Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Chinese New Year Travels (Part 1)

 WELCOME TO TAIWAN!

This year for the Chinese New Year holiday, also known as Spring Festival, I had 3 weeks off of work. I started my break with a quick trip over to Taipei, Taiwan to visit some dear friends, the Randalls. My mom and Mr. Bud flew to Taiwan to meet me. We stayed here for 4 days and then flew to Thailand for the rest of my break. 

With Grace, Mercee, and Hope. I was so beyond excited to see these lovely friends again. I haven't seen them since they moved from Huangshi last June! They took my mom, Mr. Bud and I up to the mountains and to see a pottery village. 


Some of the street food of Taipei up in the mountains. 

Check out this appetizing snack! These are small shrimp (with the shells on) fried together like a fried shrimp pancake! Mmm!


Dragons at the top of a temple. They are beautiful buildings. 

Bouquets of cherry blossoms were for sale to take home for the new year! I would have wanted some, but they were full of bees!


Inside the pottery village, there was a road filled with VW buses set up to sell all kinds of goods, products, and food. 

This man was dressed up like a peacock, making bird calls, selling street food...chicken of course!


More Taiwanese snacks - mini dried crabs, shells included! YUM!

An assortment of dumplings.

Shaved ice with condensed milk and fruit. This snack was delicious and by far our favorite!

Mrs. Cheri, our new friend B, and mom about to enjoy shaved ice. I think those would be Grace's fingers that made it in the corner of the picture....good one Grace!

Taipei 101. At one point, this was the tallest building in the world and is now the 3rd tallest in the world. Mr. Bud and I decided to take the trip all the way up to the top. The elevators are some of the fastest in the world and can travel more than 80 floors in about 40 seconds! Seconds!

We were "lucky" enough to get a discounted rate because the weather wasn't ideal for viewing the city. We realized when we got to the top that this meant you couldn't see anything because of the fog! Luckily, right after I took this picture, the clouds moved and we could see a bit!

Ahh looking at the clouds... so exciting!


We went for a walk around Taipei city and found a park, with this flower tunnel.

Mom and I at the park.


Mrs. Cheri, Grace and Mercee took my mom, Mr. Bud and I to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial. Short  history lesson: Chiang Kai Shek was once the leader of China, but fled to Taiwan when Chairman Mao Ze Dong came to power. He remained in Taiwan and ruled there until his last days.

Grace, Mercee, and I in the square with the memorial in the background. The tents were only there as part of a new year's event.


With mom and Bud in the square.

The Chiang Kai-shek memorial. 

The memorial also houses a small museum with artifacts and memorabilia from the era of his rule. The entrance of the museum was filled with all of these lanterns. These lanterns were beautifully decorated and were the prettiest I have seen in all my time here! 



With all of the Randall family on our last night in Taiwan! I was so sad to have to say goodbye to them again. It was so much fun to visit this wonderful family and it made me realize how much I truly miss having them in Huangshi with me! I had a wonderful time touring Taipei and seeing what their new life is like...especially getting to go to Grace and Mercee's ballet class! Thanks for being such great hosts to my family and me!