Day 6

Day 6

Today was yet one more wonderful day in probably my best vacation ever. It wasn't the most eventful, but it was certainly a great opportunity to meet a new friend and reconnect with an old friend. Of course, I had to be a little bit productive this morning to eliminate some stress when I get back, so I read an article for a paper I have to write. However, I made a nice relaxing morning of it all and

then met my coworker's friend (and now mine) Cherry to go to a place called XeiBeiTou. This was a great little find. It's a natural hotsprings where the Japanese built a public bath house during the era when they were in control of the island. The bath house is no longer in operation because it had fallen int

o many years of neglect, but they have refurbished the bath house and made it into a wonderful place to visit and learn about this era.

Another interesting fact about XeiBeiTou is that it is the home to many different movies because of the natural beauty of the area and for other reasons. The region was at one time called the Hollywood of Taiwan

(or something like that). Anyway, I really enjoyed taking pictures in the museum and of the spring water that flows down the stream by it.

After XeiBeiTou, we went to Danshui to visit Tam Kang University (TKU) main campus where one of my former students Albee is attending graduate school This is not the campus our students from TKU come from, but it was accessible to me today via public transportation, so I went and got a mini-tour of the campus. It was very pretty, even though the weather was not so great today. Anyway, I found plenty of items to take pictures of, and it was great to see Albee again after 2 years.

For dinner, I met with another former student, Phoebe, who is the person who found my hotel options for me. We had a great dinner, and I even tried the oysters and frog. I don't normally like oysters, but these weren't bad, and frog really does taste like chicken...amazing, eh? After dinner, Phoebe drove me around town where it hit me that driving here is really a LOT different from any city in the U.S. First of all, there are very few real rules for driving...it's basically a free-for-all. Secondly, the lines don't mean ANYTHING...no one drives between the line. Third, when a police car has its lights on, it is not because they are chasing someone...maybe it's just to make their presence known...lol Fourth, those darn scooters are a bit of a nuisance...haha.

Well, that's about it for tonight...I'm really tired and plan to go to sleep very soon. I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation. Regardless of who we are and what we've been through, there is a lot to be thankful for. Take the time to let your family and friends know just how much you love them. Life is short and needs to be lived with a heart full of care and concern for others and not so seriously that we forget how to have fun. I'm not a trekky (Star Trek) by any means, but a phrase from the show comes to mind..."Live long and prosper." I think the prosper part has nothing to do with money...we are rich when we have amazing friends and the opportunity to experience the world around us new every day.

Take care everyone.

David

Day 5

Day 5:

Today started out pretty slow. I ended up waking up around 4 am and couldn't sleep, so I got out of bed to see who I could chat with. I was able to get back to sleep around 5:30 or so and slept until 8, so I was good for most of the day. I walked around a little bit after breakfast (to walk off the really bad Burger King food and coke zero with very little syrup and a LOT of carbonated water) before coming back to the hotel to relax for a bit. After about 30 minutes of chatting, Daisy asked if I wanted to go for lunch, so I met her at the metro station, and we went to a cool part of town with an old historic building with an amazing design. We walked around the shopping area before coming across a cool little BBQ place where they gave you all the food you could BBQ on the grill at your table. The food was delicious and the company was fun (Thanks Daisy).

After lunch, we made our way back to the hotel for awhile before Daisy had to go to the airport. I helped her get her bags to the bus terminal (where she got a cab to the airport). I made my way back to the hotel to veg for awhile and then ended up chatting on facebook for a bit. I didn't really have any set plans for the evening, but I ended up going out with a friend who I have only been keeping up with on facebook, Irene. She took me to a different kind of BBQ place that was amazing. We then chatted at Starbucks until almost 10 before coming back to the hotel. Time really flies when you're having fun, I guess. Anyway, I found myself wishing I had more time to spend here, but I will be happy to see my kiddo and my roommates when I get back too. I feel like I am beginning to understand the mixed feelings that our students feel the first couple months at the IALC. To be able to love the experience but still miss the people back home means that we are human.

I have decided to try to make this an annual trip and bring Caleb with me on the years that I can. It may be a shorter trip after this each time, but I'm fascinated by how much there is to do and see around here and how convenient things are to get to as compared to Moscow/Pullman. I have done a lot of walking but loved every minute of it. I guess this is enough for now. I wish everyone an amazing Thanksgiving vacation.

Day 4

Day 4

Today was a really low-key, relaxing day. Definitely not boring at all. I went to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Square today and took pictures for two hours. Yesterday was great, but it was more moving from place to place than I am used to. I definitely need to ease into the city life...hehe. Anyway, I wanted to have a day where I could just focus my attention on being creative and having fun with my camera. It was so nice to be able to hear the city noise but not be inundated by it.

I was most impressed today by just people watching. I saw some wonderfully amazing people today and had a great lunch with Notti before coming back to the

hotel to just chill and chat with friends for awhile. Tomorrow I am not sure what to expect, but I can see doing another busy day

tomorrow seeing he sights of Taipei and taking in the experience as much as possible. I don't really feel jet lagged any more, but my sleep schedule is a bit off still. I guess that's just how it will be, so I'll deal with it.e in the background and see the skyline but not really be inundated by it for a couple hours. I think I got some pretty decent photos.

