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

I like February; having four weeks means there is an organized manner to the month. Exactly four weeks with no extra days hanging off the ends. It is short but sweet, and is a good time to start planning for the months ahead. I did get some planning done, started my continuing education for my licenses and even worked on my taxes! So it was a productive month, all in all. Here is the look back for the month. I will also be adding notes on new foods, books and documentaries set or about the countries where I am traveling, and completion of any items on the looking forward post I did last week. This month, I will also go over a few of my FIGS, hosted by Elisabeth! 

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

Where was I? Taiwan

What new food did I try? Peanut Ice Cream Roll (rice paper, peanut crumbles, ice cream and cilantro), aka the Ice Cream Burrito. Delicious. 

What country related books or documentaries did I watch? 

Read: Daughters of Shandong <-- China/Taiwan
Watched: Island in Between  <-- Taiwan

Both courtesy of Diane. Thanks! 

Did I complete any other items on this year's looking forward list? 

✅Rode a bike in Taiwan 
✅ Sent > 5 post cards

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FIGS: Lunar New Year decorations and celebrations, finishing a good book (see below), getting a clean bill of health, random morning catch ups with several loved ones, a few runs along the river, mostly great weather, a couple of fun and challenging hikes, dragon fruit smoothies, boba tea, getting my taxes 90% completed, getting my continuing education 90% completed, 7-Eleven takeout meals.  

7-Eleven Chicken Breast Bento
Tofu, egg, chicken, cabbage and rice

Just heat and eat! Cost ~ $3.00

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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
February: Back in the Groove

This is a play on words as I (1) pulled a muscle in my back and had to read a lot and recover for a while. However, it could not have come at a better time, as I was (2) in the same place for one month, hence the "in the groove," as I was also able to get back into a routine of sorts for the month, even if it was not as active as I had hoped. 

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned that firecrackers are lit during Lunar New Year to scare away evil spirits and the mythical monster "Nian," while welcoming good fortune, joy, and prosperity for the coming year. This ancient tradition signifies a loud, celebratory start to the spring festival. The noise and bright flashes are believed to attract good fortune and prosperity for the new year. 

How did I learn this, you are wondering? Well, this goes on not just for one day, but for about two weeks, or maybe more, and it happens all day long, but especially around 11 pm or 12 am! When I left at the end of the month it was still happening and the actual New Year day was on the 17th. They are VERY loud. Also, paper slips representing things like money, cars and homes are burned to honor ancestors and deities by providing them with money, goods, and, by extension, wealth for the afterlife. This is a crucial expression of filial piety (care for elders), ensuring spirits are well-provided for in the new year.

Needless to say, the month of February was very loud and smoky! 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was mostly nice! There were a few rainy days, but all in all the weather was probably highs around 21 C / 70 F and lows around 9 C / 48 F. There were a couple of hotter and cooler days but it was very temperate for the most part. 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

Being in a place that celebrates Lunar New Year was a lot of fun. I mean, I have been lucky to live and work in San Francisco, where we have reportedly the oldest Chinatown in North America as well as one of the largest outside of Asia. This means that I have a rudimentary knowledge of the customs or events during this time. However, it was tenfold in Taipei! Also, in San Francisco I learned how to say Happy New Year, but I only learned it in Cantonese, so I have had to learn it again in Mandarin! The decorations and the lights and the lanterns are very striking and very impressive to say the least. 

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? 

Book: The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami

Movie/Show: I usually don't have Netflix, but my Airbnb had it, so I binged Outlander. It was fun to see some of the places where I was only a few months ago. When I was in Scotland, I had not seen any of the episodes, but we did pass by some of the filming locations, and I actually stayed with a friend in Linlithgow. The palace there (where Mary Queen of Scots was born, and where my friend got married!) was Wentworth Prison in Outlander. 

I also got an Apple TV subscription with one of my credit cards and I need suggestions! Do you have any? 

Podcast: The Thoughtful Travel podcast. If you are looking for inspiration for destinations, or like to hear stories of why people travel, their mishaps along the way, traveling with kids and more, you may want to check this out! 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I had a hamburger in Taiwan on one of my last days there. Why is this funny? Well, if you know me, you know that I like to eat the local food. However, I was meeting up with some new-to-me friends, and when I asked them if they wanted to go to the night market, my friend said that her husband was "not an adventurous eater" and that he liked going to Western food places. So not only did I have a hamburger, but I paid more for one beer and one hamburger than I probably have paid for my last 8-10 meals out at local places (and for the beer, I essentially paid San Francisco prices for it). However, the moral of the story is, that if you want to make new friends, you have to (literally) pay the price. PS they were both very nice people and I would hang out with them again. 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

I am looking forward to hiking the Kumano Kodo (PDF map here) in Japan. Like the Camino in Europe, it is an ancient (1,000 year old) pilgrimage linking three grand shrines. It is considered a path for healing, purification, and spiritual reconnection with nature. You know me, I love spiritual reconnection with nature! Also, there are Onsen, which are thermal baths, where you go naked, and I think that is something that I need to try at least once in my life. 

