What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: January 2026

I know that for some, January was a cold and bleak month, but I was lucky to be in a place where that wasn't the case. After spending the holidays with family, I set off again, this time heading westward from home. It didn't start without a bit of adventure though, as the day I left, flights were being canceled right and left due to the conflict with Venezuela, and the airspace was closed over the Caribbean. My flight was delayed, then delayed again, then canceled. The wait time on the phone for an agent to figure out what do do was eight hours. I tried the chat, but as they often are now, it was a bot, and it was not very helpful! I got onto another flight, which was also delayed, then delayed again, but finally I made it out of the country! I ended up spending about 10 hours in the San Francisco airport. 

Pro tip: don't take no for an answer. When I got to the airport, despite not needing to check a bag, I stood in line for an agent. I asked him if he could put me on a different carrier, since the only other flight on my carrier (Delta) was the next day. He told me that with my 30 minute layover in Seattle, even with the delay, I was "going to be fine with the connection," aka, I would make my next flight. I was highly doubtful, so once I was inside the airport, I went to another desk with a real person and was put on a direct United flight, which is what I would have wanted anyway. Unfortunately this flight was also delayed and I ended up getting in about 4 hours later than I would have originally had things gone according to plan. 

The other saving grace was the lounge access I have on one of my credit cards, which I have been trying to decide the value of, but you can't put a monetary value on the ease of being able to hang in the lounge with food and WiFi and drinks and a nearby toilet while the world is going crazy outside. It's the rough times that show you who your real friends are and what things have more emotional value than you may have realized before. So, without further ado, here's January in a nutshell. 

Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Taiwan

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Devouring the Sweet Potato

Taiwan is known as "the Sweet Potato" apparently due to its shape, and/or the fact that sweet potato plants are resilient, as are the Taiwanese people. In January, I rode around the entire island, mostly around the edge, eating my way around each city one by one. 

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned that Taiwan is called the Sweet Potato. I learned that dragon fruits are a cactus looking plant. I learned that I don't really like asparagus juice but I love milk tea. I learned that the kanji for "cold" looks kind of like a puppy dog to me. Woof.

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was quite nice! Mostly around the 70s f / 20-25 C but sometimes a bit cooler, and a few days of rain and high humidity. However, mostly pretty darn good! 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

It's hard to say but I did enjoy the night markets in Kaohsiung, as well as a hike I did there, which I found randomly but really enjoyed! 

Kaohsiung Liuhe Night Market

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I got off to a a rough start and did not finish my first book until January 11th, but due to the bike ride, which meant LOTS of audiobook time, I caught up on my reading goals a bit and there were some good ones! However, none of them WOWED me, but I think my mood is just not in a "wow" mood right now, so I gave no 5 star reviews in January.

Book: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen, which I started during the cruise in late November, but finally came back to and finished, and am glad that I did. 

Movie/Show: I binged the last few episodes of Grey's Anatomy. I know its basically a soap opera, but what can I say, I still enjoy it after all these years. 

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary on the BBC, where real people tell interesting tales, like this one, where a man accidentally finds his birth mother in his local bakery. 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I got attacked by a monkey! I was in the Taroko gorge and I had just ridden up to a little village and I sat down to have a drink and a snack and before I knew it, a monkey was running up to me. I stood up to get away and he hopped up onto me and tried to get my food. For some reason, I resisted, as if saving my food was important, and he went away. However, two minutes later he was back, and I put my food behind my back to keep it away from  him and a different monkey came out of nowhere from behind and snatched it right out of my hand. It scared the bejeezus out of me and I screamed like a little girl! 

This is not the monkey that attacked me, but it is the same type.
(Formosan Rock Macaque) 

The funny (?) thing also is that I just watched Outbreak a few days before that and after the monkey took my food, I thought about how lucky I was that he had not bitten me or something! There is a scene in the movie where a little girl is feeding apples to the diseased monkey and it puts you on the edge of your seat, I tell you! 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

I am looking forward to the Lunar New Year, and to settling in a bit in one place, to going to a couple of meetups, finding some good hiking trails and eating more great food! 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

JANUARY:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
2. What did you learn last month?
3. What was the weather like where you are?
4. What event last month was your favorite?
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? 
6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

FEBRUARY: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! What is the longest amount of time that you have ever spent in an airport?