The Traveling Matie

Our journey began on 12/29/16, fittingly exactly two years since I proposed to Katie on Catalina Island.  After saying our bittersweet goodbyes to both sets of our parents at LAX, and frantically reducing weight in our overpacked suitcases, we were off!  The check in line would be the first, but certainly not the last time we were gawked at by large groups of people due the magnitude of our luggage.  The flight on Korean air was smooth, especially with unparalleled customer service by the flight attendants who took turns comforting a crying newborn a few rows over, as well as stimulating conversation with ex-pats including the director of an English school in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia. I found myself agreeing with Donald Trump only once on this trip, and that was upon arriving at the Seoul Airport and stepping into a land of superior technology and free high speed internet.  As you may recall, he crassly bashed American airports in comparison to those found in ma...

While walking in the streets dodging cars and scooters, it's not uncommon to hear the music of Beethoven floating through the air. At first, we thought Changhua just really loved their ice cream. We soon learned that the garbage trucks play music as they approach. In Taiwan, unless you live in an apartment building, you have to hand your trash to the garbage truck as it passes--you cannot leave it on the side of the road to be collected.  The other day, I turned the corner to walk to school to teach a few classes and the garbage truck was right there. My initial thought was, "Oh great! I'm going to be stuck behind this truck the whole way."  What a treat it was to see the many shopkeepers running behind the truck to throw on their waste. It was a sight to behold. If you come to visit, it's worth seeing this at least once. 

The baked goods, like all food in Taiwan, are delicious; however, the bakery culture differs significantly from that of Europe or North America. Instead of stopping by the bakery in the morning, people in Taiwan swing by after work in the evening to pick up freshly baked treats to consume the following day. If you come in the morning, there are very few items remaining. When we walk in, we grab a tray and tongs. All signs are in Chinese, so we take a blind guess and wait to discover what is inside of our pastry bounty. As we join the line to pay, we are so busy taking in what everyone else is purchasing, that we forget to get our money ready. The bakery line is an efficient, well-oiled machine. Think Sinfield’s Soup Nazi—only an incredibly kind, patient people working behind the counter while the foreigners hold up their line. They wait as we dig out our change and even congratulate us with a treat as we attempt to say the total in broken Mandarin. Then, the delayed gratification begi...

Belated posts from our travels in January will be popping up in the near future. :) As we find ourselves adapting to the local culture and acquiring more Mandarin, I’ve noticed that it’s hard to put the experience into words. This challenge partially stems from a desire to share the magic that is here in Changhua and in Taiwan. This difficulty is also partially attributed to our adaptation to our new environment. For what was initially salient is now, in some cases, our norm. For example, Taiwan has an open sewer system for sink and shower waste water which can lead to some rather interesting smells at times. While we were first repulsed by some of the odors, now we fondly refer to them as “kitchen burps.” The acceptance of that which we can’t change (or cover up with Kirkland Signature scented dryer sheets) has led to far greater ease and less stress. We did have a visit from a local lizard who decided to take up residence in our bathroom for a day until we gently guided him ...

We embarked on our journey to Halong Bay with Ocean Tours. After a bus ride and boat ride, our group of eleven boarded the junk boat which would be our home for the next 24 hours. The group consisted of a few Americans and many Dutch travelers. The junk boat was splendid: lounge chairs on the top deck, private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, and a community dining room.  As we sailed further into the bay, we were stunned by the enormous rocks protruding from the water. Included meals were delicious and doled out in very generous portions.  Following lunch the first day, we kayaked through the light and dark caves. Upon returning to the boat, we continued on to a quiet section of the bay where the boat anchored for the night.  We partook in a spring roll prep class followed by a refreshing swim in the bay prior to dinner. The following morning, we continued on to Cat Ba Island's National Park where we trekked up to a lookout and viewed mountains in many di...

Hanoi is a chaotic place whose charms slowly grew on us. Upon arriving, we quickly learned that sidewalks are used as parking lots for scooters and the best way to travel by foot is to join the throngs of scooters, cars, and other pedestrians in the street which is instantly overwhelming. We later learned, that if you make eye contact with the oncoming scooters, they will avoid you, but as soon as you look away, you are fair game. This news lead us to "stare down" every oncoming driver at each intersection.  The pho is delicious here, and the coffee is the best we've ever had. We explored some local temples, checked out a night market, walked around the central lake, and spent the afternoon at the spa. Upon flying out of Hanoi, we decided to stay in one of the airport "sleeping pods" to make things easy for our flight the next morning. What an experience! The capsule/ pod had a bunk bed which was fun as neither of us could recall the last time we slept in a bu...

Days 1-17: Washington, Oregon, California Mike and Debbie's backyard After a lovely send off from our coworkers on Dec. 2nd, we fully embraced the start to our two month fun-employment/ early retirement by spending a week in WA. Seattle gave us her best--sun, snow, and rain. It was a joy to see many people whom we adore and to explore some of our favorite places. Last Sunday, we bid family and friends in wonderful Washington adieu and headed south. Oregon started off by welcoming us with great visits with friends in Portland and Salem. As we continued south of Roseburg in the cold and dark, the car began vibrating profusely and creating its own rhythm. Low and behold we had a flat tire. Luckily, we were back on the road within the hour and made it to Klamath, CA. Katie and the Redwood Looking up in the Redwoods Matt "eeling" at Eel River As the road trip continued, we drove through some of the Redwoods , stretched our legs at   Patrick's Point Stat...