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.

FEBRUARY:

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. 

MARCH: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! Do you have any suggestions of what to watch on Apple TV? Have you ever been to a naked thermal bath? 

Twenty Questions (E16): 2026 Looking Forward

I am a goal oriented person. However, in recent years, I have found that I prefer to mostly keep them to myself, and/or not be so rigid with some of them. However, in 2026, I do have a few things planned that I am looking forward to, a few fun things I would like to try to do, and a few fun goals as well. So let's talk about some of them, in no particular order! 

1. Ride a bike in at least two new countries and two new states. Last year, I borrowed a bike in the Netherlands, rented a bike in France, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria, and borrowed Rachel's bike while in Wales. In the past, I have ridden in Australia, where we rented bikes to go from winery to winery, which only works for the first couple of stops! And of course in 2024, I rode through the US and Canada. So I feel like four new locations is doable! I already know that one of them will be was in Taiwan, I think one could be Japan if I can find a place with the right gear, and I am also planning to do a multi week bike trip in the US this summer, which would actually cover two or possibly three new states. I would like to keep this tradition going, and have tentative plans to go to Italy and Norway in 2027 for some cycling there. 

West Coast Taiwan

2. Go to at least two new states in the US. Currently, I have been to 43 of the 50 states, and I would like to get to 50 in the next few years! The ones I have not been to are South Carolina, West Virginia, Delaware, Arkansas, Ohio, North Dakota, and South Dakota. My crystal ball tells me that doing the ones that are kind of in a clump makes the most sense, so here's looking at you, Dakotas and Ohio! These will not be states that I plan to ride my bike through, although that would be cool if I could combine the two goals...hmmm.... 

3. Possibly go to one new Canadian province or territory. I may stay in North America (or  possibly central) for the second half of this year, and if I do, I might try to include a new Canadian province in my round up. I have not been to Saskatchewan, Manitoba, PEI, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, or the territories of Northwest Territories, Yukon or Nunavut. I have a long way to go! However, I feel like the clump method could work for some of these as well. 

4. Possibly go to one new Mexican state. Keeping with my Americas theme, I may head down to Mexico and likely would go to either Oaxaca or Guanajuato. FYI, Mexico has 31 states plus Mexico City, and so far I have only been to seven of them, I think! I have a way to go to get all of them! Getting to all of the provinces and territories of Canada is definitely a much easier goal, numbers-wise.

5. Introduce the girls (A & L) to Thailand. In April, K, A and L are going to meet me in Thailand, where it will be so fun to introduce them to some of the things that K and I used to do when we went there for the very first time. K and I went to Thailand in 2002 and it really was our first foray into a foreign land (not counting places like Europe or Canada in this mix). We were excited but not sure what we were getting into. It was great, and was easy to get around and the food was good and the people were wonderful. We want to show the girls (A is 15, L is 11) what fun it can be to really travel and to get out of your comfort zone a bit (although with YouTube, I think these things don't seem as strange or scary as they did when I was a kid). Plans include seeing an elephant sanctuary, doing some volunteering, eating lots of food, going to the floating markets, and of course seeing some temples and Buddhas! 

Bangkok - 2002

6. More family time! This year, my non-traveling Mother has agreed to go on an Alaskan cruise. I could not sign us up quick enough! I think it will be nice not to have to move, or pack and unpack, and I have heard that Alaska is the creme de la creme of cruising. I also feel better having done one cruise myself so that I will not be a complete newbie and kind of know the drill a little bit. 

7. Go to the World Cup! You may know that the 2026 World Cup is being held in Canada, the US and Mexico (the Americas theme continues!) and I will be going to a couple of the games with K! It will be a fun thing to do, and actually she and I tried to get tickets in Germany in 2006 and I tried to get them in 2010 for Africa and did not get picked in the lottery. So this has been a long time coming! 

