This is just a random post. Right now, this is my favorite commercial...check it out!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I normally work on Saturdays, but I got the day off yesterday. Last week 
students and workers all got Thursday "off"...but in reality, they really just changed days. Instead of having a real day off, they had to make it up on Saturday. This meant that all the kids that I normally teach had to go to regular class yesterday, so I got the day off! I was going to waste the day at home and just do nothing...but I changed my mind. I went on a day trip instead! I went to a place called Ye-Liu in North East Taiwan. It is famous for its crazy rock formations. I took a bus 
from Taipei with two of my friends and we headed up to this place to check out the rocks and the beach. It was such a nice day. We spent all day there. I got to see a bunch of rocks that had been eroded by the salt. It was pretty fun. There was a lot more than just these rocks too. We were surrounded by tide pools and hills. The tide pools were filled with crabs, small fish, and brittle stars. I tried to catch a brittle star, but they kept going into 
the crevices! Then after we had our fill of the rocks and the ocean, we all decided to climb the hills. It was a pretty steep hike, but it was fun. I didn't realize that there were a bunch of butterflies and insects here as well. So then we spent time checking them out. I've seen a lot of them before, but my German friend hadn't seen them before so it was fun for him. Then only thing they didn't like was that they all got mosquito bites...I didn't. They just don't like me as much as the other foreigners (which i
s totally awesome! Their bites are so itchy!) so I'm not complaining. After 8 hours out and about in the sun, it was time to go home and chill. I was so glad I had the day off. I finally went out of Taipei and did something I have been wanting to do. My goal is to try and go somewhere new at least once a month. I'll have to wait and see what I pick next!!!
students and workers all got Thursday "off"...but in reality, they really just changed days. Instead of having a real day off, they had to make it up on Saturday. This meant that all the kids that I normally teach had to go to regular class yesterday, so I got the day off! I was going to waste the day at home and just do nothing...but I changed my mind. I went on a day trip instead! I went to a place called Ye-Liu in North East Taiwan. It is famous for its crazy rock formations. I took a bus 
from Taipei with two of my friends and we headed up to this place to check out the rocks and the beach. It was such a nice day. We spent all day there. I got to see a bunch of rocks that had been eroded by the salt. It was pretty fun. There was a lot more than just these rocks too. We were surrounded by tide pools and hills. The tide pools were filled with crabs, small fish, and brittle stars. I tried to catch a brittle star, but they kept going into 
the crevices! Then after we had our fill of the rocks and the ocean, we all decided to climb the hills. It was a pretty steep hike, but it was fun. I didn't realize that there were a bunch of butterflies and insects here as well. So then we spent time checking them out. I've seen a lot of them before, but my German friend hadn't seen them before so it was fun for him. Then only thing they didn't like was that they all got mosquito bites...I didn't. They just don't like me as much as the other foreigners (which i
s totally awesome! Their bites are so itchy!) so I'm not complaining. After 8 hours out and about in the sun, it was time to go home and chill. I was so glad I had the day off. I finally went out of Taipei and did something I have been wanting to do. My goal is to try and go somewhere new at least once a month. I'll have to wait and see what I pick next!!!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
May 24-26 I went to Hua Lien. I finally had a week off from class...only because the term ended, but time off is time off. So my 
Aunts and Uncles decided to take my cousin and I to Hua Lien and Tai Dong. We went to Hua Lien, the middle-ish part of Taiwan, to check out a place called butterfly valley (just for me!). But just as my luck would have it, the moment we got there, it began to rain. And it rained the whole time. So I didn't really see that many. I was a bit bummed. I did get to see a few, and got some
nice pictures. Then we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast that night. It was so nice. It had wooden floors and awesome beds. Plus there was air conditioning. It was a big plus! The B&B was out in the country side. It was extremely homey. I loved it. When i woke up in the morning and looked out my window, I saw a meadow of flowers and in the background a bunch of mountains. So peaceful! Then the next day we went to Tai Dong, which is the in the South East part of Taiwan along the coast. It was also really pretty. It made me miss San Diego. 
