Jason無し、ボーイズ連れて日本に一時帰国。金曜の夜中に予約して、翌朝8時ペナン発という強行で、準備もなし。台北に一泊することにした。
台北は25年ぶり。当時地下鉄なんてものは無く、混沌としていて、バイクの大群が走っていた。日本の30年前ってこんなだろうなと思った記憶がある。あれから、それと同じぐらいの時間が経ってしまったから、これだけ洗練された都会になるわけだ。
もちろん、どこも見覚えがないし、当時宿泊したYMCAがどこかもわからない。桃園空港は中正機場と呼ばれていたので、Feiに聞いても、自分で調べてみるまでは、台北もハブ空港を別の場所に作り直したのかと思った。
前回の一番鮮明な記憶は、香港へ行くまき子さんと別れ、空港の待合室で日本へ戻るフライトを一人で待っていると、日本人の団体旅行のおじさんの一人に、「女の子が台湾に何しに来たの」と言われたこと。今、そんなことをいう人は皆無。
We came to Japan via Taipei. Jason booked a flight for us on Friday evening, then left Penang at 8 AM on the following day. No time to prepare.
Contacted Fei quickly, she booked a hotel room for us. We had too short time and didn't even have a chance to have nice Taiwanese food, but I could have a long chat with Fei at hotel lounge, after boys went to sleep.
It's been 25 years since I went to Taipei for the first time. At that time, the city was so chaotic with so many bikes, of course, they didn't have any underground. I can still remember that I imagined that it would have been like this in Tokyo 30 years ago. Well, it's nearly the same time has passed, and Taipei has developed into such a sophisticated city.
I couldn't recognise anywhere. I can't even spot YMCA we stayed for a couple of nights. The highlight of my previous visit to Taipei was when I was waiting for my flight back to Japan, one of the men in a group tour from Japan came me with a very stereotype question. "Why did a girl like you come to Taiwan?" Nobody thinks this way now. Time has changed....
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