1. Make sure you know the policies of your airline very well. I'm not talking about baggage weight limits and meals etc, those things are commonly thought of. No, I'm talking about the fact that you might want to check and see if the airport you have a layover in CLOSES DOWN AT MIDNIGHT! Yes, you heard me correctly. Apparently, the entire Taipei airport shuts down at midnight, meaning that I had to find somewhere to be during my 10 hour layover. This wasn't too bad, as I was planning on getting a hotel room, either in the airport or in the city so I could shower and sleep. Unfortunately, me being me, I got a bit lost and ended up out on the sidewalk without finding the airport hotel. (I wasn't sure how far I needed to go, and where I could turn around without violating some sort of immigration rules. Give me a break! I'd just been on a plane for 1 hours!)
This leads me to...
2. check out the surrounding area of the airport you have a layover in, especially if the layover is long and you may need to leave to get a room for the night. If I had done my research, I might have known that, much like most airports, the airport is not really in the city that is its namesake. So, when the taxi service asked me where I wanted to go and I answered that I just needed a hotel in Taipei, I should have told him to find me one closer, rather than driving for about 45 minutes. The taxi driver was very ice, and carried my bag to the front desk. The people there were also very helpful as the assisted me with converting US dollars into New Taiwanian Dollars. The hotel was very nice, and i had a great night's sleep and shower. I set up a wake-up call and had a shuttle ready to take me back to the airport in the morning. I arrived in plenty of time, and was able to see a bit of the city as we drove. Which brings me to...
3. The driving experience here is INTENSE! I'm actually happy that I was able to experience the driving in Taipei, because it helped prep me for the driving here in Thailand. Taipei actually wasn't that bad, just a bit faster and more aggressive than I am accustomed to. The drivers here, however, are a whole different breed. Let's just say that the lines here are merely suggestive. Now, I know I claimed this to be true in Egypt, but it is so much more so here! Think of motorcyclists who go wherever they can fit as they weave in and out of traffic. Now replace the motorcycle with a car. Now picture everyone on the road driving the same way. They have no problem straddling the lane divider line to squeeze in between a couple of cars. What is pretty cool, though, is that there is a decided lack of road rage. So even though the cars are weaving in and out of each other, there really isn't any sense of anger towards the cars around you. If someone cuts you off, you don't retaliate, you just move on. Chances are, you'll end up cutting them off down the road anyway!
Well, that's it for now. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as I'm adjusting to life half the world away. Until next time!
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