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March 8th 2015

Published: March 8th 2015

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Cherries

Taipei

View to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial hall

We have had a lovely time spent here in Taiwan. And seen some amazing things and ate them too. We have enjoyed living quite normal. We are known locally as every one wants to practice their english, and are very curious. Letting us know the local delicacy and were to buy them from. We have learned that if their is a queue for food get in that queue as it will be very good.
We have travelled south east to Jiufen to the old street, wandered around, sampling the regions food such as stinky tofu, which is just a horrible smell like rotten socks but much worse much worse.potato and taro balls in a soup. Taiwanese take on peanut brittle. Shaved peanut brittle with ice cream wrapped up in a crepe. Then on to Jinguashi, which is a old gold mining town with a beautiful coastal vista old buildings and a beautiful temple At the moment in Taiwan everywhere is plum blossoms and cherry blossoms tree such a beautiful pinks and mulberry plum against the greens of the country side. We have also travelled to Taroko National park where we hiked through swallow grotto and trails through the national park,beautiful

Taipei

Changing of the guard at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

mountains and scenery. Squirrels are in the forest and we hear other creatures too, some noises scare the life out of us we just keep walking. We met a Chinese couple from Melbourne who heard us chatting they had been to Yeppoon when visiting Queensland they were on holiday visiting family. We found it quite funny on visiting Swallow grotto your handed a hard hat well that is the local Taiwanese are, us Aussies and other westerners are tough and not handed them, the Chinese Melbourne couple also, were not offered hard hats. I told them that they heard their accents too. On the the 6th March it was sky lantern festival so we travel to Pingxi a small country town were thousands of people travel to, to light a paper lanterns and write down their wishes and hopes for the future and for the new year, light them and let them travel up to the sky with your wishes etc It was bad weather so we set our lantern off early but after the sun goes down thousands and thousand are lit and drift into the sky's it's such a wonderful sight.On Sunday we travelled to Yangming national park

Taipei

Lantern Festival

and climbed the Qixing mountain well that was a hike, we walked up hundreds of stone steps which used a few muscles that haven't been used in while. Traveling through farms which grew Calla Lilly's and each farm house had a dining room were you could eat and rest from hiking. By the time we had got to the top the Taipei mist had come done and their too went our view. But we had a lovely day, a bit sad that we didn't buy any calla lilies. Mastered the Metro and the trains and also the buses, we have walked all over the place, we think we have seen more of Taipei than the locals. Today we went to 101 largest building in Taiwan and the 4th in the world, to go up to the 91st floor on the fastest elevator in the world 61 Klm an hour that 91 floors in 36 seconds. The weather was great, clear for viewing. I don't think I have ever been scared of heights. But it was not a good feeling just looking down on the streets and even very large buildings looked small, it has such a presence here in Taipei

Taipei

Lantern Festival

the 101. We have only a few days left but still a few trips planned and sights to see, and food still to sample at many of the night markets which all have their own local delicacies...........so the next blog will be from a new country, which one, well you will all have to wait and see. My love to you all and to all the local yeppoonians we hope that your all recovering and getting your life back to some normality. We think of you all every day.

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