Jeff and Barbara Do Taiwan, Part IV

The plan had been to take my honored guests to see Taiwan's most prized scenic attraction, Taroko Gorge 太魯閣. However, thanks to Typhoon Megi and the effect it had on the Suhua Highway, the four of us (me, Amber, Jeff and Barbara - my wife had to work) instead fell back to Plan B - two nights in K'enting National Park 墾丁國家公園, at the southern tip of the island. The disappointment of not being able to drive to the east coast, plus the disappointing rainy weather that precluded any attempts at swimming and/or snorkeling while in Kenting, were greatly eased by our lodgings at the Fullon Resort:

It was a long, leisurely drive from T'aichung 台中 to K'enting 墾丁, and our first night (Thursday) was spent strolling along the main strip:

The next morning, Jeff and Barbara were hoping to do some snorkeling at Sail Rock, while Amber was eager to go swimming, either at the ocean or in the hotel pool. However, Friday was windy and frequently drizzly, so plans had to be adjusted. We began by strolling along the beach not far from the resort (visible in the photo on the right):

...before making the short drive to Sail Rock. The tide was out, and some crabs and fish were visible in the tidal pools:

Next stop was Eluanpi 鵝鑾鼻, where we had lunch, then visited the lighthouse and strolled the grounds:

You know you're in the tropics when you can buy a coconut, and have the seller cut off the top, punch a hole in it, and insert two straws for you and your loved one to share in the milk inside:

From Eluanpi, it was up the coast road to the coral formations of Chialeshui 佳楽水:

Continuing our driving tour, from Chialeshui we drove inland to Hengch'un 恒春, stopping to see the old East Gate 東門 and the natural gas fires at Ch'uhuo 出火奇観. At the latter,Jeff and Barbara could see first-hand the great respect Taiwanese have for posted regulations, especially those warning people against trespassing and vending:

We ended our mini-road trip back at the hotel. After freshening up, we took the shuttle bus back into Kenting, where we all enjoyed a truly Taiwanese evening by dining on Mexican food, and drinking Belgian beers afterward. Globalization in action!

Today (Saturday) we checked out of the Fallon, and visited Taiwan's premier aquarium, the National Museum of Marine Biology 國立海洋生物博物館. It was well worth the time and money spent there. The displays are well-organized, and the collections of sharks and rays (and a whale shark) were fascinating, especially to Amber. My favorite part was the exhibit on prehistoric oceans, in 3-D no less - dinosaurs so realistic you could reach out and touch them:

It was another long, leisurely drive from the aquarium back to Taichung. Everyone had a great time this past couple of days. Tomorrow it's off to Changhua Shō彰化 and Lukang 鹿港. Stay tuned...

Jeff and Barbara Do Taiwan, Part III

On this, the third day of Jeff and Barbara's most excellent Taiwan adventure, Amber overcomes her fear of the animatronic dinosaurs at the National Museum of Natural Science 國立自然科學博物館:

...while at the adjacent tropical rain forest conservatory:

...my budding little Annie Leibovitz takes the cover shot for Barbara and the Pips' next album:

Amber's photo work from today can be seen here.

Jeff and Barbara Do Taiwan, Part II

In which everyone's favorite Slovene-American couple pay a visit to Sun Moon Lake 日月潭, Taiwan's largest freshwater body. Let's 写真!

Barbara contemplates the enigmatic (and yellow-colored) soda "P" at a seafood restaurant in Shuishe Village 水社村:

Proof positive that we were actually there. Despite it being a Tuesday, there were quite a few visitors at the lake (though nothing compared to the hordes that descend upon it on weekends), with many of them being of the Chinese persuasion. Lots of sightseeing boats were plying the water, and touts were aggressively trying to round up passengers (we declined, several times):

Jeff and Barbara took some time to explore Wenwu Temple 文武廟, with the sunset over Sun Moon Lake serving as a backdrop:

The final stop before heading back to T'aichung 台中 was at the Tz'uen Pagoda 慈恩塔. The fading gloom meant no more photographs could be taken, but Barbara was able to ascend the steps to check out the view of the lake and its twinkling lights. More importantly, she got to ring the bell at the top. It was a dark, unlit walk back to the car, though some light was provided by Amber's flashing Dora the Explorer sandals, and by the fireflies that all of us were surprised to see flying about.

Tomorrow, Jeff and Barbara will spend some more time in Taichung, before the four of us go to K'enting 墾丁 on Thursday.

Jeff and Barbara Do Taiwan, Part I

Good friends don't often make the trek out here to Taiwan to visit - in fact, the last time one did, the World Trade Center was still standing in New York City. So I've been looking forward to being paid a visit by my old high school friend Jeff, along with his lovely wife Barbara. The two of them will be here for the next two weeks, and having arrived last night, today was the first full day of their first sojourn into Asia. As luck would have it, however, my intestinal system decided to welcome a visitor of its own, and I've been feeling less than 元気 since last Wednesday evening thanks to my unwanted viral guest. So for this reason, and others (like the fact that some sightseeing attractions aren't open on Mondays), Jeff and Barbara's introduction to Taiwan was of a low-key nature. We couldn't have asked for better weather today, and I think they're really looking forward to seeing what Taiwan has to offer. This guide needs his rest, so here are a few photos and a brief description of what we did and saw today...

The large Milefo 布袋 statue at Paochueh Temple 寳覚寺 in T'aichung 台中:

The sights of Fengyuan 豐原, all two of them - the Matsu 媽祖 Temple, and the Miaotung 廟東 street food market:

At dinner this evening, we all took an interest in an "Olive Plum Vinegar" drink, which was pronounced to be "not that bad, actually". No doubt the first of many "interesting" foods and drinks waiting to be discovered in the days ahead:

Tomorrow it's off to Sun Moon Lake 日月潭. Now it's off to bed.

おやすみなさい

There's gold in them thar hills

A Buddha enjoying the glorious sunshine on the Hsint'ien 新田 trails

And the sign said...

Seen this afternoon in T'aichung 台中:

For those Taiwanese who are illiterate when it comes to Chinese characters, but who are somehow proficient in the Japanese kana 仮名 syllabary, the restaurant in the photo on the left has come to their assistance. Perhaps such folks learned how at the cram school pictured on the right, which teaches English, Japanese and computers to high school students. Japanese is the second-most popular foreign language being studied in Taiwan, following English. Many older Taiwanese can still speak it, though it's much less common to find proficient speakers among the younger generations. The other sign in the photo features that ubiquitous の, aka your friend and mine, the possessive "no".

ベティちゃん

This has to be one of the coolest shirts I've ever seen in Taiwan. This one was worn this morning by one of my kindergarten students. I'll have to look for one like this for my daughter.