At Long Last...

I know it's been a hot minute since I updated this blog, but I have an excellent reason for it's revival--we are returning to Taiwan!  It is no exaggeration to say that we started saving for this trip 15 years ago when we arrived home with Romi.  We put it off, first for Nana's health, then for the pandemic, and lastly because we were a little freaked out by China's shenanigans.  And now, at long last, our moment has come and we leave tomorrow morning!

We have had countless family meetings planning and preparing.  We've read all the travel blogs and did a ton of research.  We ordered some Taiwanese Dollars from the bank and spent far too much money on clothes, sunhats, compression socks, and travel pillows.  We are as mentally prepared as possible for the 14-hour flight from LAX and the 12-hour time change from Baltimore.

In no particular order, here are some of the things we are looking forward to:

• Taipei 101
• Shabbat services with the Taipei Jewish Community
• National Palace Museum
• High-speed train
• Boba class
• Tea plantations
• Jiufen (historic city)
• Toroko Gorge
• Scootering through the rice paddies
• Sun Moon Lake
• Night markets

We plan to spend some time at the end of our journey in Taichung, the city where Romi was born.  Unfortunately, our adoption agency wasn't able to contact the birth or foster mother, so Romi won't be meeting any family this time around.  Instead we will spend our time in Taichung getting a feel for what it's like to live there, maybe even checking out Costco and Ikea. 

I'll do my best to post photos and updates as we make out way around the island.  If you want to reach us, What's App works best.  Talk to ya' on the other side of the world!