Exactly three weeks ago to the day (which seems like an eternity), Davin arrived here in Taiwan! I had just spent the weekend at a Confucianism and Leadership camp (more to be said on this later - the weekend was full of self discovery and as, such requires a great deal of reflection)and was on the hour long bus ride back to campus when it finally clicked in that we were about to see each other in person after months of only Internet chat.
I had given Dav directions (in Chinese and in English) to the hotel I booked us and hoped that he had made it there alright. I also gave him walking directions from the hotel to my campus so he could meet me when my bus returned. I must admit, I was a bit worried he may not find his way - it's not very easy to get around here with virtually no knowledge of Chinese. I made sure he knew to ask for "Jenda" if he got lost, but later found out that this was of little help. Apparently he spent hours walking around the town trying to find my campus, asking around with no help, and walking back and forth down the same streets without realizing it. Finally he came upon something familiar - a Heineken sign, where he was finally able to sit down, relax and have a beer (I have to smile, as Davin managed to find the ONLY place in the entire area that serves alcohol). He also met one of the nice Taiwanese bar tenders there (funnily enough her name is "Shana") who kindly showed him around campus a bit before my arrival.
As we pulled up to the school I got a tinge of excitement and couldn't contain myself when I saw him - much taller and blonder than everyone else - walking across the street towards me. I ran and jumped at him and all my friends watched and smiled as we hugged - they were all excited to see this mystery man of mine.
There is something very magical about being reunited with someone you love after a long period of time - I often feel this with close friends and family whenever I see them after being away for a while. It is nice.
After some quick introductions, I went to drop off my bag and off we went to the hotel - Davin knew the way very well now.
The hotel was, how should I say...interesting. As we walked up to the gates I realized it was a bit different than hotels we are used to back home. There was a reception office at the front gates, with a drive in lobby and separate car garages that attached to each guests' room. Once the guest parked their car in their garage, the door would close behind them and they wouldn't be seen again. Since Davin and I didn't have a car, we always walked through the gates which, I'm sure, looked quite peculiar to the hotel staff.
As we walked to our room Davin had a wicked grin on his face and when I asked him why he replied, "you'll see". I kid you not, as we walked into our garage area on the right was a vending machine that wasn't filled with drinks or candy...no it was filled with sex toys and condoms! Better yet, when we walked into the room we were greeted with soft playing tunes and dim lighting that switched slowly from pink, to red, to purple, to blue...hilarious. I swear I did not know it was going to be a porn-palace when I booked it. Since I wasn't about to get comfortable in that room just yet, I decided to bring him to the city. It had been so long since I'd seen him I made it clear that he was going to have to do some serious courting before we went back.
Unfortunately the weather was a bit soggy and rainy (surprise surprise) so the city wasn't exactly vibrant. Then again, it was also around 10pm, and since that's considered pretty late for the typical Taiwanese person, the atmosphere was probably a fair representation of a typical evening. Dav was pretty shocked that it was hard to find a place to grab a bite to eat - he couldn't believe that restaurants start to close after 9pm. We settled for an overly expensive, slightly westernized bistro that was a bit of a disappointment - especially as someones first meal in Asia - but I vowed to make no more silly food decisions from then on.
The next day I decided to show Dav my infamous dormitory room. Really, I just wanted to see him wear the attractive blue vest.
Worth it.
We sat chatting for about twenty minutes - apparently too long according to dormitory regulations. I got a phone call from the front desk informing me and the "male" that our time was up and it was time to move it on out. Fine.
That day I planned on taking Dav up the Maokong Gondola to the tea fields that sit high up on the hills behind my dorm. However, the weather was so foggy and since the main attraction is the view, we decided to change our plans and head somewhere else.
I decided to take Dav around Zhongxio Fuxing so he could see a busier spot in the city to make up for the night before. I think he liked the energy a bit better. We passed by the massage parlour that I have mentioned in past blogs and we decided to treat ourselves again. I know, I know, we were about to head to Thailand - the land of massages - and we just couldn't wait...but we should have.
I left the massage feeling just lovely - relaxed, warm, comfortable. Davin on the other hand left the massage feeling, how did he put it? "Slightly shocked"..."a bit uncomfortable"...I think he even went as far as, "violated". Apparently his masseuse (a probable homosexual) focused 80% of his time on his "buttock" and "crotch" and Davin, half polite, half wondering if it was just the "Taiwanese way" sucked it up and clenched through the entire hour massage. I was almost peeing my pants as he explained the events of the past hour to me outside on the street, hoping I would respond by insisting it was normal...It was not.
After that we went and chopped wood, drank beer and skinned a bore - well, I'm sure that's what Davin would have liked as a way to reclaim his manliness. I thought of the next best thing - dumplings! I decided to take Dav to a very famous dumpling spot in the area which he ended up loving (so much in fact that we ended up going back again on our way back through Taiwan), and I managed to get him some beer too so that was another plus.
Happy.
Happy(er).
That night I decided to take Dav to the biggest night market in Taipei so he could see some of the culture and do a bit of shopping. He bought a few nice things including an alligator wrist cuff and a nice pair of jeans - I couldn't believe he could find clothes that fit him when it is impossible for me! I tried to get him to try the stinky tofu - a must at the Shilin night market - but he refused. It was pretty funny because as we ran into all my friends the next day the first thing anyone would ask was if he tried to "Chou Doufu" (stinky tofu). Do you regret not trying it now? It's o.k., I'll learn how to cook it before I leave so we can get the full experience back home.
The next day was a bit of rush around because we had to be at the airport for 3pm and Davin still wanted to get fitted for a suit. We went to the Tailor who was very nice and charged a price less than what we would spend on a tailored suit in Canada, but (as we later discovered) far more than what they were charging in Thailand. Oops.
Once he was fitted we had our final Taiwanese meal at a restaurant near my campus (the only one that was open when we finally sat down to eat - Davin would have to normalize his schedule a bit to survive in this country), and then off went to the airport to start our trip in the sunny south of Thailand!
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