Taipei 101 was the first stop on our list to visit. I was at Taipei 101 last year with my mother and two nephews and very impressed with the massive structure and engineering technology. On the observation deck last year, we also had the most expensive ice cream cone that I had ever had, which my two nephews still talk about it till this day. This year I was the seasoned visitor to lead Da Pong around to visit the building of Taipei 101.

We took the subway and buses to get to Taipei 101. Although we had obtained our international driver’s licenses before we left Canada, we decided not to rent a car in Taipei. My brother also offered us his car for our stay in Taipei but we just didn’t feel comfortable driving in Taipei. I have to say that my driving record has been excellent, but I am not so sure that I can ever adjust to the Taiwanese driving style. What I don’t need is to have an idiot driver changing lane illegally to pass me by and scratch the car, which is rampant in Taipei anyway. The Taipei subway system is excellent in my view, and the bus system connected to the subway is quite good. On top of all, the taxi is not too expensive, either. So, risking our lives to drive in Taipei is out of the question.

The wealth that Taipei 101 displays is beyond our comprehension. We were there on a Monday which might not be the busiest day for the retail business. We were in awe to see all the expensive shops under one roof and wondered how the stores could have stayed alive in business. Then we soon found out how.

Our flight landed at 5:30AM! Days before my departure, I already told the family not to bother to come pick us up at the airport. (For God’s sake, it was 5:30 in the morning!) Anyway, we really took our time walking through the corridors, waiting in line for the immigration and claiming our luggage since we figured that no one would be waiting for us at the gate. By the time we stepped out the custom, it was about 7:30AM. Suddenly, I heard, “Julia!”

No way!

My brother and my sister-in-law had been waiting for a long time for us to come out. (Some people just don’t listen, especially the loved ones! ) My brother was supposed to fly out to Vietnam later on the same day, but he delayed his departure just for us. Luckily, he and I got to spend a whole day together with the whole family. I really appreciate their efforts for us.

Nowadays, the method has sadly become a common practice for some big companies. One of our acquaintances, Keith, was recently let go from his job. His case was way worse than the one I heard before. (The characters’ names were changed to protect all the people I know.)

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Can you imagine losing two children at one of the busiest place on earth in the summer? I did. I lost two children at Walt Disney World, Florida once. Here is one of my travelling stories.

Years ago, I pioneered the first study group for King Car Education Foundation to visit Jacksonville, Florida. That was their first time to organize a large group of people to stay at a high school overseas. I volunteered to lead the group as an escort teacher because at that time I was hosting a radio program called Co Co and Po Po Time for King Car. It made perfect sense for King Car to send us as the escort teachers to oversee the ESL program provided by the private high school in Jacksonville, Florida.

Most of the group members were children but we also had quite a lot of parents who came along with us. The private school provided the parents some activities during class time. I can no longer remember the exact number of people we took with us but I think the total number was about 52 people, including adults and children. It was not easy to please everybody in the group, I could say. The worst part was to take care of the group of children who came alone without their parents for three weeks.

I go to a Tai Chi club every Monday and Saturday. There are very few Chinese members in the club. In fact, I almost can count the number of Chinese members with one hand. Many of my fellow members thought that I had pretty solid kung fu skills when I first joined the Tai Chi club. (Thanks to my high school Ph Ed. Teacher and all those Kung Fu TV’s and movies I watched!) However, sometimes I wonder if they think every Chinese must be good at Chinese kung fu.

Most of my instructors are volunteers. So, most of them are members who took lessons from some other volunteers who took lessons from other people who happened to take lesson from the Chinese Master long time ago. (Hehehe… It is a mouthful, isn’t it?) These instructors might not have even met the Master in person ever.