First night in Taipei!

I'll skip the boring stuff like train schedules and not getting a reserved seat in the green car. And let's just skip to the crazy part. And get to the bananas. 

So I'm wandering around the gift shops looking for ways to spend my last 1500yen, when I came across these... Are they toys or are they gag gifts? Maybe they can be both?

Yes!!! Their mottos really are 

"Let's squeeze the banana!"

"Let's squeeze the sausage!"

Respectively!

I made it to the gate okay! See the other post about strangeness at the gate. 

Time warp to 5 hours into the future, i have a mild panic attack in the Taiwan immigration line: "am I supposed to have a visa? I read and read and I don't think I need a visa. Omg, the family ahead of me has their plane tickets, I left mine on the plane! How am I going to explain a plane ride straight back to the USA to everyone?! What if I'm stuck in the airport like Tom Hanks for 15 days?"  Needless to say, it was all in my head. I did plan correctly! No visa needed. No semi-permanent residency in the Taoyuan airport. I don't have to explain to you guys that I didn't plan well or was an idiot. Whew. Onto Taipei City!

Taipei cab ride to my friends place!!

This turned out cooler than I anticipated. 

This did not. :-(

Whew! My friend's super awesome apartment will be base camp for the Taiwan leg! did I mention she's awesome? I'm still kinda beat from traveling, but I'll be venturing around Taipei 101 the first morning I'm here. 

Who's ready for an adventure?!