Until I was enroute to my game convention, I hadn’t considered that attending a game convention 2 days before my flight might not have been the best way to avoid getting sick before my trip. However I appear to have dodged that bullet. I wore a mask for parts of the con. I’m wearing a mask for the flight(s) to Taiwan. Fingers crossed.
Purchasing my airplane ticket only 4 weeks out–at least a month later than usual–left me with fewer economic options for the flight. I typically want at least a 3-hour layover to cover for flight delays as well as increasing the likelihood my bicycle makes any transfer. My flight left Raleigh-Durham at 7:30 a.m., with a 4-hour layover in Seattle. Linda dropped me off at 4:30 a.m. and headed back home to bed.
I will land in Taipei at 9:00 p.m., far later than I prefer; it’s harder to solve any problems that late at night. Fortunately I have a friend in Taipei! The plan is to take a taxi to his place (hopefully finding a taxi that can carry the bicycle!).
That also means a place to store my bicycle box, removing one stress point from the return trip.
I now find myself in Seattle for the first time, ironically after a good friend in Seattle expatriated herself to France! I’ve purchased an eSim, so should immediately have Internet access when I land in Taipei.
I’ve rummaged about through my usual accommodations apps–booking.com, hostelworld, warm showers, hotels.com–with good results for finding places to stay. I’ve added Klook and Agoda, both recommended specifically for Asian destinations. I’ll likely default to one in particular after a while — checking a half-dozen places takes ages!
Time to board for Taipei.