From Hong Kong,  I caught a plane to Osaka, Japan, where my nephew Jon Richards has lived with his wife, Takako, and three kids for twelve years.  Jon and Takakao have a beautiful place in the sun where they own their english school.  They have between 120 to 150 students. Their kids, Sarah, Alex, and David are really amazing.  They are so full of life and spontaneity. Watching them interact with each other and Jon and Takako was a great experience.

Thank goodness for the internet.  While in Hong Kong I was writing back home to get Jon's email and phone number.  Making contact at the last minute with Jon, he was able to take a bus and train for three hours to meet me at the airport and take me to his place.  It is nice to have knowledgable guides in a country that doesn't have any english signs available.  Learning minute parts of the culture (you can't pour your own drink, you pour your host who then pours yours) was interesting.  Even going to communal Japanese hot baths and massage was a great time.  I came away relaxed and smiling.

I was amazed at the quietness of the cars and that they were all relatively new.  Jon explained that the government did not allow you to work on your own car and that they had a check list of certain parts having to be replaced, with documentation from a certified mechanic, before an inspection sticker would be granted. 

It was a quick trip, especially not realizing that I left a day early for Taipei.  I have already lost track of time and days, particularly since I gained a day coming out here. Oh well, Taipei appears to be a fun city and I am sure I can make the best of it.