...hello Taipei, Taiwan, Asia!

Hi guys! Sorry for being absent from the blogosphere, twitterverse and facebookland. My trip was quite long and when I finally arrived in Taiwan, I was so eager to see as much as possible. I was really tired, had a slight jetlag, didn't sleep during the flight much. Those 14 hours seemed endless. But now I'm back and as promised, me and my girlfriend owe you a post about how our first day was, especially our first meeting. Let that be your introduction to my Taiwan story. In the days ahead I will write many posts about various things I saw here, from food to sightseeing. I hope I won't get bored with it :-)

FROM HER PERSPECTIVE:

Time really flied so fast, when he told me he started to pack. I still thought it's a bit far for me, but when I heard the exact flight time and how he would reach the airport, I suddenly became aware: "Wow...it's real! He is coming to me soon!" Then the nervousness started.

We have 7 hours time difference, so for me his journey would start around my noon. I couldn't stop checking the clock every hour for that whole day and thinking about what he might be doing at that time.

That night I also couldn't sleep, because I worried about the flight and everything. I believed he would be safe, but I just couldn't stop missing him and worrying, it made me sleepless all night. Finally I fell asleep at dawn...

And then the next day I woke up and realized I have overslept!

When I saw the clock, I was really shocked. I tried my best to be quick, because the distance to the airport is a bit far for me. However, I promised I'll dress up good to welcome him, but I didn't have enough time. I had to put on everything in a hurry, take my four bags and rush to the airport. I knew I will be late. I hoped I won't make a negative impression on him when he sees me.

Then I remembered, that I sent him a Taiwanese SIM card a while ago and told him to use it, when he arrives here. I tried to call him on that number, but couldn't reach him... I didn't know what happened, I felt so nervous and anxious on the way to the airport. Just when I came out from the train station and was about to transfer to the bus, I received a call from the airport. A woman, working at the info point, called me and said that there is foreigner, who said he was my friend and that his phone was out of battery, so he couldn't call me. I told her I would be there soon, in about 15min. After the call I was relieved, but started to feel sorry, because I knew he must've been walking around the airport trying to find me, but I wasn't there.

Eventually the bus arrived the airport. I walked into the hall and quickly saw a blonde man. I thought that must be him, because I saw the same suitcase he showed me on the weekend before on his webcam. I walked slowly and quietly, I planned to cover his eyes from the back and surprise him, but while walking towards him, he turned around and saw me... He caught me. We smiled and hugged each other tight, I felt so safe and warm. Although I was a little shy at first, we were so comfortable with each other very quickly. It felt as if we were a real couple before, no one could've thought that we've met for the first time in that moment.

After the initial greeting, he asked me where to go. I felt a little ashamed, because I didn't have a plan where to go. At that time we couldn't go to our apartmentm, because the owner wanted to clean the room first. We had like four hours to kill. So I decided to leave the airport first. We took a bus to the nearby high speed train station. There were some shops and cafés. We went in one and stayed there for a while. He always held my hand. His hand is nice to hold and it's also bigger than mine. And so we stayed at a café for few hours. We talked, drank coffee, ate some food... I felt I was really with my boyfriend, the feeling was so dreamy and wonderful.

I thought: This man came for me in from another continent so far away from here, he kept his words and our story started with a whole new chapter. I felt so appriciated and thankful.

Time passed quickly and we left the café after 3pm. When we arrived at our apartment and could finally put all our luggage down, we both felt so relaxed. He liked the room I rented for us. The flat is located at one of the very typical Taiwanese areas in Taipei County and he is the only one foreigner there.

After we had some time to rest, he said he doesn't want to sleep, he wanted to go out and walk around. I decided to take him to Ximending. I was a bit unfortunate that Taipei was rainy and cold all that day, but we fearless and went exploring the place anyway. We couldn't walk to many places, but we still tried some yummy foods like a Korean spicy fried rice cake, Indian chapati and a famous Taiwanese rice noodle. I was glad he liked all the food. We are both alike when it comes to food: We can eat a lot of different food.

But after we were full and a bit tired, plus the weather was not good, we decided to return back to the flat and soon after our first and unforgettable day has finished.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE:

I have no idea when my day really started, because I haven't slept all night on Sunday, because Monday was my departure day. I was so nervous and afraid of oversleeping. The hours passed fast and at 6am I grabbed my three bags and mom drove me to the near by train station. I didn't want to have a big teary goodbye, it was brief and painless. Soon after my train to Vienna arrived. I was a bit tired and had mixed feelings. I tried to suppress my emotions, but after the train started to move and I sat in that booth all by myself in the dark, I have shed a tear or two... Leaving behind my family, my home, my safe environment, my part-time job, even my cat, was not easy. I have no idea, if I will succeed here the way I hope and stay here longer (at least a year), but when I left my home, I left it determined that I will. I want to be ready for that, not for the case that it might be another few months long experience.

