Meanderings of the Mind

Paris....... Idaho

2010-03-13T21:44:00.000-08:00

After all my travel trekking, I just couldn't stay still. I had to go to Paris.......... Idaho. I wish I could say Paris, France. But, I guess this is the next best thing!!

Sarah, Shiree, and I. Lovely, Lovely friends! We are up in Logan visiting Sarah for the weekend.

2010-03-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I have finished all my Asian travel trekking pictures. Finally, I am caught up. I hope you all enjoyed looking at my pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them and posting them for you all. It was a great seven months!!!! Hopefully my next adventure will be as fruitful.

Every Good Thing Must End

2010-03-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, my trip started just about how it ended. A back-pack, a suitcase, a travel bag, and a purse.

It was a bitter sweet end. I was happy to be heading home, but sad to say goodbye to all the great friends I had made. It was a seven months of vacation, coming to an end.

ha ha ha

2010-03-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

I didn't take this picture, but I saw things a lot like this while I was traveling. Always AMAZED me. I mean, how did they keep their balance.

Last night in K.L., last night in Malaysia, last night traveling as the three amigas

2010-03-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

Last day in Malaysia, and the last day traveling with Sarah and Lindsay. It was a bitter sweet day. One where I was ready to go home, and yet sad to be done traveling.

Shows the diversity of Malaysia. Chinese, Indian, and Malay culture.

YUMMY!! However, that was a lot of rice. One of the many reasons I needed to go on a diet after getting back to the states.

We found a church in Malay!! Best Sunday EVER. Probably partly because I had been traveling and wasn't able to go to church in a month. It was terrible to go that long. Heard the sweetest testimonies by a young recent convert to the church. Was welcomed into a diverse, and totally sweet ward. And, they held services in English!!

Who you need to give up your seat to on the metro.

Really!?

Petronas towers. They were at one point in time the tallest towers in the world. You go up to the sky bridge for a lovely view of the city.

ha ha ha. I have walked into glass doors before, so I appreciate the warning.

We got to watch a 3-D show before going up to the sky bridge.

On the sky bridge. We are doing our rendition of the two buildings hooked by the bridge.

Last night with all three of us traveling together.

Pretty!

Batu Caves

2010-03-13T15:24:00.001-08:00

In K.L. (Kaula Lumpur) there is something called the Batu Caves. They are caves that have been turned into a Hindu Shrine. It was pretty cool.

We had to climb up those stairs...... so much work.

There were a lot of monkeys around. I believe they are sacred to the Hindu faith, but I could be wrong about that. They sure did get A LOT of food from the people at the caves.

That sign lied. This was at the top of the stairs, and I was very tired and hoping we really didn't have to climb more. But, inside they had more stairs.

Inside the cave.

My favorite Hindu God. Can anyone guess why? His name is Ganesha.

The monkey god. Hanuman.

K.L.

2010-03-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yummy, that makes me want ice cream!

Various shots from around the capital of Malaysia (K.L.)

That little one says 'out of the box'

Another Muslim mosque that we checked out

Here we are being modest again.

How come they look so much more official than us? The girls here always made me feel immodest in my Bermuda shorts and t-shirts.

Some hot Colombian boys that we spent a part of the day with. Why you must always look fabulous when you travel!

Cute little couple

Cute family.

No weasels allowed? Good thing I left mine at home.

All three of us at the same spot!

If you are going to wear it, then wear it with pride.

Oops!

That leaf is HUGE!!!!

Cameron Highlands

2010-03-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our second stop in Malaysia was Cameron Highlands (Famous for strawberry farms, and tea plantations). We drove up into the mountains to get to the Highlands. It was a very green drive. If the taxi driver wasn't driving so fast around those tight, winding mountain turns, I probably would have enjoyed it much more.

Malaysia has a huge Indian population, so we were able to enjoy a great amount of Indian food, which I really loved!! Especially all the Naan.

School crossing.

After eating, we went out to explore the highlands. They had some really nice, pretty green hiking.

Has anyone ever seen the movie The God's Must Be Crazy? If so, do you remember the car in it. Well, this happens to be its newer cousin. It belonged to the forest service.

When I read this at first, I thought it was English. They have a lot of words that are really close to English, but aren't.

This sign caught my fancy because it reminded me of all the times we drove into mountains and I thought I was going to die due to sharp turns, speedy driving, and steep drops.

Since I took a picture of a stop sign in Thailand, I had to complete the tradition and take one in Malaysia too. I never thought to in Taiwan, but I don't know that I can remember ever seeing one in Taiwan.

Cute local. He let us take a picture of his house.

Pretty waterfall, minus the trash in the water. So sad to see humans disrespect the beauty around them.

The next three pictures are us pretending to be our favorite types of jungle animals. Can anyone guess what we are?

Did you guess right?.... (tnahpele, regit, yeknom) - I typed the clues backwards.

A very old, but fun, truck.

Tea plantation. One of the things that Cameron Highlands is famous for.

Butterworth, Georgetown.... enter MALAYSIA

2010-03-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

The train that took us from Southern Thailand to Butterworth, Malaysia!!!

I have never seen that many palm trees in one area before!

Bridge from Butterworth to the Georgetown Island.

NAAN!!!!!

Muslim mosque

Where they do the call to prayer. It was neat to hear it. Very beautiful and melodious.

They have you wear these when on the grounds to show respect and modesty.

Next we went to see a Hindu Temple

We happened to come during some kind of ritual. It involved fire, and milk. No idea what it was about.

I found this humorous. AWAS means caution, or watch out for danger. And, here is this guy running dangerously across the street.

Southern Thailand

2010-03-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

After our lovely stay up in Norther Thailand, we flew down to Southern Thailand to spend one beautiful week on the beaches of one of the most beautiful tropical paradises. Here are a smattering of pictures from that week.

Look, it is the Wendy tour. I wonder if they go to Neverland. We did fly to get here, and as you will see later I found a pirates ship on one of the Islands. Hmmmmm... coincidence, I think not.

Wait, are they saying I can't go on the Wendy tour????

Our own private beach. The first place we stayed at we had bungalows right off the ocean. It was beautiful. The next few pictures are from that lovely beach.

On the bus, sitting in the area that they put luggage due to the fact that the bus was full.

Our lovely hotel.

Day of long boating.

Mangrove forest.

Went out in the ocean. You can see all of the Islands.

Limestone cliffs.

Cliff art!

James Bond Island. I am pulling my sexy dangerous look.

James Bond Island. I guess they used this shot in one of the old James Bond movies, and now the Island is famous.

View from the bus window. They were selling intriguing baskets.

cow out of her pen.

A local.

