Taiwan

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Travel Time: February 7-14, 2012

Prior to marriage, I had traveled to Mexico, Canada, Hawaii and several cities around the US. But of all the places I had visited, the most exotic by far was Taiwan. A sister in the Chinese congregation here in Chicago was serving where the need is great for almost a year. I kept in close touch with her since I was renting her apartment while she was gone. She often would email me about all of her great experiences. Since I was working for United Airlines as a flight attendant at that time, I could travel at a relatively low cost. So she kindly set me up with some living accommodations and off my younger brother and I went! The flight had been the longest I had ever been on including one layover in Narita, Tokyo. But seeing as we somehow managed to be upgraded to business class, we didn’t complain.

Upon landing, we took a taxi cab to the hotel. I admit, I was somewhat afraid considering neither one of us spoke a word of Chinese. We used Orbitz.com to stay at the recommended hotel the sister had mentioned: Dolamanco Hotel. The hotel was small but very clean and had everything we needed: nice size bathroom, two twin beds and a window. There was a television but again, we didn’t understand a word of Chinese. There was free WiFi so we were able to Skype and keep open contact with our parents (and my fiancee) back home. They also had complimentary breakfast and lunch that was served on the rooftop. The food was great, nothing fancy just your basic eggs and sausage links. The view was incredible. You are able to overlook the park across the street and you right on Xinyi Road, one of the most popular roads in Taipei. (For hotel information, visit http://www.dolamanco.com.tw/en/index.php)

The sister we were visiting showed us all there was to see in Taipei. We visited the local kingdom halls, both the English congregation and the Chinese congregation. We had the opportunity to go in field service as well. My brother even practiced a simple Chinese presentation. At night, the friends took us to the Taipei market where you can try the delicacies of Taiwan including my personal favorites the ‘onion pancake’ and fried dumplings. We also did some shopping for jewelry and clothing at a very reasonable price. We also did some sightseeing including going to the top of Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world at a whopping 1,671 feet. We also took a tortuous bus ride to the top of the mountain in Taipei and had a beautiful panoramic view of the city. In the end, we topped off our trip taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel at Miramar Entertainment Park. Now that I think about it… As terrified as I am of heights, Taiwan sure helped me overcome my fear.

The experiences we had were amazing. We met some incredible brothers and sisters who were living proof that Jehovah’s will is being done to the ends of the earth. We also saw the beauty that Taipei has to offer. Overall rating: I would definitely return. It is my hope that one day I will be able to take my husband so he can experience it for himself.