"But What do you Usually Eat for Breakfast?"

It was a question asked often, and the most common response was granola. That was indeed available, but the array on the breakfast buffets at our hotels was mind-boggling. Think Eastern, Western, and just plain quirky (IMHO). Any morning we could choose from dozens and dozens of items including, for example, miso soup, sushi, sweet potato porridge, fruit, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, french fries, and eclairs. My breakfast preferences and food rules rapidly went out the window, and I frequently found myself staring at my plate in wonder or dismay. Then came the question again.

Heading Home

My driver failed to arrive at 6:30am, as arranged, so I was relieved when the hotel staff put me in a taxi for a fast ride to the airport. Making up a bit for the shopping deficit, I spent too much for a jade macrame bracelet at a shop in the departure terminal. Before I left, a friend caught up with me for a hug and photo. And then it was time for the long trip home: 27 hours across 14 time zones. I started exhausted, which did not bode well for jet lag. It was a wonderful experience, but I was already dreading my performance upon returning to work (the following day).

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Stay tuned for my upcoming visit to Korea. A few random observations about Taiwan: Taxi drivers played classical music. Crosswalk signs provided both a countdown and an image of a walking figure. The lower the number became--in other words, they less time you had to cross--the faster the little figure walked and then ran. Hightech abounded!(See the photo of the control panel for the lights in my hotel room.)

Long Last Day

MONDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2102 We started the day at the fabulous Palace Museum and managed to see its most famous holding, a small chunk of jade carved to look like a cabbage, an auspicious vegetable in Taiwan. (We also saw another jade piece resembling a hunk of meat. With these came a lesson about the Chinese affinity with nature.) After another sumptuous lunch and tea sampling, we headed to a small town to see a museum dedicated to an artist and the local temple he supported. We arrived back in the city in time for an extended dinner hosted by a gallery owner. I was exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel--shortly before midnight--and I still had to finish my packing. I already had an impossible load of stuff, and then I noticed the new gift bags delivered to my room. Yikes! Fortunately, I had a scale in my bathroom and managed to come in at the 50# limit. I dropped in to bed, satiated but dreading the alarm for my early flight.