Day 3

Day 3

Today was a day full of new experiences and definite sensory overload. I slept a few more hours last night (about 7 hours). I got up and chatted with my kiddo and roomie for a bit and then I had breakfast. After breakfast, I took a walk around the downtown area for a bit and saw the Presidential palace (yep, took a few pictures--go figure). Then I walked around more and took pictures of various

statues and other points of interest. In the course of my walk, I saw a lot more scooters (of course--haha) and what I thought was the smallest TGIFridays in the world (until I realized that the building had a really odd shape). Anyway, I had a great time just meandering for a bit to walk off my breakfast.

In the course of my walking, I met an older Chinese man at Peace Park who knew absolutely no English. I know next to no Chinese, and I was trying to figure out what he meant by his gestures. I finally figured out a few things and really appreciated this opportunity to struggle through the conversational process. I kind of figured out that he liked my camera and was asking how much it cost (unfortunately, I had to make a guess as to how much to tell him because I'm not overly familiar with th

e exchange rates). He also wanted to take my picture with my camera, which I was happy about. Anyway, he took several pictures of me in front of one of the Pagodas in Peace Park, which was cool...I like the park. Anyway, I thanked him for the pictures and went on my way.

When I got back to my hotel, I got a call from the front desk. My friend Daisy was ready to go on our outing to Longshan Temple and then to Danshui. The coolest thing about Danshui

was a little side trip to take pictures of a little Christian church on a hill. It was a cool church, but we couldn't go in because there was a wedding going on. I got a picture of the bride and groom waiting on the stairs...it was so cool. After taking some pictures of Lo

ngshan Temple, we walked around the area and went into an old Japanese era school that they are rebuilding. It was amazing, but the best part was the two story bathroom...haha...watch out if you're on the bottom floor.

After leaving Danshui, we went to Jiantan to check out the Night Market there. It was amazing to see so many people in such a cramped place. I had to learn to set aside my Western desire for personal space and just go with the flow. All in all, it was a great experience, but I was happy to sit down and chat with Daisy afterward and talk about the day and what's happening in

life. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed at the lack of range of foods at the Night Market, and I didn't find much that I was interested in buying, but I'm not sure that's what us American tourists go there for. Maybe I can't speak for everyone, but it was cool to try a range of foods today that I've never had before. I am not sure I would cook any of the foods I had today, but it's all about the experience for me right now. At any rate, it was another amazing day.

Tomorrow I plan to have a little more low-key day and just chill close to the hotel...maybe even be a good student and do some of the reading I need to do...hehe. Maybe. I guess we'll see what tomorrow holds.