Abby's Diary

sorry all, there has been a lack of internet, and even a lack of a three prong outlet to charge my comp, so my blogs are behind. We will soon be home though... just a few days more, so I think I will wait to write the remaining leg on the flight home... Regardless, the team is having fun, but missing home. we all look forward to seeing our friends and Family soon!

Hope you enjoy the blog...




11. 4-2-08 We began with the group to the CKS residence. The rotary club had invited a friend, Lisa, who spoke English well to translate. She was a wonderful resource as she was able to explain much of the history of Taiwan to us. When CKS was in power in Taiwan, he had statues of himself put all around the country. Lisa told us how usually there used to be a large Statue in front of most schools. The children would have to honor/kneel before the statue before going inside to learn. Eventually, after his reign, there came a time when the government decided to do away with all the statues. Instead of destroying them, they decided to bring them all to his memorial residence. There is a large park with statues as far as the eye can see. It was a very impressive sight.

Next we headed to a beautiful park. There was a coffee shop that had an outdoor patio looking over a large gorge. Unfortunately, it was still muggy weather so the beautiful setting was somewhat wasted. Through the clouds and fog, I was still able to snap a few pictures of the valley when the clouds cleared for a second. I could see all the way down to the river far below. For the moments I could see, it was a very impressive sight, such a shame we couldn’t see more! When it seemed the clouds were getting thicker, I headed in for some hot coffee. It was great on the cold day, and we enjoyed the scenery for a while before heading onto to lunch.

Later, we headed to lunch. It was a gorgeous restaurant, also near the mountains, so the view was lovely. This restaurant was known for its organic food. It was so fresh and wonderful. So far I have been very impressed with the food in Taiwan. And the social, family style of serving has been a great way to communicate and enjoy the fellowship of the Rotarians. This restaurant in particular had such wonderful food. It was incredibly fresh and full of flavor!

After lunch, we headed for Taipei to visit a psychologist for Kim’s vocation. It was interesting to see how psychiatric problems and general psychology is practiced in Taiwan. Apparently, it is not the norm for Taiwanese to talk to a psychologist about their problems. We learned that they would usually go see a fortuneteller instead. The practice we visited was quite new, and they were more like the pioneers of modern psychiatric treatment in Taiwan. The national health insurance does cover some of costs, but really does not cover in the way we would in the US. We hope that they will be successful!

We concluded the evening with another wonderful meal with the local clubs. And had a chance to walk around one of the department stores, and some of the local street venders. My home stay picked me up. They brought the children and I we had a Chinese/English lesson all the way home. I was teaching them some English, and they would point out various objects (i.e. bus, motorcycle, bank ect.) and teach me how to say them in mandarin. I don’t think I was able to retain a whole lot of the words, However, I have noticed a definite improvement in my ability to pronounce many of the words.

When I got home, I was able to head to bed early that night for some much needed rest!

12. 4-3-08 After a traditional Chinese breakfast – Maggie took me with her English-speaking friend to a street side restaurant. We had a fried steamed bread. Inside of one was a garlic spinach mix, and the other had meat and spices, to accompany it was a bowl of hot homemade soymilk. It was delicious! I learned that this restaurant, although nothing to really speak of when it comes to appearance, is well known for this breakfast item. It was quite crowded which I gather is a good sign!

We met the group and headed to an art museum showcasing a Taiwanese artist (I apologize because I do not have his name with me right now). The artist came from a rich family so he never needed to sell his paintings to make a living. After his death, all of the children gathered the paintings and put together a memorial museum for their father. The tour guide was wonderful, and happened to be the son of the artist! He was able to explain so much more of the detail of the paintings than a normal curator because he was such a close relation. At the end he explained that one of the portraits was actually his wife. She was working the front desk of the museum, and was gracious enough to pose with us all in front of her own painting. The art was impressive, and it was such an experience to meet the subject of the painting. Although she had aged a good deal since the portrait had been painted, it was obvious that she was the subject. It was a very special tour.

