I am plagiarizing an e-mail that I sent to my travel agent. I was replying to his inquiry about my travels from Hong Kong to Tokyo with a layover in Taipei. It is such a good story I decided not to change it just copy it and of course embellish it to the real story of my arrival into Tokyo, Japan.
It is an amazing chain of events that I have experienced many time in my around the world travels. I really need to get better at directions. Naw, I'm pretty sure there is a bigger plan for me and that I am supposed to meet these new people as each one has made me realize that there is good at every corner of the world...so far. The most wonderful people come into your life if but for a few minute (just to provide directions) or for a few hours (as you will read below). The world is a good place filled with good people doing good things daily for strangers and without expectations. Most that have come into my life don't even speak English and yet have made a marked impact on my life at the most amazing moments....just when I needed them most (Help I'm Lost...Again). Thanks to you all...most I do not even know your names and many I was so distraught that I forgot to even ask...but know that each of you is a memory that I will cherish for your kindness to a stranger in your country that needed a little assistance. May you receive blessings when you need it and know that I have and will continue to pay my blessings forward. My amazing Good Samaritan in Tokyo, Japan....read on (my e-mail to my travel agent, hero Jim).
My Hero,
Taipei, was well an airport surrounded by mountain ranges, surrounded by water, the airport business lounge shower room was clean and the food as always is good!
Got lost, AGAIN, as I was too busy looking around (being a tourist) to remember to get off the train at my transfer stop until after the door closed and I pointed to the subway map (of yes, the highlighted subway stop that I actually stopped at the tourist information booth at the the airport to ensure i would be able to find my hostel timely and with out issue...well that didn't happen). I was to get off after 3 stops, cross the subway platform to the opposite track to transfer trains and continue for another 5 stops). They all pointed to the stop we just pulled away from. I thought great...how hard can this be??? I'll just get off at the next station and return to the station I just left; and life will be grand.....Well, easier said than done. I got off at the next stop, ran around to the other platform...without looking at the train direction and got on the next train...an express going the wrong direction and ended up in a residential neighborhood way outta town.
The darn train never stopped...I mean never....ever...ok finally, but it was too late. I was way outside of Tokyo where there wasn't an English word on any signage to be found and well...I guess seeing an adult white male cry in your neighborhood is enough to even affect a young Japanese school girl. (She may have been 12-15years old, cute, short, big purple glasses...kinda like those Harry Potter big frames, school backpack, overloaded and the all important cell phone).
My newest good Samaritan came over very confidently looked at my map of where I wanted to go, shook her head, looked up and smiled and in Japanese, I think she told me to follow her so I did. She was head down, thumb typing on her cell faster than I can on a keyboard and proceeded to take me on a 2 hour subway ride. It began to make me real nervous as we never got off the train my Good Samaritan put us on however I was having a heck of a time trying to decide where we were or where we were going. I kept asking this one?...this one? and she would hold up fingers like 20 stops. Yikes...she did this like 5 times... to show me where we were or where we were going. Finally as she and I are both height challenged she could not seem to reach the roof of the train where the map was positioned...neither could I for that matter, plus there were so many rail lines and my vision being challenged even with my glasses, I didn't recognize any of the stops until we were back where I started almost 90 minutes previous. She stayed with me, smiling and scrolling on her phone and finally she used the Japanese to English converter to tell me we were getting close...all the way to the station I missed. We were on a train that did not have one of the nice fancy rail signs over the door, cars that lights up as you are about to arrive at the next station....no way there was a map alright, but all the rail line were in Japanese. imagine Japanese rail signs in Japanese.
I asked the hostel employee if it would be ok to monetarily reward her for her kindness without offending her and he talked to her for a long time in Japanese. A really long time. I almost interrupted to tell them...Hey, I'm standing right here...but for once I held my tongue. He finally said she felt very sorry to see me so unhappy at the subway near here home that she felt to cheer me up she would make sure I got home safely. This kid (young lady) is my hero of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not capable of following directions....at least not with so many distractions. So all is well until my next move. Guardian Angels get ready!
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