Six Aussies and a Golf Course in the sticks

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So touchdown on Taiwanese soil after 9 hours, body clock was wound back by 2 hours only which isn't so bad. As I was walking off the plane and following all these people out looking for the Transfer desk to get my itinerary for my flight to vancouver. There was this long stretch and I am not kidding every 3 metres there would be a accessibility toilet, female toilet, males toilet and a baby change room. Over the stretch of at least 200 metres there were heaps of them. Anyway I finally goto the transfer desk to get my itinerary and got handed a map to follow to meet the crew that are here to pick me up to go to my hotel. I followed the map and it was passed customs at this point I was confused toward whether I should go past customs or not because I was told in Australia when I booked the flights that I would be staying at the airport hotel transit accomodation before customs so I did not have to go through customs. So I confirmed with a security guard and he said just go out. So I went out, oh yeh should I add that at this point I was boiling because I thought it was going to be cold over this part of the world so in Melbourne I already had piled on some winter clothing and I was sweating like a pig. Like drips of sweat was running down my face and I thought if I go through customs looking like that they would think this guy is so bloody nervous that he is upto something. But infact it was just so humid and hot. Never the less I wiped my sweat down and made it through and out to the arrivals. Then there was this short asian lady flapping her hands in the air like a chicken with a sign saying Mirmar Golf Country Club with a polar bear, don't ask me about the polar bear it doesn't make sense to me either. So I went up to her and yep that was my crew. Among them were a few Aussies going to Vancouver for a season as well so I had a chat with them all the way back to the hotel and we had a few drinks from the mini bar. 4 Asahi's to be exact and that cost me $10AU. Not bad I say. After 4 Asahi's it was like 1am which was really 3am Australian time and considering I only had 1 hour sleep the night before I was totally knackered and went to bed after a warm shower.

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The thing about the showers there is that the hot water tap need to be turned right to open and the cold on the left. so everytime I tried to turn the hot water off I twisted it to the right and I nearly had 3rd degree burns all over my body. All this after 4 beers it was not safe.

In the morning I ate breakfast at the restaurant there and had bacon and scrambled eggs and milk and bananas yeh bananas I was so wrapped to met the bananas again because of their wealthy status in Australia I couldn't afford to eat them.

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Soon after breakfast there was at least a couple of hours to kill so me and a few of the aussie blokes took a walk around the huge golf course and yep it was sunny and I had my winter clothes on and I was walking around looking like a water feature with sweat again. It was insanely hot.

As we got picked up by the bus and went to the airport we went to the check in desk to get our tickets and when I was asked what seat I wanted, I just said a window seat, then when one of the other aussie blokes was asked he said the one next to the emergency exit and was granted that. I was then told it has a heap of leg room you can almost lie down and I'm like damn. That's one thing I learnt though. Ask for the window seat that is next to the damn emergency exit.

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Well the boys decided to get pissed on the plane to Vancouver so what did we do, we tried to get pissed. The booze was free so what didn't we? Only thing is once we got to 4 beers one of the air hostesses said we had drank to much and stopped serving us, so one of the guys went up and said "Mate we're Australians were not drunk yet" So then it scabbed us a further 1 or 2 bourbans. And they said they were going to close the bar for us after those. So I went up to a different airhostess to try my like with a few drinks and yep she was going to get it until another air hostess recognised me and said "I told you the bar was closed, don't you remember" then got a can of sprite in one hand and coke in the other and started waving it around like I was some kid. So I just took the coke and went with disappointment. But the coke came in handy because one of the guys bought a bottle of duty free and so he cracked it open and we started to drink that. Need I say I was pissed and had a 2 hour nap before we touched down in Vancouver. To my luck because the time difference is 15 hours from Taipei to Vancouver it was suddenly 9AM in the bloody morning again I I was tired as.

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Once I got off the plane and went through immigrations the immigration chick didn't write something on my declaration card so I can go to the Immigration Visa section to get my Working Visa so she wouldn't let me through, then she gave in and said just go in and line up then. So sweet, one hurdle passed, then I got my working visa and after that I collected my baggage and snowboard bag and proceeded to head out of arrivals but this security guard comes up to me and asks to see my declaration form? Not the person behind me not the person in front of me but me. Did I look dodgy? I will never know. But one thing for sure is, I might have looked like shit after 2 hours sleep and a whole lot to drink on the plane.

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But anyhow I have finally got picked up by my cousin in Vancouver and staying at their house. Where I will rest up and go on some tour to Vancouver Island which they booked for me. So see how it goes.