Nomadic Narrative

I got a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call this morning. With a brief layover in Taiwan from 9:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., I had planned on sitting in the airport and taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi, but when the China Airways Transfer Center offered me “a very nice hotel for just 45 dollars including transportation,” I didn’t hesitate.

A hub for travel throughout Asia, Taipei’s airport has a dedicated transfer center which even offers free half-day tours of Taipei twice a day. The clerk filled out a brief form and handed me a green and white sticker with an image of a polar bear in front of two pine trees to adhere to my sweater which read: Miramar Golf Country Club.

The shuttle driver vigorously shook a larger version of the same logo as I exited baggage claim. Even though my bag had been checked through to Phnom Phen, Cambodia, everyone followed the same route through the airport. Seven tourists climbed aboard the shuttle and we wound through dark streets lit most noticeably by occasional pairs of red paper lanterns hanging from store awnings. About 15 minutes into the drive, the road narrowed. Dim streetlights highlighted gardens, rice fields and scattered houses. Ten minutes later, we passed through the hotel’s security gate and manicured grounds to the glass and cream-marble entrance.

After a quick check-in and paying a lower room price than originally quoted (How often does that happen?!), I was submerged in a tub frothy from the bubble bath I selected from the generous assortment of toiletries. Between the drive to LAX, the 14-hour flight and the hot bath, I was more tired than I had thought. I was out the minute my head touched the pillow.

I picked up the phone at 4:27 a.m., jumped right out of bed and mixed myself a hot cup of Nescafe. Spoiled by Costa Rican coffee, I started to wean myself off of the good stuff a few days before my departure, so the steamy cup of Nescafe was nothing but bliss on this chilly morning.

Like a recharged battery, it’s full speed ahead. Next stop, Phnom Phen!