Taipei Airport
I looked outside the airplane window at 5:11am Taipei time. It’s weird knowing that I lost a day by just travelling to the other side of the world. Back in Vancouver, time is about 3pm. Jetlag has not hit me yet. I looked out the window as we were landing and saw this bright fiery bulb sitting on the horizon laced with heat waves hitting the pavement. I’ve never seen such sun in my life before. Back in Canada, the sun’s calm and distant. The sun here is blazing and is so close you can feel the radiation burning your face from you airplane seat. My dad, mom, and I were confused and vigilant, tentative of which big arrow on each sign would bring us to our next departing flight. We stopped for a brief but quaint trip to the bathroom. I entered inside a stall and did not find a toilet seat in sight. I tilted my head down as I discovered this rectangular basin built into the floor. We were supposed to do our business in that thing?! My face twisted. I heard my mom in the stall beside me gasp. A few minutes later we left the stalls, my mom talked about the backsplash of this so-called toilet. OH MY. I’m guessing this will not be the first and last time we will encounter these bathrooms. After a long search for our destination, we ended up here.
Currently, I’m sitting in a room full of Oriental people and I feel like the B.F.G. from Canada. Everyone’s at least a few inches shorter than me. The ladies are petite and delicate. I definitely don’t fit in. My dad’s got his orange earplugs in, slumped in his chair with his legs crossed. My mom plays with her hands and she’s probably bored to death. “Are you describing us?” she smiles at me. I nod. I look around me now and there are children running around the leather-seated chairs, sharing the same anticipation my mom has. It’s funny, I’ve never written about things happening right at the moment. “The water tastes,” my mom sticks out her tongue strangely, “…different here. Include that.” I tell her that it tastes different in every country. My mom is totally excited that I’m writing about this vacation. And so am I. I’ve never blogged about a trip, only written in a journal. It’s so much faster! The only downfall of this is that I have to filter my thoughts in this entry since it will be publicly posted. And that is why I brought my own journal to handwrite in.
The layover in Taipei is another 2 hour wait until we board the plane for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thank God there’s air conditioning, otherwise I think I would pass out. It’s apparently 27 degrees outside and it’s only 5am. I have no idea how I’m going to survive this trip. My parents say that I visited Malaysia when I was one year old, but I can’t vouch for that. Technically this vacation will be my first real experience travelling to my parents’ homeland. I’m so intrigued and fascinated by the things I will witness in about four hours: the Malay culture so closely affiliated with the Muslim religion, the persistent street vendors, the lush mountains and clear azure oceans, and, most of all, the Malay food. I’ve heard so much about the food from talking over facebook with my sister. She’s currently staying at my Aunt Patrina’s house and she’s told me that that’s all my family does. They just feed you until your belly shapes into a perfect sphere. Although, I am not excited for the fact that I will most likely be 15 pounds heavier when I come back to Canada.
Most of all, I’m so excited to see my sister, Ashley. For those of you who don’t know me that well, my sister is also one of my best friends. She knows everything there is to know about me. I love her to death. Her personality could be described as “Wiyan Fri” in Thai: free spirit. She acquired a passion for travelling and meeting new friends along the way. We’re similar in that sense. Prior to her current visit in Malaysia, she was in Thailand with her best friend, Sonja. I’m so thankful that she’s coming on this trip with my parents and me. Honestly, I don’t think I could handle my parents alone for 5 weeks straight.
On Thursday, July 7th, we’ll be leaving on another plane from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Melbourne, Australia. This is when I plan to go surfing. Surfing is one of my top things to do on my Bucket List and I’m finally fulfilling it! I cannot fathom the depths of my happiness.
I’ll update you soon, time for me to do a lap around the room with the little Oriental children. My legs are turning numb from sitting too long.
Love,
Elle. xoxo
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