1/2/16,
“Winding Down”
Aboard
Asiana Airlines 712, En route TPE-ICN
This is a
familiar view and a familiar experience, but it is the last time I will see it
this trip. This is the sixth intra-Asia
flight I have taken (plus a ferry boat) in seven Days. The Day I went to the Wall was the only Day
that didn’t include being in transit like this.
It has been a very exhausting experience, even more so than my
traditional method of doing eight or more hours a driving day, as was common
during my New Year’s trips for 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. The one last year, of course, consisted on
being on boat for 10 Days. That was
relaxing. I am exhausted. Tomorrow, I will fly home, and I will be glad
to be stateside again.
While I have no
desire to return any of the regions in China (both PRC and ROC) I have visited,
Taipei has been one of my favorite cities I have ever visited, certainly
beating any other city I have visited in the Orient. I love its tropical climate. I even started to get used to the Coruscant-like
atmosphere. After I closed last night, I
published my entry and passed out, on top of the bedspread, next to my
computer, before I had a chance to publish photos. It was after 3 AM when I finally went to
sleep properly.
I woke up around 7:30 AM
and planned to go back to sleep, but a call from my parents woke me up, and by
the time we were done talking, I had trouble getting back to sleep. They had made it to their new home in Florida
for the next two months, and my father regaled with stories of my mother’s
driving. I will probably visit them the
weekend of her birthday, which is, of course, the weekend of the Super Bowl,
probably incorporating the Bahamas or Jamaica’s new WHS into the mix.
I meticulously calculated the timing of my
morning. I would need to be at the
airport at 12:20 PM, which meant I needed to leave the hotel at 11:40 AM, which
meant I needed to be back at the hotel at 11:20 AM, which meant I needed to
leave Taipei 101 at 11 AM. If I left the
hotel at 9:30 AM, I would have an hour at the building, which should be just
enough time. I timed it down to the
wire. I did most of my packing around 9
AM, and then I had to pick between breakfast and a shower. I didn’t have much of an appetite, and I was
overdue for a shower. I opted for the
latter. I then took a taxi to Taipei
101.
It was a very impressive building,
and I remember when it used to be the tallest building in the world, from 2004
and 2010. I never expected to visit
it. I took some ceremonial pictures
outside, and it was 10:15 AM by the time I got to the ticket counter. There was a huge line to go up. Fortunately they had a priority pass, which
was pricy, but worth it. The elevator to
go 1300 feet from the 5th Floor to the 89th Floor took, I
shit you not, under a minute. I was
sending my friend a text. I started the
text as I got onto the elevator. It was
nothing special, just a standard 160-character text about SW’s year-end box
office performance, which was, again, I shit you not, less than 1/20th
of one percent of that for Jurassic World, and it did it in two weeks, not five
months. That’s what they call a photo
finish, and actual numbers might be higher than preliminary estimates. Anyway, I was still writing the text when we
got to the 89th Floor, that’s how fast it was. Returning to the Coruscant metaphor, I felt
like I was in a turbolift for sure.
There was a great view from the deck and there was an outdoor deck a
floor up, but the view was obscured by the fog.
I took some pictures and realized that Taipei was my favorite city of
the trip so far. I got some souvenirs
from the gift shop, along with a cappuccino.
It was 10:45 AM at this point, right on target. The elevator down was on the floor below, and
here was the annoying part. The entire
floor, which had to be circumnavigated, consisted of a huge selection of coral
gemstones for sale. It was crowded, and
it was a long walk. I didn’t have time
for that. There was also a long line at
the elevator, but my priority pass got me to the front. It was 11 AM when I got downstairs, and
everything else went right on schedule, getting me to the airport by 12:45
PM.
I went through security and
emigration procedures and picked some cigars at duty-free. I used the last of my Taiwanese money to get
a new charger cord and some food. Oh,
right, the charger cords had stopped working, and I was in a total panic. They both stopped working, albeit in
different ways, and I was afraid it was a problem with my phone. I got a fancy new one, which was overpriced, but
would be worth it if it works. I also
got some more dumplings, just like the ones I had last night, along with a Diet
Coke. I headed to the gate, and we soon
boarded. After we took off, I grabbed my
laptop and sat back down in my seat, where I proceeded to write this entry,
which I will now close, as lunch has been served.
Seoul, Korea
(Gangnam)
Winding down, that is the title of this entry, and that is what the 2013 Christmas pipe has come to represent for the past three years now, my trip winding down. In 2014, I smoked it Kas, Turkey after I had seen the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus before my last day in Turkey. In 2015, I smoked it on the Drake Passage, as we began to make our way back to Ushuaia. Now, I am smoking in it the Gangnam district of Seoul, made famous from the PSY music video “Gangnam Style,” before my one last day of sightseeing in Korea.
All that
matters is the Olympic Stadium and the flag pin. The legislature and the WHS in Seoul will be
nice bonuses, and I even know where to find the souvenirs, but the Olympic
Stadium, that’s why I’m here instead of better having paced my time in China
(PRC and ROC). It is a short walk away,
and it will be the first thing I do tomorrow morning. I do not anticipate it being easy, but I will
do my best to find my way in, even if I have to sneak in again.
There is not much to report from today other
than a great choice of a restaurant and a terrible choice of a hotel, all of
which was in this famous Gangnam district.
