* * Taiwan is awesome, too

I’m sitting in the airport in Seoul, South Korea, awaiting the flight that will take me back to Dulles Airport and Virginia in a few moments, having arrived here last evening from Taipei, Taiwan.

Taiwan is the third and final country on this, my first visit to Asia, and my last article about my journey. My first two were from Nepal and Bhutan, both poor nations sandwiched between India and China. Taiwan is a tiny island nation off the coast of China that has entered the new century in far better shape economically. Its gleaming cities are showcases throughout Southeast Asia.

Why was I in Taiwan? The other two nations were part of a tour with several other travelers, while I visited Taiwan by myself. Turns out, I was invited by several friends I’d met through my membership in Rotary International. Rotary sponsors programs called Group Study Exchange, and I had been both a participant and a host, traveling to Bolivia 8 years ago and hosting travelers from Taiwan, India, Brazil, and Bolivia at my home since then.

We had two guests from Taiwan, and they were my favorites. Courtney stayed with us first, and we became immediate friends. She calls me her “Appalachian dad,” and asked me repeatedly to visit with her and her family. Then we hosted Maggie, who was quieter and more shy, but equally wonderful. But I became close to all the Taiwanese.

So when the other trip came about, I decided to take the opportunity to stop in Taiwan on my way home.

Here are some highlights:

Courtney lives near the capital of Taipei in the north of the island. Our first stop from the airport was to get a foot massage, something I’d never done. The masseur showed no mercy; it hurt like heck but was still relaxing by the end. The next day, we went to the observation floor of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, which at its completion was the world’s tallest building. Featuring the world’s fastest elevator, it is not only an awesome engineering feat, it’s also beautiful, with pleasing postmodern features in steel and glass throughout. And it is LEED certified, making it the tallest and largest “green” building in the world.

After that, I boarded the Taiwan High Speed Rail for my journey south to Kaohsiung, a trip of around 200 miles with speeds exceeding 185mph. Once there, my friends took me on tours of the Kaohsiung harbor, a chaotic neighborhood farmer’s market (featuring meats for sale that surely once belonged to warm-blooded animals, but were unrecognizable to me), the computer simulation lab at Pingtung Technical University with its virtual reality games, and the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, sort of a Holy Land Theme Park for Buddhists. I also climbed a small mountain where wild monkeys scampered around, stealing bags of food that hikers failed to guard.

Everything except the market was futuristic and modern, and happily far cleaner than Nepal where I had just left.

All the while, my friends were treating me to meal after meal of traditional Taiwanese food, including lots of sea-food, unsurprising for the island nation. In most cases, the streets were filled with traffic, including lots of scooters, just like Nepal. But in Taiwan, most riders drove more sanely. I joked with one of my friends that in America, there are lots of traffic rules and most people obey them; in Taiwan there are also traffic rules and some people obey them; in Nepal, there are no traffic rules at all. In spite of the frenetic nature of things, everyone was unfailingly courteous; I can’t recall any harsh words or horns honked in anger. On a face-to-face basis, everyone was preternaturally polite. My friends showered me with a breathtaking level of generosity. At every occasion where money was involved, they rigorously refused to allow me to contribute.

During my entire 4 day stay in Taiwan, I spent not a single dollar; I didn’t even exchange my money for the local currency. And they insisted I bring home many souvenir gifts.

Yesterday, I took the High Speed Rail back to Taipei where I found a local rail system to deliver me to the airport. It was efficient and modern. Speaking of which, the Seoul airport from which I now type is the most beautiful, spacious, and modern I’ve ever seen. Our USA has fallen woefully behind in its transportation network, especially its public systems. I don’t think we’ve built a major new airport in America in the last generation and our highways are always in need of repair and modernization. Oh, and our railroads... don’t even get me started.

As this trip comes to a close, I’m trying to wrap my head around the impressions I’ve made. I think the most striking is that while Asia, like the Americas, has wealthy and poor places, it is vast, fascinating, and happily quite friendly. In three weeks and three countries, I don’t recall a single terse or unpleasant interaction. We’re often told the world is a scary place, but that was not my experience. And there is so much more to see.

By the time you read this, I’ll be home again, savoring the memories. Thanks for reading and hopefully enjoying this journey with me.