I arrived in Taiwan last night without much incident, thanks to the hard work of a friend. I was greeted at the door with a sign with my name on it– first time ever– and my friend-of-a-friend speaks amazing English, so no worries about asking questions. She’d written everything out so I can get around while I’m here. She even brought me a little toothbrush and some drink with little bubble candies in it. Unfortunately, because the university where the conference is held is ridiculously far from everything, we probably won’t be able to meet up again while I’m here. It was an hour taxi ride from the airport, and it took her an hour to get home from my “hotel” after she dropped me off. Not exactly a convenient location for everything else!
So, my new fiend Carrie bent over backwards to find me a hotel to stay in that is both near the conference, near public transportation, and not $200 a night. She accomplished all of that; though, while I am close to the metro, I’m not sure I can find it down the twisted alleys we took to get here in the middle of the night. After meandering down narrow roads last night, we arrived to a metal door. She whipped out a set of keys, and said “this is it!” It looked like someone’s private residence, but okay- I’m game. For less than $200 US for the entire week, I’m pretty flexible. We then tote my overly-heavy suitcase up four narrow flights of stairs. Reminder to myself- next time bring lighter gifts to Japan! The doors on each level look different than the previous. I was really glad when we reached the fourth floor because I hadn’t been counting, but I was starting to get winded and didn’t want her to hear my weakness! She used yet another key on this keychain to access another gilded door. We slide down a hallway just barely wide enough to accommodate my suitcase, and here I am! Home for a week. Wherever that is.
It’s basically an unsupervised dorm room. I’m not sure how the whole system works. The entire registration process was in Chinese, so obviously I couldn’t understand a word of it. And it was entirely online. There’s no one here that represents this establishment from what I can tell. I put my fate in the hands of my friend and her friend, Carrie. I’m not sure how Carrie got the key, but she warned me on the way over that this kind of hotel is “different.” I sort of knew, but not really. We stopped at 7-11 on the way in to buy a towel, because they don’t provide one. That worried me a little. Actually, I expected that it might be a bit like a youth hostel– shared showers and everything– but I was relieved to find it’s really just a small dorm room. Privacy and internet, what more could I ask for? It’s actually pretty nice. It reminds me a little of the apartment I had in Japan.
Now that I’m settled and had a bit of rest, it’s time to venture out and see what I can see during my one free day. Most important, today will be the test to see if I can figure out the public transportation system by myself and make it to the university in time for the reception. I’m channeling my friend Sonya today- the woman I’ve followed all over Asia. Worst case, I’ll just look bewildered and see if someone will stop to help me!