Made it!

Sitting here in my room in Taichung, Taiwan, at the Howard Prince Hotel again. Same hotel I stayed in back in January and it is our usual Taichung hangout. But this time, due to heavy bookings at the hotel, I got a little bit of an upgraded room...


It was a little grey when I first got up this morning, but it got pretty nice after breakfast.


Taiwan is still such an amazing place to me. Since this is only my third trip over here, the novelty hasn't worn off yet- though the flying part certainly has. The city of Taichung, as well as what I saw of Taipei, is such a series of contradictions. The cities are a little smelly and dirty and crammed with teeming life, but then you turn a corner and walk into a beautiful garden or a small rice field. It's such a weird "balance" of new, old, modern, ancient, ugly, pretty... it takes getting used to. That said, as I have said before, the Taiwanese people are simply amazing. The warmth and kindness of so many of the people is just awesome. One day, I'm bringing my bike with me and heading off to the mountains and down to the coast. I have been told it is some of the most beautiful scenery in the world- and I look forward to exploring it one day.

Time to get out and go for a walk and take some pictures. See what has changed around here since January. Already had breakfast at 6:30, since I couldn't sleep. It's Sunday morning here now (9:00AM), so I think I might go get some tea and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the city.

I'll be back with more soon.

Tim