Before I tell the story of my 10-day adventure in Taiwan and Palau, I will frame it by telling about my mom and her family that has lived in Taiwan for over 500 years. My mother fell in love with my dad, whose parents were from China. With the political rift between Taiwan and China, many members of my mom’s family did not approve of her relationship with my dad. She courageously followed her heart and married my dad anyway in 1982, and even more courageously moved away from her entire family and followed my dad to the States in 1983.
This is a picture of the entire side of my mom’s family in Taiwan circa 1989, including my mom, dad, sister, and me. We are the 4 people furthest on the right. My mother is the youngest of 5 children. I am the youngest those children’s children, making me the baby of the family. The second baby of the family is Kurt (kid with the basketball on the left) and recently got married in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This prompted my mom, dad, and me to travel to Taiwan to attend his wedding. My sister couldn’t travel with us. She had used her vacation days on a birthday trip to Hawaii and on trips with her boyfriend, Nick, who she met on our previous trip to Peru! You can read about that here. The parents and I conveniently turned our trip into an extended vacation by also traveling to Palau, a little (very little, see here) known Micronesian island in Southeast Asia.
And with that, here is the story of my adventures in Taiwan and Palau, told through my travel journal, with pictures and videos from my trusty Powershot, my iPhone, and my sister’s GoPro, and with some post-trip commentary. Make sure to click the bolded, underlined links. Get comfortable, travel vicariously through me.
3-4-15 10:12PM
Currently sitting in Korean Air’s first class lounge, where China Airline also sends their first class fliers. We’re flying business but my dad flies frequently enough to earn first class privileges. Thanks Dad! Sipping on Johnnie Walker Black Label. It’s not Macallan 18 but it’s scotch and it’s not bad. We fly out of Taipei at 11:25PM. 14 hour flight, enough time for a good night’s sleep, a movie, and a decent amount of reading.
12:40PM
Located some thousands of feet over Hirara. Is that in Japan? Yes Okinawa, Japan. We’ll land in about an hour. Advil PM, The Giver, and a couple pretty good movies, Captain Phillips and Birdman, made this a relatively quick flight. It’s 4:50AM 3/3/15 in Taipei right now. 1:50PM ¾/15 in LA. That puts me…18 hours behind LA right now? That can’t be right. This clock aboard China Airlines can’t be right. It’s the 5th of March not the 3rd in Taipei. So that puts me 16 hours ahead of LA right now. Thank you iPhone.
Coming through the headphones: Atlas Genius – If So. (click, listen while you read)
“Everybody’s faking like they can, it makes it alright
Tell me what you want to cause I don’t know the wrong from the right”
“And I’m just like the next one cause we’ll be walking lonely tonight
Lonely tonight…”
30 minutes till we touch down. Taiwan, here I come.
3/5/15 7:34AM
We made it off the plane, to a bus, to a train station, and are currently on a high speed train to Chiayi, a city near our stay in Taiwan. Breakfast was from a 7-11 at the train station. My mom claims the 7-11′s in Taiwan are the best in the world. And I now agree. They have great food selection here but it’s hard to beat Hawaii 7-11 with their spam musubis. Unless you price everything cheaper, turn every receipt into a lottery ticket, and sell hard liquor. Rest of the 7-11′s in the US, y’all got some work to do.
9:24PM
Get lost while going for a run in Taiwan, check.
Get drunk, lose all your money in mahjong, check.
Very tired. Early morning tomorrow. Zzz.
3/6/15 1:37AM
My mom. Her snoring. UGHHH.
6:37AM
We’re on our way to Kaohsiung for the wedding. Long day yesterday. After getting into Tainan, we scooted to the fields where my mom and her family worked while growing up. My mom’s dad passed when she was 9 after developing pneumonia in the hospital after a car accident. The entire family worked in the fields to pick up the slack.
Got in a 10 mile run but got lost on the way back. Luckily my family sent out a search party and found me running aimlessly on the road. We went for lunch at a sushi spot, drank a ton of beer, and continued with cognac and mahjong after lunch. I lost nearly 5000NT…$160! 1 US dollar = 31.65 New Taiwan dollar. Yikes. These guys are good.
