The Scooter--a great way to get around Taiwan

This is Lyn who is from South Africa. We met at the Taipei 101 New Year's Eve event and became great friends. I took the bus and train (about 6 hours) to get to her place in Luodong, just south of Ilan. It is much cooler here than in Tainan and it rains a great deal; thus, the rain gear. The scooter is a great way to travel about Taiwan and there are thousands (probably millions) on the island. It is also great fun!! (Yes, Lyn has a helmet but took it off for the picture.)

Rowing on the river

National Center for Traditional Arts, Ilan County

Situated in Ilan County, the National Center for Traditional Arts facilities are well equipped to present traditional theater, music, handicrafts, dance, toys and games, and folk acrobatic performances which promote traditional arts and expand awareness throughout Taiwan. You see much going on in the pictures--sailing, brick making (the gold bricks are to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the hopes for wealth), a dragon balloon, the Chinese harp, a traditional wedding represented in the streets, and lanterns every where.

View from a bridge

The bridges in Taiwan are beautiful in their own right. They also provide wonderful views of the surrounding villages and ports. This is Suao, Taiwan's fifth international harbor.

Burial Tombs in Taiwan

The cemetaries in Taiwan are quite interesting. What I have been told is that each family has an ancestral tomb which they visit on April 4--Tomb Sweeping Day. At this time, family graves are swept, and meats, fruits, and wine are arranged before the tombs. The tombs are often found on the sides of mountains and face the sea. When I find out more around April 4, I'll let you know.

Nantien Temple

In the fishing village of Nanfang'ao is the Nantien Temple which was crowded with worshippers. The Goddess of the Sea, Matsu, is beautifully portrayed.

Jiaushi--a nature walk to a waterfall

Lyn and I walked to see the lovely Wufongci (Five-Peak Flag) waterfall. The name comes from the 5 peaks that line the background of the waterfall which look like a flag. The Wufongci Waterfall is made up of 3 levels that combine for a total length of 100 meters.

Happy New Year of the Golden Pig

Here's a toast to the future, A toast to the past, And a toast to our friends,
far and near. May the future be pleasant; The past a bright dream; May our friends remain faithful and dear. ~ Anonymous




For hundreds of millions of people around the world Sunday, February 18, marks the start of the year of the pig under the Chinese calendar on the lunar calendar. People return home during this most revered holiday.

Newspapers and agencies across Asia have been busy consulting astrologers and feng shui masters for tips. To see your Chinese horoscope, click on this site:

http://astrology.yahoo.com/chinese/general/yearingeneral/pig


This lovely family, the Fans, invited Rochelle and me to share New Year's Eve dinner with them. The foods selected were based on hopes for the future. Here is a lists traditional foods to eat for the new year and why:

Bamboo shoots - wealth
Black moss seaweed - wealth
Dried Bean Curd - happiness (note: fresh tofu is not served because the color white symbolizes death and misfortune in Chinese culture).
Chicken - happiness and marriage (especially when served with "dragon foods," such as lobster.
Eggs - fertility
Egg Rolls - wealth
Fish served whole - prosperity
Chinese garlic chives - everlasting, a long life
Lychee nuts - close family ties
Noodles - A long life
Oranges - wealth
Peanuts - a long life
Pomelo - abundance, prosperity, having children
Seeds - lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc. - having a large number of children
Tangerines - luck

Katie's blog

For those interested in reading Katie's blog (my niece is in Salamanca, Spain for the semester), here it is:

http://senoritakatie.blog.com/

She is the one wearing glasses in the picture with Cervantes.

In Search of the Black-faced spoonbill

Today, one of the science teachers from Shengli Elementary School took me to Tainan County to observe the Black-faced Spoonbill, a bird which winters near Chigu and the Tzengueu River. The black-faced spoonbill migrates from North Korea and is a globally endangered species; its known world population is less than 1000. In the last decade, international efforts have been made to save this species from the risk of extinction and these have also aroused awareness to this endangered species. Tainan county has done a wonderful job of educating the public to the plight of this bird and has designed observation/information areas with young people in mind.

A Day at the Oyster Farm

The second part of our day was visiting an oyster farm. Here we roasted and ate fresh saltwater oysters, watched women shucking oysters (note the number of shells and that was just what we saw for the short time we were there) took a boatride through mangroves where we saw egrets and cormorants, and observed the netting process to pull up the oysters. The guide throws a net in a circular manner and then pulls up the oysters. We were quite lucky because caught in the net was a live seahorse. The guide said he had been doing this for years and this was only the second time he had netted a seahorse. We did return the seahorse safely to the water.