I think I know some crabby people who should live in Krabi town.

locals at the beach.

First sunset that I watched on the beach. It was nice because we found a beach that had more locals than tourists. It was always nice to get away from the tourists.

Street vendor on the beach.

Caves on the Island.

Wild Monkeys, who are fond of the tourists who feed them.

Pirate ship on Railay Island.

The last sunset that I went to watch on the beach.

Fruity drink. I think this was a mango ice smoothie. YUMMY!

We went canoeing our last day in Southern Thailand. Went to see the limestone cliffs and the mangrove forests.

Nana and I shared a canoe (not in the romantic sense, like that song from girls camp). He was our guide. A very funny guy!

tic

Accident

2010-03-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Be very careful when driving scooters in foreign countries. Someone is liable to get injured. I crashed a scooter in some gravel. Thankfully the locals were very willing to help me out of the situation by bandaging me up. THANK YOU kind Thai locals!

Ayutthaya

2010-03-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

After Chiang Mai, we headed back up to Bangkok. We decided to visit the ruins of Ayutthaya (the old capital of Thailand). They were AMAZING!! A very peaceful place, with out a lot of tourists. Very worth the time we took to see them.

Funny sign on the metro over to the train.

Pictures of the ruins of Wat's in Ayutthaya:

The fun thing about Thailand, is that you will be riding along and turn a corner to see.... AN ELEPHANT!!

Where we stayed

2010-03-05T17:40:00.001-08:00

Second Day Treking

2010-03-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is actually the night before we hiked down. Eating yummy Thai food!! Pretend that my hair doesn't look like that!!

After we ate all that yummy food, we got to sit around a campfire and listen to a guy playing a guitar. It was fun.

The next morning we hiked back down.

Hiked down to the river and went river rafting. Got to go rafting on those bamboo rafts.

Notice the cow in the background?

First Day of Treking

2010-03-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

We went hiking up to a hill tribe and spent the night up there. This was while I was in Chaing Mai, right after we went to the elephant camp. It was a very long hike (took us 3 hrs) mainly up hill through the jungle. I have never felt more out of shape in my life!! We hiked up with a group of about fifteen or so people. My group was made up of Americans (us), Aussies, Kiwis, Romanians, and our Thai guide.

The hill tribe.

Our bamboo hut.

Locals. They mainly make their living off of tourists. They aren't allowed to leave the village with out a passport, and the only way to get a Thai passport is to be born in Thailand. These people came to Thailand after escaping war and persecution in their own country.

Elephant Camp

2010-03-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I fulfilled a life dream/goal and rode on an elephant. I have never been more happy in my life!!

I felt something hit my leg, and I turned around to see what it was. I was surprised to find a trunk in my face, asking me for a banana.

A little peice of heaven

2010-03-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

Thai cooking class

2010-03-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

I took a Thai cooking class while I was in Chiang Mai. It was taught by a lady named Gayrae. She was an excellent teacher.

Before she taught us anything about cooking, she took us to a market to show us where locals would buy supplies. We didn't buy anything from the market.

I never knew there was so many different kinds of rice. That cute lady with the scarf was our instructer.

That is a lot of beans. I wish the market place down the road sold that many.

YUCKY!!!

At least they were cooked.

After we got back from the market, she showed us her garden and the herbs she planted there. Some of the herbs we used in our cooking came from her garden. This was a fun thing that she had in her garden.

I got to make five different dishes (Pad Thai, Chicken Cashew and Pasta or other, Banana in coconut milk, Masaman Curry Paste, and Masaman Curry). They all turned out a lot better than I was expecting. I have a cook book from the class, so just e-mail me if you ever want some Thai recipes.

YUMMY!!!

HA HA HA

2010-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

They must be used to drunks.

Bangkok Take 2

2010-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures of Bangkok taken by my friend Lindsay and Sarah.

Market places on the river.

Buddhist monks in Thailand. I loved their vibrant orange robes.

Military guard protecting the Grand Palace.

Street vendors.

Bangkok Take 1

2010-03-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

Stop sign in Bangkok. The writing system is so beautiful!! Wish that I knew what it said, oh wait I do.

One of the big sight seeing things to do in Bangkok is go on a river tour by a long tail boat.

Sarah and I

Lindsay

The other very touristy thing to do in Bangkok is go and see all the temples, or Wats.

Us in a tuk-tuk. I wasn't that fond of Bangkok because there was a lot of people in Bangkok who saw tourists as money signs. This Tuk-Tuk driver was one of them. He used us to get some free gas by bringing us to a jewelry shop (when we told him we didn't want to go, he cried on us). He later dropped us at a temple and ditched us. At least it was before we paid him. So, he got free gas off of us, and we got a free ride to the golden mount.

The Grand Palace. It was HUGE!! A lot of the temples had separate entrances for the Thai and the tourists. Tourists were charged, while the Thai weren't. It was very interesting to me. The Thai are very religious, and love their temples. And, there were a lot of rules around to help tourists know how to act and dress. There were so many tourists, and shops around. It made me wonder if the Thai people felt it hard to worship around the tourists. And if they ever hated the Tourists for flocking to their most sacred places, and gawking at it all.

Door Guardian.

The reclining Buddha. It was very long, which made it hard to get a good picture of it. It was HUGE!

STAY TUNED!!

2010-02-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished posting all my pictures from Taiwan travels. Now all I have left is Thailand and Malaysia pictures. I will soon be posting those, so stay tuned for more pictures of more adventures.

Dream Sunrise

2010-02-18T22:04:00.001-08:00

I have always had a dream of watching a sunrise in the mountains. I got to finally watch my dream sunrise!!! Well, almost my dream sunrise. I would have needed to watch it with a hot guy for it to me my complete dream sunrise. But for now, this will do.

We got up really early to watch the sunrise in Alishan. Alishan is famous for it's sunrises. We lucked into the viewing spot that didn't have anyone else at it.

On the drive back down, this was spectacular. You could see the clouds rolling down the hill. The one shot I didn't get, that I am sad of, was the sea of clouds. It was AMAZING!!

Alishan

2010-02-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

I took a long bus ride up to the second prettiest place in Taiwan. Alishan. It is a forest up in the mountains, and it is BEAU-TI-FUL!!!!! We drove up a very steep road to get there, and there were times I was sure I was going to die by the bus tumbling down the mountain side. You would turn these corners to see a view of the mountain where the clouds looked like a sea of clouds nestled in the mountains. It took my breath away, of course partly because I thought the bus was going to drive into that sea of clouds. But, the drive was worth it!!!

Store on the way up. If this is a superstore, I would hate to see the mini-store.