3/7/15 8:35AM
Fuck. My. Life. Left my camera on the taxi that took me to the train station. I’ve done this way too many times. I’m holding out hope that the taxi driver will return the camera to the hotel and it’ll find its way back to me. Sigh. Moving on.
Yesterday. The wedding! A traditional Taiwanese one. In Taiwan, the groom and his groomsmen pick up and escort the bride to the reception. During the drive, a younger relative (me!) tosses firecrackers out of the lead car to announce the wedding to the public. When the men get to the bride’s house, they go through a series of tests given by the bridesmaids to deem the groom worthy of marrying the bride. These tests were ridiculous and I wish I had more pictures but I was participating in most of them. Our tests included…moving furniture, trying to finish a table of food in 30 seconds (bottles of Coke, a platter of sunflower seeds, a huge loaf of bread, ramen, and bananas…we failed), 88 push-ups amongst the 8 of us, and dancing Gangnam Style, ballet, and Asian pop. The final test was a series of questions for my cousin about the bride and their relationship. He was then finally allowed to see the bride. Both of them sat in front of the bride’s parents and got the parents’ blessing for the marriage. Very touching moment as the parents sent off their daughter.
The reception. The entire side of my mom’s family was there. Wow, do the children grow up fast. Life moves fast.
Leave it to me to find the drinkers. Good old rowdy family reunion with a lot of wine, especially between me and my 大表姐 (oldest female cousin), who I met for the first time outside of my infant years and is basically a female version of me. It was so much fun. Wish I had more time here to hang with the family. What a different take on a wedding. I like it and given the opportunity, I’d jump at having a second wedding here with this side of the family.
Nephews and niece.
大表姐 (oldest female cousin)
Currently on a high speed train again, this time to Taipei to see my good friends Ben and Quenton. Should be a great two days with them. Going to squeeze in a run tomorrow when Ben goes to work and hopefully not get lost this time.
Song at the moment: The Temper Trap – Love Lost.
“And if you flash your heart
I won’t deny it
I promise”
11:15AM
Made it! To Shongshan where Ben lives, also where my parents moved to after getting married. Ben should be here soon. In the meantime, The Giver. Good book.
3/8/15
Another long, fun day yesterday. Ben and I met with Quenton and a couple of his friends for lunch. These hole in the wall spots make amazing food.
Beef noodle stew.
Went to National Palace Museum (a museum of Chinese culture and history). Went to a night market. Oh gosh, what ridiculous games. Sadly, we all lost. Better luck next time. Stayed out for drinks, lots of drinks. Thank you Q for the Glenlivet 15. Delicious.
Beautiful run along the river this morning after a nap to catch up on sleep and clear the alcohol from of my body. About to hit the gym with Ben and go for one more night out with this Taipei crew. Should be fun.
Palau tomorrow!
Shrimp fishing. A hook at the end of the stick attached by string. The goal: hook shrimp into your bucket without breaking your line. Difficult with flailing shrimp and when shrimp pull each other back into the pond. 7 sticks for 100NT ($3.5), you eat what you catch.
Hammer the water balloon. Video here of Quenton trying his luck.
The run began at Rainbow Bridge, a love themed part of the bike path, and went past basketball courts, baseball fields, dog parks, and some very nice scenery.
Nearly killed Ben with a circuit workout and 8-minute abs.
3/9/15 10:29AM
Just made it to the airport, 30 minutes early. The parents should be here at 11. It’s cold and rainy here in Taipei. I’m ready for the beaches and warm waters of Palau.
12:000PM
Okay, now this is first class. China Airlines’ first class lounge in Taipei is on point. Showers, sofas, great food, and fine alcohol. My first ever taste of Johnnie Walker Blue Label…smooth and rich in flavor. A bottle of this runs $200-300 and China Airline leaves it out, self-serve. I’m in heaven.
One great reason why I love flying with my dad.
