Travel Like a Scotsman

Arrived in Taipei about 4:00 AM, but God only knows what time our bodies think it is.   Everything shuttered up, no coffee or tea to be had.   Super clean, and at this time of night, pretty empty.   The girls immediately wanted to know if there was Wifi, and calmed down as soon as they were online.    Signs are in both Hokkien and English. Hokkien is a dialect of Chinese, but unintelligible to Mandarin speakers.   Ella slept about 10 hours, but the rest of us slept little as there was a lot of turbulence. The food on the plane was 50-50.   We were served dinner even though our flight left at 12:05 am, and mine was rice with beef, carrots, some interesting sort of coleslaw, and a tiny piece of Toblerone chocolate. However, the breakfast was weird.   Some sort of noodle, with some kind of “fishy” tasting meat, yogurt, and a banana. Strong, strong coffee, too. Exhausted after a 14-hour flight, we now boarded yet another plane for a 3-hour flight to Bangkok.  Fortunately

So, it’s finally here. One more day til our adventure in Thailand begins.   In addition to packing, there are a few other things I’ve learned are important before you take off. The first is to go to your bank and order some currency of the country(ies) you’re visiting.   You can always get more when you arrive, but it’s nice to have a bit so you can tip your driver or others for services. Also, it’s important to either go online or call your credit card issuer and tell them your travel plans, so they don’t think your card has been stolen or lost and put a hold on it.   While you’re at it, make copies of the front and back of the credit cards you’re taking and of your passport(s).   We met a man once in Costa Rica who had been robbed at the market and didn’t have copies of anything, so was in a panic waiting til Monday morning to see someone at the American embassy. Even though it’s not mandatory, I advise you to download the apps for whichever airlines you may be flying.  

To celebrate my 70th birthday, my darling daughter treated me to a trip to China, fulfilling a desire from my early childhood.  We chose Friendly Planet to guide us, and they did not disappoint.  It was the best trip of my life, and I've taken more than a few. Our family Mother's Day tradition is for this same daughter and her two daughters to treat me to a mani-pedi.  While enjoying being pampered, she mentioned to me that the latest brochure had arrived from Friendly Planet.  She and I had also just read "This Is How It Always Is," by Laurie Frankel, a book we both genuinely enjoyed, in which Rosie, a doctor, goes to Thailand.  Laurie Frankel's descriptions made us both want to hop on a plane right away. In this latest brochure, Friendly Planet offered a tour to Thailand which was unbelievably inexpensive.  And it included airfare!  She encouraged me to take my husband and go.  My granddaughters overheard us and asked, "Go where?"  When we said &qu