Taiwan, China (Hainan) and Korea (Seoul) Trip - March 2018

Beep! Beep! Beep!   4:30am comes way too soon, when you need some extra zzzzs.   We were downstairs for our taxi to Kaohsiung Airport at 5:30 and by 6pm, we were checked in for our flight.   Oh the things one takes for granted in Canada:   none of my credit cards – Visa, Mastercard or Amex – worked in the taxi.   We always plan our currency down to the wire.  So with no cash and no way to pay via plastic, much to the driver's chagrin, I ran inside the terminal and found a bank to change some Canadian dollars.   After the customs and security zoo, we found a business lounge and went in.   But wow, it was pretty slim pickings in terms of anything 'western' to eat for breakfast.   Our China Airlines flight to Hong Kong was on time and, as a wide-body Airbus A-330 that was only half full, we had lots of room to spread out.   Even on a 90-minute flight, they provided a hot breakfast, and the service was impeccable.   The descent in...

When we planned our three days in Taiwan, we decided on a day to tour Kaohsiung, another for Tainan and, for a change of pace, a third in Kenting National Park, which is at the southernmost part of Taiwan.   Kenting is a long bus ride from Kaohsuing, via the Kenting Express Bus, which we took at 9:15am, arriving around 11:30am.  Our plan was to use the four bus routes that ply the national park as a means of exploring.  But when we arrived, the lack of an English schedule and a complete lack of information on bus stops, etc. made us realize the local bus was not a viable option.  Most people tend to rent a scooter, but one must hold a Taiwanese scooter licence for that.  Wearing a skirt, Pam was not keen on the idea of a scooter.  And if you saw the way people drive here, you would easily understand her apprehension.  But sometimes, sheer necessity dictates one's path! The scooter shop was keen to have a rental (there are tons of scooter re...

If you have never experienced a 12-hour time change, it's difficult to explain how it whacks your system.  We always try to throw ourselves into the new time and force our bodies - and brains - to adapt quickly.  But that is hard to do, especially after a 21-hour voyage during which you sleep very little.  By the time I finished last night's blog, it was midnight Taiwan time on Saturday - or noon Halifax time.  My last sleep of more than a few hours was last Tuesday night.  Therefore, the rise this morning was BRUTAL.  But rise we did, as there is a country to seen and very little time to see it! We walked to Koahsiung Main Station close to 9:30am and were on a packed train to Tainan just before 10.  And when I say packed, I mean sardine-packed.  We arrived in Tainan - a city of 1.8 million to the north of Koahsiung - just after 10:30 and started another day of good walking. Tainan is known for its temples, canals and the...

What a great flight we had on EVA Air - and we even slept a few hours!  Our flight headed over the North Pole, down over eastern Russia, made a distinct sharp turn (according to the flight map) to avoid North Korean airspace, and glided between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, before making a descent into Taipei a full hour ahead of schedule.  And the service was truly impeccable.  15 EVA Air staff in Toronto handled the boarding of the flight, and a massive air crew of 17 coddled us all the way -- staffing numbers that are unheard of on North American airlines these days.  After every couple of loo usages, the attendants cleaned the washrooms and made those little triangle folds on the ends of the toilet roll!  I mean, who does that! We arrived in Taipei at 4:35am, and by 5:00am, we had cleared customs, gotten our bags, withdrew Taiwanese dollars, and were waiting for the kiosk to open to rent our "wifi AP", a small device that allows both of us to access w...