Maokong Gondola

The Maokong Gondola! From the moment I heard about this spectacular ride up the hill side, I wanted to go. I spent my day at Maokong with a religious group of some friends I met through Rotary here in Taipei, which made for a great day!

Our ride up the gondola began around 8:00 a.m., all dressed in our matching yellow outfits (once again, all matching!). A gondola is a gondola for me.  It's the ride and the scenery that make it exciting. The ride up the gondola was really unique! Rather than just going up, we went up and down, and to the left and the right. It was really interesting, but super cool, as our scenery was always changing! When we arrived to the top, we took a bus and a few cars to a famous temple on the hillside. The temple was pretty, but the view was INCREDIBLE! I could see Taipei at it's fullest. I felt as though I had opened my arms really wide and I was holding Taipei! It was the morning, so the sky was perfectly blue and the sun was shining, the cherries on top of this view!

After our time at the temple and viewing Taipei, we walked to a nearby restaurant. The restaurant we went to was so busy.  They tell me it is so busy because it is really famous and really good! Well, I can assure you that I know why they are indeed busy.  I also now know one of my number one restaurant recommendations  for future travelers to Taiwan! Ha! So much food and all so good! In the afternoon, we went to a tea shop. We learned how to brew our own tea the correct way and we also tasted and smelled some teas of the Maokong area. It was very nice!

 

Thanks for a great day, I really enjoyed myself and enjoyed getting to know all of you!

Kinmen Island: 3 Day Bike Trip!

For those of you who were anxiously waiting to hear what my exciting weekend was all about...here you go! I am so excited to share all my adventures and memories created on the beautiful island of Kinmen!

On Friday October 12, I left my home around 5:30 a.m. and headed to Taipei Songshan Airport! I met 12 great Rotarian's from my host club along with all of their bikes and biking gear and of course, their smiling faces. We were heading to Kinmen - an island that is administered by Taiwan, located between China and Taiwan. The island has over 6,000 years of history, but is mainly known for the 1950's Nationalist/Communist battles. From the many years of fighting and military presence on the island, the island is now what I consider a great big outdoor museum of military sites and military equipment, with many farming areas and traditional architectural villages.

After the 50 minute flight to the island, we got dressed in our matching bike jerseys and then put all the bikes together! When we were ready, we took off and began our adventure filled day. We biked from one museum, village, temple, and random photo location to the next all morning. I saw some of the airplanes, guns, tankers, boats, and other various military gear used during the time of battle. My favorite location of the morning tour was Jhaishan Tunnel - a man made, deep, dark, huge, tunnel,  full of water that was used for a place of battle. The small cracks of light and the water makes it really pretty! In the afternoon, we got on a ferry boat which took us over to Little Kinmen Island. On the island, we rode through small traditional villages and then went to lunch at one of the traditional/communal restaurants. I again was able to indulge in delicious new food, including some great seafood! After lunch, we biked on a nice brick pathway which was along the Taiwan Strait which separates the island of Taiwan from mainland Asia. At one point we came to a stop at a small temple. We biked to the back of the temple and from there we were able to see Mainland China! It was my first time seeing Mainland China and we were so close I felt I could swim across and be there in 30 minutes. The part of China that we saw was Xiamen.  This was the highlight of my day!

We then headed back across the water on the ferry and biked to dinner! Dinner was in this remote village, tucked away. It took us a long time to get there and I really felt like adventurer, considering that we did get lost a couple times and it was pitch black out. However, all of that biking and time that it took us to get there really was worth it! We had another AMAZING meal at this small, family owned restaurant. We had a lot of seafood again this night and some other traditional plates! Learning the "no thank you bite" from my mom and dad ever since I was a little girl has really paid off during this trip. Ha! You never know until you try it! Later in the night, we returned to our cute little bed and breakfest and called it a night. I shared a room and bed with my Rotary Club president Mickey. She is such a nice woman and we really got to know each other well considering our rooming situation. Ha! Thanks Mickey.  You are the best!

Yes...I know...that was only one day! The next day we started with a hearty Chinese breakfast and then hopped on a small tour bus for the morning. We once again toured some historic and unique military locations, some of which are used as training camps for the military today. The funniest part about the whole day was that many of the locations we visited in the morning did not allow tourists in. We had to get creative and sneaky!  It was a good thing I had a hat on in the morning, my president Mickey's big purple sunglasses to borrow, and a group of sneaky Rotarians to surround me! Ha! Actually, we might need to work on the "sneaky-ness" for the future but we made it through everyplace with a lot of laughs!

 
In the afternoon, we got back on our bikes with our matching Rotary bike jerseys and pedaled around Kinmen some more. One of the coolest things about the entire weekend, was that many of the Rotarians on this trip had spent time in the military on this island and for most of them, this was their first time returning. Crazy! I mean the island is so close and tickets are not too expensive to go. But to experience this with all of them and learn about the island at every location we visited, was truly an honor and I am so grateful I had the opportunity and was able to join them! Later that evening, we biked to another great restaurant for our last meal on the trip. Lot's of toasts to the occasion and each other were offered. (Taiwan people love this!), laughter, and of course, mainly just FOOD! After dinner we all went to an Old Street Market and explored some temples at night, I watched some elderly women dance to traditional Taiwanese music (SMILE = CHECK), and we ate some of the famous pastries from Kinmen!



