Day 1 in Taiwan - Shattered, knackered and badly in need of sleep!

I was supposed to finish this blog entry last night, however, I literally must have passed out where I was so tired. It's now 5.15am in the morning, and I have had a wonderful night of sleep, on what is probably the comfiest bed I have ever slept in; it was like sleeping on a cloud — or maybe, that's because I was just so tired.

Our day started relatively late yesterday. We had a midnight flight from Perth international airport, and as usual, we were there with plenty of time to spare. I am a person who is always early; I have never been late for anything in my life — so we arrived by taxi at just after 8pm. At nearly $50 AUD for a taxi from our house to Perth international, it isn't cheap, but then nor is Australia in general; The reality is, I think we are both just grateful to be leaving Perth for a bit. After one of the wettest winters we have had in years, it felt good to be going somewhere hot, if a Little rain soaked at times. Taiwan does have its fair share of wet weather, it has to be said, but this green, lush country is a must-visit place for Darrell and me, and somewhere we have wanted to go for a very long time.

We had a few beers at the airport, and some rather expensive, mediocre food. Despite the usual moans and groans about cost, it always feels great to be sat in an airport, waiting to get away. When we lived in Europe, we travelled a hell of a lot. With shorter distances between countries, it was easy to just pack up and leave for a while, getting a cheap flight to this place or that. In Australia, it is obviously a very different, considered purchase, and even though we do make sure we try to go on holiday twice a year, it really doesn't feel enough!

We flew to Taipei on Cathay Pacific — cattle class as usual. There is no way I am paying for business class; I would rather suffer for the few hours involved, then pay a fortune for something, that in my humble opinion, isn't worth it.

To put it in some kind of context: As we boarded the plane, business class looked radiant, shiny and a bit posh, but in reality, as we exited, after the seven-hour flight, it looked worse than economy, where we were. I remember thinking to myself — 'whoever you are, whatever class you maybe, you will still end up in the same dilapidated mess in the end.' This is as true for a flight, as it is in life. It felt good to have just paid a fraction of the price, then those with more money did… Even if I was wealthy, I'd never pay the huge costs involved; I'll always be a tight wod in that respect!

The flight itself was pretty uneventful, and I even managed to watch a film, something I never do. Readers of Roaming Brit understand just how much of a nervous flyer I am, so being relaxed enough to do anything on a flight, is pretty unusual in itself. Have you heard of the term 'raw dogging' a flight, well that is generally what I do — basically nothing. I sit there with my hands firmly gripping the arm rests of the seat; feeling every twist and turn, I hold on for dear life. This time it was different, I managed to watch the screen in front of me, focused and calm. I watched the film 'Civil War,' which was a bit gory for me, but nevertheless, I enjoyed it, more than I thought I would.

Darrell mind you was not happy. He detested the flight, dropping airline food down his clothes, squashed in the middle of me and a Taiwanese gentleman, and unable to sleep whatsoever. I on the other hand, managed to get a little shut-eye. With turbulence at a minimum, which was unusual on a flight in South East Asia, I felt relaxed enough to be able to drift off, even for just a short while.

We arrived in Hong Kong for a two-hour stop-over, at about 7.30am. We managed to get through security relatively quickly and without any fuss, and through to the well catered for transit area. Now, Hong Kong is one of my favourite airports. There is always something to do there, and it has amazing facilities and shopping. It is a great stop-over destination as well; if we had had more time, we would have probably stayed a few days, but it was nice just sat there for a few hours before our next flight to Taipei.

The journey to Taipei took just over an hour. The flight itself was a little more turbulent than the other one from Perth, but we arrived in good shape, early, and relatively unscathed. This was the worrying flight for me, since China has been doing military exercises off the coast of Taiwan and with tensions across the World rising, my anxious mind obviously thought the worst, as it always does. 

After passing though Boarder Control, without incident, we walked outside into the warm, tropical air. It felt good to be back in Asia again. I do love the climate here, more than anywhere else in the World, and thirty degree plus heat, does suit my constitution these days. Half an hour later we were on the MRT train, travelling to Taipei main station, and our hotel in the centre of the city.

The transport system here is great — we were quickly ushered onto a train for the 45-minute ride. We took the express train, which missed out most of the stops, but sadly we had to stand all the way. This isn't unusual for Taipei. This is a big, populated city, and most people use the train system to get around. Feeling exhausted after our flight, I think I can safely say, this isn't a trip you want to do, with little or no sleep. Slipping and sliding around a train carriage, full of people, with sparse seating, isn't for the faint-hearted. Nevertheless, we were able to look out of the windows, at the green lush vegetation pass by. This is an extremely wet, tropical region, and the green hills and mountains are really a site to behold.

From Taipei main station, we got on a commuter train, on the Bannan line, to our hotel. It was literally one stop away. It was fascinating to see people queuing patiently within lines, not deviating or encroaching on someone else's space, When the train arrived, we all walked calmly to the doors; there was no pushing or shoving and everyone was so well-mannered. Can you imagine seeing this in central London or New York?

Although the system seems modern on the surface, with large gates preventing you from falling from the platform, the trains themselves aren't particularly modern. From my recollection of Bangkok, and the BTS Sky Train there, the MTR appears to be older, and the trains are not in the best condition. It was, however, an easy system to navigate, once we had got the hang of it. Darrell does these things far better than I, who can't even read a map, so I left him to work out where we were going, to differing degrees of success.

We are staying at The Hotel Cozzie, a modern boutique hotel in the Shandao Temple area of Taipei. It is clean, modern, and perfectly appointed. When one considers the lack of good hotel rooms in Taipei, I think this place is perfect. Hotel rooms are very expensive, because of the lack of space here. Before I booked the Cozzi, I remember seeing rooms which were small, had few facilities, and in some cases didn't even have a window. Here, were had three windows, a large suite by Taiwanese standards, and even a bath in the bathroom; I couldn't be happier.

If there was one criticism I had, it was the lights everywhere. Even when you turn all the lights off using the switches next to the bed, the buttons themselves were still illuminated all night, which meant the room was overly bright for me; as someone who prefers darkness, it did make it difficult to stay asleep at times. Otherwise, it was perfect, and we both slept in the huge bed, like a dream.

By the time we were both rested after our long journey, we were both ready for bed. However, we did venture out briefly to the Shilin night market, just to have a brief look around, with a view to return today, for some authentic street food. The market only takes cash, so we couldn't really buy dinner there. We only had large denomination notes of a $1000 Taiwanese, and with prices at an average of $40, we decided to go and eat in a more expensive restaurant near our hotel. Even then, however, we ended up paying just $39 Aud for a nice meal and beer.

With day one at a close, we came back for an early night. I did sit for a while looking out at the vibrant city outside, as I prepared my blog for today. The streets were packed full of people and cars, bustling and full of life. This is why I like Asia; unlike Australia, where the city streets are quiet, Asian cities, make you feel alive and give you a real zest for life. The more time I spend in this part of the World, the more I fall in love with it. This is of course only our first day in Taipei, but I am hopeful the rest of our stay will be as magical as the first.