3:30PM
On the plane to Palau The taxi driver returned my camera!!!
Coming through the headphones. Anberlin – Autobahn (Acoustic). This is a classic. The acoustic version is even better than the original.
“And we’re racing to outrun the wind
It’s just me and you and you and me
So wild and so young, bright-eyed and free”
6:02PM
Just touched down. Palau!
8:26PM
Ah, in bed at the hotel. So much warmer here in Palau We got in right after sundown and got a glimpse of the island. It’s beautiful. Can’t wait to see it during the day.
Done with The Giver and onto The Girl on the Train, the current New York Times Best Seller, fiction. The Giver was good but the ending…eh, left me wanting more.
Internet access is spotty here. How am I going to check how many likes I have on Instagram? Really though, my thoughts always come clearer without the background noise of social media and the internet. My dad, on the other hand, is struggling.
Lots planned for Palau. Fishing, snorkeling, a trip to Jellyfish Lake, a dive at Blue Corner (considered by many the most beautiful dive in the world!), and lots of laying out by the beach. Yes, yes, yes.
3/11/15 4:39PM
Palau is gorgeous. There are hundreds of mushroom-shaped rock islands. Rain picks up acidity as it runs through plant life and erodes the limestone at the base of the islands. Almost looks like the islands are floating on water. We spent most of today snorkeling in the turquoise blue, warm waters of Palau. Giant clams, coral, marine life everywhere. It’s a different world down there. Stopped at Jellyfish Lake and wow, it was absolutely unreal. There must be hundreds of thousands of jellyfish in the lake (actually 20 million!!!). Their stingers are now vestigial structures as they’ve evolved in a lake with very few predators so there was no danger in touching and handling them. The GoPro ran out of battery! UGH! We have to go back, Kate. We have to go back!
Pops caved and bought a 10 day, 10 hour wifi pass for $20. The internet here is as slow as the island is beautiful.
View from our 6th floor room.
Milky Way Lagoon. The eroded limestone gathers as clay and is used as a beauty product.
5:13PM
Mom and Dad both playing Candy Crush right now. Cute.
7:50PM
I’m sunburnt! Gah! My arms, my back, my face, my chest. Got to take better care of myself and adhere to my mom’s strict application of 500 SPF sunblock every 5 minutes or it’ll be a painful rest of a vacation.
3/12/15 – sometime around 12:30PM
Made it out of Blue Corner. Sharks, turtles, fish of every color. The sharks were within 10 yards of us. And we saw a shark eat another fish! Great dive.
We’re spending the afternoon fishing and staying the night on a rock island. Camping, Palau style.
Currently on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever laid foot on. Fine, white sand, turquoise blue water, rock islands all around. This is paradise.
The crew from right to left: yours truly, Mom, Dad, chef Bernie, assistant tour guide M (I only remember that his name starts with an M), captain Calisto, tour guide Ayong, and scuba leader Jeff.
M.M. Ayong’s 9 year old son. Future tour guide, somewhat one already. Cute guy. Big mouth and huge troublemaker.
6:36PM
Back from a long day at sea. Our tour guide, Ayong, caught 7 or 8 fish. I caught one and I’ll consider it a victory. Fresh fish for dinner tonight.
This is how we fish.
This is what we catch.
This is what we eat.
8:46PM
Delicious food. Our scuba leader set up coconut traps along rock walls, tied by vine, to lure land crabs. Great tip for when I get onto Survivor. Survivor 10 was held on these Rock Islands about 8 years ago. I wonder who won. Tom Westman.
Quite dark here. I’m inside a mosquito net set up on a wooden platform. This is where I sleep tonight. Headlamp on. This is how I’ll read and write tonight. No shower, no brushing my teeth. Feet are sandy, body salty and sticky, covered in sweat. This isn’t even close to how bad it is on Survivor. It’s a spectacular night sky. Cloudless. I wish I could capture this view to share. I wish I could share this experience with everyone. Carry them in my brain.
Still slightly rocking after spending all day out at sea.