Next we headed to a nearby Buddhist temple. The artist we had just learned about also had helped build this temple. His son was able to go into great detail about how and why all the different paintings and carvings were there. This was a special temple because the artist had designed these columns with over 100 birds wrapping around. It is hard to imagine that these columns were made. The time and effort to get them to look right, I believe he said took several months for each column, and over 100 skilled workers carrying out the different aspects. I should point out that there were a good number of these special columns. My guess is at least 30.

We then walked the nearby old streets, for a little shopping. Several of us had been hoping to find some brush paintings on our trip to bring home, and we found a store that had some for sale. (Although I still on the lookout for a perfect one)

After lunch, we had a factory tour of some Automotive and motorcycle parts. The needle bearings for the crankshaft. Apparently this company makes some of the best quality needle bearing components in the world. The factory tour was very cool. Each needle bearing part was rather intricate, but each component was produced fast. There were a number of steps to build each part, and there were various components testing throughout the process. For a part that has to spin with the engine and last for a lifetime, Quality is key.

After our tour, we headed for a dinner and a rotary meeting. My new friend Chandra was there again. It was wonderful to see her again! After some more greetings, we were told there was a surprise for us in one of the dining rooms. Sam and Kim’s home stay, Sharon, who had spent the day with us, had a connection (her sister in law) To a master brush painter. Sharon knew how interested the team had been to get some of the art. She had set it up for her sister-in-law to meet us and demonstrate her art. I have never seen a brush painting done in person, so this was a very special event. I have always loved art, and really feel lucky to have gotten to see how it’s done first hand. She made each of us a fan. She completed and signed them while we attended our dinner and Rotary meeting. I will always cherish this one of a kind work and remember the generosity and kindness we have received everywhere we have been in Taiwan.

The meeting went well, and Chandra was able to help translate our presentation. The club was quite engaged and asked a lot of questions. The fact that Kim is a licensed pilot has impressed most of the clubs. There are no small aircraft on the island, so to be a pilot for pleasure is unheard of. Many have been curious to know more.

We ended the night a bit earlier, and my host family thought it would be fun to take me to a night market. This night market was completely different then the one I got to go to in Tau Yuan. There were so many more people! It was much larger with so many different foods and games for the kids. I couldn’t believe how many little kids there were, as we had to push through so many people to make our way down the market. I would think it would be easy to get lost! I made sure to stay close to my family the entire time, but the sons (who had obviously been there before) would run ahead to their favorite shops. Pretty hard to imagine something like this in the US!

13. 4-4-08 Free Day!

The team had a free day. We decided it would be good to have a team gathering in the morning. We had a bit of prepping for a presentation they Rotarians had asked us to put together for the district conference. We were able to sort out some photos and get some e-mail done. Free (Pam’s host) had offered to let us use the office in his home for the gathering. Free, his wife, and his wife’s mother took us to a wonderful vegetarian restaurant and then to the natural Hot springs. The hot springs we not exactly how I had envisioned it. I have seen photos of hot springs in the US, and this different. There were 3 large community style pools. One very Hot, One Semi Hot, and One cold. We made our way to the very hot one. Which was very hot! I couldn’t stay in there too long, so I jumped into the cold pool to cool off. Which was freezing! We made our way to the medium pool, which was more like bath water… It too didn’t seem to be the right temp… Free decided enough with the soaking, and it was off to the spa section. Here it was room temp water that had extremely powerful jets to massage your back. I couldn’t take it for too long and headed back down to the others. We decided to check out where some stairs went, and finally we found the relaxing spot we were hoping for. They were a more private pool, with water temperature in between the very hot and medium hot. It was quite relaxing. I stayed in that pool for a while. Then joined the others who were sitting on some chairs under the heat lamps. It was so relaxing to sit under the lamps that I drifted off for a bit. The group had to wake me when it was time to leave. I had been so relaxed. After such a busy week, it was wonderful to get a chance to rest. I couldn’t believe how much energy the hot springs took out of me. I think the entire team was drained. Near by the hot springs was a tourist area with a long pedestrian bridge crossing the river. It was a really beautiful area. After we walked around a bit, we had dinner in a restaurant nearby. It had a wonderfully view of the mountains and surrounding area. I enjoyed the relaxing evening. We headed home, and off to sleep!

