Summer in Taipei 2006

During our summer vacation, we spent most of our time in the northern tip of Taiwan. With our new little Volkswagen Jetta, we headed north along the National Highway towards Taipei. All was good and fun until we stopped two hours later at a rest stop. We took some time to fuel our bodies with some nourishing sizzling hot plate and but some some snacks for the rest of the trip. Upon our return to our car we were pleasantly surprised that it would not start. We knew this happened once in a while from the previous owner. Actually, we were later informed that the condition is called hot soaking by Kathy's cousin Roger. Anyway, after waiting for the cooling affect to take place (not easy in a country that averages 32 degrees Celsius in the summer), the car was able to start up and place us back onto the highway.

Driving closer to Taipei became more and more horrendous. Semi trucks race like it's a grand prix track while SUV's flash their lights to remind you that they do have proper ownership of the road. Despite some white knuckles, we managed to land at our hotel and rest our weary nerves.

The story continues...