Snowing in Tokyo. It snowed as I got into the city and it snowed as I was leaving. I could say something witty and predictable about how the weather came full-circle, but I won't.
Today was, as all days spent flying between countries, a complete drain.
This morning I woke up at 5:45 am and set out from my hostel. And found that it was snowing steadily. Now, normally I love snow, but when I'm carrying a huge nearly 50-pound suitcase and a heavy backpack, snow is not such a good thing. Luckily, though, I got a free ride on the Tokyo subway (saved $15!). Not that I cheated the system. I was willing to pay for the ride, but the ticket machines were off so early in the morning and there were no attendants. So I had no choice, really, but to go through without paying. After all, I had a flight to get to. The train ride to Narita was long and crowded. It took two hours to get from my hostel to the airport, and the train was packed the whole time. I hadn't seen so many people in such a small vehicle since China!
So I know you're supposed to get to the airport two hours early for international flights, but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. Because when I arrived there, it looked like this.
Our plane boarded, left 30 minutes late (they had to de-ice the planes), and four hours later we touched down in Taipei. I don't think they were prepared to have so many people coming from other countries; only seven of the thirty-five customs gates were open, so I had to wait in line for a good half-hour. But it was all okay, because right after customs was this welcoming display:
Thanks Taipei! That makes the wait worth it! Next I had to get from the airport to the hostel. Airports always seem to be located far away from the cities they serve. I guess it makes sense, because they take a lot of space. So I bought a ticket for a bus and then waited in line for an hour to board the bus. Outside. In the rainy, windy cold. Had I mentioned that it is raining and cold here too? And again, I don't think they are well-prepared for so many visitors to the city, because buses come one per 20-minutes, and each bus only seats 30 people. Now, my flight had 65 rows, and each row had 5 to 7 people. It clearly doesn't take long to overload the bus system.
An hour bus ride and a quick subway ride later, I found my hostel. I got all checked in (I have a Swedish roommate! He's friendly.) and then I tried to find a place to eat. Imagine my joy when I heard the familiar tinkling of an ice-cream truck! Then joy turned to sorrow when I was told that in Taiwan, it is the garbage trucks that play happy music, not ice-cream trucks. Sad.
So I went to a place that had pastries and I was actually able to buy two pastries for $2. I love the cheap prices! So far, things seem to be somewhere between China and America prices (which is what I had expected anyway). Plans for tomorrow? Who knows. Since I'm FINALLY in a hostel that doesn't kick me out at 10, I might sleep in.
-Update 9:08 PM- I think I might just relax around the hostel tomorrow. But fear not, loyal readers (though I have no way of knowing how many of you there are!), for I will still have interesting stuff for you to read about tomorrow!
Impressions: My first (probably presumptuous) impressions on the differences between Japan and Taiwan. Taiwan seems to be very similar to China in that it is very gritty and casual. I can tell that people live here. In Tokyo, everything is clean, trendy, and formal, but it seemed as though people were just travelling from store to store, only there to shop and do business. I guess it's like the difference between a commuter college and a lived-in college.
No comments:
Post a Comment