This forest was amazing!! This forest is sacred to the Taiwanese because the trees are so old. It was quite magnificent!

This dog belonged to a local up there. I guess that the dog must adopt tourists every now and again, because it adopted us for the day. We got a few odd looks from other tourists, I guess the dog frightened some of those weeny Taiwanese girls, and they blamed us. We also got an odd look when the dog decided to pee on a sacred tree. I wanted to shout, "HE ISN'T MINE!!"

Story on the matching jackets. It was so cold up there, that the hotel we stayed at was prepared with complimentary loan jackets for unsuspecting tourists. We all picked out the warmest coats we could find, which all ended up being XL matching Khaki jackets. They weren't attractive, but they were warm so I loved that jacket!! Alishan was the coldest place I stayed at in Taiwan.

I could have lived in this tree. So HUGE!!

Man, I wanted to frolick in the water!!

The couple before me that took a picture in front of the heart of Eternal Love, got in a huge fight after they took their picture. It was kind of funny to me. I guess they missed the message of the tree.

Dragons are everywhere.

I dropped a NTD (Taiwanese Dollar) in there and made a wish. Can anyone guess what my wish was? Hint, boys nor World peace were involved in my wish.

I wanted to take that dog home with me.

It was so much dense fog in the forest, that it was hard to get a good picture. It was beautiful though!!

These initials aren't for water chestnut, or Winston Churchill. It is for Water Closet. Who uses that phrase still?

Hualien and coastline

2010-02-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

Went scootering along the coastline the day after Christmas. It was a super cold day!!! But, so beautiful and worth it. We scootered along the coast line, and then cut through the mountains to get to some hot springs.

It was fun, but I don't recommend coastline driving in the winter, nor Mountain driving. It is just too cold!!

Pacific Ocean. You can see the road next to the Ocean. We rode our rented scooters along that road.

One of the weird, creepy things you see in Taiwan. You will be scootering along, and then come upon one of these. At first you think it is a real person because its arms move up and down, and then you get closer and realize it is only a manikin. SO CREEPY, especially at night!! They look like ghost construction workers. The ghost of every construction worker who was accidentally run over, and it waiting to eat anyone who gets too close.

Tunnel on the drive.

Drove into a parade, literally. We had to stop because of the parade which was in between us and our hotel. Normally I would have been stoked about this, but due to me being freezing cold and hungry, I was less that pleased. It didn't help that some old senile man kept coming up to us and trying to give us his insurance card. These boys were only too happy to pose for a picture.

Taroko Gorge

2010-02-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

I spent Christmas in Taroko Gorge. I think it is one of the prettiest places I have ever been. I will let the pictures do the talking!!!

Pretty View.

Most of the group.

Our scooters. We looked like a scooter gang.

This water is two colors converging. So beautiful!

Inside the pagoda.

I took this picture from the top of the pagoda.

We are standing at the bottom of the pagoda.

All of us in our yoga poses.

Picture from the base of this statue.

This looks like a picture out of the past.

Limestone rock. What Taroko is famous for!

More of the limestone rock.

For one of the hikes, they had us wear hard hats in case of falling rocks. It was cool!

In the tunnel.

The gang!!!

I miss all the scootering around from place to place!!!! A scooter is the best way to see a national park because you can see EVERYTHING!!!! And, it was also great because it allowed me to breathe in all the wonderful, clean air of Taroko!

Christmas Fun!!!

2010-02-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

I spent Christmas in Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. Because of being away from family, presents, Christmas lights, and all the works, I kept forgetting it was a holiday. Thankfully, there were people to remind me, like the random American on the train who said "Merry Christmas", and these:

The train Santa complete with a shaving cream beard, and fish sauce candy (sweet of him, but didn't dare eat as it had a pungent aroma. I could smell it through the rapper as soon as he gave it to me. It was so strong, that I put the candy down and was horrified to find that the smell lingered on my hand).

Real sock stockings!!!

And presents, Thanks to my great travel buddies!!!

Christmas with Teachers

2010-02-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas with fellow teachers. We all drew names and did secret santa. It was fun!!! I didn't take a picture of my presents, but I got the cutest Pink Sweater that had an elephant and Chinglish on it (I had been looking for something like that, and hadn't found anything so I was so happy when I got it from Christmas). I also got a cute green scarf, and a cute bookmark. THANK YOU SARAH!!!!! It was a wonderful Christmas, one that I will never forget. It was the last time that all 10 of us were together. So, it was our goodbye meeting. They were all such great people. I will forever remember them and the examples and lessons they thaught me. GOODBYE everyone!!! Thank you for everything and I will miss all the good times. I love you all!!!

Our ghetto wrapping jobs. We all just found what ever we could find and used it. My bag I wrapped Sunny's present in I found on the kitchen table (no idea where it came from) and it said AMO, what ever that means. Ha ha ha.

Lovely!!!

Taipei 101

2010-02-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

I went to the top of Taipei 101. It wasn't really on the top of my to do list, but I did it anyways. I mean, I went to the tallest building in the world on the fastest elevator in the world. It is just something that you can't not do. It was at night time, so I got a nice night time view of the city. Sadly though, it was raining so they wouldn't let us go out to the outside view porch.

Fendi... It looked like Wendy. Ha ha ha. I guess the author of Peter Pan got the name Wendy from his friend who he nicknamed Fendy (for friend). So, it was pretty close.

Puppets. This is a Taiwanese thing. Never saw a show, but was always curious.

Keith, I took these pictures for you. They are the wind damper that keeps the building from falling over in a Typhoon. I thought you would think it was cool.

National Palace Museum

2010-02-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

I went up to Taipei the last month I was in Taiwan to go to the temple for one last temple trip, and to see the National Palace Museum. I couldn't take any pictures inside, so I took some from the grounds around the Museum. It was a pretty museum, with a lot of beautiful Asian art.

I didn't know that John Wayne was Asian!!!!!! I guess that is where Chong Wang (Jackie Chan) got his name for Shanghai Noon.

A doorway to some gardens.

I went into a time machine and came out in ancient China. Iwanted to join Bill and Ted in their excellant adventures.

I am trying to become one with the uninverse...ommmm....ommmmm.

Janae and I. She is so pretty, and a sweetheart!!!

Pretty blind things.

This guy wanted to sell me geese SO BAD!! He just wouldn't take no, no matter how many times I told him I wouldn't eat the meat.

Can 't beat them, then join them.

I think this says National Palace Museum, or something like that.

Out door garden. That is a lotus pond.

KTV'ing

2010-02-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

In Taiwan they have something called KTV. It is like Karaoke, except that you don't have to go to a bar to do it. You go to these KTV places were you and your friends rent a room and sing your heart out for two hours. It is a lot of fun!!!! And, I got to sing a lot of classics like "I'm a Barbie Girl" and a Backstreet Boys song. It was fun to sing songs I hadn't sung for YEARS!

