Taiwan –
I realize my back pack is just so insanely heavy I cant stand it. The good news is I’ve arrived to a warmer climate and I’m shedding more of my gifts in my bag. I’m going to try to ship my heavy stuff/sweater/jeans home and lighten my load as much as possible.
Taiwan is busy, a little dirtier (compared to Japan), and things seem a little less organized as well. I’m so glad I am here with Marissa and gladly hand over the “figuring it out” to her and just follow. I’m glad for the reprieve as I know Vietnam will be 3xs this. We grab dinner in Taipei and then finish the trek to Don Shuei where she is living and studying mandarin. The first thing I notice is the motos. They are everywhere. They second is how everyone is sharing the road… barely. Pedestrians, big trucks, buses and tons of motos everywhere. We walk through a little farming area and down her dark street and I wonder to myself what my rocklin/ suburb female friends would the raw visual aesthetics of this neighborhood and I am grateful that this too, (the neighborhood) is normal in the world.
In the morning we rent bikes and I am hit full on by the humidity and heat. We ride along the river and stop for some beef noodle soup which is both great and slightly scary based on the look of the place but was so so good. We sit and drink boba tea and catch up. This is my family. This is my dear friend. Oh how much I love that I have a heart such as hers even on this side of the world and I am so grateful for the paths my life is has intersected with and I feel fortunate to be able to lay claim to.
I have a work skype call so we wander back to the house and find a local coffee shop that she had heard of. By all my standards I am surprised and delighted to find excellent coffee/cappuccino here and the owner is so kind as well. My skype call is with a sweet couple in Dublin (although getting married in CA) we laugh at the ability of connection regardless of location. Afterwards we head to get more delicious food for dinner and then have our hair washed and styled at a local salon. I feel pampered in this moment and wonder why I never do this at home. I meet a lot of her friends and they are having an open mic night so we join in a bit. Someone has a banjoukelele and I am giddy. I really must buy one to play while in Vietnam. (I hope I can locate one… I am so close to being able to play a particular song…)
