I traveled to Taipei yesterday, the first leg of my journey home. I spent today walking around a bit. I went up to the observation deck of the Taipei 101. It was pretty cool. My only disappointment is that they didn't offer the option of walking up the tower. I could use the exercise. It was a reasonably clear day and quite the view. I still remember visiting the World Trade Center years ago and how massively huge those buildings looked when you stand at the base. I'm up bright and early to catch a flight to Tokyo then to Atlanta (13 hours!) and then to Boston. Then I get to start prepping for my next trip to...Taiwan!
The training went well despite the loss of an airplane along with the pilot from another squadron and a few days of not flying due to the accident and the weather. They are progressing well and learning all the lessons they need, usually the hard way.
After the trip to the Taroko Gorge we made a little side trip to the local shoreline. A huge breakwater that borders the sea and protects a small harbor and a rocky beach with lots of smooth stones of marble and granite. Beautiful turquoise blue water close to shore and then the deep water. We also walked around town for a while and did some shopping.
All in all a good trip but I'll be glad to get home and start recovering from jet lag while I work my transition to a new company. Hopefully it will be smooth but I tend to get comfortable in my ways and resist change. The hard part will be meeting all the requirements to ensure a smooth transition with our travel schedule. Confidence is low!
Since the election is creeping up on us perhaps it's time to get on my soapbox. Standby, and wear a helmet!
