words from a haughty penguin
We sat at ORD for 3 hrs in the plane at the tarmac.
After a Hella long ways back. I think that was over 24 hrs with delays and layovers. Finally made it back to Columbus!
Due to ground traffic. It took forever to get to the dicing stage. By the time we were done the icing they already used 2,000 lb of fuel. They had to refuel so they took another hour. But alas we’re home
Left Tamsui at 700am to the airport (6pm ohio time on monday)
Landed CMH 327am.
Going to sleep.
6am: original plan was to leave at 6am to avoid the traffic. We’ll that didn’t happen.
730am: traffic…
The scooters get to inch up at stop lights. The scooters are like flies everywhere. Driving a car here would be so stressful. You have to co standby watch out for scooters zipping past.
So we checked in. Went through security. They stopped Vivienne for a second and asked her didn’t she already scan the ticket? Didnt know what that was about until we sat down at the lounge. Appare5the united Desk checked us all in but Juju. They printed vivi boarding passes 2x. (One for juju) somehow juliette made it through the security check point. This seems like a major security risk.
Well luckily we caught this otherwise they were in process of giving juju seat away.
1150am flight was delayed. Now in process of take off.
730am PST landed at SFO and now at customs.
Went to the AMEX Centurion lounge at SFO. It’s at a temp location while the usual terminal is undergoing reno. It was packed and super loud. Guy at the bar is talking very loud and yelling profanities. Kids next to us are doing the 2-5 year old scream cry whine.
Food was good but we had to go somewhere else. Checked out the Canada Air Maple Leaf Lounge at SFO (Gold Alliance partner). That’s pretty nice.
After a long layover we made it to ORD. Short connection time we ran to the gate. Now the flight is delayed. Yay. Tired.
honoring the ancestors
7am: off to Taipei. We are heading the my grandfather’s resting site which is in these mountains, and a little far. The most difficult part of this venture is getting up the small winding road up the mountain. For those that know me, I was that motion-sick kids on the bus.
YS and I opted to take the train/rail down 1.) reduce me getting sick with my dad driving, and 2.) his RAV4 can only fit 5 people.
Riding the MRT can get packed but we figured out a great hack to get seats!
807am are we there yet…still have 50 min
The girls are in the car with the grandparents.
So Taiwan cemeteries are usually on top of mountains.
… hillsides were historically less valuable for farming but offered good drainage and spiritual significance, with mountain slopes providing ample space and auspicious placement for tombs…
-Google Gemeni
Often there is a lot of shrubbery that can over grow. It requires a lot of upkeep. On top of that the stairways up are very treacherous.
The path.
Checking out Ximending before we get packing. One of my favorite places in Taipei to go. Lots of food and stores/nightlife.
I posted about this before but they have air raid shelters everywhere. Apparently the MRT subway station is a commons one.
We made a stop at Ximending. Very popular spot especially for the younger crowd. Apparently they film a lot of the Taiwan Dramas here too. Definitely a spot to check out if you are in Taipei.
Here are the restrictions for the promo:
1. Only one American Express card can be used for payment. The card must be tapped on the card reader at the station entrance/exit to complete the payment and receive the discounted fare.
2. The promotion will end when 30,000 discounted transactions are completed, or at 23:59 on October 31, 2026 (Taiwan time), whichever comes first. If the number of eligible participants exceeds the limit, the first person to complete a contactless payment will be eligible.
3 This activity applies to all stations along the Danhai Light Rail and Ankeng Light Rail lines.
When using your American Express card to ride the Danhai Light Rail or Ankeng Light Rail, you must complete the transaction and payment upon entering and exiting the station to ensure that the deducted amount and travel record are correct. The rules for paying extra for unused or expired cards upon entering or exiting the station are in accordance with the regulations of New Taipei Metro.
5. If your card reader fails to scan, please visit the station service counter for assistance or call the original card issuer. For information on passenger information for the Danhai and Ankeng Light Rail, please refer to the Passenger Information (Light Rail System) on the New Taipei Metro website.
6. This offer applies only to contactless payments made using an eligible American Express physical card or through an eligible card in your mobile wallet. Payments made using an eligible American Express card as the source of funds for QR code payments are excluded. Credit/debit cards are payment tools only; the company does not guarantee the quality or performance of goods or services sold. Cardholders should carefully evaluate any goods or services they purchase.
7. If any offer is not provided immediately in accordance with the terms of the promotion, please notify American Express immediately for assistance. American Express will provide the offer as soon as possible within [90 days].
Offers are only available to members holding American Express
So $1 NTD is equivalent to abut $0.03USD
So we decided to explore Tamsui some more. The LRT now goes down all the way down the the Fisherman’s Warf
830am: headed to get the workout in
1000am: got to get my Taiwanwse breakfast
1130am: Haircut for the girls
10pm: late night dinner stop on the way home
24 Hr Ramen shop. Yiguo Ramen
Interesting concept.