I was so impressed by the architecture and the grandeur of the buildings in the square. The Concert Hall and the Theater are absolutely AMAZING buildings, and the Buddha shrine area was a great place to take panoramic (well, potentially) pictures of the Taipei skyline. I can't wait to go up into Taipei 101 in a couple days and take pictures of the city from way up. I think it would be cool, though, to go to a concert at the concert hall or see some kind of production at the theater. I may have to wait until the next trip here, but it's worth thinking about at least.

Well, not much really to share from today's adventure. I took another trek around the downtown area this evening and just enjoy the sights and sounds. I could do without some of the smells, however. The evening time is when they take out the trash, and you could definitely smell it...from many different buildings. Ewww...lol. Anyway, I guess that makes sense.

I obviously started looking like a tourist today, though. I suppose it's my white skin and WSU T-shirt (and the fact that I was wearing a short sleeve T-shirt). Everyone seems to think it's cold out there or something. I think it's just right considering what I'll be going back to on the 29th. For now I am just going to concentrate on living in the moment and enjoying every moment I can spend with new and old friends here in Taiwan.

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.

Day 2 Evening

Day 2 evening

Tonight was a lot of fun. I ran out of steam by around 9:00 pm, though because I was going on only 4 hours of sleep; however, it was a lot of fun to go out to dinner with my friend Daisy from Hong Kong and several of the Tamkang students. They took me to a Japanese restaurant where we had noodle soup and fried tofu. The food was good, and the company was fun. It was raining, and everyone was concerned about being outside, so we didn't go to the night market as planned, but we were so full from dinner that it's just as well. Daisy and I will probably go to the night market tonight and make that our dinner rather than a late night snack. After all, I would like to fit in my airplane seat on the way back. :-)

It was interesting walking through the streets of the shopping district in Taipei last night and getting pictures of whatever looked interesting. I tried getting a picture of one of the cute little walk signs, but it didn't work because it was night time and the guy was moving...just a little blur. I will have to get a picture of one during the day time or try using video mode. There weren't quite as many people out as I might have expected, but it was cool using the subway, since I've never used one before even in the U.S. The trains weren't really that crowded, and it was another opportunity to reconnect with old friends in the process.

Anyway, I finally got to bed around 11 pm to shake off the remainder of the jetlag and get ready for a new day and new adventures. Not much more to say right now.

Day 2 continued

This afternoon was wonderful so far. I met with my good friend Shannon, her husband, and their 21 month old daughter Abigail. We walked through downtown Taipei and went through an amazing museum. Then we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in the downtown shopping area that was quite good. We did a lot of walking, but I really enjoyed reconnecting with Shannon and meeting her family. Her daughter knows me as uncle David. What an honor that is...amazing! They even provided me with a temporary cell phone to use while I'm here. It's truly an honor to have such wonderful friends throughout the world. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have such an amazing job where I meet the best people and have the opportunity to be an honorary brother to so many. What a gift.

My day is far from over, of course, as other friends are taking me out to check out the night life in Taiwan in awhile. I am so excited to meet up with so many friends while here. It makes the experience that much more worth it. I hope that I can return here more than just once in a lifetime, of course. We'll see what happens as life goes on.

Day 2

Day 2 AM

I had a difficult time sleeping last night because my body thought it was supposed to be up and because I had slept a lot on the plane. I did, however, lull off to sleep somewhere around 3 am and got up around 6 at first and then finally for good at 7 am. I am doing surprisingly well, and so far this morning has been interesting. I wanted to get my bearings, so I went out for a walk around the block after waiting an extremely long time at KFC for my complimentary breakfast...interesting way to provide the free meal without actually doing the work. Not the best food in the world, but it was interesting to eat an omelette sandwich with a definite Asian taste to it. Anyway, I really enjoyed the experience of just sitting and watching the happenings on the street as I waited and waited and waited and finally got my sandwich.

I really enjoyed walking the streets of downtown New Taipei before the stores opened, getting a lot of pictures, and enjoying walking (after a long airplane flight). I'm really impressed by the mingling of old and new style buildings, and the walk signs here are absolutely wonderful (little animated guy walking). So far I haven't been able to get into any good conversations because I think I'm the only white guy walking around downtown and people seem a little apprehensive about talking

to me or even looking at me...but there is still time. I guess if I were to move here, it would benefit me greatly to learn Chinese...hehe...ya think?

Anyway, one cool thing I found in my walkabout was a lot of English language schools, most notably David's English Center, which is right around the corner from my hotel. How cool is that?

I am really impressed with the size of some of the buildings here. My brother wants a panoramic picture from one of the tall buildings, and I think I've found the one to take it from. Of course, I am definitely interested in taking in the scenery from Taipei 101 one of these days, but I need to figure my way around the area. My goal is to spend as little money as possible but get maximum enjoyment out of this trip. So far I haven't had to spend a lot of extra money, which is cool. I am fortunate to have a lot of friends here, so I'm looking forward to seeing as many as possible. Who knows, I may come back and bring the kiddo with me next time if he's not in school. Heck, even if he is in school, this would be a good experience for him.

Anyway, I will be posting links to lots of pictures on Facebook soon. I wish you all a wonderful, wonderful day/night/whatever.