On Sunday morning, we got up and a few of us rode our bikes up Taiwu Mountain while the others followed behind in the bus. We had blue skies all weekend and the tempurature was nice! When we arrived at the top of the mountain, the blue skies combined with a nice breeze and incredible views of the island made for a great way to finish off our weekend!  We then headed to the airport, packed our bikes, and headed back home to Taipei.

Thank you Taipei Tung Ho Rotary Club for giving me the oppurtunity to travel with you this weekend! I really enjoyed getting to know everyone better and I will always remember my weekend in Kinmen!

Everywhere!

Engrossed, engaged, experiencing, well  - without using the thesaurus to find those three E -words, this blog would have started with the word busy! Ha! This weekend I checked off seeing Chiang Kai Shek Memorial off my list, traveled to Tamsui, visited the historic Lin Family Mansion and Garden, and also visited the Sanshia Old Street Market!

On Saturday morning, my day began early. I went to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Square with my exchange friend Maggie. We had both wanted to see this "must see" square in Taiwan. The square is a memorial for the once dictator of Taiwan. It is a huge square with one main building for his memorial and two big traditional Chinese buildings used for a museum and a theater. Many people come to the square to engage in Tai-Chi. I had wanted to see this spot in Taiwan for a very long time.  I am happy I was able to see it!

Later in the afternoon, I traveled up to Tamsui with my host parents and Rotary. In Tamsui we would be having a nice afternoon of biking along the Tamsui river. I really enjoy all the Rotarian's. They are so kind and make me laugh, which is great! The day was kind of gloomy, but we had an hour or so of good sun on the ride. Of course we made a lot of stops to take pictures - my day wouldn't be complete if we didn't! As we made it across to the other side of the river, it began to rain. However, the slightest bit of sun did shine through on one area of the mountain, which means a rainbow! The rainbow was the biggest one I think I have ever seen and it was amazing. I am not the kind of person that is obsessed with things like that, but, I would be telling you a lie if I told you I didn't keep looking back to see it or stop a few times to take a picture. We took a ferry back across the river and then played a little bike game when we got back. After, we headed to dinner at a seafood restaurant. There were so many  people together this day, so the best way to finish the day off was with a big communal dinner. I am always trying new foods on the weekend and dinner once again delicious! A great day and I am grateful to be part of it!

 

On Sunday, I had another early morning! I started the day off by going to the Lin Family Mansion and Garden with one of the Rotarian's daughters. The mansion and garden is one of the only left in Taiwan from the Qing Dynasty. There used to be many more, however due to government problems over the years, many were destroyed. It was a rainy day again, but to see the gardens in that way actually just feels right. I couldn't picture the place with sun. The Garden has so much family and cultural history.  This helps to capture the design aspect of both the Mansion and Garden areas.

We then met her mother and sister for lunch at at Thai restaurant. Thai food is always good! After lunch we took a bus to a place called Sanshia. In Sanshia, we visited the famous Sanshia Old Street Market. Brick buildings line the sides of one road, and there are many little food stands, stores, lots of people, and a whole lot to take in. It was neat! Thanks for a great day girls. It was fun to experience these specials places in Taiwan with you! I appreciate each of you and the time we spent together!

Overall it was two busy and great days! I am so happy I have people in my life who want to share a culture with me. I start language class this week at the university.  I am so exicted for this language immersion class!  I also have a very exciting weekend coming up. I cannot wait to share with you all! Hope everyone is doing well back in the states or wherever your travels are taking you next! More soon!

Anna

Celebrating the Moon!

September 29th was the Moon Festival! The Moon Festival is one of Taiwan's biggest holidays. This is the weekend where they celebrate the full moon by having big barbecue's with family and friends! I had two barbecue's planned for the weekend with my family. One with Rotary and one with my host family's friends.

The first was a mid-day lunch barbecue with Rotary! Due to rain, the barbecue was moved inside to a Japanese restaurant.  Usually the barbecues are outside in parks or in front of businesses. At the restaurant we all share a long table and we sit on our butts to cook and eat.  We all sat and shared small little grills to grill endless amounts of meats, fish, and vegetables. It was a lot fun to embrace in this tradition and was so delicious as well. After the meal, I felt as though I was about to explode from eating so much! I will only have Moon Festival once during my exchange, so I am glad I experienced it and that there is a little thing called exercise. Ha!

My second barbecue was at my host family's freinds home in the evening! We headed straight from the first barbecue to this one. I told my host parents in the car ride over that I would surely not be eating at this one. They laughed! I tried a few more different foods at the 2nd bbq, but really could not force anything else down. The best part about the night was I was able to see the full moon from the deck. The sky was very cloudy and rainy.  But, for about thirty minutes we had clear skies. The moon was big, bright, and FULL!

My first Moon Festival was great and I am so thankful and happy I was able to experience it with all the great Rotarians! I spent Sunday running errands, but most of all, trying to make my body feel a little better after all of that food! Thanks for a great weekend Rotary!

Anna :)