There were a bunch of Palm trees along this beautiful coast line. The water was so blue and the sky was nice and clear...well at least until night time (it rained again...tropical islands do that a lot). We drove up the coast for a few hours and enjoyed the scenery. Then we stopped at a coffee shop that had such a nice view of the water and the landscape. I of course took a million pictures, but there just isn't room for them here! So after we did all of this, we went back to Hua lien to stay in a hotel. It was the same hotel I stayed in about
10 years ago when I went with my family to Hua Lien the first time. It was kinda weird. It was something like deja vu. I was like...I know this place. I think i've been here before. And then I found out it was...hehe. We stayed here because the next day we went to the Taroko Gorge National Park. It was really nice here too. The whole trip was a very naturey trip. I got a bunch of pictures of this too. I'll just give you one! Overall, it was a cool trip. I got to see a lot of eastern Taiwan and a national park. There were also a lot
of other butterflies and insects that kept me busy when the scenery wasn't enough. I'm glad that my cousin got to experience it too. It's always nice to do something different. The trip was just too short. As soon as I got back, I had to go back to work to grade some papers (I know...it sounds weird!) and had to do other work that I had put off. And then before I knew it, I started class again. I just finished my first week of class. It was ok...but that is a whole other blog that just might have to be written at another time.
I decided to leave you with one more picture. This was on the drive back home to Taipei. My Uncle thought it was so nice that he decided to stop so that we could take a picture. Looking at it now makes me think of how different Taiwan really is. The city and the countryside are leagues apart. It's great to get out of the city once in a while and experience something beautiful like this!
Aunts and Uncles decided to take my cousin and I to Hua Lien and Tai Dong. We went to Hua Lien, the middle-ish part of Taiwan, to check out a place called butterfly valley (just for me!). But just as my luck would have it, the moment we got there, it began to rain. And it rained the whole time. So I didn't really see that many. I was a bit bummed. I did get to see a few, and got some
nice pictures. Then we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast that night. It was so nice. It had wooden floors and awesome beds. Plus there was air conditioning. It was a big plus! The B&B was out in the country side. It was extremely homey. I loved it. When i woke up in the morning and looked out my window, I saw a meadow of flowers and in the background a bunch of mountains. So peaceful! Then the next day we went to Tai Dong, which is the in the South East part of Taiwan along the coast. It was also really pretty. It made me miss San Diego. 
There were a bunch of Palm trees along this beautiful coast line. The water was so blue and the sky was nice and clear...well at least until night time (it rained again...tropical islands do that a lot). We drove up the coast for a few hours and enjoyed the scenery. Then we stopped at a coffee shop that had such a nice view of the water and the landscape. I of course took a million pictures, but there just isn't room for them here! So after we did all of this, we went back to Hua lien to stay in a hotel. It was the same hotel I stayed in about
10 years ago when I went with my family to Hua Lien the first time. It was kinda weird. It was something like deja vu. I was like...I know this place. I think i've been here before. And then I found out it was...hehe. We stayed here because the next day we went to the Taroko Gorge National Park. It was really nice here too. The whole trip was a very naturey trip. I got a bunch of pictures of this too. I'll just give you one! Overall, it was a cool trip. I got to see a lot of eastern Taiwan and a national park. There were also a lot
of other butterflies and insects that kept me busy when the scenery wasn't enough. I'm glad that my cousin got to experience it too. It's always nice to do something different. The trip was just too short. As soon as I got back, I had to go back to work to grade some papers (I know...it sounds weird!) and had to do other work that I had put off. And then before I knew it, I started class again. I just finished my first week of class. It was ok...but that is a whole other blog that just might have to be written at another time.
I decided to leave you with one more picture. This was on the drive back home to Taipei. My Uncle thought it was so nice that he decided to stop so that we could take a picture. Looking at it now makes me think of how different Taiwan really is. The city and the countryside are leagues apart. It's great to get out of the city once in a while and experience something beautiful like this!
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