and were blessed by 80 year old female monks (or were they just church ladies?) with incense, and ate deep friend pork intestines, we also had dim sum in the Grand Hotel, a gorgeous hotel on the side of a hill, shopped in an enormous mall, and saw the new James Bond movie. The city is also in the midst of an election, which ...