WARNING: This is the only journal I keep so there are lots of pictures and lots of writing...sorry, I don't want to forget this trip!
For 11 years I have been wanting to go back to Taiwan...and it finally happened this last November!!! I can't even express how AWESOME it was! I'm getting emotional right now just thinking about it.
It was even more special bringing my family with me to meet those in Taiwan that I love so much! 11 years ago I served a mission for our church in Taiwan for 18 months. The love I gained for those I served & the country is beyond what words can describe. I felt like I was going home again. I LOVED every minute of it.
We flew into Taipei so we decided to tour that area before heading south to my mission. One of my native companions lives in Taipei, so we spent the whole day with her. Oh how I've missed her! She set up a "driver" through some church friends and he took us where ever we wanted to go. We didn't know what to do so we let the driver and my companion choose....It was a super fun day!
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
My awesome companion...Nicole Liang. She hasn't changed a bit! She is fun, crazy, full of adventure, and exciting! I'm so glad we have kept in touch!
We got there just in time to see the changing of the guards. I love how serious guards have to be.
Silly kids.
Taipei LDS Temple
Oh it was fun to go visit the temple in Taipei. I was able to go once as a missionary, so it was exciting to go back and walk on the temple grounds again!
We then drove up to the coast to this place.
There's a rock at this Geopark that looks like the head of a queen...so my kids called this whole place "Queens Head".
Queen’s Head
Queen’s Head, one of the most famous scenes in Yehliu, is a kind of mushroom rock. It is formed due to the differential erosion caused by seawater during curst movement. When comparing the height of which with the crust’s rising rate, it is assessed that the age of the rock is about 4,000 years old. The so called “Queen’s Head” is in fact a mushroom rock; it gets the title because the shape as formed after the top of rock being fallen apart in 1962~1963 appears like the side face of Queen Elizabeth. Queen’s Head is regarded as the landmark of Yehliu, yet its fame doesn’t bring any good to itself since it not only undertakes natural devastation but also being spoiled by mankind. The narrowest part around it neck is about 138 cm now.
This link tells all about the cool things we saw at this place. It was beautiful.
Did I mention it was warm in Taiwan...it was wonderful...especially because it was the end of November!
We didn't know this at the time, but this is the Ice Cream Rock. The kids LOVED all the different rocks!
Ice Cream Rock
The ice cream rock is formed as a result of differential erosion. When looking at it with face toward the hill, its shape is like the yummy ice cream people love to eat in summer days, while it turns into the figure of an E.T when viewing it with face toward the seacoast.
A typical Taiwanese meal. My family was NOT very excited! Even Shane (and I) couldn't eat some of it. The kids wouldn't even try it. It brought back lots of memories. I was even more excited because I found my favorite Taiwanese fruit "lian wu" down the street (I'm holding them in my hand).
Lian wu = wax apple
It's crispy on the outside, spongy and
juicy on the inside. Yum Yum!
The funny thing was...my family did NOT like them at all! WHAT?! I was in heaven though...more for myself :) I could eat them all day!!!
Some beautiful scenery on the way back.
Can you see all those little homes on the hill side? Well, they are actually tombs.
Look how cool they are. I love driving on the freeways in Taiwan because of these. They are so unique and I think they are beautiful. Maybe I'm weird.
Pingxi - Sky Lanterns
(found this picture on the internet)
Okay, so this place was SUPER cool. If you like "Tangled" then you will like this.
They have a sky lantern festival (it would have been super cool to be there at night).
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is one of the most colorful activities of the Lantern Festival. Pingxi is a remote hillside town. In former times, those who worked or farmed in the mountains faced the risks of being robbed or killed; so the people used lanterns to tell their families they were safe. The lanterns have lost their function as a warning signal, and today they are a symbol of peace and good fortune.
Painting our lanterns.
I just love Nicole. She would always draw this picture of her when signing her name while on our mission...fun memories!
Here's a picture of all the people watching Tia paint. It was a little awkward, but funny! In Taiwan they don't even ask you if they can take a picture with your kid...they just snuggle up next to them and start taking pictures. There were a couple of times we had to take our kids and just keep walking.
Our lantern.
All 4 sides. Tia, Nicole, and I painted the top two. Jayden & Shane painted the bottom two.
Here's a video of us sending off our lantern. If you watch it all the way through you'll see the fireworks go off that we attached to the bottom. Our kids LOVED this! They still talk about it!
Nicole and I.
Taiwan is called "Formosa" which means "beautiful island."
Next, we went to a place where you write on bamboo's to bring good fortune. Here's us drawing on our bamboo.
Then we hung it with the others so that we would have many blessings. Between this and the lantern...we are good to go with blessings :)
Night Market
A Temple
It was a long day of pictures...can you tell by looking at our kids.
Taipei 101 Tower
I didn't get any good pictures of us at this tower (so I found this picture on the internet). I love going up in towers and being able to look out at cities. It was beautiful seeing Taipei at night from so high.
Our Hotel
Look what we found in the side table--that's right--a Book of Mormon! We were so excited! A mormon obviously owned the hotel :)
What a wonderful day! We all had a blast and I loved hanging out with my companion again! Thank you Nicole for a FABULOUS day in Taipei!
2 comments:
What a fun vacation!! You were so lucky to serve your mission is such a beautiful country!!
And the launching a lantern is the coolest thing ever...I've always wanted to go and see that festival. How fun! So happy that you got to go on this trip.
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