Type A in Taipei

The hunt began at 10 AM on April 18. We had arrived at the hotel at about 7:30 AM after a long (12? 14? - can't remember) flight. Ambien CR secured a solid 6 hours of sleep. In the two and a half hours between hotel check-in and start of the competition, we had time to shower, eat, exercise, rest - mandatory personal time. This is the schedule for arriving in every new place. You are forbidden from getting any maps or tourist information. When the competition begins, it's about figuring things out by talking with people and by doing. Hotel Concierges are off limits except to request a map. No hiring of a taxi for the day as a guide. No googling or GPS. This is not a blackberry/i-pod duel. Feeling quite liberated from the compulslon to obsess over planning out the day in a new city, I swam laps with Alex in the outdoor pool on the rooftop. Glorious! We are at a lovely hotel -- quite spacious, great bathroom, very gracious staff. Rather than sit down to a huge buffet breakfast, we found a little bakery across the street. He had a three-clustered roll with each pod filled with something different: red bean paste, peanut buttery stuff and the third thing. Mine was scallion and sweet onion with a cheesy custard. Yum. We used his ATM card at the 7-Eleven next door to get enough currency to jump start the day.