World Cup 2018

8. Read one country themed book for each country I go to. A caveat is that it has to be a new one. For example, I have read books about Japan during WWII already (this one is a good one), but I would like to read one NEW book about Japan, ideally either before or during my time there. PS if you have not read Memoirs of a Geisha yet, what are you waiting for!? Diane gave me some great ones for Taiwan (if you are interested they are: Taiwan Travelogue, Green Island, and Daughters of Shangdong) and I recently finished Homeseeking, which talks about China and Taiwan as well. Do you have any books you recommend related to: Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the U.S., Canada, or Mexico? I like historical fiction if you have any suggestions! 

9. See at least one National Park that I have not been to before. Apparently the U.S. has 63 National Parks (when did that happen? I thought there were around 50!) and I believe that I have been to 19 of them. I may even end up seeing more than one, but for now I will keep my number realistic. 

10. Volunteer more. This year I have scheduled some volunteering, and I would like to do better at making this a more regular habit. I have done it here and there in the past, and my favorite time was when I was in Bolivia and I volunteered for a month at an orphanage; it was both rewarding and eye opening and I also liked being in the thick of things, learning more about the locals, and even getting a little bit better at Spanish! 

11. Read one book in a foreign language. In 2020, I read the first Harry Potter in español, and I have the second one downloaded. I just need to get in the habit of reading a little bit each day. It is pretty slow going, as I have to look up a lot of words, but I found that if I put Google Translate onto conversation mode while I am reading, I can read passages aloud (in Spanish) and it will translate those for me out loud, so it saves me having to highlight words a lot! 

12. Be more active than I was last year. In 2024, according to my running watch, I was active for 1,284 hours (107 hours a month). My goal this year is to just have at least one more hour of activity than I did last year. 

13. Send 52 pieces of snail mail. This will not include holiday cards, which I do send as snail mail, which means that I have to send about 4-5 postcards a month. Last year I did not count, but I probably came in right around this number, so it should not be too difficult to do the same this year. 

14. Try at least one new food a month. This is not going to be hard, and I have already gotten started on this list by trying a wax apple and many different Taiwanese dishes. 

Wax apple

15. Go hiking in Japan. The accommodations are booked, so I see no reason that this will not happen. The hike I am planning on is the Kumano Kodo, which is a pilgrimage hike similar to the Camino, but in this case, it will only take about four days. 

16. Watch at least one documentary for each country I travel to. I usually just do this on YouTube, and have watched the following so far: 

The History of Taiwan in 15 Minutes - obviously this is very short, so I am still looking for another option. 
The Entire History of Ancient Japan - it is a bit lengthy but very interesting to hear about some of the women in power, and how Japan has become what it is today. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for Thailand, US, Canada or Mexico? 

17. Hike in at least one new state. I always like trying new things, and have enjoyed exploring places like Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. This year, Bugsy and I are planning on meeting up in Montana! I may also have some other opportunities for hiking in other new states too. 

Bikepacking in Montana 2024

18. Sign up for and run at least one running race. I know, this sounds simple, and if you asked me five years ago about this, I could tell you 5 or 10 races I had done that year. However, I have not run a running race since 2023 and I think I would like to get back into the groove a little. Plus it is a great motivator to actually train, and I think that it will be helpful. Plus I have a friend who has a goal to run his first marathon in 2027, and I told him I would do it with him, so I need to get my bootie in gear. 

19. TBD - you never know what may arise! 

20. TBD - you never know what may arise! 

Do you have any books, podcasts or documentaries you recommend related to Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the US (haha), Canada, or Mexico? What is your favorite state or province in the US, Mexico or Canada, and why? 

Comprehensive Health Exam in Taipei

I recently underwent a comprehensive health exam in Taiwan. This is something that many people go to countries like Thailand or Malaysia to do, but I opted to do it in Taipei. If you are looking to get it done, here are the links for popular international hospitals in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The one I went to was called Cathay and is located in the Da'an area of Taipei. 

HOW WAS THE BOOKING PROCESS? 

It was easy to book. I put my information in an online form and less than 24 hours later, someone emailed me in English to talk about the procedure. There were a few things which were a bit different, like usually they send you the stool sample kit and you have to print out the paperwork and fill it out ahead of time. However, my contact was fine with me doing this during my appointment instead. I did provide her with some basic information like my name and passport number, and she got me an appointment right away. Two things to note: first of all, I did this about a month before I was going to be in the area, and second I did need to change my appointment date later, and she did it quickly and easily. 

Also to note: I asked about a colonoscopy, which was an option as an add on, but they do require someone to be with you to take you home, and they do not provide this service. My understanding is that some places in Asia will provide a service for this, or you can often get a medical transport. I decided to skip it in the end, since a fecal test was part of the overall exam. 

HOW WAS THE CHECK IN PROCESS? 

