Shanghai

I want to start by talking about the weird relationship between China and Taiwan through the lens of a tourist traveling from Taiwan to China.

Taiwan Twenty

College newbies gain the freshman fifteen whereas I gain the Taiwan twenty. We’ve been in Taiwan for just under a week now and we’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing (read: eating, seeing dad’s friends, more eating, spending time with cousins, more eating).

Next big trip…

Checking in on the blogsies. I’m currently planning my next big trip: Australia and New Zealand (well, TW and China too). I am beyond excited. A preview of some things I’ve already booked: 3 day liveaboard dive trip on the GBR, a visit to Hobbiton, a hostel featuring an indoor rock wall that’s near a trail head for the Tongariro Crossing, a trip to Zealandia, and a 5 day tramp along the Milford Track (one of NZ’s 9 Great Walks). I’ll be in the southern hemisphere for a total of 5 weeks. If I bring my laptop, I’ll post throughout Feb/March. If not, I’ll write when I get back in April.

In other news, I’m running again! After the marathon, I felt a dull, lingering pain along the outer side of my right foot. Whenever I stood up, the pain sharpened. A running hiatus for a solid three weeks, yoga, and stretching/rolling did the trick. I’ve been running these past two weeks completely pain free. My heart bursts with joy to be back out on some trails!