After we landed, there was quite an ordeal to get to the arrivals hall
and a big line for border control. It
could have been half an hour after we deplaned before I was at the baggage
carrousel. My bag came soon after that,
and I got some cash at the ATM and took a taxi.
It would be a very long and expensive ride.
I asked if I could smoke and was shocked to
learn that I could. I lit up my Cohiba
from the duty-free shop. The driver had
no idea where my hotel was, even with the address. Eventually he figured it out. He tried to loop around the block when we got
there, but he wound up on the wrong block with the wrong direction to the
hotel. What did he do? Well, he, I shit you not, drove on the
sidewalk the ten or so meters to the hotel.
The hotel had a 2.7 guest rating, even though it was listed as 4-star
hotel. Why would that be? The price was right, but I sound found out
how disappointing it was.
The staff at
the front desk was not very knowledgeable.
I had specifically chosen this hotel for its proximity to the Olympic
Stadium (about a klick away). I asked
how to get there. They said I need to
take the subway, as it was too far to walk.
What the fuck? It would be a
thirty minute walk. How is that
possible? She showed me the map. Either people in Asia walk very slowly, or
the hotel staff in these hotels simply have no idea about distances. She told me how to get there, but she said
she thought it would not be open unless there was an event. Open and accessible are two very different
things. If there’s a way in, I will find
it.
I then asked about the
restaurant. It was the best restaurant
in the area. They never heard of
it. I looked it up online from my
hotel. It was definitely the right
choice. I headed up to the room and was
shocked how small it was, maybe half the size of my apartment, or less, but
they managed to utilize every square foot in innovative ways I had never seen
before. The door for the bathroom
doubled as the closet door depending on you slid it, stuff like that. There was snack bar built into the desk,
which was right alongside the windowsill.
That was good, since I was starving.
One thing that was weird was that the shower had a glass wall adjoining
the bad with blinds, blinds that were controlled from the bedroom side. What was the point of that? If the showerer wanted privacy, he or she
would be entirely at the mercy of the person in the bedroom. I settled in and closed my eyes for a bit
before throwing on some casual clothes and heading down.
The first taxi had no idea where the
restaurant was and refused to take me. The
second taxi managed to figure it out.
Reader, I had the name and address of the restaurant displayed on my
phone, in Korean. Why was this always so
hard? London and even New York taxi
drivers truly put those here to shame.
We got to the restaurant, and I realized I might be underdressed in my
t-shirt. It was 8:45 PM, and they told
me they had to close up by 10 PM. Would
that be enough time? I certainly hoped
so. My readers are familiar with the
fancy, multi-course prix fixe dinners of the finer restaurants, the four
courses that really become seven. I do
not have to go into details. All of it
was delicious. It was definitely one of
the better meals of my life. I ordered a
plum wine as my drink, the only alcohol I have consumed all trip, other than on
NYE.
They started with an assortment of
amuse bouche, sort of like a miniaturized dinner, each item representing a
different course of a typical meal. Next
came my appetizer, deep-fried octopus.
After that was the rice dish with sea urchin. Next came the main course, a fusion fish
dish. I also opted to supplement it with
their special filet mignon with black truffles, which was not worth the hefty
price tag. Perhaps the spiciness from
the fish dish had dulled my taste buds to not properly being able to enjoy the
truffles. After that was the cleansing
ginger sorbet. For my dessert, it was
green tea mousse and accoutrements, designed to resemble an Asian garden. Then they offered me tea, and I asked for
traditional Korean tea. She had no idea
what I meant. She said one of the teas,
a root tea, was from Korea. It was
anything but traditional. I started to
get frustrated with her. That is one
thing about this culture. They are so
afraid to admit they don’t understand.
Of course there is a language barrier.
Instead of pretending to understand, why not just say that you don’t
understand? She got someone who spoke
better English, and he said they didn’t really have traditional tea. I got a coffee. Last came the petit fours.
While I finished my coffee, I asked to settle
my bill, which came to be just as much as some of my Three-Star meals in
Germany. I wonder if this has any
Michelin Stars. Well, the New York
branch of the restaurant has Two Stars, but I don’t think this (or any
restaurant in Korea) has any Michelin Stars.
The waiter had called a taxi for me, and they told him where my hotel
was, like with the address and everything.
It is the Hotel Peyto Samseong in the Gangnam District. I was on my phone for the whole drive,
looking up how the UN defined the different subregions of the world and which
ones I’ve visited and still need to visit.
I think I’ve visited like 15 of the 23 regions or something. I should have visited all of them by the time
I’m 40. He dropped me off, and I paid
the fare. Something didn’t look
right. No, no, no. This was the Hotel Peyto Gangnam. I tried chasing him down, but he wasn’t
stopping. I had to take another taxi to
the right hotel. It was 11 PM by the
time I got there.
I was considering
going to the night market, but it made no sense, since it was far away, and it
was right next to the souvenir shopping.
It is open from like 10 AM to 5 AM, but the real experience is at
night. If I can’t sleep, I suppose I can
go. I rested my eyes until
midnight. I then got dressed and filled
my pipe. I headed out to the street, and
I found a place to sit with a good view, where I proceeded to write this entry,
which I will now close so that I can back inside where it’s warm and publish
this and some photos and get to sleep.
One day more. Another day,
another destiny on this never ending road to Complete. I just need to the get inside the Olympic
Stadium and make my flight home.
Everything else is a bonus.
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