Well, the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year holiday finally arrived. Nanjing was showing signs of holiday festivity preparations – stores were packed with special New Years treats, shoppers were busy stocking up on all the necessities for their holiday feasts and gift giving – red envelopes, special treats, gift packs, etc. It’s the closest thing I have felt in Asia to the Christmas rush in the U.S. We finished up our duties at school, finalizing our semester grades and suddenly people were off to many parts of the globe. My trip began on January 24th with a flight to Taipei and ended on February 15th with my return to Nanjing – one of the longest vacations I’ve had since working at the U. This one with an important difference – no work responsibilities or worries at all – total freedom to concentrate on having a good time and a good time was had!
It would take too much time on my part and patience on your part for me to recount all the adventures and experiences encountered on this trip so I will only share some of the highlights.
Xiao Lui Schiu Island – a day after arrival in Taipei, Daniel, Peggy and I took the fast train to Kaoschuing at the southern end of Thailand – there we were met by former ELI students Ken, Stephanie and Fu-Fan – we went for a leisurely hot pot lunch together catching up on our lives since meeting years before. As we finished our lunch it suddenly dawned on us that the final boat to the island was leaving in 40 minutes and the drive to the dock would normally take one hour – well, it was scene worthy of The Amazing Race as our expert driver Ken drove Bourne-like through the streets of Kaoshciung while Peggy called the boat company to plead for them to wait. They gave us ten minutes leeway – it was nail biting down to the last minutes as we pulled up to the dock, they were waiting for us – the boat was held! Ken threw his car keys to the boat people along with some cash – shouting, “Please don’t steal my car!” and we jumped on the boat – having to perform a walk of shame as we passed all the disgruntled passengers who had been made to wait!
We spent a delightful two nights on the island at a beachfront B and B – the weather was balmy – a great relief from the cold spell that had just hit Asia depositing snow in Taipei for the first time in 50 years. We scootered around the island – my first time on a scooter with able driver Ken at the wheel. The island was pretty deserted – this being off season and we enjoyed the quiet, watching the sunrise and sunset and sitting out on our patio by the beach eating and drinking – a wonderful respite.
Upon returning to Taipei, we repacked and laundered and took off for Osaka. I was pulled out at customs and questioned – the first time this has ever happened to me in Japan – “You have been to Japan many times…” I had to unpack everything and even unwrap the candies I had bought in Hong Kong – very strange. We got to our inn in Kyoto by early evening, met by a former ELI teacher now living and working in Japan who had bought and remodeled the house and turned it into a rental. It had traditional tatami rooms but was upgraded in all the essentials – insulation, plumbing, electricity and was in a quiet neighborhood but within walking distance of the glitzy Gion district and several temples. We reconnected with friends – Masako, Haruo and David (the landlord) and Daniel and Peggy met with former host students. We watched a performance of Japanese culture and saw amazing sights. Kyoto is very tourist friendly and is calm and uncrowded – a nice place to get your feet wet in Japan without being overwhelmed with crowds and confusion. It was especially interesting to see my friend Daniel experience the wonder that is Japan for the first time.
