Where Everyone Knows Your Name!

It's the end of a VERY LONG day(s) of travel! 19 Hours of air time, several more of waiting at airports, an hour to get through immigration and customs at Taipei and then into the crowd for a 2 hour car ride to Touliu where I will be staying. The last 4 times i have had the same driver pick me up and drive me to the hotel. it's funny! all these people waiting outside of customs for family/friends. the usual crowd of drivers/limo services picking up people. He doesn't even hold up the sign anymore! we just wave, smile and head out to the car! well, this time he wasn't there! dammit! the crush is clearing and the crowd thinning before the next onrush from another int'l flight. (funny, i think they are all international flights when you're an island in the pacific ocean!) i'm walking back and forth trying to make plan "B"! there are signs from companies, banks, hotels for people to be picked up but not me! i know i can take a bus or the train, but i'm not sure about hooking up in the middle of the night. and i'm not quite sure about renting a car! (more about this later!) Finally! a guy comes scurrying through the doors carrying the "MFL" sign! a different driver than before but being very apologetic (i assume! because it's all in Chinese!). Anyway, off we head to the "loading zone" where he goes off to get the car! it's after 11:00p.m. local time by now. It's drizzly raining, and a 2 hour car ride! i manage to doze and nod off for most of it! it's like you can't see much anyway, especially when we get south of Taipei until we get off Highway 1 near to Touliu. Then i begin to pick up familiar landmarks and have a general idea of where i'm at! Finally we pull up in front of the Graceful Count Commercial Hotel! (across from the fountain!) We unload my bags, pay the driver and i head into the hotel! It's close to 2:00a.m. i'm dead tired, and will be picked up at 8:00a.m. to head right in to work! Obviously, they know i'm coming at the front desk!
i don't have to fill out a registration form, show my passport or any kind of paperwork! the clerk just hands me my key, we say hello and that is it! nobody even asks for a credit card or anything until i check out 9 days later. ( try doing that at a motel in this country!)
The Graceful Count Hotel has a breakfast buffet every morning from 6:00 - 10:00a.m. It is very traditional Chinese fare. There is a tureen of scrambled eggs, steamed dumplings, a pot of rice, a tureen of something else Chinese and other "stuff"! It's all good! if not different. well, at 6:00 a.m. i'm down for breakfast and start to help myself, but from the kitchen, she brings me a plate of sunnyside up eggs with canadian bacon! nobody else get's this kind of treatment! a lot of thank you's are exchanged! and i'm ready to head back up to the room to get ready for work!
When i come back down i get a hug and warm welcome from Annie, the manager! i thank her for their hospitality and say that i am glad to be back! I asked for the code to direct dial international calls from the room so that i can call my family and let them know that i am okay and she tells me that they will be my family too while i am with them! awwwwwwww geeeeez!
anyway, if you're traveling in Taiwan and get a chance to stop by, i highly recommend staying at the Graceful Count Commercial Hotel!

http://www.graceful-count.com.tw