abby's diary
7. 3-29-08, the group headed to the Lai Lai goose factory in the morning. Here they are most known for making goose down goods. We got to tour the factory, and see all the processes for the mass production of these types of goods. Then for lunch we headed to a restaurant known for cooking goose. I have never tried goose before. The restaurant didn’t have to look of a place that could make such wonderful food, but looks can be deceiving it was definitely delicious. One of my favorite meals to date. We visited a second textile factory after lunch. Here they made more micro fiber fabrics. It was interesting to see all the processes in weaving and the technique/machinery used to create the fuzzy part of fleece type fabrics. We were quite close to the coast and a fishery port, so the group took a side trip to see the sites. We climbed a large pedestrian bridge where we could see most of the port. The beach looked different than the beaches I am used to. Our hosts told us that more traditional types of beaches are located on the southern parts of Taiwan. The port also had a fist market. We all tried many random fish snacks. Some of the snacks we tried were wonderful, and other (namely the fish ball) left us making some not so good faces. It was a surprise each time we ate, because most of us had no clue what we were trying.
That evening we went to a different club’s anniversary party. They were celebrating their first year as a club. It was a smaller affair than the previous night’s anniversary. However, one of the highlights happened when all of the women in the club came out in beautiful authentic Chinese dresses. All were different, bright silks and each dress had a different design. They all came out in a line and worked their way around the different tables singing songs. It the was a very lovely presentation.
I made it home, and had one last night to share with Amy and her family. We exchanged gifts, and took many photos. I really enjoyed staying with them; it was hard to say good-bye despite only spending three nights with them!
8. We were changing homes again in the morning, so we all had to pack up our gear to move. After the bag switch we headed for our free day. Some of the members of the Northwest rotary club (the younger club) had volunteered to take us into the city of Taipei to see the sites. Coming into Taipei was exciting. The city has some similarities to a US city, although at the same time it is very different. It is hard to describe, but it was a great experience to drive around. First, we headed to the Chinese Palace Museum. It is one of the most famous sites to see in Taiwan, holding many of the art works/ artifacts from Mainland China. One of the rotary members, Kevin, was able to be our guide. He told us about many of the famous items in the museum. Some of the most note worthy were: a cabbage carved from jade, with a type of grasshopper on its leaves, there was also a natural piece of stone (I believe a brown jade) that looked just like a piece of meat, We saw a small gallery with traditional Chinese furniture from the Ming Dynasty, and we then toured an area of Ivory carvings. Some of the Ivory was so intricately cut that the museum provided a magnifying glass to see all the great detail. It is impossible to imagine that these items were made by hand, and also that they were made so long ago! I doubt that there would be anyone alive today with the skill to create such fine work.
After the museum, we headed to Taipei 101 currently the tallest building in the world. The lower floors have shopping. It had many of the hi-end stores we recognized in the US, such as Prada, Hermes, Polo, and many more special designer clothing stores I had never heard of. After a bit of touring, we took the fastest elevator in the world to the top of Taipei 101. It made it up 86 floors in less than 30 seconds! It was so fast it made all of our ears pop. The top of Taipei 101 is very impressive. It was a little foggy the day we went, but we were still able to see quite far. An audio guide gave us some insight to some of the buildings and areas of interest in view. The tour also included a part into the core of the building where you can see the world’s largest wind damper. This wind damper and center core are supposed to keep the building from falling over incase of extreme high winds.
The final part of the evening was incredible. Archi, one of the Rotarians of district 3500, treated us to a fine meal at the Panorama Restaurant 85th floor of Taipei 101. We had a private room with an incredible view of the city. There was a pretty large group with us there. Most of the Rotarians from earlier in the day and a number of friends we had met earlier in the week came to celebrate. The dinner was wonderful. The food was absolutely amazing, and we all had such a wonderful time. Archi and his wife, along with Paper and his wife, told us many stories of Chinese traditions and fun stories from their past. The young group kept us all entertained with jokes and we learned more about Taiwan’s younger generation. It was truly a wonderful evening that I am sure I will always remember.
The evening was over, and we met up with a van to take us to our new home stays in Tau Yuan County. Although the night’s darkness kept us from seeing too much during our drive, it was obvious that were no longer in a large city. Rotarian Balloon hosted us when we arrived for some tea, and then we split off to our various home stays shortly after. Pam and I both stayed with his neighbor, Francis. She was incredibly sweet, but she did not speak a lot of English, so communication was not too easy, however she had gone out of her way to make us feel comfortable. It was a quant little house, but very clean and tidy. It was nice to get to go to bed a little earlier than usual.
