Topsy-Turvy

Wow. It has been ages since I have updated this poor blog. If it weren’t for one reader who asked me “no new blog entry?”, I wouldn’t have been motivated to write anything. Thanks for the nudge, Dee.

My life has been a total chaos over the past couple of months. In April, I was busy preparing my presentation for a colloquium while simultaneously writing my thesis. My supervisor, Yoda, wanted regular updates so it was critical that I get my thesis sorted for our monthly supervision meetings. In May, I attended a conference in Taiwan and left the kids for six days. In June, when Alden started elementary school, I had to support his transition by popping in during recess every-single-day. What else? Oh! Earlier this month, before Mum returned to KK, we brought her to beautiful Queenstown and then to Dunedin, where I presented at another colloquium. So yeah... things have been pretty crazy for me.

For this post, let me just talk about my Taiwan trip, okay?

My first few hours in Taiwan were anything but smooth. Almost a disaster, really. I arrived as scheduled, but it took me ages to collect my luggage and get through immigration. Once that was over, I began my mission to reunite with my sister. She was in Taipei on a company trip and staying at Rainbow Hotel in Ximending. We had promised each other we’d meet up, even if it was just for one night. Since my conference was in another city, our reunion had to happen that very day.

A guy at the airport information centre told me the best way to get to Ximending was by shuttle bus. His English wasn’t perfect, but he managed to explain which bus to take and how long the journey would be. What the dude forgot to mention was that at some point in Taipei, I was supposed to get off Bus A and transfer to another one headed to Ximending. Somehow, that key information was left out. At that moment, I was feeling very pleased with how easy it seemed to get to my destination. Boy, was I wrong.

After figuring out where to buy my ticket, I got myself a one-way ride to Ximending and hopped on a 36-seater bus. The journey to Taipei was surprisingly smooth, offering glimpses of paddy fields and urban scenes along the way. About an hour later, we arrived at Taipei. Without warning, the driver stopped right in the middle of the concrete jungle, and told me to get off pronto! His tone freaked me out because it sounded more like “GET OUT! THERE’S A BOMB ON THE BUS!” When I asked, “Wo men chai Ximending?”, he responded in a Chinese dialect I couldn’t understand. It finally clicked when he pointed at a white bus parked in front of us. That’s when I realised what he was trying to say: I needed to board Bus B immediately.

I jumped up, thinking the white bus was about to leave. So did this Japanese girl who had been sitting behind me. She looked totally lost, so I happily shared my big revelation: “We need to catch that white bus over there”, to which she nodded and said, “Oh… okay”.  We did a little jog towards Bus B, not wanting to miss it. When we finally got on, I asked the driver if he was indeed heading to Ximending. To my relief, he said yes. Finally, I was on the right track. I sat in the second row behind the driver, while Jap Girl picked a seat directly across from me. The seats were arranged to face each other so I smiled at her. She returned the gesture and gave me a dazzling smile.

The bus didn’t leave right away. Apparently, we were still waiting for more passengers. Consumed by boredom, I began to observe my surroundings. With Jap Girl sitting across from me, I had a full view of her. When I thought she wasn’t looking, I checked out her nails, hair, and makeup. I couldn’t help myself as it was hard not to gawk. She had these beautiful fake eyelashes that made her smoky brown eyes pop dramatically. Her hair was elegantly styled, half up, half down, just like a Japanese Disney princess. Now moving on to her hands. Her acrylic nails were exquisitely decorated with silver beads and tiny diamonds. Her toenails matched too. She was a walking, breathing piece of art.

But what really caught my attention was her footwear: a pair of leopard-print, 6-inch, strappy platform heels! How could she walk in those??? I was completely wowed. Then I noticed her handbag. It was a leopard-print shoulder bag which matched her shoes perfectly. I thought to myself, she must be travelling light because that’s the only thing she has. Where are her luggage?

And then it hit me.

Wait a minute... Where’s my luggage??

I looked at myself and realised all I had was my handbag, just like Jap Girl over here.

Oh shittt!!

Like a woman possessed, I jumped out of my seat and ran to the driver:

“I forgot my luggage on the other bus! You know luggage, right? Bag?” (offer sign language)

 “WO TE BAG! Wo wang chi wo te bag! Ni ming bai ma? Luggage?” (dramatic sign language)

 “Wo luggage zai na ge bus!” (even more dramatic sign language)

I must have looked like a deranged woman, speaking awful Mandarin while flailing my arms in full panic mode. The driver looked utterly confused and a little irritated. Thankfully, a kind passenger who spoke a bit of English took pity on me and explained the situation to the driver. I gave the driver an apologetic smile while the rest of the passengers stared at me in unison. I felt like a total idiot.

After he understood what happened, the driver made a few calls. Eventually, Bus A’s driver texted back saying he’d drop my luggage off at Point X. I was overwhelmed with relief because everything was in that bag: my laptop, clothes, presentation materials. Everything. I was just so relieved I could get it back.

About five minutes later, Jap Girl stood up, looked at me and exclaimed, “My luggage too!” Are you kidding me? Now she remembers?? 5 minutes later?? Why didn’t she say anything when I was panicking just moments ago? I asked her, “Your luggage is in the other bus?” She nodded vigorously. So, for the second time in less than ten minutes, I had to trouble Mr Nice Guy to explain her situation to the driver. After he translated, the driver looked at both of us with an inscrutable expression and shook his head. Saying he was annoyed would be an understatement. He probably had a meltdown after our trip.

Anyway, everything turned out fine in the end. After everyone got down, the driver sent us to Point X where we both got our luggage back. Soon afterward, the bus stopped at Ximending. I got off and walked to the hotel, which was only a few yards away. From that point onward, everything went uphill. I finally found my sister, and we had a great time catching up. It was so wonderful seeing her in the flesh as it gave me the feeling of home. We had dinner together, chatted non-stop and even did a bit of shopping at the night market. 

The next day, I took a high-speed train to Taichung, then a cab to National Changhua University. 

My presentation went well, and I met quite a number of interesting people at the conference. After a long day, I checked in at Holiday Inn Taichung Park and took a short nap. 

 

Later that evening, I took a stroll through Fengjia Night Market, shopping and soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. I crashed the moment I got back to the hotel.

I flew out the very next day and spent the rest of my trip in KL, before finally heading back to Christchurch. I guess that wraps up my 6-day conference adventure. My time in Taipei was brief and chaotic, but definitely not lacking in experiences. The most important lessons I learned? Don’t stare at people for too long… and never, ever, ever forget my luggage again.

With Nina, my ex-coursemate