From Shanghai to Taichung

12-12-12 Wed. 

Ariel is really coming to visit us in Taichung! He sent the itinirary last evening just before I went to bed. He'll be here a short while though. To me, it's a template of future trips. Once he works out the kinks, it should be 'normal' for him to come visit say twice or three times a year as long as he's living in Shanghai. He'll be leaving Shanghai at 2:15pm, arriving in the airport in Taipei around 3:30 because it takes 67 minutes. By the time he gets out of customs, it will be 4pm. After he buys a bus ticket to Taichung, it will take 2 hours to get to the train station stop. The whole ordeal will take Ariel around 7 hours, door to door. He can work on cutting it down to 4 hours at the shortest in the future. How? Well, he can't avoid having to be at the airport in Shanghai two hours before the flight; I believe they consider it an international flight besides the Chinese Taiwan posturing. He can save time by avoiding rush hour on Friday afternoon. Also, he can save time by taking HSR instead of a bus (one hour as opposed to two) and the difference in price, though double, can be offset by taking the Taiwan railroad (75 cents) to the Tai-Yuan station near our apartment and walking a few blocks, as opposed to taking a taxi from the HSR train station here ($8us.) At any rate, it is a lot shorter and cheaper than visiting us in Brooklyn or having to come to Taiwan through Hong Kong.