Taipei, Taiwan - September 11, 2003
Its a big Holiday weekend throughout Korea, and I was able to get a last-minute flight to Taipei in Taiwan. Strangely I also didn't realize that today was the two-year anniversary of 9-11. As I boarded the plane, I looked at my ticket and saw 9-11 and I was momentarily surprised. However, that being said, I didn't feel anything at all about it, because I highly doubted if anything would happen on this flight or any other flight in the world on this day.
Okay, first impressions of Taiwan. I arrived at the airport, and it was a bit older than most Asian airports. It seems as if most are building new airports like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, etc. with a very modern feel. This one feels alot older, but no big deal. I talked with a Korean guy the entire time on the plane, and then fairly easily bordered a bus for downtown.
On the bus ride, I noticed the bus driver was spitting quite a bit of a bright red juice. This juice happens to be called beetlenut, and its sold everywhere down here. Also, throughout this road from the airport, there were many beetlenut girls. Whats a beetlenut girl you ask? Well, they sit around in tiny little glass house-like areas and sit around with very short and bright miniskirts. Their job is to sit there all day in the window looking as pretty as possible and sell beetlenut to anyone and everyone they can. I saw them on most of my bus ride into the city, however when I crossed a certain line I didn't see anymore again. Apparently they are banned within city limits or the county limit or something like that. So I wouldn't see any again unless I leave the city of Taipei.
In the city itself, it was typically Chinese with lots of signs. Nothing about the city really stood out in one way or another. The people seemed alot nicer and friendlier. I found my way to the hostel extremely easily, and upon arrival, they had a 9-11 special on CNN. I watched it for a couple of hours. There were two guys with turbans using the phone during the 9-11 special, they looked a little worried or strange or something. In the hostel, there were amazingly and surprisingly several Americans (pretty rare as I don't find many traveling abroad). These guys were working, teaching English, which is alot more common for Americans - usually working - seldom vacationing - no time I presume. The Americans, which I am one of of course, had many mixed emotions about it. Quite a tragic day with everything that happened. I seriously personally regret all of the many ways Bush handled it in the post effects. It seems as if 9-11 has become extremely marginalized and so unimportant because of the many choices of Bush. They hurt the American people even significantly moreso than 9-11. It seems as if anti-americanism, the reasons to justify attack the USA, and just about world perception, as well as our own economy is in about the worst state its ever been in the country's history. Well, maybe not the economy yet, but the way Bush is destroying and ruining it, its going down fast, almost as fast as the country's deficit is skyrocketing. Two more years of watching one man single-handedly destroy my country. Anyhow, regarding this, if you aren't American, please don't email me about how much you hate America, as I don't really want to hear about it anymore from any non-Americans. For myself, I have absolutely no problem with America, and love it more than I ever have, that being said, we seriously need an intelligent President.
My political rant. We need a President who can get us out of Iraq, get us out of Afghanistan. Someone who has a plan when they go off half-cocked doing these things. If terrorism or the Middle East is our problem. Then we need to get all our troops out of the Middle East and set them up in the United States. We need to focus on our country and our problems, and not our perceived problems with other countries. Regarding the Middle East, we need to stop a dependence on oil. If we really want to 'go to war' with the Middle East, why don't we soak billions and billions of tax-paying money into cars that aren't oil and gas based. Anyhow, there are just way too many problems with just about everything Bush is doing. There are no weapons in Iraq, Saddam wasn't connected with terrorism, however terrorists are now being attracted to Iraq who never were there before. More and more potential terrorists now have a reason to join that fight when there wasn't a fight there before. The Bush administration also has no plan or idea on who or how to replace Saddam. Their idea is to just be there indefinetely and soak billions and billions of American tax-paying money to build that country up as well as spending it on our soldier's personal security while doing it. Anyhow, I'm sick about it all as much as anyone, and I've more sick of people who hate Americans telling me about it. My biggest problem with it is you hate Americans that you should be loving Bush in power because he gives you reason for your cause. However, I am American, and I have to watch the Bush guy destroy my country and my people, and the last thing I need is more personal attacks from random emailiers or random people in the streets or bars (usually other western non-Korean people) and listening to them blast me when I should be the one pissed, not them. Its my country and not theirs. Anyhow, I've probably said enough. Its one of those long built up rants, completely not wanting to post, because I seriously don't want to get any email about it as I'm pretty sick of it. But being an American, constant non-Americans get in my face about it while I try to avoid it. I'll be expecting more in-my-face people emailing me about it as well I suppose.. unfortunately.
Okay, since I'm in Taiwan, I might as well talk about it. First off, people in Taiwan are really nice!! They really don't treat foreigners like foreigners. In fact, the first 'foreigner alien' thing I had wasn't actually like that at all. It started as I was standing on a corner looking at a map to find my exact location. A Taiwanese guy turned around and just stared at me viewing his eyes up and down. This is something that many Korean guys do on a regular basis because you are a foreigner, and for no other reason but that. My first inclination was to ignore him, then when he continued in that way, I gave him a look like 'don't do that' which I know doesn't work in Korea. Anyhow, when I looked at him, he actually spoke back to me (which Koreans do not), and he said "Are you trying to find somewhere? Can I help you?" After that, we just started talking fluenty and easily. Also his talking was alot more relaxed than a Korean, not so intense and hyper. It was quite a change from being in Korea, and I liked it quite a bit.
Well, maybe tomorrow, I'll talk about it more. I went into a big political discussion today, but its 9-11 anniversary, so I'm apt to express my feelings on all of that. In addition, the CNN show was quite moving, and its too bad its all political agenda oriented. The people directly involved in 9-11 and everything that happened at the World Trade Center was just unbelievable and quite something to relive again on TV two years later in retrospect. Let's see, two years ago, I was in Hong Kong on this day during the original 9-11. Now I'm in Taipei.
Next Journal Entry in Taiwan:
September 12, 2003
You can email me at:
Wintermoon2@yahoo.com