(See more photos here.)

We’re back. My suitcase still reeks of Taiwan. Giant inhale … ahhhhhhh.

As we arrived home the other day, Alice and Randall greeted us at LAX. They found it amusing that they, two people who consider Taiwan to be a second home, were there to pick up us, two of the most un-Chinese Chinese people on the planet. They were particularly entertained by our many stories of how we navigated stumbled our way through the big city without knowing any Mandarin (this involved a lot of pointing, blank stares and flipping through the flash cards Alice had her students assemble for us). But we did it. And it was amazing.

Taipei isn’t touristy like Shanghai and Beijing, but that’s what I loved about this trip. We weren’t on a strict schedule of stopping here and there, visiting this temple and that pagoda. Instead, we let the streets enchant (and frighten) us with their raw sights, sounds, tastes and smells. On most of the days, the only things guiding us were our heightened sense of adventure and some recommendations from friends pasted into the notes section of Matt’s BlackBerry.

As foreigners, we were most excited about the night markets. They’re like giant street fairs, only instead of vendors selling friendship bracelets and angel food cake, they lure you in with uncommon edibles like Pig Intestines On A Stick. There’s also plenty of yummy stuff for more sheltered palettes (like mine) such as beef noodle soup, oyster omelets, juicy dumplings and fried chicken cutlets the size of your face (served in a paper bag for just over a buck). I’m certain that my heaven will have a night market like those in Taiwan. Pure bliss.

I’ll admit it was rather frustrating not knowing the language, especially since I look Chinese. I kept wishing my parents had sent me to Chinese school when I was a kid (even though I’m sure I would have protested) or that I would have thought to study abroad there in college. Matt and I were talking about what life would be like if we were part of two cultures like most of our friends. We’d gain a certain richness in our backgrounds, but I wonder if we’d lose something too. You know, we were the only ones at karaoke night who knew the words to the Beach Boys songs (my parents had their car radios permanently set on K -Earth 101). There’s something in being all-American. It’s part of who I am. But it would also be nice to have a second country. And if I were able to choose one, I’d probably choose Taiwan.

But, of course, that’s not happening. Here’s proof.

The reason why we were in Taiwan was to attend Matt’s brother’s wedding reception. This was the seating chart:

So sad.