My appointment was at 8 am, and I arrived around 7:45, and the waiting room was already quite busy. However, there is a line of attendants, similar to a valet area at a hotel, that come up to you as you walk in, get you seated and check you in. For me, since I had not filled out the paperwork in advance, I had to do this. One form was only in Mandarin, but an attendant sat with me and helped me fill it out. The rest were in English. 

I did have a slight complication that will likely not pertain to most, and that is that I had just finished menstruating the day before, and they required that you have three days afterward for both the pap smear as well as the urine test and one of the blood tests. After talking about this, we decided to schedule those exams the next week, and also she gave me my stool sample kit and said I can bring that back next week as well. 

I also discussed with them where I wanted my final results. Normally they send them by mail, but since I would not be around, they said they could email them. However, they could not do this with the imaging, and so normally this would come in a mailed CD. I told them I would rather pick up the CD myself, and we decided that I would do this at my next exam, even though it would likely mean about an hour wait after I was finished with everything. To be honest, I don't have a CD drive on my laptop, so I will have to wait until I go home to be able to view them anyway, but I felt it would be good to have the information if needed. 

After that, I got an electric wrist bracelet with a number on it, and was sent to the locker room to change. Your wristband activates your locker and it is needed for each exam to check into that particular test. The outfit you wear is a two piece sweat suit and normal indoor sandals like you would see anywhere in Asia. You have to take off everything but your underwear and change into the outfit. You have to leave everything in the locker except for your phone. As I was leaving the locker room, the attendant gave me a vest in case it was cold, and I am glad she did, because often the waiting rooms were pretty cool. 

Wristband

The only photo I have of the outfit
(I do love those Asian toilets though!)

HOW WAS THE EXAM PROCESS? 

Basically for each exam, your attendant tells you where to go, you go there, the next attendant tells you where to go, and you go there. There were three different floors where the exams were done. Often this involved a few minutes of sitting in the waiting room before they called me into the next exam room, but they had massage chairs in the waiting rooms so this was fine by me. 

Each time, they verified my name and birthday, then I would scan my wristband in for that particular exam. I would say that for the most part, either the person spoke a little English, or they were clearly pointing me toward the attendant that did. In each particular exam room, the examiner spoke enough English to communicate with me, if not more. The order that it went in was thus: 

9:00 am. Blood draw. The first thing I did was a blood draw, where they took a few vials of blood from me. 

Eye pressure test. They did a rudimentary eye exam (with my contact in) and then did the air pressure poof test that you normally get at the optometrist. Later they also took photos of the eye to measure eye health etc. 

Weight height body fat. This was the one where you hold the two "guns" to determine body fat. I had actually read that a DEXA scan was one of the tests and thought maybe the body fat would be with this, but it was only for bone density in the end. 

Abdominal ultrasound. This was nice as the gel was kind of warm. I wanted to ask the guy for a full body massage but I thought that would be rude. 

9:30 breakfast. Finally I was able to have breakfast, and coffee! They had a nice coffee machine with espresso, as well as soy milk and black tea. This is all included in the price of the exam.

Breakfast

Hearing test. This was one where you sit in a soundproof room and have to click the button when you hear a sound. 

Eye imaging/photos. As discussed above. 

BP and HR. This was kind of like the machine they have at CVS. 

X-Rays: Abdominal x-ray (lying down), Chest x-ray standing up, Lumbar x-ray, Cervical x-ray. 

Mammogram. This was pretty much the same as always except you don't get a gown, you just whip off your top and go stand next to the machine. 

 

DEXA scan. As discussed, for bone density, only scanned the pelvic area. 

Grip strength test. On this you get a little squeezy thing, and you have to squeeze as hard as you can, then you do the same for the other hand. It was all in kg, but my understanding is that my numbers were good. 

Stand sit test. I will admit that this one was a bit confusing as I did not understand that they point is to do it as fast as you can. You have to go 5 x up and down and you are timed. I did okay, but I think I could have done it faster. What? I am not competitive! Okay maybe I am. 

ABI Test. For this you lay down and they put BP cuffs on both arms and both legs. A few minutes later you are done. 

Doctor manual check. A real person examines your your chest, back, and palpates your abdomen, neck, and back.

 

EKG. Lay down, put on multiple stickers, two minutes later, remove stickers and leave.

11:10 am. Now I was done, but since I did not have to do the full exam panel today, I was finished a little early. They told me that the doctor would go over my results but that it could take about an hour for him to be available. I decided to have lunch then, even though at this point, it had not been that long since breakfast. I figured I may as well take advantage of the food before I left though. I lingered over my lunch and finished up around 11:50, and I went into the waiting room to wait for the doctor. 

