It all started in Brisbane, Australia at the duty free shop at the airport. Ed and Gwen Rankin were going to Taiwan to visit the new Grandson Ian, and planned to bring the necessary provisions: Vega-mite; quarts of sun-screen; and a couple bottles of Bundy Rum (for dad of course). They bought two bottles and made it through customs in TauYuan International Airport. Then, in transitioning to a domestic flight to Kaohsiung they were informed that they could not take any bottles of liquid larger than 100ml. What a crock of stuff. The bottles were confiscated and “dumped out” (and I have some beachfront property for sale in Arizona). No discussions, arguments, threats or whatever could persuade them to change their mind. They were asked if they wanted to ditch the plane and take the bullet train instead.
One would think that because there were two different airlines involved they had a miscommunication, but no, both legs were on China Airlines. Go figure.
No Bundy Rum, what’s the point of the trip after all? Oh yeah, the new born grandson, Ian Rankin. I remember my mother coming to see my new born son. There wasn’t even a pretext of an interest in seeing me, my wife, Hsien-Ling, maybe, but me no. Just the new baby.
Anyway, it doesn’t take much of an excuse to get the expats together for breakfast so there we were this morning at the usual place, the Forest Café near the teacher’s college. In the first picture there is Brad, Andrew-never-late-for-golf-Carrick and his wife Julie, Bonnie Rankin, Hsien-Ling, me(no, I was taking the picture, really I was there). In the second picture is Gwen, Ed, Nigel Edgar, Richard and Ian (in the third picture).
Richard is taking the folks to Taipei Saturday for some touristy things via the Bullet Train. I haven’t heard Richard using much Chinese though he has been studying. That would be fun to watch, having been there myself when I showed my mother around Taiwan. Now I take my son who says “shut up your Chinese is giving me a headache, I’ll so the talking”, or something a little less rude, depending on who we are with. Sometimes with the guys on a bike ride it gets even worse……
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