Coming through the headphones right now: Filo & Peri – This Night. Old school, feel-good trance.
This considered a small crab. We let him go.
3/13/15 6:52AM
Beautiful morning from one of the rock islands in Palau. We’re the only ones here. More diving and snorkeling later today before going back to Koror and our hotel. We fly out tomorrow night. As always, I’m missing home, Elly, and my friends. Eager to get back to training for my marathon. Why can’t I bring them all here?
11:30AM
I swear I’m at a Survivor site. Russell Hantz found an idol in one of these trees. Ozzy swam in these waters and went on his unprecedented individual immunity idol streak. There’s an immunity idol hidden somewhere. I have to find it.
One last dive in the books at the German Channel. The reef looked like its own town. Different sized buildings occupied by all types of marine life.
Lunch time. More fish from yesterday’s catch. Then it’s one more trip to Jellyfish Lake.
Survivor-esque.
After lunch
There are more stars in our universe than grains of sand on earth. Food for thought. Astronomers predict we will detect intelligent life, species likely to be more advanced than ours, within our lifetime. What a discovery that’ll be. Imagine giving George Washington our current Constitution or handing Thomas Edison a MacBook and iPhone. Henry Ford a Bentley. That could be how it’s like when we make contact.
4:20PM
Our scuba leader ran into his friend who is a Budweiser distributer here. Great person to be friends with. Jellyfish Lake was just as breathtaking as the first time. What is a vacation if I can’t share it with y’all? On the way back to the city, Koror, we drove by the location of Survivor Palau. Okay, so I wasn’t on the right island. I would’ve found the hidden immunity idol if I was.
1 of over 20 million jellyfish in this lake.
A swim through Jellyfish Lake.
3/14/15 9:53AM
Ah, my thoughts, my book, and one last view of paradise. Home in 24 hours.
7:25PM
I’m red as a tomato, thanks to this morning’s session in the sun. I hope this fades into a golden brown by the time I get back to LA. Currently onboard the plane from Koror to Taipei, waiting to take off. Estimated flight time is 3 and a half hours.
Kavalan single malt whisky. Never heard of it but I just put in an order for it. Another perk of flying with Dad, free in-flight booze.
We spent some time in the hotel’s game room before checking out. I beat my mom in table tennis! I don’t remember ever beating her as a kid but I’m not sure if that’s just because I remember the frustration of defeat more readily than the winning. She won the next 2 out of 3. She’s lucky we didn’t play 5.
Plane’s taken off. Officially left paradise. Already homesick. Vacation withdrawal hasn’t hit yet but will soon. I miss Elly. She and Lexi seem to be getting along as well as they did last time. 18 hours. See you soon Ellybellybear.
Mom and Dad at table tennis. Mom takes it by a landslide. She’s good.
26-24 game 1 between Mom and me. Intense game. We play to 21, win by 2.
Father and son. Game of pool. We split the series, 1 game a piece.
Meanwhile, in California. ❤
Sometime around 8:00PM
Flight attendant has a heavy hand. A little spice to this Kalavan. A glass of whisky, Chet Faker, pen and paper. Cheers, here’s to creativity.
This whiskey needs just a touch of water to let out its flavor. Honey, caramel, cocoa. That’s all I taste. I consider myself still a fairly amateur whisky drinker. I’m eager to see what flavors are really in this Kalavan.
2nd double shot of Kalavan. I love this flight attendant
From Kalavan’s website, the nose: “hints of honey, tropical fruits (mango in particular), pear drop, vanilla, coconuts and suggestions of chocolate”, and the palate “a hint of sweet mango juice with that spicy complexity and gentle warmth on a medium, oily and citrus finish”. I got some of it right!
3/15/15 12:21AM (Taipei time)
On the way back to LA. Just about to take off. 10 hours 25 minutes away from home
3/14/15 2:14PM (LA time)
Jumped back a day. 5.5 hours till home.
3/14/15 10:09PM
Home sweet home. Elly sweet Elly.
Wanderlust, Wander Lost 