School Christmas Party

2010-02-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

My cutest dance partner EVER!!!!!

My boys.

My girls.

More cute kids

2010-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

I am just like a parent!!! Hope you guys don't mind the pix's of my kids too much!! I miss them a lot!

Teaching Students to Dance

2010-02-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

Aren't they just so cute!!! It was funny to see kids at that age learning to dance.

Polite Children

2010-02-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

The kids here were just so polite.

Drance Practice

2010-02-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

For an upcoming Christmas dance, I got to teach all my kids to dance. These two were AMAZING!!! The rest of my students were..... well they are young.

A song my student made up for me

2010-02-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Here is another one of my class clowns. He sang this to me after I told them I would be leaving back to the United States soon. It sure did make me laugh!!!!

Bowie

2010-02-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is one of my class clowns. This is what he did anytime I asked him to close the door. He got the nickname of Bowie from me due to his silly nature.

Sun Moon Lake

2010-02-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

During the last month I was in Taiwan, I headed to Sun Moon Lake with Shannon (a fellow teacher). It was a random warm day in the middle of winter, so it was quite a beautiful day!!

I had a perfect moment while at the lake. Around dusk time, while we were waiting for our bus to take us back to Taichung, we sat by the lake. We sat in an area that had a beautiful tall tree. It's leafs were swaying slightly in the breeze. I sat with my back to the lake so I could listen to the gentle lapping of the lake while watching the tree. It was a warm night with a slight breeze coming off of the lake. It was a moment of perfection, one that I would love to repeat someday. Good company, good conversation, beautiful weather, beautiful scenery.

We went on one of these boats across the lake to different locations on the lake.

Asian fashion. Ha ha ha.

My travel buddy Shannon.

I am a rat. Not really, that is my birth year.

I don't know what this is, but it was fun to take picture in.

She thought so too. More Asian fashion.

On the lake tour again. This is after our first stop.

There is something so peaceful and romantic about a shot like that. It makes me want a husband to look at a view like that with. Sigh.....

This dragon has a tongue ring....

The lake. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I need all the help I can get. Those girls in the previous picture were at this temple.

This is a different temple. One of the biggest in Taiwan. These are bells.

View from the roof at that temple. We watched the sun set from the roof.

I put a bell (I got it from the temple) by a stair that said my birth date on it. I dedicated the bell to my Mom and Dad for their health.

You can't see it in the picture, but the step I am pointing to says 10-5. That is my birth date.

Each one of these steps had a date on them. The top step said 12-31 and the bottom said 1-1. It was fine walking down the stairs, but climbing back up them was quite a work out. It was a really warm day too. It wasn't too fun. But, I am still glad we went down because the bottom was at the lake.

A view from the top of the staircase.

Who knew that they drank this stuff????

2010-02-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

I saw this at the train station and I couldn't stop laughing. If you look at George Bush he is doing the Taiwanese hand gesture for 'come here'. What exactly they are advertising, I don't know. I think that might be a weight loss drink, but I am not sure.

Nursery

2010-01-31T14:49:00.001-08:00

In Taiwan, I seemed unable to escape from children as my church calling was the nursery assistant. Ok, maybe escape is the wrong word as I loved it!!! These were the two boys who came regularly. They are ADORABLE!! I am going to miss being in the nursery. Although I am happy to be able to go to Sunday School and Relief Society again.

Bradly

Thomas

Christmas Gingerbread House

2010-01-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

For FHE one night (around Christmas time), Lindsay suggested we make a gingerbread house. Soon, our creative combined efforts turned the gingerbread house into a Taiwanese gingerbread house. It was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy seeing the finished product!!!

The different components:

1) A close line with hanging cloth. There aren't a lot of dryers here, so most of the time you must hang up your cloths to dry them. 2) A palm tree. Taiwan is a subtropical place, so we have palm trees. 3) Garbage bags and the green play area with students. We turned our Taiwan gingerbread house into the Berhan school. In the back of the school, it had blue garbage bins for all the schools garbage and a play area for the students that was on green turf stuff. We saw them a lot, so they worked their way into our gingerbread house.

4) A scooter. It is a very common mode of transportation. 5) A stray dog (possibly dead, laying on the side of the road). There are stray dogs everywhere in Taiwan. You see them a lot when you are walking or biking around. And usually they are just chilling in the road. They always look dead until you come up closer to them and realize they are breathing. 6) A flat roof. Every building here has a flat roof.

7) A garbage truck. The garbage trucks come by just about every day, and you always knew when they came because they would be playing a Beethoven song at full capacity. I would have to stop teaching for a few seconds when they came by as my students wanted to sing along to the song, and I couldn't be heard above the noise. 8) Tiled sides. They have a lot of indoor tiling.

My fellow artists: Sarah, Lisa, Lindsay, and Shannon.

The finished product.

And, me.

Flower Market in Taichung

2010-01-31T13:36:00.000-08:00

In early december, Kevyn and I went to a flower market in Taichung. It was off in the outskirts of Taichung. It was like a flower market/fair type place. It was a lot of fun, but the day ended sadly when my ice cream fell off the top off the ice cream cone before I had a chance to take a bite of it. I just stood there afterwards looking sadly at my ice cream on the ground. This lady saw it fall and asked the ice cream vendor to give me another one. So he did, and then he told me in Chinese "don't do it again" (Kevyn translated for me). I have always wondered though if he really said "you are a big idiot!!".

Here is a picture of Kevyn. I took it of him because he really likes dogs and said "Wendy, take a picture of the dogs please".

Kevyn likes to take sideways photos.

Kevyn

Me. I got a lot of funny looks walking along side this irrigation ditch. The Taiwanese think EVERYTHING is dangerous, and I guess this was just too risky in thier minds.

The place was very pretty!!

This is one of my favorite treats from Taiwan. It is called Squid on a stick. Despite it's questionable looking nature, it is actually quite tasty. A little chewy, but very tasty. I am going to miss eating it. What it is is a cut up Squid that has been barbequed and covered in some kind of sauce. Even the tenticles at the top were quite tasty!!!!

Temples in Taichung

2010-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

I spent a day in Taichung with my friend Kevyn exploring all the different temples there. I think we saw Taoist, Buddhist, and Confuscious temples. But, I was never that good at telling the different temples apart, so I can't be sure.

Outside of every temple door, there are two guardians. I found out that it is a husband and wife pair. You can tell which one is the wife because she is a lovey monster with long eyelashes. Can you tell from the two pictures above which is which?

