I got up without having slept much, I made too many mistakes with my food. Spice. Salt. Sugar, in excess, can’t be good. But anyways I spoke with Takashi once more, he was playing guitar softly in his bunk. The bus was 8 minutes to the airport, and once there, I got the best vegan meal they had, a fabulous 1,400 yen, sub $10 meal packed with veggies like okra, baby corn, seaweed, squash and more! Man, it was so good I almost went for another, but I knew it would be a waste, never overdo a good thing, it’s the fastest way to ruin it.
The flight was something else, for just as I sat down in a plane with 9 emergency rows, the flight attendant came only to me, putting their hand on my shoulder rest almost on my shoulder itself and asked with the seriousness of a man handing you a gun to go put down the family dog,
“Are you willing to save everyone on this plane when it crash?” I gulped secretly, hoping he hadn’t detected weakness, then nodded.
“Yes.”
“Okay!” he said, raising his hand triumphantly like a game show host and walking away as though I had just accepted the highest price of an already overpriced item at auction. So intense was the question and the response to it, that I actually was afraid that the plane would go down. Images of Tom Hanks confessing his soul to a blood soaked volley ball came to mind, yet it was not to be, as we landed safely and ahead of schedule. I spent the time playing and almost beating Zelda, Links awakening. This game is so amazing, the Japanese have managed to turn supposed children’s games into self realization tools using the hero’s journey and 8 bit technology. It’s no wonder their culture is so revered, and dare I say feared, for they are truly different, set apart by cultural realities which no other people can copy, nor would want to even if they could.
Now, I’ve usually tried to finish things in life, unless it truly wasn’t my jam, then I dropped it so quickly that I forgot about it before it even fell to the ground, but there are certain episodes within the many chapters which called for a different path, one which would put whatever I was doing on hold for decades at a time. The closer I get to beating this game, the closer I feel as though a part of the puzzle within my life has come together at long last. I started this journey more than 30 years ago in the back of my father’s white Ford F-150 on the way back from the San Diego farmers market, amazed and intimidated by the enemies, the music, the lore; and now, so close to finishing, it seems I’ve finally made a friend meant for me all those years ago.
Not to harp too much on it, as I’m sure most of the people reading this blog are not gamers, but even for those of you who are not, you too remember the magic of film, music and dance, of experiences which required your participation in order to be experienced, yet exist on their own as well, and can belong to anyone, anywhere. This only touches on the idea, but it flushes it out with enough consideration.
Going through security at airports is usually a strenuous activity, at least for those of us who aren’t professional travelers who are asleep on the plane before it even takes off and wake up at the destination escorted through premier, exclusive treatment barrages to the point of numbness, shaking hands with strangers then vanishing upon metal wings once more, headed for the clouds and lands of distant places. However there are times when going through security feels like a joke, or a formality barely worth addressing, and this was one of those times. I was whisked through security, no full body scanners that are so joyous to enter, no frisky buff man handler pat downs, just papers, photo, enter, done.
Once through, I exchanged $700.00 US for Yuan, got a $4 bus to the city which took an hour or more, made it to my hostel which was really plush, way nicer than I imagined it would be. Got a peanut noodle dish for $1 at the rail station a half mile away and roamed the city for a little bit before deciding on going to a computer repair place 45 minutes away by sky-rail, these really pretty and fun raised trains which make you feel like you’re in the future.
Once I found the place I was shocked at the cost, $411.00 for a screen replacement on my Mac M1 Air, which I only paid $1100 for a couple years ago. I had also replaced the screen once before while still under warranty, so for the second time in many years I’ve been able to regain a large portion of the initial cost via warranty. The best example of which is my E-Bike which I’ve had almost everything warrantied, costing almost more than the whole bike, a $3,000+ investment. Let this be a lesson to you folks, never use alcohol to clean electronics unless you know exactly what you’re doing. I gave them the computer and accepted the cost, for it is mine to bare, then returned to the hostel and checked in.
One of the things which really blows my mind about Taiwan is just how much more expensive it is than Japan, but just like Germany being entirely too cheap for the quality compared to the other countries in Europe, I’m beginning to get the full picture on economic warfare post ww2. No matter where I go in the world, I see the aftereffects of that conflict, the one which was supposedly finished back in 45, but clearly just took on a different guise to suit the needs of those who would continue fighting it. As I go forward, my eyes open ever more.
The hostel was quiet for the most part, I had no roommates the first night, so sleeping was easy. The next morning I had the free toast and tea from the hostel, plus I bought one of their ramens, and set out for some shopping, being a day away still from seeing my old friend Zoe, whom I met back in 2011 in Australia. I set out to buy a new DAC for my phone, a small little dongle which you insert your 3.5 millimeter headphone jack into a usb-c for ones phone, but it doesn’t just function as an adapter, it actually boosts the signal and makes it much better, especially on my 2019 Pixel 4 XL, a seven year old phone that still kicks ass in most applications that I use, though its aging out now as well. I found a big building filled with electronics and bought $13 dongle, it was terrible, cutting off the first word of every line while I listened to audio books, but it worked well enough as long as I only listened to music, I can’t wait to get a phone with an actual 3.5 mm headphone jack.
After that I went to a fancy coffee shop and bought a cup of black which sent me over the top, I was giggin, dancing around the city like a fool. I looked up all the vegan places and found quite a few, which was great, I chose the one which seemed most authentic and wasn’t far away. It ended up being a dirty little mom and pop shop hole in the wall, but for $3.15 I got more food than I needed, and it was very tasty. I gave them $4, no change, they were surprised. I guess they don’t tip at all in Asia. Makes sense.
Tomorrow I meet with Zoe, and our 14 year side quests finally cross paths, once more.