Taiwan
So, here I am nearing the end of my visit to Taiwan. I meant to write more about this rather spontaneous trip, but an unbelievably busy schedule kept me from it.

Taiwan is not at all as I expected it. Most things are as "normal" as anywhere else. Indeed, it's supposed to be mainland China that is truly "different"; even the locals consider it so. Still, many differences exist between the cultures I am familiar with and those over here.

The most striking difference is the food. Acknowledging that I'm a picky eater, I truly cannot believe the kind of things they eat here. It really shocked me how different the food is, from the pig ears, to the shrimp, to the "smelly to-fu", to cow stomach, and bits and pieces that lack identification. These are all considered delicacies by the locals. To me, they constitute a source of apprehension. It wouldn't be so bad, except that these items and those containing all manner of fish (which I avoid) make up about 90% of the menu. There is a McDonald's every other corner, but going to one of those would be considered rude. Some dishes are excellent, many are not. Food has been a problem during this visit.

Typhoon. As luck would have it, we arrived in Taipei just in time to witness a category-4 typhoon, the largest anyone here has seen in years. My first tropical storm. Winds well in excess of 100 km/h. Magnificent power.

Women. Spending time at a high tech company, I can't help but notice the ratio much closer to 50-50 of men-to-women than what we have in North America. There are a good number of downright hot women in engineering positions here. A gorgeous woman handling a soldering iron? Unexpected.

History. On National Day, we took a trip to the National Palace Museum. This museum contains artifacts and treasures, taken from mainland China at Taiwan's birth, that date back all the way to Chinese cultule of 5000BCE. I found the meticulously crafted jade the most impressive. Some of the pieces are undoubtedly the result of entire lifetimes of work.

Driving. Insane. Between cars screaming by every which way and people on scooters flying in between, it's a wonder the country maintains the population it has. I've seen entire families on a single tiny scooter. Drivers need to pay attention here. The average taxi driver is very sharp. Some people on scooters are downright nuts.

All in all, this visit has been enlightening. I have been given the opportunity to explore an entire culture that is new to me. While much of it remains beyond my comprehension, this trip is a change of routine that is, as walways, very much appreciated. Doing this sort of thing in the name of business is far easier than doing it in the name of vacation. I had good (busy) times, and met great (busy) people. Perhaps I will come here again some day.