That evening we went to a different club’s anniversary party. They were celebrating their first year as a club. It was a smaller affair than the previous night’s anniversary. However, one of the highlights happened when all of the women in the club came out in beautiful authentic Chinese dresses. All were different, bright silks and each dress had a different design. They all came out in a line and worked their way around the different tables singing songs. It the was a very lovely presentation.
I made it home, and had one last night to share with Amy and her family. We exchanged gifts, and took many photos. I really enjoyed staying with them; it was hard to say good-bye despite only spending three nights with them!
8. We were changing homes again in the morning, so we all had to pack up our gear to move. After the bag switch we headed for our free day. Some of the members of the Northwest rotary club (the younger club) had volunteered to take us into the city of Taipei to see the sites. Coming into Taipei was exciting. The city has some similarities to a US city, although at the same time it is very different. It is hard to describe, but it was a great experience to drive around. First, we headed to the Chinese Palace Museum. It is one of the most famous sites to see in Taiwan, holding many of the art works/ artifacts from Mainland China. One of the rotary members, Kevin, was able to be our guide. He told us about many of the famous items in the museum. Some of the most note worthy were: a cabbage carved from jade, with a type of grasshopper on its leaves, there was also a natural piece of stone (I believe a brown jade) that looked just like a piece of meat, We saw a small gallery with traditional Chinese furniture from the Ming Dynasty, and we then toured an area of Ivory carvings. Some of the Ivory was so intricately cut that the museum provided a magnifying glass to see all the great detail. It is impossible to imagine that these items were made by hand, and also that they were made so long ago! I doubt that there would be anyone alive today with the skill to create such fine work.
After the museum, we headed to Taipei 101 currently the tallest building in the world. The lower floors have shopping. It had many of the hi-end stores we recognized in the US, such as Prada, Hermes, Polo, and many more special designer clothing stores I had never heard of. After a bit of touring, we took the fastest elevator in the world to the top of Taipei 101. It made it up 86 floors in less than 30 seconds! It was so fast it made all of our ears pop. The top of Taipei 101 is very impressive. It was a little foggy the day we went, but we were still able to see quite far. An audio guide gave us some insight to some of the buildings and areas of interest in view. The tour also included a part into the core of the building where you can see the world’s largest wind damper. This wind damper and center core are supposed to keep the building from falling over incase of extreme high winds.
The final part of the evening was incredible. Archi, one of the Rotarians of district 3500, treated us to a fine meal at the Panorama Restaurant 85th floor of Taipei 101. We had a private room with an incredible view of the city. There was a pretty large group with us there. Most of the Rotarians from earlier in the day and a number of friends we had met earlier in the week came to celebrate. The dinner was wonderful. The food was absolutely amazing, and we all had such a wonderful time. Archi and his wife, along with Paper and his wife, told us many stories of Chinese traditions and fun stories from their past. The young group kept us all entertained with jokes and we learned more about Taiwan’s younger generation. It was truly a wonderful evening that I am sure I will always remember.
The evening was over, and we met up with a van to take us to our new home stays in Tau Yuan County. Although the night’s darkness kept us from seeing too much during our drive, it was obvious that were no longer in a large city. Rotarian Balloon hosted us when we arrived for some tea, and then we split off to our various home stays shortly after. Pam and I both stayed with his neighbor, Francis. She was incredibly sweet, but she did not speak a lot of English, so communication was not too easy, however she had gone out of her way to make us feel comfortable. It was a quant little house, but very clean and tidy. It was nice to get to go to bed a little earlier than usual.
posted by Abby at
9:52 AM
2 Comments:
HI Abby - really enjoying your comments. Your descriptions are so good that - with an imagination - it's almost like being there with you. Question, where do they keep all the geese? And did they show you how the down is removed.
We look forward to seeing your many photos when you return. Is your second home away from Taipei, and in a "village" or somewhat of a suburb.
It's very interesting how "language" has not been a barrier to communicating. It will be interesting in how many phrases you have learned. Hello, goodbye, thank you, where is the bathroom, chair, car, "Burrp - this is really good", etc.
Hope you have a great time on your "free" day. Expect you will.
Love,
Dad
By
Anonymous, at 6:33 PM
They actually import the feathers from China. This was more the cleaning facility and treatment plant. Sadly, we didnt get to view any geese being defeathered.
By
Abby, at 10:59 AM
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