It’s hard to believe I’ve been on the road for almost a month already, first to Chicago and Michigan, then to Tokyo, and now Taipei. As time does when you travel, it has both crawled and somehow flown by.

Due to the heat and humidity, the days here feel long right now. I try and find something to do first thing in the morning, a long walk through a park or to breakfast, some tourist exhibit… something like that. Then, I tend to hole up for the afternoon and work. The schedule has been kind of perfect. I get a little exercise in the morning while the clouds build up and prepare themselves to downpour. Then, while I sit on my computer in the afternoon, the sky drenches the world on the other side of the window.

However, this trip has been primarily characterized by spending time outside, at night, after most of the heat and rain have concluded. Thus, pretty much all of the photographs are after dark.

That’s turned out to be a gift, though, as both Tokyo and Taipei are particularly photogenic after the sun goes down. Also, I’m not the only one who has developed this pattern; the locals also seem to swarm the streets after 5 p.m.

Cafe Latte - カフェラテ - 拿铁咖啡

One thing I am particularly happy about on this trip, however, is that I faced my fear of ordering things in Japanese and braved some cafes. I am proud to say that I managed it more or less, even answering some of the questions right in Japanese (emphasis on some). This also opened up a whole new world for me, work-wise, as it enabled me to get out of the AirBnB and spend time with my laptop in cafes. Make no mistake, I don’t SPEAK Japanese. But I’m really glad some of my language-learning efforts have opened the door, even just a little wider.

I tried to carry over this practice to Taiwan. But uh, let’s just say the results have been more—mixed. From Starbucks I can consistently walk away with… a latte—so that’s cool.

It might be hot, it might be cold, it might be for here or to go. Total crap-shoot. Even though I keep looking up how to say these things and order in Chinese, the language is quite challenging to pronounce. Clearly, I am not well understood. It’s pretty funny most of the time.

Fujifilm X-E3 and the 27mm F2.8

One thing I’ve really been enjoying is shooting with the little X-E3 I picked up before I left. I decided to pare things down on this trip and only travel with a small camera and one pancake lens. While I am missing some of my other lenses a bit, I always find that limiting my equipment is often freeing and enjoyable.

It’s all just for fun anyway, so there’s no need to obsess over the photographs I missed with this more limited kit.

Flying to Thailand

My feelings on arrival in Taipei were sort of mixed, so I booked a flight to Thailand only a few days into being here. I regret this decision a little, as the place has grown on me considerably. I think I need to remember that I am always a bit uncertain of a new location in the first few days of arrival. That’s ok, though; what’s done is done. I would love to come back; there is so much more to explore here.

Hope you all are well. Take care.