Lunch

This was actually great, as I sat in the massage chair and read my book while waiting and it was quite relaxing. Around 12:25 pm, the doctor was ready and I sat down with him to go over the results. The doctor spoke perfect English, went over my results with me and answered any questions I had. Just a note though, none of the imaging was ready yet, so he did not go over any of that. Also, as noted before, I did not do the stool or urine samples, so I don't know if that is something that would have been ready in this consultation or not. 

Waiting for the doctor

By 12:35 pm I was out the door and headed home. But wait, there is more! What happened the next week? Well, you may have already read my DITL post, but if not, here is the rundown. 

DAY TWO:

8:30 am: I arrive at the health center, and head one floor up to the second floor to check in. The first thing I do is give my stool sample to the attendant. She takes my stool sample, and gives me a urine sample tube and my paperwork and sends me to the 3rd floor. 

Urine sample - very efficient system

8:45 am: I head to the toilet to take care of my urine sample right away, as the coffee has kicked in! The set up is quite easy; you get a little cup to pee in, which you then have to transfer to the tube, and then you leave the tube in an overall container in the restroom. That takes all of five minutes and I am headed to get blood drawn again. This time it is only one vial and the process is quick and painless. 

Leave the sample here

9:00 am: Blood draw done! I head to the 4th floor for the gynecologist. I can happily say that this was the best gynecological appointment that I have ever had. No joke. First I waited in the waiting room for about five minutes. They called me into the little room, sent me behind a curtain to take off my pants and underpants (while they were still in the room), then I sat in the fanciest chair I have ever seen. Unfortunately I did not get a photo, and I cannot find it on the internet. Picture a massage chair, but where you sit has cups for your two thighs. Now the doctor pushes a button, which raises you way up, leans you way back, and the chair opens your thighs for you. I won't go into more detail about that, but it was pretty impressive. They did a regular exam and an ultrasound, but all in all, I was in and out (pun intended!) in less than six minutes. 

Waiting room

9:10 am: I am finished, and I go back to the waiting room to wait for my imaging CD to be ready. 

10:03 am: I get the CD and I walk out the front door. 

SOME NOTES ON COST COMPARISONS:

The prices for these exams vary depending on your age, gender and how many tests you want to have done. For example, at Cathay, you can get a basic package and then add on a la carte items and it could be a bit cheaper depending on which extra items you choose. At the Bangkok facility, I have quoted the basic woman package, but there are more involved ones as well that cost more, and they also have over 50 etc. options, which usually get more expensive as the age increases. 

Bangkok Bumrungrad Female over 40 - 37,350 THB / $1,200 USD

KL Prince Court Female over 40 - 1,650 MYR / $421 USD

Taipei Cathay Standard All Day Exam - 19,800 TWD / $638 USD

You can definitely get all of these done cheaper in each of these places. However, the facilities listed above cater more to an international crowd, have English speaking doctors and attendants, and make the process a lot easier for a foreigner. So, if you want to DIY, you definitely can, and that could bring down the prices significantly for the same exams. However if you want an easy one stop shop with someone holding your hand most of the way, these facilities can't be beat. From what I understand also, the facilites in Bangkok and KL also give you ALL of your results the same day. 

I know you are wondering how much this would cost if it was done at home. Well, this depends. Normally insurance covers most preventative checks, so things like the pap, mammogram, and some blood panels may be free. However, from what I can find, depending on your insurance and what was covered, this could cost anywhere from $500 - $2500 in the US. However, it would likely not take one day, and could easily be 3-6 days of tests and going to different facilities depending on your carrier. 

There are also "executive health checks" in the US, UK and Canada, where they take you around all in one day, and these could run anywhere from: 

US: $1,500 - $15,000

UK: £1,295 – £1,795+ (~$1,600–$2,200 USD)

Canada: CAD $1,695 – $3,595 (~$1,200–$2,700 USD)

Oh and you are wondering what my results were? I have yet to receive my full report, but the preliminary results are good. I have high cholesterol and always have, and the funny part is that the doctor said I should "exercise more and eat less fried foods" which made me laugh, as I had just done an 800 mile bike ride around Taiwan and don't really eat fried foods. No, unfortunately my Dad has it and my Grandma has it and exercising a lot and eating healthy have not really helped matters much. I am not at the point where I need medication, but I am above the normal range. 

I also have a very low HR and blood pressure (my normal HR is around 44, BP is often in the 100/60 range), which have also always been the case, and have actually kept me from donating blood before (along with low iron). 

Other than that, I am interested to see what the imaging shows, but due to the Lunar New Year, the offices are all closed this week, so the results, which usually take 7-14 days, will take about a week longer than normal. 

