Greetings from Taipei

Yes, I brought my lappie with me and darling Leng managed to get me a cable. Note to self: It ain't wireless everywhere you go.

I'm enjoying myself over here albeit many reasons not to.

1. Almost impossible finding veg / Halal food
2. Majority do not speak English - quite a number do and are very approachable and very helpful :)
3. Signs and what-nots are in Chinese - I can identify the characters for fish and cow... but that's NOT ALWAYS helpful

I say it's good company and travel planning left to someone responsible!

The part of Taipei that we are in is right smack in the city so we've done and plan on doing some major shopping. We have been to some tourist attractions (nature, memorial etc) of course, but this isn't a cultural immersion trip but more of a return-home-with-a-hole-in-your-pocket trip. I have to say this trip is a good break. I'm so glad to be on this trip with Leng and her family. It'd be pretty dull to be going with a bunch of strangers.

Some observations about this place...

• Left side drivers - it's odd sitting on the right side of the bus, looking out of the window and seeing a driver (vehicle outside) next to you. Even odder, sitting on the left side of the bus, looking out and NOT seeing a driver (vehicle outside) next to you
• Train stations use coin tokens (like that in poker) and the trains have these sirens blasting to warn you that the train doors are closing
• EVERYONE obeys the rules here:

1. You cannot find dustbins on the streets at like every 50m or so BECAUSE you are expected to dispose of your trash at home. So you hang on to your trash till then. The streets are immaculate.
2. People here follow the rules of traffic and are very patient drivers. No honking heard since I stepped foot onto this land.
3. On escalators, you stand on the left and overtake on the right. Same case on the roads, or even when walking on the streets. It's an unspoken rule and no one seems to disobey them except for the tourists, of course.
4. Recycling is a huge thing here. Recycling bins are more abundant than trash bins and the locals do take their recycling seriously. They leave their homes with a bunch of bags, all sorted and wait for the melodic garbage truck to carry the bags away. Even when we ate at BK (I had fish), the patrons stood at the bins and sorted their trash. Everyone returned their trays; there was no sign or even staff wandering around cleaning tables.

• This is scooter land. A sizeable number here travels via scooter. I even saw a working woman in black pumps on a scooter.
• Not forgetting, the locals are very friendly, approachable, polite and obliging. They will come up to you if they notice that you are in trouble; no hesitation. If you ask them a question, they will politely answer you as best as they can. The customer service here is truly a gem.

What can I say, I like being a tourist here! I feel welcome and safe.