Ok, maybe you guessed it. She doesn't actually look any more femine than the man. But, she is always standing on thier child. A cute little baby demon. Isn't he adorable!!! I hope to be just as great as a mother as her someday!!!

Whatever that means.

I think this sign should go either on my bedroom door, or on my house door someday. This was at the study area of the Confucious temple.

My friend Kevyn. I wonder where that door leads. Maybe to the underworld.......

I have a thing for elephants, if you didn't know.

The bigger the Buddha's belly, the more wealth I get by rubbing it. That makes sense to more people than me, right?

The godly babysitter.

Lanturns in the trees. I always found the lanturns hanging in the trees to be very beautiful. Like something out of a fairy tale.

Things I have missed

2010-01-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

So, as I go through my days I begin to notice things that I really missed. Here are a few of them: shower curtains, knowing what my shampoo options are at the store, being able to say 'have a nice day too' to the kind and helpful store employee, overhearing funny conversations between kids and their parents, having my nephew call me just to tell me about his new Mac truck, uncluttered horizons, rolos, carpet, the snow on the mountains, a dinner side salad, a dryer, being able to call and make my own doctors appointments, being able to get a drink of water from the kitchen faucet, indoor heating, waking up with my cat sleeping on my feet, driving, salsa, libraries, real ice cream, my pea jacket, being able to try on cloths at the clothing store before purchasing them, being able to flush toilet paper, toilet paper in a roll, knowing what direction I am looking in, being able to read a map and street signs, being able to find random movies at the movie store, and most importantly of all, the option to hang out with my family.

Thanksgiving

2010-01-29T11:24:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving we had a HUGE feast with the Chungha and Feng Yuan teachers, and some of the Taiwanese secretaries from both of the schools. There were I think about 20 of us all together. We went onto the roof of the school, brought up tables (you may notice that one of the tables was made out of doors), hooked up some Christmas lights, and hooked up an I-pod for music. It wasn't the same as being with family, but all the same it was a feast I will never forget. And, it was great to be able to meld the Taiwanese culture and the American culture together around an American holiday. We made sure to add some Asian dishes to the list for our Taiwanese friends (soup and egg rolls).

(The whole gang).

Shrimp

2010-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

I find myself eating a lot of things that I wouldn't eat normally. One of them is Shrimp WITH EYES!!! I actually don't eat them. Something about their eyes grosses me out (I wonder what it is..... those beady black eyes...). But, I took this picture as a joke.

Catching Up

2010-01-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Oops. I got a little distracted with end of semester business, and then I was backpacking it for one month in Thailand and Malaysia. Starting now, I will do some catch up blogs. Hope you enjoy the pictures from the last two months.

train tracks

2009-11-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

These train tracks are close to where I live. Trains are a big part of my new life, so I wanted to snap a shot of them.

Kau Mei Wetlands

2009-11-22T04:43:00.000-08:00

I went to the Kau Mei Wetlands. It was beautiful, but SO STINKING COLD. As you can tell from the pictures, it was very very windy!!!

Janae and I.

Janae and Emily.

My Feet.

I was trying to take a picture of me jumping. It ended up looking like I was Godzilla coming out of the water to terrorize the city. Very funny.

But dedication triumphed and we got the picture I was going for.

A few actually.

Kevyn and I.

All of us.

BEAUTIFUL!!!

Kevyn touching the windmill.

Me on who knows what.

I just liked this shot.

End of my Favorite Bike Trail

2009-11-07T23:46:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday, I decided to go on a bike ride all by myself. I have had the goal of making it to the end of the trail since getting here, but haven't had a day with enough time till now. In Taiwan, you are ALWAYS around people. So, every now and again you just need time alone. I figured I would have a beautiful peaceful ride in one of my favorite places all by myself. Usually when I go biking in the morning, there is no one else on the trail. Well, this isn't the case on Saturdays I found out. I think that me and and rest of Feng Yuan were on that trail. So much for getting alone time. It was still fun though. And I made it to the end. I think I biked around 28 miles (round trip), but I am not sure on the exact distance. I do know that I biked to the next town over. It only took me three hours, so I thought that was pretty good. Here are a few pictures from the day.

A cute bridge. There are a lot on this trail, and I had to stop at each one because I love to take pictures of bridges.

I laughed very hard at this sign. So, I guess that no farmers or Neanderthals pulling carts are allowed on the trail. What about Neanderthals with out carts?

Another Bridge.

There were three bridges in a row. I didn't get all three in one picture, but I was able to get two.

Another interesting bridge.

The next pictures are from the end of the trail. These are of the Hakka Cultural Park that I found at the end of the trail.

This sign says "Hakka Cultural Park". The Hakka are a Native Population of Taiwan. They have been on Taiwan for a long time (before anyone else). Archaeologist aren't sure where the people migrated from in the beginning. There is speculation on different places, but no agreement among the specialist. There is a Hakka language, and culture that is separate from the rest of Taiwan. However, I think it is becoming more and more sparse as people assimilate into the new culture of Taiwan. Taiwan is a lot like the US in that it is a mixture of many cultures and people who have migrated to the Island at different times. It is fascinating because it is a very diverse place.

Eli, I took this picture of the train for you!!! Does it look like James from Thomas the Tank Engine?

This was across the street from the park.

JiJi

2009-11-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Me, some of the teachers, and some of the secretaries went to JiJi. It was a cultural town about an hour or so away from where I live. We rented motorized bikes for the day, and went around to explore the town. The first thing we found was old army equipment, which we had fun playing with.

I guess they don't like foreigners.

I make that tank look good.

Pretty archway.

We went and walked on the train tracks to get to another part of the town. Probably not the smartest idea, but it was fun all the same.

I am guessing this is an old Hakka building. It was cool because it was in ruins and wild grass was growing up all around it.

Shiree, don't look at me messing around with the artifacts at the archaeological site. It may make you cringe.

Someone wrote this at the site. I wonder if the girl ever came. Konstantino might just have to keep waiting and being "konstant".

Still more of the site.

These have people's wishes written on them. They were hanging from lines that lined both sides of the street. I guess they are really old.

I relax and let everyone else do all the work.

I am in the front.

I don't know if you can tell, but all that is down there is a small creek. It was pretty funny. We were expecting a lot of water, and yet there was none.

Our bikes. They were motorized. I think our school should buy us all motorized bikes. Loved them!!!

This was all of us giving cheesy smiles. (Charlene, Kelly, Lisa, Wendy, and Sunny).

This is what happens after an earthquake comes through.

I loved this barrel. You see a lot of cool old things here. They sure know how to use and reuse things here.

