Last day in Taiwan- Sept 12, 2008

I was horribly sad to be leaving Taiwan and my family, so the last day was bittersweet. I did enjoy the family-style meal at home to finish off the trip and everyone was there making it that much better. Plus, my aunt is a great cook. :)

National Cheng Kung University- Sept 9, 2008

National Cheng Kung University is the #2 university in Taiwan and is the alma mater and the place where my parents met, so it was interesting to see and imagine my parents young. Apparently it's changed quite a lot though in the last almost 40 years.

Tainan, Taiwan- Sept 9, 2008

Tainan, "City in South Taiwan," is the old capital and only a short 1h40m bullet train ride from Taipei, much shorter than the 10h train ride that my parents used to have to take to return to school after holidays. It is also a cultural epicenter of Taiwan as it houses many old temples and gates.

Eating in Taiwan- Sept 8, 2008

So my main activity this trip has been eating. For lunch we went to an amazing buffet, one of the best I've ever been to with giant oysters, seafood, and fruits amongst other specialties.

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall- Sept 7, 2008

We decided to get some ice cream with a view today and ended up by a idealic pond in the middle of downtown Taipei. Ends us we were also right by the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall which celebrates its namesake, a physician educated in the US who is thought to be the father of modern China for his role in overthrowing the Chin Dynasty.

Sun Moon Lake- Sept 5, 2008

Sun Moon Lake was also a favorite retreat for the ruling party in guomingdong Taiwan and is a close drive from Shitou so we stopped by to enjoy the view. It's a cold lake and no swimming is allowed except for once a year in the swim-across-the-lake festival in September. I definitely don't think I could make it across though it would be refreshing.

Hiking Chitou- Sept 5, 2008

Before leaving Shitou, we did some light hiking in the mountains along the skywalk and bamboo. It was good to get in some exercise and see the trees from up top.