Well after climbing the mountain and then nearly freezing to death in the bus on the way home I forget my hat, my new hat. I also have copious amounts of snot coming from somewhere between my nose and throat and I have to swallow it or spit it out, either way it’s not very pretty.

I’m on the way to meet a friend in Taipei, but first I stop to buy drugs to try and stem the flow of mucus from the bowels of my nasal passage. This is all because I forgot to bring a jacket with me, I never forget my jacket….. I guess that last birthday may have started the onset of KRAFT disease.

We were going to go up to the mountain with the gondola in Taipei to look at the view and maybe have a bite to eat but with the thunder storms around the gondola has been closed and so we make do with a local restaurant and anyway I’m happy not to go to far.

Yesterday when I climbed the mountain I really hadn’t fueled up for it, all I had to eat was two streamed buns and a coffee which really wasn’t enough to sustain me and so I’m not surprised that I have the snot today, although I wonder where it comes from in such quantities….. Is there a snot spring tucked away up there.

I got back early and take more drugs and then an early night.

An old town in the middle of the mountains on the east coast. All the guide books say you must come here to experience the old streets, the shops and the atmosphere but for me it is really not my cup of tea as I found out. I got here early and so it was very quiet but after the tourists arrived it was time to escape to the mountains, to the hiking trails and to get away from the madness. The town is set into the hills and the road winds up to the top doubling back on itself and you can walk up narrow thin staircases to get to the next level. The houses, the shops are all nestled into the mountain and so this lends itself to strange and narrow passages. The shops are all selling similar products and there is nothing of interest to me. I was going to have a coffee but when I worked out the price I decided to go to the local 7/11 and have one for a fraction of the cost.I started my walk at noon which was a bit stupid I know, but you know I like a challenge. I followed the main path up to the summit and I was hoping I could continue to the coast but as it turned out I had to come back down but I did find another path. In the first picture you will see the mountain in the background, it’s pretty high.It was hot but it was really humid and by the time I got to the top I was soaked to the skin. There were so many butterflies at the summit and as I was having a rest one or two of them landed on me and drank from my shirt. I saw some amazing skinks with long blue tails, I’ve never seen anything like it….. and they were really beautiful. I never got a picture unfortunately.I headed down a trail that would lead me passed the golden waterfall. There was a cafe there and so I decided to have a caffeine hit, a quaint little place and the coffee was good and it was just what I needed because as I was sitting there I consulted Google maps and realised I had to head back up the hill for about 2 kms to get the bus home. I got there quite easy and so I guess the coffee did what it was supposed to do.The bus was cold on the way home and I felt it more so because my clothes were wet. I’m now feeling a bit snotty and so I hope I shake it off by the morning. The old man next to me spoke to himself all the way home, the journey took around an hour…..trust me to be sat next to a looney and I was so anxious to get off the bus that I forgot my hat……. I’m forever losing hats.I tried to make a few videos but did not have much luck

After a long sleep with an early rise at 5am because I forgot to switch off my alarm, I began my first day in Taipei.

Breakfast was at 8 am, well that’s what I was told but it really began at 7 am and so tomorrow I will get down there early.

It was simple but OK but I bought some bananas for the rest of the week.

I was going to go to the west coast to the old town of Juifen, but by the time I got to the bus stop it was nearly 10am and the bus that arrived was already full and I couldn’t get on, so I decided to go for plan B which was to go back to the hotel and get me brolly because according to the weather forecast it was going to bucket in the afternoon. It didn’t by the way.

I headed for Tamsui which is on the west side of the island or to be more specific on the north west. First I walked to the river to the wharf where I thought I could get a ferry up the river but there was nothing there and so onto the metro and off to Tamsui. This metro is above ground for most of the way which was great and it followed the river.

It’s hot today but the humidity is not too high. I have my long sleeves on and big bunnet to ward off the sun. It was good to get off the metro and to be near the water. The air was clean and there was a lovely breeze coming off the water. It is a very popular place because it was mobbed and there were way too many school children for my liking, too fucking noisy.

The streets are old and there is a good feel to the place. Plenty of places to eat and the smell of sweet treats intermingled with coffee was great. I stopped for a quick lunch and then found a cafe near the water. If you ask them to reduce the water in the cup, then the coffee is very good and it’s cheaper than China.

I was less than a kilometre from the Fisherman’s Wharf when I was approaching a driving school. There is a T junction about 100 metres from the school and a car from the school was approaching the T junction. I looked to my left and suddenly there was this terrible crashing sound. I looked back to my right and I saw this young girl wearing a full face helmet sliding off the front of the car, the pillion passenger jumped off uninjured but seconds later the young girl had crumpled to the ground. She tried to get up. I went across to help lift the bike but the passenger moved it. She stood up slowly, chalk white and I heard her say “sorry” She was very lucky that she could say sorry. I hope she will be ok but if she had not being wearing a proper crash helmet I’m sure that she would have been killed. The front grill of the car was hanging off, the impact was fierce. The young driver of the car seemed remarkably calm for a learner driver. It just goes to show you how things can change in the blink of an eye.

I carried onto the wharf and looked for the ferry that would take me back to Tamsui, got back to the metro and headed home. I popped into the cafe I went to last night when I arrived as I had promised to the young girl and I got my vegetarian masala which was delicious.