A COUPLE OF LAST NOTES: 

I do have insurance. I have both US insurance that would cover preventative care, as well as international insurance that covers any emergencies or regular (non-preventative) doctor's visits. So I could have gotten the preventative items done in the US, but like I said, this could have taken me several days to do and I would have had to coordinate several different appointments to do it. I also thought it would be a fun experiment to see how things are done in other places. I am your guinea pig. 

I think many people think that in other countries, the medical care is worse than in North America or the UK, but I have not found this to be the case at all. Like I said, the equipment in Taiwan is top of the line, there are people who speak your language, and the process could not have been smoother. I have also been to the dentist abroad and it was great, I had surgery in Türkiye and it was smooth and efficient, and I have had to go for minor check-ups in several countries and have been happy in all cases. Actually for the most part, it is often cheaper abroad with no downgrade to quality. 

Have you ever had a comprehensive health exam? Would you consider going to a different country to get a health check? Have you ever had any medical procedures done in a different country and if so, how was it? 

Twenty Questions (E15): A Day in the Life

Recently Engie reminded me that I have not done a Day in the Life post in quite some time! Last year, I only did one when I was in Lyon, and in 2024 I did one about my day as a bikepacker.  As I am getting close to my 20 year anniversary and the end of my 20 Questions series, I decided to do this as a 20 snapshots of a day in my current life! 

Also, Happy President's day to those in the US! Tomorrow is Lunar New Year, and this week in many Asian countries, people have the whole week off. To all those celebrating, 恭喜發財 Gong hei fat choy, 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè, 새해 복 많이 받으세요 Saehae bok mani badeuseyo and Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!! This year is the year of the horse, which is my year! Here is what that means for me. 

Horse: energetic, independent, charismatic, and quick-thinking, with a love of freedom, movement, and new experiences. They thrive on travel, change, and forward progress, and often feel restless when life becomes stagnant. When their zodiac year returns, it is not always lucky, and it can bring heightened change, personal transitions, and major turning points, especially around identity, career, or lifestyle. This is a year to stay grounded: wear red for protection, avoid impulsive decisions, manage financial risks carefully, focus on health, and balance ambition with humility. It’s not a year to hold back—but to move forward with awareness rather than impatience. 

Sounds about right! I guess I need to wear my red panties every day (my only red item). 

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A Day in the Life

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Taipei, Taiwan

6:30 am: My alarm goes off. I get up, go downstairs, and put the kettle on. I brush my teeth, put my contacts in, and go to the kitchen to make coffee. Today I have the final few exams of a comprehensive health check. I did 75% of the exams last week, but I was not enough days past menstruation, so they wanted to do the gynecological exams later. Luckily I do not have to fast like I did last time, as I need coffee! I drink two cups in rapid succession as I prep for my day. 

7:00 am: Since I will be very close to people today, I decide to take a quick shower before heading out. Normally I shower in the evening, or right after my morning workout, but I don't want to embarrass myself at the doctor's office. I never used to have stinky pits, ever, but lately my flora has definitely changed, and not for the better! I shower and dress, grab my daypack, and put my jacket, water and snacks in it, as I will be going for a hike after my exams. I also put my stool sample in my bag, double bagged for safety, and head out the door. 

Waiting for the bus

7:30 am: I have about a seven minute walk to the bus stop, where I catch the bus to the clinic. The bus system in Taipei is quite good; when you get on and off, you swipe your transit card (called the Easy Card), and you can use Google Maps to get around quite easily. The only issue is that a couple of times, the bus has come a few minutes early! However, this time I make it there before the bus, and I flag them down to stop. I get on the bus and get a seat and turn on my audiobook. I am listening to Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches, which is good enough, but I am really only half listening as I stare out the window, watching the different neighborhoods go by. I get off the bus, and have about a 10 minute walk from the stop to the clinic. 

Health Clinic

8:30 am: This visit is a lot easier than the last. I will do an entire post about the comprehensive exam later this week, as it was quite extensive. I arrive at the health center, and head one floor up to the second floor to check in. In Taiwan this is the same "2nd floor" as it is in the US, rather than it being called the "1st floor" like it would be in Europe. The first thing I do is give the stool sample to the attendant. It is pretty efficient; when you walk in, if it is busy, you get in line at a desk for check in, but if you are early or it is not as busy, there is a line of "greeters" who come to you and you get your own personal check in person. My check in person takes my stool sample, and gives me a urine sample tube and my paperwork and sends me to the 3rd floor. 