I do love horseback riding. I couldn't help myself when I saw this cute horse statue.

A Funny Advertisement

2009-11-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

Who knew that the terracotta warriors liked BK!!!

Halloween

2009-11-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

My KBRb class for halloween. My costume was one that I threw together at the last minute. I am a beautiful lady bug!!!

Brandon (Squido).

Aden.

Angelica (Bosses daughter).

Corey and one of the secretaries.

Owen.

Irene.

Brandon.

Halloween preperations

2009-11-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Corey.

Brandon (Squido, as I call him).

Owen

Halloween masks that we made in our class.

The next pictures are from a thing I painted. It is the headless horseman. He is holding his head in his hand (where the head should have been, I cut out a hole).

I found out with this project that I actually enjoy painting a lot. Who knew. I felt like this was pretty good for the first ever paint project in my life.

This was for a balloon toss. Kids got to put their head in the hole and have water balloons thrown at them. They loved it!! Kids love throwing water balloons, especially at people. Sometimes the kids refused to be the target, so I got my fill of getting wet as well.

This was for the younger kids who weren't suppose to get wet. I cut a mouth out and they threw bean bags into the mouth. Not as fun as the other one, but they still enjoyed it.

A parade

2009-11-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

I was in my bedroom, and I heard this music that sounded like an out of tune bag pipe accompanied by a banshee. I went and sat on my window ledge to watch this random parade passing the school. From the best I could find out, it was in celebration of a God's birthday. It had everything a good parade needs, including fireworks.

Taipei, again

2009-11-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

I went to Taipei again. I go there once a month so that I can get to the temple. Afterwards, we went to the flower and jade market.

This is the best hot chocolate store EVER!!!!! I loved it. It has the best name too.

Orchids at the flower market.

This is a random cute old man who likes to kiss white girls on the cheek. He told us all that we were beautiful (just like his orchids he was selling), and then kissed us all on the cheek. It was funny.

An adorable monk. We asked if we could get a picture with him and he said yes. Look how cute and short he is.

Cute cactus plants.

Kaoshung

2009-11-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

Went down to Kaoshung and spent the day with my friend Charles.

A temple.

A beach side spot.

Charles University.

What am I looking at?

This was what I was looking at.

Look, I am in Britian. This was at an old building that the British had built way back in the day. It is now a cute coffee house.

Oh, actually I am in Taiwan.

On a ferry over to an Island.

A view from the Island.

Pictures from a pier. It was SO PRETTY!!!!

Kenting

2009-11-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

We went down to Kenting. That is the Southern tip of the Island. It is a beautiful ocean side town. It was a blast.

The high speed rail train. It was so fast, I loved it!!!

Getting suited up to go scuba diving.

All of us who went to Kenting.

The beach.

No beach would be complete with out a bar, and a wall of beer (well, at least to some people). David, don't look at this picture.

Me and one of the secretaries at the school. She is so cute and sweet!!

This is called Stinky Tofu. It it named that because it reeks. I thought I would try it. It taste better than it smells (which isn't saying much). It makes your breath smell awful though. Dating tip, if you don't want to kiss the guy just eat this. Believe me, he won't want to come anywhere near you after you eat this.

Sharks, I thought they were cute!

Fascinating bark.

Just some random shots from a early morning walk that I took while everyone else was still asleep.

The group of us in front of a light house.

Me.

Beautiful!!!

Scootering. One of my favorite things to do!!

Kenting National Forest. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

My new boyfriend.

Jeff, I snapped this picture for you. It was one of those motorcycles with a side bucket seat. SO COOL!

DON"T SMOKE!!!!!

2009-11-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

Look at my cute students

2009-10-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

birthday nonsense

2009-10-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

One of my Classes

2009-10-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Pomello Hat

2009-10-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

I got to wear a pomello hat as well, not just my kids.

Zoo

2009-10-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Went to the Zoo for my birthday. Here are some pictures from the adventure. The first pictures are some beautiful orchids that were growing everywhere in the zoo.

This was the first animal we found at the zoo.

Isn't she so cute!!! All joking aside, here are the real animal pictures.

I put this picture in more for the reason of showing the beautiful scenery, then to show any animals.

I LOVE ORANGUTANS!!!! It looks like I took these pictures in the wild.

My favorite animal in the World.

(Couldn't get a good picture of the panda's. But I still feel obligated to show this picture).

(Asian people are obsessed with poop).

Another animal that I LOVE!!!!

A lake that you can sit and watch the birds on. It was beautiful!!!

(I just wanted to show HOW BIG those leafs are).

I should have read the sign, don't get too close to wild animals.

They had two sets of elephants! Loved it!!!

Lemurs. Sing with me "I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it. I like to MOVE IT!!"

The whole group that went to the zoo.

After the zoo we went to the Miramar and went on that ferris wheel that you see in the picture.

Writing in the Sand

2009-10-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Sun Set

2009-10-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

I went to a BBQ, and I was able to wonder off. This is what I found:

Morning Meat Market

2009-10-04T07:36:00.001-07:00

I don't really like to eat Meat here. I will give you a few hints so that you can guess why:

Hint # 1:

Hint # 2:

Hint # 3:

YEP, you guessed it......

Another Taipei Trip

2009-10-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

I went to the LDS temple again. (I had better put LDS in, as I have gone to a lot of other religions temples lately and I feel the need to specify which one I am talking about).

The missionaries gave us a tour of the visitors center. The missionary in the blue skirt is friends with Lisa (in the Orange skirt) (they were friends at BYU). We ran into her last month we were up in Taipei, and she agreed to give us a tour of the temple visitor center the next time we came. It was beautiful. It gave me a new perspective on the church. I saw paintings of the pioneers and Joseph Smith. In the USA these pictures always seem very normal to me, as they are cultural history. Seeing them while living in a new culture though made them see more foreign, and yet at the same time more real. It was neat.

This was a little nook in Taipei. You have to keep your eye out for just such treasures. If you keep your eyes on your shoes (or always ahead of you) you might miss some great things.

Us walking to the Chang Kai Shek Memorial.

Military patrol keeping the place safe.

The Memorial had art exhibits in it. These next pictures are really cool because the art pieces are made with real dried flowers.

(This one is also made with bird feathers)

The Taiwanese flag. You will never see this flag outside of Taiwan. They aren't allowed to fly it anywhere else.

Chang Kai Shek, in his younger years.

I picked up this souvenir for Keith. I hope you all like it!!! If you don't wear it, I will be mortally offended. ; Stairs up to the upstairs memorial.

One of the guards protecting the statue of Chang Kai Shek. They have to stand like that for two hours. There was one of each side. They sure did look like statues.

