Leaving Day and Taiwan, Day 1, 6-2-2013

Well it was tough getting out of the apt.  Being sick the last weekend I was off really messed me up.  I was running around, totally stressed out my last week.  But in the end, with an extra day in Japan, spending the night with Naoko and Haruto (and Naoko helping me with last minute details) I left early Sunday morning after a good night's sleep in a house with people I love.





My Japanese 'family' - Naoko and Haruto.


 

Someone gave me this Sudachikun (my favorite
character) doll as a going away gift.  I REALLY
wanted to take him home but I just couldn't fit
him into my suitcase.  So I'm trusting Haruto to look after him for me.

 

The Tokushima station area and an early morning bus to Kansai Airport.
Goodbye Tokushima...




Took the bus to  Osaka and then flew JetStar Asia to Taiwan in a little under 3 hours.  Somehow I got an exit seat with no one sitting next to me - if you choose that type of seat you have to pay extra and I'm short so I don't really need it but it was nice having the row to myself.   There were beautiful cloud formations as we flew over the ocean (don't know which one - that's bad).
I have never been so unprepared when travelling.  I just didn't have time to do the research and I didn't even know how to get into the city from the airport.  Turns out there are MANY buses, old, yucky buses (I'm not in Japan anymore for sure!) but somehow I found one that sort of went where I needed to go and then with a little wandering in the subway and a helpful attendant I figured out how to get to the hotel which is actually in New Taipei. While waiting for the bus I was talking to an Australian who is here for a huge tech conference which is why all the hotels are soooo expensive this week!  I couldn't understand why, with everything else - trains, food, etc. - so reasonable the hotels were so much...
Anyway it's quite a nice hotel, a Taiwanese breakfast is included each day, fruit in the room along with bottled water.  Great shower and really comfortable bed (I'm writing this after a good night's sleep).  A little out of the way but very close to a subway stop.
I went to a night market for dinner - wasn't too impressed with it or the food.  I think I'll try a restaurant tomorrow.  I did stick to the main road so I could find my way back since I can't ask for directions here.  People are very friendly though and on the subway to my hotel a couple of young people spoke to me in English.  The young man had spent 7 months at a university in Alabama.
That was day one.  Doesn't seem like much but I think just getting to the hotel was quite an accomplishment!



Beautiful Taipei Airport.

On the bus ride into Taipei.  About an hour's ride.





Lots and lots of escalators!

The Park City Hotel - Luzhou in
New Taipei.  VERY nice.

From my hotel room.

The bathroom had a window to the bedroom.
A little weird....

 

 

I went out to a near by town's night market.  Didn't love it.  And the scooter's where crazy!!!!  They were everywhere!  No sidewalks, dumpy, dirty food stalls - no refrigeration, lots of people, cars and scooters just pulling over to the stalls, getting some food and taking off.  Kids, babies and dogs on scooters. Crazy.

 

 

I couldn't figure out how or what to order from the stalls I ducked into a place that had a buffet.  You fill a plate and the cashier looks it over and gives you a price.  This was about $2.