Enjoying the water :) |
Chinese dessert - tofu & fruit |
With the luxury of scooters and experienced tour guides, we have been able to find some hidden gems. Some of them serving local food, others serving delicious western food. Who knew one of the BEST burgers I would ever eat would be in Taiwan!? Our German friend Richard showed us this cute little diner named Howdys that had the tastiest burgers, fries, and milkshakes. After driving 25 minutes by scooter to this diner, we happened to be right by Lotus Pond. Since this was at night we weren't able to see the true beauty of the pond and its spectacular temples surrounding the pond, but we were able to see the two towers (Dragon and Tiger) all lit up. We will definitely check out Lotus Pond during the day sometime. You can walk around the lake (around 2 hours) and visits dozens of temples.
Lotus Pond |
Saturday Februrary 26th, the ISA took us on a fantastic field trip. We took the MRT to the outskirts of the city for some BBQs and activities. First we took a traditional Chinese train which was very a very slow open train mainly made out of bamboo. Next we played a game of paintball. I have never done this before, and I was pretty scared. Throughout the orientation, there were numerous horror stories (rare, but real) of people getting seriously hurt, and even one death. Based on this, I became terrified. I was not very good at this game. Probably because I took cover and fired off my gun like crazy until I ran out of paintballs. Probably not the best winning tactic.
Next we went to a traditional Taiwanese BBQ. With hundreds of people, each table is given a box with supplies and food. Each table has a pit with coals and a grill to cook the food. We ate sausages, chicken, pork, green peppers, fish, cabbage, and bread. This was a very cool experience and it was a lot of fun. After we ate we did some Go-Kart racing. I had done this before so it was not new to me, but still a lot of fun. The cars went pretty fast, so some people were flying by me. Since there was such a large group, this took a couple hours.
Beggar Chicken |
The following week was the beginning of our classes. So far, they are going pretty well. The professors and very bright despite the language barrier. I have started Chinese class - it is 3 times a week for 2 hours each class. It's been very hard but already I know how to say Hello, my name is Chantal. What is your name? I come from Canada. Where do you come from? And, it's nice to meet you. The language is very complex, and it's been very challenging. I am looking forward to being able to communicate a little better. Even though Taiwanese people are very eager to help even if they cannot speak the same language as us. If you think Canadians have a reputation of being nice, then come to Taiwan. They are the nicest people I have ever met.
I miss you all very much, and I will be sure to write more often.
Chantal
xo
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