Urine sample - very efficient system

8:45 am: I head to the toilet to take care of my urine sample right away, as the coffee has kicked in! The set up is quite easy; you get a little cup to pee in, which you then have to transfer to the tube, and then you leave the tube in an overall container in the restroom. That takes all of five minutes and I am headed to get blood drawn again. I say again, as I did a huge draw last week, but the draw they are doing today could be affected by hormones which is why they waited to do it until this week. 

Leave the sample here

9:00 am: Blood draw done! I head to the 4th floor for the gynecologist. I can happily say that this was the best gynecological appointment that I have ever had. No joke. First I waited in the waiting room for about five minutes. They called me into the little room, sent me behind a curtain to take off my pants and underpants (while they were still in the room), then I sat in the fanciest chair I have ever seen. Unfortunately I did not get a photo, and I cannot find it on the internet. Picture a massage chair, but where you sit has cups for your two thighs. Now the doctor pushes a button, which raises you way up, leans you way back, and the chair opens your thighs for you. I won't go into more detail about that, but it was pretty impressive. They did a regular exam and an ultrasound, but all in all, I was in and out (pun intended!) in less than six minutes. 

Waiting room

9:10 am: I am back in the waiting room. For all of the exams I have had done in the last week, they will send me all of my results via email, but the imaging must be put on a CD, which will take about an hour to produce. I sit in the waiting room and read blog posts while I wait for it to be done. 

10:03 am: I get the CD and I walk out the front door. I am headed to a hiking area that is nearby, since I figured that since I had already taken the bus this far, I may as well hang out closer to this neighborhood a little before heading back. The trailhead for the hike I am going to do its about 3 km or 2 miles away from where I am now. I start walking. 

10:11 am: Given that I haven't had breakfast, I am getting a tad hungry. I stop at 7-Eleven to grab some snacks. In Taiwan 7-Eleven is more prevalent than Starbucks, as in, you can be walking down the street and in a one block walk, you may see three of them. The cool thing is, not only do they have snacks, but they have entire meal kits, and the clerk will microwave them for you if you like. They also have a spot to sit and eat inside. However, today I am going to eat and walk, so I grab my favorite on the go snack triad: the rice triangle, a pastry, and a milk tea. 

10:32 am: I walk past a dog park. It is cool; they have it segregated into large dog (over 9 kg / 20 lbs) and small dog (under 9 kg / 20 lbs) areas. They also have a bench, so I sit on it to have a snack and drink my milk tea. 

Big dogs go here

10:51 am: I walk past a fruit market, and make a pit stop to grab some snacks for the hike. I get a few mandarins and two large carrots for about $2.00. I put them in my backpack and continue. 

The dragonfruit were tempting me

10:58 am: I arrive at the trailhead for the Elephant Mountain hike. This is about 1 km straight up, but once you get to the viewpoint, you can see Taipei 101 in the near distance. It is a very popular hike, especially on the weekends and at sunset, but since today is a Tuesday, I hope it will not be too busy. I start climbing! 

11:24 am: I get to the first viewpoint at Elephant Mountain, and it is a good one. I futz about, take a few photos and continue on. I am headed on a hike called the Five Yuan hike, which goes to five different peaks. The area I am in is called the Four Beasts, and the beasts are the elephant (Xiangshan), lion (Shishan), leopard (Baoshan) and tiger (Hushan), which are each a hill, and I will round it out by doing a fifth, which is called Jiuwu. Most people only go to the elephant, so after I pass that, there are a lot less people. 

12:06 pm: There are a lot less people, but there are still a lot of stairs! I get to the first peak, Jiuwu, take the obligatory photo, and carry on. 

Taipei 101 from Jiuwu peak

1:54 pm: Despite the stairs, it is a nice hike, through lots of greenery and past temples and shrines. It is so strange to think that just a couple of hours ago, I was in the middle of a bustling metropolis! I arrive at Tiger peak and admire the view. 

2:02 pm: I get to Leopard peak, which has a good view and no other people at the viewpoint! 

2:17 pm: I arrive at Lion peak, and am done with the four beasts! This one had the least exciting view of all the peaks, so it is kind of a less than exciting conclusion! However, I am happy to nearly be done and I head back down the hill toward the elephant peak to complete my circuit. 

2:42 pm: I arrive back at the trailhead where I started, check the bus schedule and head down to the nearest bus stop. The entire hike ended up being about 5 miles or 8 km. Here is the link to the route that I took. Since I have about 10 minutes until the bus comes, I go to 7-Eleven for a post hike drink. I try a new-to-me drink, guava juice, which is a little too sweet, but it is still nice to have something cool to drink after the hike. 

