As I continued my journey through Asia, I flew from Malaysia to Taiwan and met Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The club lounge was impressive and provided excellent food, drink and service. The rooms are newly remodeled, and the property has fantastic restaurants to choose from. I was completely blown away by the room design and décor. The marble bathroom was modern and extraordinary. The fitness center was enormous and state-of-the-art, which I appreciated and utilized. We had an elaborate dim sum lunch at Yun Jin, the hotel’s authentic Chinese restaurant, and the food was tremendous, especially the hairy crab (seasonal from certain parts of China) and Szechuan pork belly. We had a full schedule of meetings each day on our brief visit to Taipei, so unfortunately this did not allow for much time to explore the city. I didn’t make it to the Taipei 101 or get to go on the fastest elevator in the world, but it’s on my bucket list for next time! China Airlines hosted a fantastic dinner and karaoke party for us at the top of a building with exceptional views of Taipei. This was, hands down, the most memorable moment of my trip to Taiwan. The meal they chose was also the meal they served the president of Taiwan on board their aircraft. Along with the seven-course meal came a perfect wine pairing for each course. Once again, my culinary adventure through Asia continued! From the moment we entered the dinner, food and drinks were flowing. I quickly caught on to the different toasts thrown out. When someone toasts “ganbei,” you’d better be ready to slam down your entire drink. When someone toasts “shee-shee,” just take a moderate sip of your drink. I was begging for the latter all night long, but ended up doing mostly the former with champagne, multiple wines and whiskey. I learned so much in Taipei that night, from what I can remember! At one point during dinner, I entertained guests with a piano concerto, as there was a gorgeous white grand piano in the venue. I played for years, and it’s one of my greatest passions. It was wonderful to be able to share a song my grandmother and I composed together. It was delightful to meet and spend time with the chairman and executive team of China Airlines, as they are some of the most generous and kind people I met thus far in my travels and international business trips. In addition, they sure know how to serve up a good time in Taiwan! I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the country’s treasures. — Rafie Iannello, account director, Pacific Rim