http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/maryNtaiwan/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from maryNtaiwan en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:37:38 +0000 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:37:38 +0000 The the last 10 months have been a journey of selfdiscovery and though my time in Asia will end in 4 short days a new journey in America will begin with many more unkowns to explore I have had the privlege and opportunity to spend the last 10 months with some of the most interesting humourous ADVENTEROUS intellegent individuals This is my last blog about our last trip we took to Green I http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-170605.html clouds of white Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world. Hualien Taiwan is located on the East coast and if I knew actually first hand how beautiful peaceful fresh that city is I believe a second year might have been possible For those who have lived in this city for the past year I now understand why you don't need a t.v. you don' http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Hualien/blog-165591.html ldquoJust tell yourself Duckie you're really quite luckyrdquo Dr. Seuss hello. i get paid to speak English travel and shop...what more could a girl ask for no. really though. my life in taiwan is pretty simple and easy..a life i am not sure why i am leaving but it's time for a new adventure and i believe it will be just as great My students had a Mother's Day celebration at http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-160335.html yes ladies and gentlemen if you went to baseball games as a childadult in America you know what the certain tune is played at the end you YELLCHARGE WELL....in Taiwan that just isn't the case there is pure silence expect for the crazy American girls who didn't fail to yell After the many 'back and forths' on deciding when to go to a baseball game Rach and I went ahead and took our c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Tainan/blog-154402.html Ray and I headed on another day trip this time to Tainan the oldest city in Taiwan for a little culture tour...I enjoyed it since i only had to travel 30 min she on the other hand had a nice 3 hour ride but we had a good time so i think it was worth it We had not been on a 'road trip' since neither of us had come to Taiwan sooooooooooo we decided to rent a scooter and have one. Since the G http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Tainan/blog-154176.html I have to say that I have never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras but I am taking a wild guess that the small town of Dajia Taiwan on the Saturday night of Mazu's departure might have resembled close to that Mazu is known in Taiwan as the popular goddess and guardian of the sea to be exact the fishermen and sailors that surround Taichung. Mazu rests in a temple called Chenlan Temple in D http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taichung/Dajia/blog-151824.html The best teachers teach from the heart not from the book. Author Unknown I sometimes find myself struggling at school with the simple fact that presenting not only my students with the Western ideals methods and philosophies of the Western education system but also one of my older coworker whom i will say lately have not been the greatest support system especially since attending colle http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-149253.html The Taiwan possey and I headed over to South Korea for a trip to Seoul and made room for a little 'soul' searching. I have to say the highlight of the trip was watching clips of 'Whose Line Is It Anways on the plane ok so maybe not the highlight but they were pretty damn funny I had a short work week last week and headed to the Cat Man's on wednesday night where I hung out with him and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-146423.html and remembered how lovely it is to enjoy nature Therersquos something about the quiet touch of nature that untangles my thoughts awakens my heart and reminds me how beautiful our world was meant to be. Rinehart The Blonde Bomber Rach's new name ha The Cat Man Mike and I headed up to Alishan Mountian in Chiayi for a day trip on Saturday. I loved it frankly because I only had to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Chiayi/Alishan/blog-141631.html and though I have been waiting so excitedly for the day to get back on that plane and head home to America..I am now starting to get a little terrified. Like I have said once before Taiwan changes you. You are not the same person you once came here as and I believe for me it has changed me for the better. I have grown to understand and accept a lot about myself as a person I have found out http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-140585.html We'll after a long long long long work week and anticipation of a much needed enjoyable relaxing weekend a group of us headed down further south to my favorite sun spot Kenting. It was Mike's birthday celebrationSt.Patty's day EVENT. Either way we had a rediculous amount of fun. The weather was not the best this past weekend but we tried to make the best of it while playing in the rain. haha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kenting/blog-139816.html So this was a long OVER due blog but I have been running around so much this last month I have had trouble finding time to even breathereally it has been busy ha Anyways...I had the wonderful Allyson Carlson visit me in Taiwan over the Chinese New Year Feb 1824..it was so awesome to have her here and for her to experience something that is so important in the Chinese culture...though I think http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-135630.html As the 9 hour bus ride and 2 hour ferry ride was over we arrived at paradise and Jodi was there waiting It was soo good to see her as well as Mike. mikes friend Cooper was visiting for the month too while we were there so it was a fun time I really miss them in Taiwan..but the life they live now I don't blame them for leaving Here is a little sum up of my life this last week...well my d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Tao/blog-130309.html Two weeks ago I arrived in a place known as Bangkok Thailand....def. a city that never sleeps. As I waited for Rachel to get in from Chiang Mai which of course we are on Thai time so she was late and I was worried but whatever she finally made it I think I was in a minor culture shock....WHITE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE and it was great It was so nice to finally be around foreigners who would talk http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-130241.html I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU because you come read my blog. haha. no but Wo ai ni is I love you in chinese...it will prolly become my second most favorite words besides hua. anyways. I really love the amount of free time I do have in Taiwan to sit and think and reflect. it does the body good And I was reading one of my favorite ladies blogs today and I have to agree with her with the f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-121559.html he is the STORY OF MY LIFE this is just a quicky but i thought you would enjoy and i need to remember these moments about my scooter encounters this weekend First...I was driving home the other night Saturday and I happened to go through a light by the hospitals like I always do and like everyone else does....and all the sudden i get the whistle blow and orange flag stick. WTF. anyways http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-119033.html Well.....it's time for a serious blog...a little more about reflection and being a traveler.I met a great person down in the Dirty a type of foreigner besides the ones that I already have that I didn't think exisited but she became one of my closest friends over the last few months but sadly she is departing to Thailand to lay on the beach eat banana pancakes swing in hammocks and enjoy l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-118341.html yeah. those would be some fun words to hear if you enjoy being naked and exposed for everyone to see and were surrounded by a lot of hot boysbut since you were with four foreign girls in a hot springs with all asian womanyeah. it was an experience. So I spent the New Year in Taipei with my favorite people in Taiwan. we had some good laughs and food. Saturday we rach muoy and i headed up http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taipei/blog-117007.html But since I do What a beautiful place to spend Christmas Here goes the top....ooo lets say 50 in no particular order 1.Our place of residence. Chungking Mansions or lack there of a Mansion2.ooooo ahhhh3.Hong Kong Hot Pot4.Couples5.Christmasmore like New Years to the Hong Kongins6.The Australian boyswowzaaaassss7.What does it take to kiss the beautiful lips8.Doner Kabobs9.Hong Kong http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-113926.html What kinda crazyness did I get myself into............... So last week I joined a friend and went with her and her coworkers from work to this Paintballing field. honestly i thought it was going to be something like balloon paintballing not like gun paintballing. I was scared to death. pretty much hid behind these walls the whole time until once when Jodi and I thought we were being really sne http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Kaohsiung/blog-113923.html