Jun 23 to 24 - Everything sorts of runs together today, just one transport to another, for over 30 hours. The good news is that the entire program ran on time. The details:
1) pre-arranged taxi from hotel to Hualien train station (no buses at 6:30)
2) Train from Hualien to Taipei main train station
3) Connect to MRT, an express metro line that links downtown Taipei with the airport
4) Fly China Airlines to Manila
5) Have to pass immigration in the Philippines, as the tickets are not connected. Hang around and change out all Taiwan and Philippine currencies. Take the shuttle from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, a real test of endurance as that simple transfer takes more than an hour of waiting around, stopping at length at two other terminals first, and crawling along in Manila traffic.
6) Take Qantas red-eye flight to Sydney, arrive 6:00 on June 24. We do not have Australian visas, so no option here but to stay in the transit terminal. In anticipation of not having visas, I made sure the flights were connected so that our bags would go direct to our onward destination.
7) Fly another Qantas flight to Nadi, Fiji (island of Viti Levu). Arrive 14:30.