14. 4-5-08 Saturday, The sun was shining when we all got together. Finally after a week of rains, it was nice to have the sun back again. We headed for the mountains to Paradise Valley. It was a park/forest area privately owned. They had taken a huge amount of land and groomed a lovely forest. The paradise valley is especially known for its flowers and has an amazing garden planted year-round with whatever flowers were in season. We had a tour guide that explained that right now Callow Lilies are in full bloom. The park was beautiful, and we were able to go on a pretty good hike. After a stop for some refreshments (a drink made out of pine trees) we headed to higher viewing area to a tree that is over 100 years old. It was getting pretty hot so after that point we took the rest of the hike easy. It was really a treat to go to such a beautiful area, although it felt so different than hikes I would go on in the US because everything was perfectly planted and many of the waterfalls were man made.

After lunch, we were taken to see the Shihmen Dam and Reservoir. It is a huge dam that holds all of the local area’s drinking water. We first drove below the dam and could see how tall it was, then headed for the top. They had a path along the top of the dam where we could get out to take photos. The reservoir was quite lovely, and it we got to see so many local people out, enjoying the weekend.

Dinner was great. We ate at Denise’s host - Robert’s restaurant. The food and company were wonderful. We finished and I met my family. Maggie and Archi’s would be taking us around the next day so they had to drop the kids off at grandma and grandpa’s house not too far away. I got to meet much of Archi’s family who were all quite nice although they spoke no English so I couldn’t really communicate. His niece was amazed (I think by my red hair) and stared at me the whole time.

On the way home we stopped at a department store and I was able to buy a much-needed new suitcase. We have been given so many wonderful gifts, as well as purchasing souvenirs that the entire team’s luggage appears to be growing. I think we all have picked up an extra bag along the way!

15. 4-6-08 Sunday – Archi and Maggie’s Club had to switch up the schedule for us because of some conflicts, so we randomly decided to go on a hike on a nearby mountain. Maggie’s friend Joy came a long to serve as a translator for the day, and Robert’s daughter (who also spoke English well) came along too. As I mentioned in the last day’s entry, hiking is different here in Taiwan. The trail had so many people hiking; it was like a slow train up the mountain. And instead of just looking at nature and the beauty of the trees, there were shops selling nick knacks and food ect nearly the entire way! We stopped at a restaurant about half way up for some photos and a rest. Then headed on to the “temple” at the top of the mountain. We continued to follow the slow moving train of people all the way to the top. There were a few overlooks along the way that actually showed the Dam we had been to the day before. It was interesting to see it from a different angle so high above where we had just been. At the top, I was surprised to see a huge tent, with karaoke, food, and people. There was a make shift temple for prayer, but the real noise was happening near the Traditional Taiwanese puppet show. It reminded me of an amusement park, instead of a scenic area a top of a mountain. But it was a great experience nonetheless.


We headed down a different way, and passed different shops all the way down.

Next we went to a wonderful lunch where Sam got to choose the fish we were going to eat. The worker grabbed this 19lbs fish in the net, and Sam got to hold it to be sure it was the one we wanted. The fish was then cooked 15 different ways. Each dish was seemed better than the last, I guess Sam knows a good fish when he sees it.

After lunch, we headed to tour a tea mill and learn how different tea is made. When we arrived we were greeted with another Caucasian face. The owner's Daughter had married a Canadian, Steven, who was our “guide”. It was wonderful to hear his story and how he had adjusted to moving to Taiwan. He has lived here for 3 years. We drank several types of tea, and then Steven showed us around the farm. We all got a chance to pick tea leaves (although picking season really begins in a month) and then he walked us through the factory and process it took to make all the different teas. I have really been enjoying the tea in Taiwan, so I enjoyed getting to learn a lot more about it.

After the tour, we had dinner. Steven was able to join us, and shared many more funny stories about his times in Taiwan. We were surprised when the Rotary club we were with was kind enough to give the team some Tea from the tea mill we had just toured. I look forward to sharing this wonderful tea with all my friends in NC.

