12 Days Until Departure

You know, time flies by rather quickly when you're not paying attention. Sometimes, I still can't believe that I'll be departing on my first solo trip in less than 2 weeks. I'll be heading to a country I've never been to, one that I've always wanted to see, but never got the chance. A lot of my friends are from there and I've previously asked several of them to take me with them when they went back, but so far, that has never worked out (Reason: I usually don't fit in their suitcase :P). But yes, I will be traveling to Taiwan, the Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, whatever you want to call it (I like the IOC name though... haha).

My trip is quite unexpected, to be honest. At first, I didn't plan on leaving the United States this summer, but last minute plans (and plan cancellations!) allowed me to take off some time from work and take a journey that I'll probably remember for a long, long time. My flight will leave Los Angeles the early morning of Sunday, August 25, 2013, and I'll be making a stop in Beijing, China for just a few hours, before I catch another flight to Taipei. I'll be staying in Taiwan for a total of 7 days and 6 nights, and since I don't have concrete travel itineraries yet, I plan to just wander around and discover what the island has to offer!

Needless to say, I have done a little research on what I should do, but I'm still open to suggestions! I think I'll probably make my final trip schedule while I'm on the plane since one of my friends suggested that I do that. I think it'll be a good use of my time (when I'm not napping of course!) I will be staying in Taipei for 2 nights, then traveling south to Taichung for another 2 nights, but beyond that is cloudy since who knows where I'll go next. I do plan on doing some shopping at all the nice malls in Taipei, as well as visit the famous tourist landmarks (Taipei 101, NTU, National Palace Museum, CKS Memorial, etc.), and of course, I cannot forget to visit the most famous night markets! I can't wait to try all the food that my friends have been boasting to me about cause everything they describe just sounds soooo delish! Oh! I have to go to Din Tai Fung too! I've heard so much about that place, so I believe it's time I try it firsthand! On the other hand, I also want to see if I can go check out a KTV, as I've never been to one of those, but I'm not sure - can you go solo to a KTV? Even though it might seem a bit lonely to go alone, but I think I just want to get the feel of the environment :).

Aside from everything prior, I will also be traveling back to Beijing, China after I finish up my journey in Taiwan. I plan to visit some of my relatives (grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.) and wish them well while I'm still in the area. Some of my relatives aren't in perfect health at the current moment, so I hope that they can effectively conquer their sicknesses soon. But essentially, I will just be relaxing and enjoying my time with my family (whom I have not seen in two years) while I'm in Beijing. If I have friends who are still in Beijing when I visit, I might go out and hang with them for an afternoon, or something along those lines. But we'll see as the time gets closer.

Even though I'm super excited about going back to China and visiting Taiwan, I'm also a bit worried because I'll be alone and I'm afraid I'll run out of things to do. I really do want to try to get to know more people, so I think I might go out and make some new friends! I hope the people there are hospitable and outgoing though! Or else it'll be awkward...

Anyhoo - I think thats enough for the evening! I'll be sure to post more updates as my departure date nears! Until next time!