Aachen - Taipei

Monday, 11 July

The day we had been dreading – returning home. We woke up at 4.55 am and set off at 6 am for Frankfurt.

Travelling the autobahn

The weather was brilliant (typically at the end of the trip). We were in good time to check in and have coffee with K in the airport. I noticed a couple of American soldiers waiting for a flight and K derided them with scorn. I share his view but won’t go into my political beliefs here. I gave K some money for his birthday which we would miss in 3 days’ time (alas for school and university holiday dates – we’d already taken days off from both as it was). Waved goodbye sadly.

We used up some coins by buying souvenirs and small drinks in the shops. Long flight to Taipei. I don’t remember long flights being so uncomfortable. I think the seats on China Airline planes are narrower and when putting the seat back down the front seat comes forward leaving very little (if any) leg room so you can’t stretch out (and I’m not tall!). The food, this time, was mediocre to yuk. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t fly China Airlines again. They are very cheap but you get what you pay for – discomfort and extraordinarily long flights as they all seem to stop at Taipei regardless of where you’re going.