16. 4-7-08 - Monday- I had asked Maggie if she wouldn’t mind showing me how to do some Chinese cooking for breakfast. I have enjoyed much of the food quite a bit. I have been asking about recipes anytime I like something so hopefully I can try a few new dishes when I return to NC. Maggie’s breakfast was a simple meal preparation. We had rice porridge, and the night before we had gotten various jars of pickled bamboo, seasoned meat, fried gluten, and pickled cucumber from the store. I tried the rice with a little of each of the jarred items. The pickled cucumber was by far the best. Meanwhile, Maggie showed me how to steam sweet potatoes and also fry and egg pastry. The sweet potatoes were added into the rice porridge, sweetening it up quite a bit and giving it a great flavor. I also, really enjoyed the fried egg pastry.

It was time to bid goodbye to Maggie and Archi. They had been such a fun family to stay with. Although I couldn’t get into the deep conversations with them that I had in a couple of the previous homes, I really enjoyed getting to know them. We made the switch in the morning, to head with a new rotary club in Miaoli City about an hour drive southwest. We first headed to a textile factory that specialized in higher end fabric, mainly for unique/formal dresses. They had a few fabrics that could actually have worked for some furniture, although I imagine with it being a specialty factory it might be out of our price range to use any for my work.

After we had had lunch, we stopped at a local winery. We found out that Miaoli is known for its wonderful strawberries. We had passed many fields on the way to and from the textile plant. The winery made strawberry wine. The actual tour was not open, but we were able to go into the shop and have a taste and try some strawberry icecream.

After lunch we went to tour a mental hospital. Sam and Kim were able to see a little more about how Taiwan runs their type of vocations.

The whole team was able to stay at one home, for the next couple nights. Tony was our host and he was so wonderful. He couldn’t have been more generous, getting us anything we might need. We had a bit of a rest there, and then headed to dinner with Tony’s Rotary club. We had wonderful Japanese food. Tony’s club was great. Quite the rambunctionous crowd and full of energy. I hadn’t been feeling the best that day, but his club completely changed that. It was impossible not to enjoy everyone’s welcoming hospitality. We made many new friends that evening.

Back to Tony’s where the team had a chance to unwind and just hang out with each other. It was great to have us all together.

4-8-08 Tuesday – Breakfast with Tony was delicious, Pam and Denise had walked with him the day prior to the local bakery and were able to find some great breakfast breads to add to meal. We met with the other Rotarians, and one of the Highschool Rotary Exchange Student, Zack. He has been here for about 6 months and has 3 more to go. He spent the day with us.

First we headed for a resort/hotel/retirement community on of the Rotarians managed. He gave us a tour of the facitily and to the amusement area, similar to a miniaturized Disneyland. This was a place hard to describe… the pictures better explain.

Next, we headed to a wood carving museum. The area surrounding is well-known in Taiwn for the intricate word carving. The museum had many amzing items. After, we were able to head down some of the streets to shop and see all the various carvings for sale. After a nice lunch, it was back to a different street for more shopping. I had a fabulous time here because several of the shops had interesting furniture to see. One in particular was huge, and had so many different styles of furniture not really found in the US. I had a great opportunity to take photos and get some new ideas for future projects I could work on.

Later, we were taken to the historic railroad station. We walked the tracks for a bit taking the tour. Nearby, was a Haka style Tea shop we stopped in. Haka tea is different. We had a DIY experience of taking tea, a bunch of different types of seeds and nuts, and crushing them in a large motar and pestol bowl until a powder was formed. It took the entire team’s help. Eventually we had it crushed enough for the tea. We had it in 2 preparations- hot and cold. I loved the cold verstion and was even able to take the left over tea powder home. I cant wait to try it again, it was quite tasty!

For dinner, we headed to the Miaoli RC meeting. They had invited the local Roteract club (all students at the Nearby university) to come too. First, we gave our presentation during the meeting, and then we all headed to dinner at a nearby restaurant. Denise and I sat with a bunch of the Roteract members and had a great time. They taught us a Chinese song the group could sing for the upcoming district conference. It was a riot to be taught the song and then put to the test to sing it right away for the group. Fortunately, they all chimed in and helped us to sing it before calling it a night.