Lisa, Janae, and I in front of the statue of Chang Kai Shek.

I really liked this picture.

The outside of the Memorial. It was fun jumping like seven times to get this perfect shot.

I don't know why, but I just love this picture of this kid. If you look close, you realize that Winnie the pooh is on his hat. It is hard to pull of the gangsta look when you are a chubby kid with a Winnie the pooh hat.

A building (for theatrical performances) that is in the same square as the memorial.

The square in Chang Kai Shek Memorial. It is HUGE! This picture doesn't even show it all. I liked the tiled look to the ground.

This is the Long Shan Temple. It is one of the oldest temples in Taiwan. It was BEAUTIFUL!! I don't think the pictures do it justice.

It was Ghost month, so the temple was jam packed with people paying respect to their dead.

These people were buying this food to offer as a food offering to ancestors (I think). It was to make the dead ancestors happy.

I just want to show how full the Temple was.

A Buddhist monk. I really like to take pictures of monks. There is something very holy and dignified looking about them.

This boy is dressed very typical Taiwanese style. I loved the picture because besides him, the rest of the picture is out of focus. The picture shows the culture very well.

After leaving the temple we went to the night market (Snake Alley, as some teachers call it. It was dubbed that as they eat snakes there).

You see random monks in many different places. This monk was sitting at the night market. I think he was holding out a bag for money donations. My understanding is that some monks live off of the good will of others.

This picture is from a night market. Sorry, I know it is blurry. But I still love the picture, so I am putting it in anyways. I am wearing a boys hat by the way (with very long hair).

Cute Students

2009-10-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

These are Owen and Brandon (Two of my favorite students). Owen is wearing a pomello hat. It is the peel of a fruit that tastes a lot like a grapefruit. It is part of the moon festival. The kids wear them as hats. The tradition started because the fruit was in season and people thought the kids looked cute with the peels on their heads. It is a relatively new part of moon festival. Owen thought it was funny when I put the peel on my head too!

Fishermen

2009-10-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

I went out biking again. While I was on a long bridge, I looked down, and saw these guy's fishing. I loved their traditional look, so I had to snap a picture or two.

More Room-mate madness

2009-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a lip sink for our FHE activity. It was super hilarious. Each room had to come up with their own lip sink. We had twenty minutes to come up with a song and costume. My room lip sinked to the Disturbia song by Rihanna (we are dressed super weird because we are supposed to be disturbed).

(This is us with the other group)

What Happens When I Don't Wear Shoes

2009-09-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

I love to run around with out shoes, but I sure do pay for it in the end. SAD!!! And yet I still don't wear shoes after I get done teaching. Shoes aren't comfortable in a humid environment.

My Camera's Sad Fate.. or not so Sad Afterall.

2009-09-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

My camera fell into the water at the waterfall, but it SURVIVED!!!! Here is what I wrote to my family on the matter:

My good news is that my camera made it through the trial of being Christened A-ok!!!! That means you can look forward to more pictures in the future. I am so happy and relieved that that worked out ok. For future knowledge, if ever your digital camera falls into water, take out the battery and memory card immediately. Then put your camera in a bag with rice in it. The rice absorbs the moisture. Leave it for a few days in a dry place. If you are outdoors when the camera falls, you can gently dry out the camera with the vents in your car. Get the camera in a good place to dry as soon as possible. They sell some kind of silicon packet stuff (look up info online if you want the name), that is suppose to be really good at absorbing moisture, so you could buy one and keep it in your camera case just for these kind of emergencies. You put your camera in a bag with that instead of the rice.

I took these three pictures as a way to test out my camera to make sure it still worked. And also because we had improved the kitchen and I needed pictorial proof. As a side note, that is the ugliest clock I have ever seen in my life. We switched it out for a nicer one that was in the lounge.

Waterfall

2009-09-27T06:57:00.001-07:00

We all went out to find a waterfall on a Saturday. It was a long drive, but totally awesome!! I got to scooter there and back, which took a few hours. There is nothing quite so wonderful as scooter around a foreign country. You feel so free and alive with the wind whipping around you!!

After we got there, I noticed a monk meditating in the distance. It reminded me of Chow Young Fat in one of his movies.

I liked this picture for the old meets new aspect. Also for the religious symbolism. He has turned his back on the World in his search for higher existence, or in other words has risen above it so much that he doesn't notice it anymore.

He looked so tranquil while mediating.

After hiking a short distance (which I was glad that it was only a short distance, as I didn't wear proper shoes for hiking), we found the waterfall. It was small, but really in the end we had come to swim, not enjoy Niagara Falls.

I am deathly afraid of swimming in open water above my head. Thus my unhappy looks.

But I did. I don't have a picture, but I swam all the way out to the waterfall (twice). James, this picture was to prove to you that I got in the water. I didn't know if you would believe me if I just told you.

More Randomness

2009-09-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

This you can buy as a snack at a convenience store (Squid tentacles....poor Squidward). Hmmm....

I thought for the longest time that this said BO, can you tell what it really says??

Bike Ride to an Awesome Tunnel

2009-09-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is on the bike trail that I like to bike in the morning. At the end of the bridge, there is a tunnel:

This use to be a train tunnel. When people came biking from the opposite direction, before you could see them, they sounded like a train coming. A little unnerving.

The troll under the bridge.

Look, we found a homeless bum. Oh, wait it is just me.

The tunnel leads to another city, but I didn't get any pictures of it. I came on this trail another day, and there were a ton of people. It was fun because everyone had to stop to say HELLO, or HI to the foreigners. There were a lot of people, so we got a lot of friendly hellos that day.

A not so brilliant idea....

2009-09-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Every now and again human kind comes up with a truly sensational new idea. And then at other times, all we can do is wonder why? This asparagus juice was a completely awful flop for human kind. Mom, I know you like vegi juice, but this was something else. My look says all (I think the name says all). You would have hated it, trust me.

Out to Eat Randomness

2009-09-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

Went out to eat with some friends. Shiree you should recognize this stuff, as it is hot pot. The other picture is a picture of a guy who is selling ice cream. Their portable vendors look a little bit different then back in the States. We, of course, got some. It was interesting, so say the least.

Hmmm, food for thought

2009-09-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

"Man is a mystery: if you spend your entire life trying to puzzle it out, then do not say that you have wasted your time. I occupy myself with this mystery, because I want to be a man."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

I think it is true that we study and contemplate over humans as a way to better understand ourselves.

Second Taipei Trip

2009-09-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

I went to the Taipei temple again.

This is Janae, Lisa, Fenny, and Vivian.

(Same people. They all looked really well together. I think it is because they all had white shirts on).

(Me).

