A Shot of Formosa - Taipei

My grandfather didn't make it. Overly confident that Chiang Kai-shek would soon return, he remained in Shanghai despite many friends, colleagues, and even his brother whom he'd followed to China after WWII, begging him to leave while he still could. As Mao's communists seized control of China in 1949, many foreigners escaped to safety in British Hong Kong. Others, along with most Chinese loyal to the Kuomintang, boarded boats in Fujian (my husband's home province) to cross the Taiwan Strait. My grandfather wasn't one of them. 

Not a bad place to rest

66 years later, sitting in the business class lounge at Beijing Capital Airport awaiting my nonstop* flight to Taipei, I thought about my grandfather. Smuggled onto a Russian frigate after slipping past the guards surrounding his home, I imagined the sorrow he felt catching his last glimpse of China from a small porthole as the Hong Kong bound ship disappeared into the night. He would never see China again, nor would  he ever forgive Chiang for abandoning them. 

Historic Tainan

It had just stopped raining when I exited the train station in Tainan, once the largest city in Taiwan. Because of its rich cultural heritage and striking architecture, it is often referred to as the 'Kyoto' of Taiwan. My friend an local guide Stephan was waiting with a taxi. There was quite a celebration happening in the streets as we exited the car and began walking down a narrow pedestrian/moped alley towards his friend's guesthouse - my humble lodgings. Emerging from around a dark corner, I literally ran into a parade celebrating the reunion of individual "branch" gods who reside in small temples unto themselves. (That explains the commotion from earlier.) Every so often, these gods must gather at the main temple to celebrate [their godliness??] Afterwards, they are paraded together back through the streets and alleyways, stopping at one another's small temple in a sign of brotherly unity. Exploding fireworks, blaring music, and dancing temple gods manifested delightful chaos - the best welcome gift a traveler could ever ask for. 

(Is)land of the Rising Sun

No. 29

Nineteen years ago, I enviously waved goodbye to my brother Watson as the chartered James River Bus pulled away from an otherwise desolate strip-mall parking lot in Richmond, bringing him and the other members of West Richmond Little League’s All-Star baseball team to Dulles airport for a 13.5 hour flight to Japan – his first trip abroad. For years afterwards, I dreamt - as little brothers often do – of following in my big brother’s footsteps, just without the whole baseball bit (I am such a bad player that I was lucky if permitted to watch from under the bleachers). Whether playing with a small, golden souvenir of Edo Castle or marveling at his leftover Japanese Yen with the iconic holes in the center, I lost myself in daydreams encountering ninjas and samurai, walking past geishas, visiting ancient shrines and gardens, and crossing steeply curved wooden bridges. Nineteen years waiting, I was happier than Jean Valjean – 24601, I am no more!

London Calling Once...

Do you ever think these are
just for tourists?

Having cancelled two trips to Virginia and one to Russia due to Alex’s untimely cancer diagnosis, I jumped at the opportunity when my favorite travel blogger, ThePointsGuy, posted that Delta was offering half-priced award redemptions on flights to Europe throughout winter. Checking my balance and discovering I had just enough points for two tickets, I began weighing destinations. Amsterdam, Paris, London, Dublin, and Munich - the options weren’t nearly as varied the schedules. Italy and Spain were discounted, but remained beyond my reach. As I glanced over at Alex slouching in a chair, fixated on intravenous vitamin C dripping down the clear tubing into the port nestled between his skin and thoracic wall, a sneaky scheme suddenly began forming. Alex has always knowingly or unknowingly thwarted every attempt I’ve made to surprise him. Utterly helpless in his current state (don’t judge me), I saw an opportunity to plot my revenge. Click. Click. Enter - a trip was born.