Taiwan
Was not planning on two trips to Taiwan in the span of a month, especially not in the summer, but given the price was right and friends were already going to be visiting anyway, why not? Plus the previous trip was to Kaohsiung, not Taipei, so there was still plenty more to explore in Taiwan that I hadn't seen in years.
Days 1/2: full day of flying, complete with evening arrival and MRT ride from the airport into Taipei proper.
Day 3: being tourists with Lan Lan and Lucas, including the obligatory braised pork rice, beef noodle soup, and Taipei 101 stop.
Day 4: local fooding in Taipei, from a tea place I'd not previously heard of to a sizzling black pepper steak place I still can't read the name of.
Day 5: up at sunrise for a somewhat lengthy return back to the USA, including a few last food groups at the airport and then an extra-long return flight to avoid volcanic ash.