After the temple we went to a night market. I found this little boy and his pig. He was kind enough to let me pet the pig and snap a photo. Pigs always remind me of one of my friends (that isn't an insult) because her mom loved pot belly pigs.

These next two photos were just to show how crowded it was at the night market. It is the biggest night market in Taipei. I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK!!! Way too many people. I didn't think I was going to make it out of that crowd. It is always hot in Taiwan, and then you add that many people and it becomes torture. I could barely breathe. I don't recomend it to people who ever feel clostiphobic.

My group. Fenny, Joseph, Tori, Wendy, Lisa, Arwyn, Janae, and Vivian.

I felt like a kid again

2009-09-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

(I just loved this picture. You see Buddha watching over the children playing in this fountain. It is just such a peaceful picture).

It was really really hot, so I couldn't help but want to get by the water. I didn't want to get too wet, but I didn't manage to escape the spray. I stepped a little too close. Like I said, it was a really really hot day, so in the end it was kind of a good thing.

To Hell and Back Again, a tale by Wendy Roberts

2009-09-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

I went to a Taoist Temple. It was called the 18 layers of Hell. It had this walk through creepy museum (which you had to buy a ticket to go through) with animitronic devils and tortured souls. It was to show their idea of hell. Some of the devils would periodically jump up and scream in your face. It was like walking through a spook house, and we couldn't stop laughing because of how ridiculous it was (it was like a demented version of Disneyland). It even had a gate at the beginning to show the doors to hell. We kept wondering why they would make this ridiculous display, especially in a place as sacred as a temple. It was great though, and it led to a lot of great jokes, like being able to say that we have been to hell and back (seeing the gates of hell, how hot it was in hell, having a ticket into hell, paying money to get a ticket to hell, how long it took for us to ascend out of hell as there were a lot of steps, etc).

(A demon)

ENJOY!!! Oh, and kids, never go to hell.

My Favorite Trip By Far!!!

2009-09-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

Arwyn and I went to Chunghua for a day. This trip has been by far my favorite trip up till now. We went to see the Great Buddha there. It was in this beautiful park, which had a lot of ancient architecture. The stuff that I came to Asia to see. I took about 190 pictures from this trip, if that is any indication of how much I loved it!!!

(I think this is the most scooters I have ever seen in one location).

(I laughed when I saw this sign. There seriously is a 7-eleven on every corner. It isn't a gas station, but a convenience store. And you can pay your phone bills there, isn't that convenient. And as you can see from this sign, it is next to godliness.)

(Arwyn and her Taiwanese friend who took the day off to show us the sights of Chunghua)

(A druid looking bridge. I loved it, so I had to snap a picture under it.)

(I don't know if it was wise of me, but I just couldn't help but want to join that little girl in the playing in the water. IT WAS A HOT DAY! Hopefully I won't get any weird diseases from the water).

(I love bridges. I don't know if I have mentioned that before. I am sure you will see more pictures of bridges from me).

(What do they have in there, King Kong? Actually this is the gate to the park for the Big Buddha. We came in the back way, so I didn't actually enter through that gate).

(The great Buddha. In the next picture you will see that he is sitting on a lotus blossom. You go inside the Buddha, and there is a mini religious display in there all about Buddha and how he became enlightened).

(I need all the wealth I can get!!!).

(Buddha my friend, He tells the funniest jokes.)

(Me pretending to be James Dean).

(I adore circle doors. They are just so Asian. I find them aesthetically pleasing. Maybe my house in the future will have one....)

(My new boyfriend is so short. If you look at his belly, you can tell it is well worn where people have rubbed. Someone Taiwanese tried to tell me it is only Americans who say the 'rub Buddha's belly for good luck' myth. She said that we Americans invented the saying. I don't believe her though. Look how well rubbed that belly is. Not that many Americans could have come by here.).

(BEAUTIFUL!!!)

(The Thinker)

(I want to be the next Karate Kid)

(How do I keep catching fish this BIG!!!! They sure do feed them a lot here. I sure am going to love the big fish tales I can tell everyone after this!!)

(This is a White Elephant that symbolizes royalty. I may never get to sit on a real elephant, so I might have to count this as my one chance. It was great to get up, until I thought for one scary second that I wouldn't be able to get down. I looked down after climbing up, and thought I can't jump onto marble, and it is too far to get down with out jumping. That was when I told Arwyn that I was stuck. But, my climbing skills came through in the end and thankfully I was able to climb down. I need to also mention that this elephant was meant for people to climb on. I wasn't being a stupid and rude tourist by climbing on it. I saw more than one Taiwanese person do it too.)

(I saw this, and being the inquisitive person that I am, I wondered if I could beat it. I found out with in two seconds, as I saw the sign in English, that I could not. Oh well.... What a good message to the WORLD. DON'T BEAT. Everyone remember that in the future if ever you want to hit someone.)

(Dragon Fountain. I will do another post on this area).

(Mom, this picture is for you. As all my flower pictures are).

SAD

2009-09-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I want to trust my life on this elevator.

I felt stupid, but I needed this shot

2009-09-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

As Arwyn and I were headed home from Chungha, we noticed this guy get onto the train with a Utah Jazz jersey on. It made me chuckle. Mainly because I would have never thought that Jazz would be a team that would make it's name known internationally.

I decided I needed a picture. I could have walked up and asked the guy for a photo, but I decided to do things a more sneaky route. As he was walking on, I casually lifted up my camera and snapped the photo. Too bad somebody got in the way at that exact moment. I also realized that my flash was attracting a lot of attention. I turned off the flash and tried to get this picture (quite unsuccessfully) for probably about ten minutes. We tried to go through the cracks in the seat, after an aisle shot didn't work. Too no avail. And, really we weren't being that sneaky as people were staring wondering what we were doing.

Finally, I turned the flash back on, zoomed in on the guy and snapped a picture. The last one turned out well. I thought I would include some pictures from my attempts at being a spy. I think I would make a very poor spy.

We laughed a lot while trying to get the picture, and I am sure the guy noticed himself what was going on. But it was fun all the same. I jokingly told Arwyn that we would pretend we thought he was a famous Taiwanese guy if he asked us what was up. Really, I would have just told him that the jersey was from a team in my home state, and I wanted a picture.

Bridge In Feng Yuan

2009-09-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is a bridge in Feng Yuan. I walk over it once a week on my way home from church. The first time I crossed over the bridge, I was curious why their were locks all over it. I found out that people put a lock on the bridge with the person they love, and then they throw the key onto the train tracks. It is a symbol of their unbreakable bond of love because now there is no way to open the lock (short of a lock cutter, etc). I thought it was cute, so I wanted to snap a picture of it.