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John Denton Lighting Lab - part 2 of 1 2 3 4

Published 01/10/2014

Being creative types we did what anyone would do in that position and headed to the bar. A couple of Amstels later and we were ready for a snooze. I chose the upright in a chair with bags around my feet option. Jade elected for the laid out on the floor under the chairs.

It wasn't the best sleep ever but by around 8am we were ready for some breakfast and headed into Amsterdam. around the canals and after a pleasant breakfast in a cafe we had a mooch around. It was difficult to get into tourist mode though as we knew we had a long flight that night and that's when the real trip would start. After a couple of hours we returned to the airport and the warmth of a cafe and free wifi!

Finally that evening we were called to the gate and we were off. KLM to Hong Kong was the first leg and may I say how lovely it all was.

Two VERY nice meals on board and we arrived in Hong Kong feeling fresh and revived. We didn't have long there but the impressions we got were mainly around the heat. It was warm. As soon as we stepped from the plane we knew it was going to be a very different climate to the one we'd left in the UK. It was sweaty and more like a sauna than any other climate I'd experienced. A sprint around the terminal and then onto China Air for the final leg to Taipei. Now the nerves set in. We were surrounded by a language we didn't understand (I could say 'hello' and 'beer' prior to travelling and hoped that would get me by) by faces so different to ours, by sights and smells that were different. Everything was challenging the 'norms' of life we set our understanding by.

It was a smooth flight, though, and after a little hiatus at immigration (I apparently look nothing like my nine-year-old passport picture) we finally jumped into the limousine taking us to the hotel. I loved it.

Firstly it was air conditioned and cool, secondly wherever you looked there was something interesting. The roads were superbly constructed motorways, surrounded by mountains and rice fields, every now and again broken by tower blocks of apartments and industry. The traffic flow was steady but livened up by the Taiwanese sense of road management, any gap is big enough. Braking wasn't a feature of the drive, neither was road rage. It was incredible, I was entranced and looked across to Jade to share this magical moment ... but she was fast asleep!

A quick unpack and snooze, then it was time to head down to the lobby and meet our contact, Crystal. I'd spoken via email to her a hundred times and so it was exciting to meet her at last. She turned out to be a beautiful, funny and tireless companion who helped us in every way possible and became a friend as well as translator/guide/PA/manager.

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1st Published 01/10/2014
last update 09/12/2022 14:55:22

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