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21/10/2007: "HOW I BECAME INTERESTED IN TAIWAN"
Christina was a journalist from Taipei visiting friends of mine on the Gold Coast, where we met.
A few weeks later she joined me at Port Douglas in late October 2001 after I'd completed a filming trip aboard Freedom with Ben Cropp and Lynn Roberts.
After that we set-off on a three month journey that gave Christina a good look at Australia.
Cape Tribulation, Port Doulas, Cairns, Airlie Beach, Yeppoon, Fraser Island, Noosa Heads, Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Canberra, Merimbula-Eden, Melbourne, Adelaide, Coober Pedy, Uluru and back to Melbourne for her flight home toTaipei.
The following two years I visited Christina at Taipei.
I found the city scary at first. Not much English spoken and crowds everywhere.
After Christina got married and moved to USA - I continued to return to Taiwan, at first in order to conquer my fears which grew into a quest for an understanding of the culture.
I've now had six or seven visits and have clocked up about eight months, and will return.
Christina did not complain (a Taiwanese trait) during what would have been occasional difficult times for her traveling Australia. Flies, bugs and mosquitoes which loved Asian blood more than mine.
We did it as cheaply as possible, like backpackers would, except in our own 4x4 vehicle - without air con in temperatures which hit the high 30's at Ayres Rock in early January 2002.
Wearing ill-fitting shoes she hobbled down Ayres Rock in what would have been extreme pain, without saying a word.
Two days later both big toe-nails, now having turned black, fell off.
