Travel Diary

Terry and Lesly were heading out for breakfast and asked if I wanted to join. Silly question. I wasn't going to miss the last gathering out here.

Once out of bed, I noticed my sore calves. They felt as if someone had been walking on them the night before. Who pays for that kind of pain? (Turns out I do)

We stopped at a little place where I had an egg and rice roll. It was what I had my first day out here. We chatted a bit and Lesly then left for Chinese class. Terry and I went to get coffee and a coffee shop (Not Starbucks, but next to one). Upstairs was nice. They had a huge amount of tables for a coffee shop. Many people were reading, working on computers, and even drinking coffee.

Soon, it was time to leave. We walked over to the MRT and I shook hands with Terry and said farewell. I headed back to the apartment.

One plan for the final day was to have a facial for a great price. I had never received one before and it sounded very inexpensive and relaxing; however, when I went back around 11am, the shop was still closed. Some shops just seem to be open whenever they desire. Rather than keep returning every hour, I just decided to pack and write for the afternoon.

Time passed quickly as I wrote. Eventually, Lesly came home and a while later, the private car had arrived. After saying goodbye, I sat back and watched the city change into the countryside.

The drive was much longer than I remembered when arriving. Hillsides turned very green, and dense trees covered almost every square inch. Finally, the airport was reached.

Inside, I had a long wait. My plane wouldn't leave for 2.5 hours, and check in went very fast (perhaps too fast). Wandering around, I found a free internet place with an open terminal. (Nice feature, EVA!) I spent a while online, and then explored more. I located a store with a free shot of Bailey's. Very well. Can't let that go to waste.

Next, I located an eatery, where I had a couple beers. They were $2 each, but for an airport drink, that was quite cheap. SFO charges three times that. I chatted with someone returning to San Francisco for a while. He had been in Thailand and was just in Taipei for the layover. I asked if he had ever explored the city, but he hadn't or hadn't liked it, finding not much to do. Hearing such a comment, I often question whether or not the person had really researched the city or merely gave up after walking around the airport. The capital of any country is most likely going to have a lot to do, if you're smart about it. Learn, explore, discover.

Time moved slowly, but we finally boarded. Since I arrived so early, I got a good seat on the aisle. Take-off was on time and I was now dreading another long (11-hour) flight.

To pass time, I watched some movies. I had a slight buzz so reading wasn't really an option. So many movies today are so forgettable. I even had a hard time remembering what they were. But I finally did:

• Zombieland -- a couple of funny parts, but overall, forgettable
• Surrogates -- some good action moments, but there's a reason it left theaters so fast
• Whiteout -- Yawn. Didn't even finish this one. Well, the plane landed beforehand, so I guess I couldn't have anyway. But I now have no desire to ever rent it or research the ending online. The important thing is that it ended.
• The Informant -- this one I liked. One winner.

As usual on foreign airlines, one thing highly noticeable is the staff of pretty stewardesses (well, for me at least). In fact, there were no men working the cabins. While I'm all companies being fair in their hiring, I can also understand the need for important marketing in industries that utilize it. America is supposed to be the poster child of good capitalism, but sometimes I wonder if we fall short by having a plethora of laws and litigation when it comes to hiring. Hollywood gets a break; why not others?

Okay, enough superficial talk. Eva also scores in service. The staff was very friendly (Are you listening, United and AA?!?) and offered many free drinks (including free alcohol). What they didn't do was nickel and dime me every chance they got. I had two check-in bags and one carry-on for no extra cost. I would be influenced to do more national travel if our airlines didn't have so many negative factors. I suppose I've gotten a little spoiled by airlines just being friendly and fun once again.

Once in SFO, I patiently exited the plane, but then walked FAST over to the immigration checkpoint. One thing I've learned is to pass up whomever you can during this phase. That line gets long quickly. There was almost no wait when I reached the checkpoint.

I even got my bags fast and the customs checkpoint also went by quickly. I was on BART before I knew it.

BART was a reminder that I was back home. Too many people were unhealthy once again. But that's their choice and I can't fix that. However, another frustrating thing is how rude people can be--and that does affect me (and everyone else). Several loud talkers chatted away oblivious or unaware of how it affected others. One guy kept his music player so loud, people could hear the music (well, it was rap, so not exactly music) all around him. He only turned it off when he answered his cell phone and talked obnoxiously. Now, this doesn't speak for everyone; there were nice, quiet people on the train. The percentage of selfish folks just seems higher on our trains. These are things I just haven't seen as much of overseas.

Once BART reached the Pleasanton station, I exited and started the long walk home. I suppose I could have called for a ride, but I had no phone. I had no phone numbers. I had no money for a cab. I also wanted to avoid making someone drive all the way out to SFO, when BART goes all the way to my town. Nah. I would just take BART and get some exercise and make the walk from the station, figuring it was only a mile or two.

It was more.

I don't mind running 15  miles, but walking 3.6 miles with 60 pounds of luggage was not what I had intended for exercise. It was also freezing outside, but I had my sweater, coat, and gloves on. One problem was that my pants weren't fitting. Not sure if I lost weight overseas, or all my jeans are getting worn out, but none of them seems to fit. I also had no belt and felt like one of those silly kids who buy pants way too large only to have to pull them every five minutes. It may look comical when it happens with a toddler, but for an adult, it's just embarrassing for all.

My feet were starting to hurt after a couple miles. Sure, I walked a lot in Taipei, but not with so much weight being carried. It was a long journey, but at 6 pm on Friday, January 8, 2010, I was finally home again.

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