Next Stop, Taiwan (June 26)

Sitting in one of the countless gates in Ninoy Aquino International Airport, beginning one of the infinitely long waits between the many various flights across and over islands, continents, and countries )-: The tough part of travel, waiting, bureaucracy, never able to sleep, being checked and searched, waiting some more…

I feel bad. I departed Monette and Mosaic Tower this morning, right around 7 AM. I could tell Monette was about to break into tears. She no sooner got me into my Grab Taxi Cab than she shut the door, turned around and headed back into Mosaic. It was not a good feeling. And on top of it all, it was a gloomy, miserable looking day. So here I sit now at Gate 3 in Terminal 1, watching the room fill up, knowing the next 24-36 hours is going to be a little piece of hell, always waiting, never being able to sleep, sitting in economy class without a square inch to move.

I am always mystified by how I am going to navigate all the hoops. I never do anything right and the lines are always infinitely long. If I hadn’t been so caught up into the pain and agony of it all, I would have taken a few pictures. But, inevitably, somebody rescues me. This time it was a doll of a little Filipina gal who practically took me by the hand and guided me through the system. She wanted to know if I was “pre-registered” (so I could get into the fast, short line). “No, I don’t think so”. She immediately confiscated my iPhone and was quickly navigating her way through the loops and turns of pre-registration. I had no idea what she was doing. I was like an old, feeble grandfather watching the efficienct grandchild whir through electronics and technology, knowing I could never comprehend, but she was fixing it for him because that is what a loving child does. She had my name, cell phone number, address, flight routes, ticket numbers, date of birth, passport number, and had me following her closely from one line to another. Finally she said, “okay, come with me. You are in this line now—you are pre registered”.

I went from number 322 in a line that was not moving, to number 4 in a line that was moving at a fast clip! “How much do you make?” I asked. “Nothing”, she said. “I’m in my 4th year of college and I am a volunteer. I want to be a stewardess someday”.

I insisted on giving her a little tip, and she refused, repeatedly. I had to smile. She said she was happy doing what she did. How Filipino, I thought.

(A few hours later) So here I am in mostly sunny, puffy clouded Taiwan, a gorgeous, ultra modern country, and sophisticated in ways it is hard for me to relate to: clean, efficient, modern, socially cooperative, and surprisingly unconcerned about their relationship with mainland China. Maybe they know something we don’t (-: Monette and I had a chance to do Taiwan with Gordon and Gretchen for a week long trip time before last. The tickets were purchased, we were in the airport, going through Filippine customs and Monette abruptly got pulled aside and grilled like she was a wannabe escapee from the Philippines! Where the logic was, I’ll never know, but by the time the authorities were through roughing her up with questions, we missed our flight. Stange, no apologies, nothing.

So I have never had any personal experience in Taiwan except countless trips flying in and out of the country making transfers. And I know people who know the country. I love flying into it—it looks so…exotic, different in its own way. Endless coastline, rectangular parceled farmland, wind generators, modern highways, roadways, river systems, green mountains, clean looking towns, cities, fishing grounds. They take pride in their national parks and wilderness. They seem to hold their country in high esteem. It always makes me think about how unique the planet is and how humanity has spread across the planet.