Just about time for some zzzzzzzzzzz’z

I eventually got to hotel about 8pm after leaving the house at 7.30 this morning. The flight is usually less than two hours but due to the rain stopping play it kinda dragged on for a bit, mind you the pilot seemed to sink the welly on the way here because at one point we were doing 600mph according to the map and to be honest we were no sooner served dinner and then it was time to land. However….we sat on the tarmac again for maybe 20 mins because it was rush hour and there was no where to park the plane. So at least we arrived safely. I’ve had a quick snack after checking into my nice hotel and I’m sitting having a rose tea before I retire for the evening.

And it feels so much better in Taiwan. People seem to be more grown up, mature and they are way more civilised and as I write this I’m thinking of the article I read online today about Beijing wanting to quell any thoughts of independence for Taiwan and to make sure that it comes back to the fold. If they every bring force to bear here it will be a bloodbath. After living here you could not live like the Chinese do on the mainland.

Taipei seems to close early or maybe it’s because it’s a Wednesday. I stopped at one small place and wanted to have a vegetable masala with rice, but I missed out by about 10 mins and so the young waitress gave me a piece of apple, how cute and how kind, of course I’m going to have to go back tomorrow and have that vege masala.

The rain has stopped and we have finally boarded the plane, so let’s hope that we get away this time before the gods change their minds. But unfortunately I am stuck in the middle row and not even an aisle seat and so that’s pretty shit and to make matters worse the plane is freezing and I forgot to bring a jacket. I guess my brain wasn’t quite in gear this morning.

But the plane is full of Chinese this time because they are so fucking noisy. Not many locals returning home me thinks.

So we have been on the plane for about 30 mins and then the captain tells us that we had missed our slot and we will have to sit on the tarmac for another forty mins or so which is just marvelous. Mind you with all the flying I have done in the last few years I rarely get delayed so I guess it’s not so bad in the big scheme of things but it would be better if I was in business class or at least had a window seat instead of being stuck in the middle row of the plane.

Not happy Jan………….

According to flight radar we have a slot 👍😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏁

Got the bus from the house OK, it was hot. Picked up the train to Shanghai OK. Missed the airport bus by about a minute. Waited 30 mins and then got on the bus. The traffic was terrible and it took over an hour to get to the airport.

Checked in OK and got me a coffee. The gate was changed from 75 to 223. No problem. We started to board on time. The queue was OK and all was going well and then the rain came on and more specifically a storm hit Shanghai. The weather has been so humid lately and I’m not really surprised but at the moment I am on the bus about ten metres from the plane waiting for the storm to abate.

This has happened to me a few times and there is nothing you can do apart from sir it out, although I would rather be on the plane than standing in the bus.

Well unfortunately I have to work today but it’s not really too much of a drama because tomorrow I’m off to Taiwan on a visa run. They seem to come around so quick. My next one will be a bit sooner than it needs to be because of the Chinese national holiday in October. I’m going to lose the time teaching and so I thought I may as well travel at that time and so I’ll go to Korea and hopefully it won’t be too busy.

The weather forecast for Taipei is not looking too good. Hot and wet which is not really what I wanted. I’m hoping to do a bit of hiking but if it’s too wet I might have to go to plan B.

Last time I was there I met a young lady called Tiffany and so I’ll catch up with her one day. My other days I have already ideas in mind of where to go.

And so after today’s class I will be free for a week which is good. I’m looking forward to getting away from crazy China and off to Taiwan. I’m so glad I’m not heading to Hong Kong.

It’s been too hot and too busy to write this week. I have had a few extra classes and I just haven’t had the time or the inclination. Today is Sunday and it is also a day of rest. Yesterday I went for a walk in the local mountain of Tianpingshan because the weather forecast said that it would be pissing rain today, but no the sun is oot and it is strong and the humidity is about 90%, so it is really quite miserable. Last year I used to be careful about using the air-con because of the cost and because sometimes it just was not that bad…………………but this year it’s hot and sticky. Then again no one else in the house thought about being careful using the air-con, in fact some will have it on 16c and then hide beneath the sheets, or open the window slightly…………….no idea………….they either don’t care or they are as thick as pig shit……………..both is my synopsis.

I’m looking forward to Wednesday, all going well I will jet off to Taipei for a few days and so I will have to finish my to do list of things to do in Taipei. Mind you it’s going to be hot and humid there too and with a possible touch of Typhoon near by for good measure and so I am hoping that it does not interfere too much with me plans. At some times of the year the Typhoons are thick and fast and it is usually the Philippines that takes the full brunt of it. I experienced the tail end of one before when I was in the south of China and it was mental. The wind was so strong…………..we could not get outside for at least a day, although I did venture out briefly. I was on the 4th floor and the front door was getting battered and then the water began to come in through the gap around the not so well fitting door. On the 4th floor wearing wellies. I had to go out and some point to grab food and that was a challenge. There was debris everywhere and you really had to be careful of the detritus flying around. The old building I was living in was being slowly ravaged by the wind and rain and there was a large pile of mortar and paint on the floor. So I am not looking forward to this and I hope Taipei will be lucky this week.

I will also need to start and plan my trip and the end of the year. In September I’ll go to Korea but around December or January depending on what’s happening I really want to go a wandering.