As we say farewell to the Ilha Formosa, a big thank you to
all of our Taiwan friends – our five days were short but sweet, and our visit made
special by friends who house us....
....friends who are always willing to have a beer (or six) with
us
....friends who race Ironman Whistler with me, and then trek all the way across Taipei just to meet us for a quick hello, and then put smiles on our kids’
faces with a surprise red envelope
....friends who aren’t your friends before you randomly sit down at their
beef noodle soup stand, but who give your kids free treats, pour you a shot of
Kaoliang (wicked strong drink), show you photos of grandkids, and purposely
undercharge you for dinner, causing you to wonder why you would ever leave this
amazing place
...friends who still live here 20 years after we left, and remind us of those good old days
....friends who use to date my wife (guy on left in case you were actually wondering)
Six months of dealing with strangers await us – and while they may simply be
friends we haven’t met yet, I doubt they can come close to matching the people
who always draw us back to where it all began for us – see you back in Taiwan
next time !!!
The beef noodle stand looks very local. I bet the noodle tastes thousand times better than in Canada.
ReplyDeleteNotwithstanding you deal in numbers for a living, your writing has already left me with tears a few times :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh all that food looks amazing. I MUST go someday! Nice for you all to have so many friends there too--great way to start the trip!
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