Some places around Taipei leave sticky notes and pens for people to draw and leave notes behind.
Well we just felt that earthquake. 5.4 mag. Video doesn’t really show much though.
1030 am. Late start. I guess I may have acclimated to the time change just as we will head back soon.
Foraging for more local breakfast food.
Well we ended up just getting lunch at Sushiexpress – revolving sushi place. It’s super cheap!
https://www.sushiexpress.com.tw/Epaper/1162
For dinner we went to this Japanese place by the Tamsui MRT main station.
Very interesting experience. Food was good too. We had to grind our own seasoned seed to mix with the salad dressing. The salad was a shredded cabbage you find in sushi boxes.
730 am. Back day.
11am on way for Christmas Eve lunch /Dimsum. Though I love the public transportation in Taiwan, the fragrant odors you encounter can be intense. Luckily it’s not the dead of summer but the mix of BO and being crop dusted still sucks.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kh6q8RXS7kPYvwzP6?g_st=ic
Pretty good!
Next off to play some games at Cybercube. They call it an active tile/grid game. It’s really fun and much more physically demanding than I expected.
CyberCube | Taiwan’s first immersive motion-sensing game | Pre-register on the official website https://share.google/skDZ4lF0a7vxBYfSV
They have multiple locations in Taiwan.
They apparently have similar games in the US. They actually have one at Polaris.
For christmas eve dinner, the family opted for Sezaria. Its a Italian resturaunt in Taiwan. Vivi and Juju loves this.
Happy Xmas eve!
630a let’s get at it
Opted to go to a different gym. A little rainy but not that cold. Who need those winter jackets?!
The best place to work out as a sports complex here. Unfortunately, the sports complex is currently closed for remodeling.
If you are in Tamsui temporarily, I highly suggest checking out Flow Fitness they charge by the minute (starting 1/1/26 it will be 1.5nt/min). You have to deposit a minimum of 500nt and is valid for 6 months.
They have 2 levels: 1st level has cardio equipment and a cable tower/machine. Second floor has 2 squat racks, smith machine, cable tower, barbells and some general machines.
Best thing is they open at 7am daily.
Ok so it got really cold. The rain and wind made it kind of crappy. Though i brought a jacket to taiwan, i did not take it with me to the gym. Ended up breaking down and bought a winter jacket.
1000 am – wandering around looking to get some official signature stamps
2:00 pm getting my Health Exam in Taiwan
It’s a very surreal experience. Though my experience in the hospital from the patient perspective is limited, the process in the Taiwan Hospital (at least MakKay) was really streamlined. Not only that the costs here are ridiculously cheap.
7pm out to Syntrend/Guanhua Digital Plaza. They have all the tech stuff here.
Semi Live Blog
12/18/2025 520am it begins
Vivi and Juju were in Taiwan already this summer, but we all didn’t get to go. We opted to do a winter trip to avoid the excess heat and humidity.
My first winter in Taiwan was a slap in the face. I remember wandering around looking at the shops stocked with heavy winter clothes, and locals wearing jackets. It was still hot! At that time I’ve only been in Taiwan during the summer. I was wondering what the deal was. Maybe it was just a way to participate in what “winter” is like. Well I was putzing around in a t-shirt and shorts one day. Day started out nice and warm but the temp precipitously dropped. Who knew it got cold in Taiwan. Ill be ready this time!
On another note, we recently ventured in to the travel phase of our lives. Everytime we would walk pass those snazzy cubicle seats in the United Polaris 1st/business class, or the United Polaris Lounges, I always lamented. Thinking never for me:-(
We then discovered having those premium credit cards/co-branded cards can get you perks to make traveling much more comfortable.
A great place to learn to “hack travel” is at ThePointsguy.com
We currently have the Chase United Club Card, (ill save that for another post) that gets us in the the United Lounges. Definitely a plus to have during layovers instead of sitting on the ground or standing at a crowded gate.
So apparently the current US administration announced they will sell Taiwan. $11.1 billion dollars worth of arms.
https://www.threads.com/@globeviewnews/post/DSY5LXNE8LF?xmt=AQF0JW2fJtTt8pupj6t4oQ4aCEwjP1slcwo6sozhHxVdLviiyy3q6F_bULnR8tjE3JlA6-8Y&slof=1
There may be a chance the CCP will take over Taiwan while we are there. I wonder if that means I won’t be able to get back:(
Back to the topic, if you are at SFO, United Lounges at F terminal is better than G. Bigger and hot food.
Overall a little dated.
Bathrooms are nice and private
As the fam goes get food, this little Asian boy plops right down in vivi’s seat. He stares at me. I stare at him. I figure he’d relize I’m not with his group/family and he would run off. After about a minute he runs off when his mom calls him over. I guess maybe he thinks all Asians do look alike?
Polaris Lounge. One day I will be admitted…
12/18/25 155p pacific time. And we are off.
And we are here. After >24 hr total time traveling.