Lucky for me, everything went fine. I caught all the trains. The whole procedure at the airport was smooth, from immigration to boarding, we were on time and the EVA Air staff was very friendly. I got a window seat and a nice Austrian fifty-something lady sat next to me. She thought I was Austrian to and spoke to me in German. Since I'm fluent, I replied to her normally. When she asked me, where I was from, I replied I'm not Austrian, but Slovenian. How could she know, we Europeans all look same :-P Anyway, I was happy to have her seated beside me, we talked a lot and it made my flight less boring. I only slept for few hours, most of the time I watched movies. I saw like 5 of them. We had a stopover in Bangkok and when we descended, I couldn't believe how beautiful Thailand is from above. I took out my cell phone and wanted to take some pictures. And then I realized that the battery is out. I was so pissed. That happened, because I listened to music on the train to Vienna. Ah, what could I do. It was what it was. We stayed at Bangkok international for almost 2 hours and then finally off to Taipei. Since I was very tired, I didn't think much, be it about the place I left behind or the place I am about to reach. I just couldn't wait to finally touch the ground and stretch my legs and of course to hold the girl of my dreams in my arms.

It was about 11 am, when we reached in Taipei. It looked rainy and cold from the outside. I followed the procedure and everything went fine. Only my baggage took some longer time, I was worried about her waiting for me too long. Some 30 min later I finally come out to the arrival hall, it was quite big and many people waited for their dear ones. I hoped that she will notice me, one of the few white men who came to Taipei that day. I kept turning my head left and right and I couldn't spot her. Where is she? I try to switch on my Nokia to call her, but fail. The battery only lasted like 10 seconds. I was a bit angry at myself, because I didn't know where she is and when she'll come. Our plan was for me to call her upon my arrival, but I overused my battery (facepalm). Well, I couldn't do anything, I had to wait and hope she'll appear from somewhere. Some 15min later I became worried. I stood near the info point and decided to share my situation with the lady who works there. She helped me by announcing her name in Chinese and asking her to come to the info point. I waited again. Nothing. So I took out my SIM card and asked the lady, if she could put it in her phone and allow me to SMS or call her. She was kind enough to help me. She even called her herself and told her that a foreigner is waiting for her at the airport. I was finally told that she's on the train to the airport and that she'll be here in 15min. I was so relieved. I thanked the lady, took my bags to the entrance she's supposed to appear and waited.

She came on time and suddenly appeared behind my back. I turned in the last moment and spotted her. She was smiling and repeatedly said sorry for coming late. I asked, what happened and she replied: I overslept! Haha.. I thought you are so cute. I hugged her and took her hand. She decided that it's best to take the bus to the man train station, where we would find a café and have few drinks. We had to wait for the apartment to be cleaned up. We had few hours to wait. The café was cozy, we sat on a couch, sipped a coffee, talked, held our hands. She was shy at first, smiled a lot. I was the first one who gave her an unexpected small kiss on the cheek, but she only smiled. She returned the kiss a long while later, when I didn't expect and at that point we felt really close already.

What can I say? She looks beautiful in real, she's a mix of sexy and cute with a body that's nearly perfect! She wore black boots with stockings and a short skirt, a nice white sweater, with her hair falling on her back. She smiled a lot, was very charming. When I walked hand in hand with her, I suddenly forgot everything around me. I just felt: Wow. Is this real? This is real. That hot woman on your right is your girlfriend now. It was just amazing. I was tired and cold, the rain was annoying, but I only had eyes for her.

When we finally reached home, we had some time to relax and enjoy some sweet time together. And then I decided to see some of Taiwan. We went to Ximending, a popular place for young Taiwanese to hang out in bars and clubs. Unfortunately, it was very rainy, we could only take few photos and try some food and then quickly return back home. But it was fun, because it was our first date. I have to tell you, when you walk around with her, it's always fun. She has a professional camera and always snaps many photos. Unfortunately I was so tired that evening, my face looked puffed-up, my hair was messy. I'm actually glad that we didn't take more photos. It's still raining in Taipei for the third day. I think there will be many sunny days to make some awesome pics and I can't wait to go around the city and take pictures with her.

The first day was long, exciting, with some surprises, but with a happy end. We had a wonderful day and a wonderful night. The fairy tale has just begun. Let's hope it continues the same way.

[Related: Bye Bye Maribor][Photo by MKL, 2010]