3:05 pm: I am on the bus. However, I did not realize that the bus I am on doubles back on itself, and I am on the bus going in the wrong direction. I get off the bus, and get on the one going the right direction! Normally if you stand on the proper side of the street you are good, but this one does a loop, so both buses (going west and east) stop on the same side of the road. It is not normally like this! 

3:55 pm: I get off the bus, walk through my "local" park, which is called 228 park, and is a commemoration of events that happened in Taipei on Feb 28. That takes me into the Ximen neighborhood, which is a hustling bustling pedestrian avenue with plenty of shopping during the day and a night market in the evenings. 

Ximen

4:05 pm: I stop at Watsons (like CVS) to get tampons and to check out their face masks. My friend's daughter L, who is 11, loves face masks, and I thought she may like one from Taiwan. There are way too many, and as a person who does not use face masks, it is a bit overwhelming. Luckily a clerk points me in the right direction (and likely upsells me a bit, oh well) and I am on my way. 

So many face masks!

4:20 pm: I am "home!" And I am hungry! I make a big stir fry in my one pan (don't get me started on this!) with cauliflower, tofu and noodles, and I sit down to eat while watching an episode of Outlander. I normally do not have Netflix, but this Airbnb has it, and I am taking advantage! 

5:20 pm: I finish my episode, put a load of laundry in, and finally sit down to catch up on some blogs, reading, travel planning, writing etc. As is often the case, I do a little research, make some notes, but don't really finalize much. I am trying to make some plans with a friend for August, so I do a bit of research about that. I am also still trying to decide what to do about my licensing, and like I said, am dragging my feet about it. 

7:56 pm: I take out the laundry, hang it up to dry, and sit down to do my Spanish practice. I have been trying to do roughly a half an hour of lessons, a half an hour of reading, and around 5-10 minutes of YouTube 3-5 times per week. I found this fun video of kids songs, which I have been working my way through. Just wait, before you know it, you'll also be singing along....los pollitos dicen pio, pio, pio, quando tienan hambre, quando tienan frio!! You know you want to sing along! 

9:10 pm: I do my daily game routine of Rummikub, Sudoku (I am getting better! I was only doing the easy one; now I am sometimes doing the medium, hard, and even expert ones fairly quickly) and Octowordle. 

10:06 pm: I set my alarm for 1:00 am, because they are releasing World Cup tickets at 12 pm ET and I am going to try to buy some. I put on a podcast, set the sleep timer to 15 minutes and fall asleep in about four minutes. 

So there you have it, a day in the life in twenty blurbs!

Where is the last place where you had to take a bus? Have you ever had a comprehensive health exam? Do you have any videos en español that you would recommend? What zodiac sign are you? 

TGIM

The high of the last week was: Watching the Superbowl! I had to get up today (Monday) and go to a bar at 7:00 am to do it, but it was so fun. I am not a huge American football fan, and I prefer the Niners over either of the teams that were playing, but it was so nice to have a taste of home. I love traveling, and seeing other cultures and trying to learn languages, but dang, sometimes it is nice to have people around you who you can talk about San Francisco burritos with! 

The low of the last week was: I am still struggling to get into a routine this year. I have been working out a bit here and there and have been getting some admin things done that need to be done, but I don't feel motivated to really dig in deep. I made a list of daily tasks a few days ago and I am checking them off each day in order to try to get my habits on track again, but it has been difficult lately. 

Something I marked off my to-do list was: I started looking into whether or not I am going to keep my professional licenses. If I do want to, I need to pay and do a bunch of continuing education by March 15, which kind of has me dragging my feet. I have been putting off the decision and I got a little bit closer (but still have not made the jump yet). I also got a bunch of travel planning done for April and have made forward progress on some plans for August as well. 

The book I am reading is: I just finished Nicole's book Inhale, Exhale, which I enjoyed (I will not spoil it by saying any more than that!), and I started What Kind of Paradise, which I am liking so far as well. I am on a reading roll at the moment! 

The best thing I spent money on was: I paid the final payment for the Alaska cruise, after rerunning the price and getting it for about $700 cheaper than the original price (pro tip: always double check the price of your cruise before paying in full, as they will honor lower pricing). So it was still a big chunk of change, but hey, I am happy that I can now buy $700 worth of drinks instead. Just kidding! 

Plans for this week include: This week I will complete my comprehensive health exam (I did about 75% of it last week but still have a few tests left to do), I have two meetups scheduled and I plan to do a couple of hikes! 

My favorite photos from the last week is are: 

Street art in Taipei

Artistic manhole cover

Liberty Square Archway

Lunch at health exam clinic

What good book have you read lately?

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?