February 12: A Day of Super Nothing!

We had decided before now, to let this be a day of mostly rest and taking it easy, realizing that jet lag would likely set in hard today. That prediction proved accurate, especially for Patrise. And so we began the day watching Super Bowl LVIII (58), while eating appetizers and breakfast. Esperanza serves us delicious meals, but way too much for our older, diminishing appetites!

We started the morning meal with a platter of sliced cucumbers, jicama, and orange slices, covered with a sprinkling of Mexican spicy salt. Then, the main course was a plate full of chicken chilaquiles, which we could put into tortillas and add guacamole or eat the guac separately. This was washed down with a choice of orange juice, peach juice, or a third juice whose name I don't recall.

As we ate breakfast, we watched Kansas City and San Francisco. We felt miserable in the first half, as we watched the 49er's having their way with the Chiefs. All of us were routing for the Chiefs for various reasons. (Sorry Mike Rosenthal, but that's just how it was.) In the second half, we began to have hope that KC would be more competitive. Of course we were relieved when the game went into overtime and thrilled when Patrick Mahomes threw the game winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman. Hard to believe that we spent a morning in Taipei, Taiwan watching an American football game, but we figured that this was happening in different time zones all around the world.

After the Super Bowl and breakfast, Rashad walked me and Patrise to a local spa, Six Foot, where he had earlier made appointments for a couples, 60-minute body massage. (I am still in awe of hearing him and Esperanza speak Mandarin Chinese so effortlessly.) Doug's left shoulder, shoulder blade, neck, and arm had been giving him quite a bit of discomfort for weeks; Patrise just needed the general relief. Our massage therapists were excellent. Without ever asking what areas need attention, early on Doug's therapist detected his trouble spots, and she really worked them over -- deeply and thoroughly. We had wondered whether the words "deep tissue massage" would be understood, and so we had not expressed them beforehand. That proved fortuitous, because Patrise had to tell her therapist to ease up on her touch a bit. When we finished, we felt we had been put through the wringer, but we were quite satisfied and feeling much better.

Upon leaving the spa, Patrise got the idea to wander around the area and explore for awhile. We walked in a different direction the Esperanza and Rashad's complex, looking at the signs of the local restaurants and retail stores. We wandered into a local 7Eleven, browsed around, eventually buying a small ice cream cup for her, two ice cream cups for Rashad and Espy, and an ice cream bar for me. We then turned to head back to the apartment, and we immediately ran into Rashad. Because he had not heard from us, to come pick us up, he had gotten worried that we may be lost, and headed back to the vicinity of the spa. The three of us walked back home, having a wonderful conversation. Like our daughter, Randi, who grew up with him, Rashad is nearing forty years old, a grown man, and obviously quite capable and competent in managing his professional and family business. Still, we later shared with each other, how wonderful it was to be able to see and hear him as an adult, navigating life in a thriving manner.

Here are photos from the spa, the neighborhood in the vicinity of the spa, and the general area as we returned to Rashad and Espy's place.

(A spot of tea after a great massage!)

Upon returning home, Patrise took a nap, while I talked with Rashad and Esperanza some more, mostly about life as a foreign service family. I was trying to learn more about the challenges and nuances of managing their lives working for the State Department; their hopes for future assignments (or at least the next one); what they liked and disliked about living in Taiwan -- the answers were "a lot" and "very little", respectively -- and what excites them or vexes them about their current work duties.

It was a great conversation, which Rashad and I continued, while taking an afternoon walk to a local park along the Keelung (actually pronounced "Jee-long") River, not far from where they live. We walked to the park and stood on a platform overlooking the river, where the park continued with bike trails, dog parks, tennis courts, a playground, and many other amenities. In the distance, we could see a part of the downtown skyline, including Taipei 101, planes taking off from a local airport, and mountains in the background. (Until you see it, it is hard to appreciate how mountainous Taiwan is. And although it is densely populated, there is still an extensive tree canopy. Here are photos from our walk and some scenes in the park and along the river.

Rashad and I returned home. Patrise was still sleeping. I started piddling around with this blog. Later, Patrise awakened and told us she was not feeling well, so we scrapped the plans to go to the Night Market and a restaurant near there. Instead, Rashad and went to a nearby restaurant, ordered takeout for the three of us (Rashad, Espy, and me). We returned home, ate dinner, continued to have a good conversation, while Patrise stayed in bed and fell asleep early, still feeling exhausted and ill.

We planned to have a day or more activity tomorrow, once she is feeling better, including taking the Metro and getting to the Night Market.