Why we chose Taiwan

We originally wanted to go to China (and still do) but there are several reasons why we chose Taiwan for this trip.  First of all, we had to examine our motives for going.  The main objective is to further our learning of the Chinese language and get a taste of the preaching work in a foreign land.  Also, when doing our reasearch we quickly realized that China would be more of a tourist trip (so much to see and do!) whereas Taiwan will afford us a better learning experience.  Don’t worry… we plan to “see and do” plenty in Taiwan, but we are also looking forward to being with the friends in the congregation.  One of the highlights of our trip will be our visit to Bethel in Taipei.

What we plan to see and do

Our plane will arrive late in the evening on the 19th.  We will stay with Jing Ru and her family in Kaohsiung for the first week.  We are very much looking forward to spending time with the congregation and being able to share in the preaching work.  Jing Ru also plans to take us to several museums and great shopping destinations.  She promises us a memorable time!

Next, we will travel by high-speed train to Taipei.  There will be much to do while we are there… like karaoke!  We have the choice of going to KTV that has separate rooms or to the “Hao Le Di” for open karaoke.  I think we all agree that our singing voices (especially singing in Chinese) is not worth sharing with the world so we will probably opt for the KTV!

The zoo in Taipei (Mu Za Dong Wu Yan) is said to be a good one so we will try to work that in if we are able.  Kendra especially wants to see the panda bears! 

Gu Gong, the National Palace Museum, is a must-see.  It is an art museum with a collection of over 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world!

Taipei 101 is also a must-see-must-do.  Designed to resemble a giant bamboo stalk, this is the world’s tallest building.  It also has the record for having the fastest elevator… taking only 40 seconds from ground floor to the 89th floor observation deck!

All of us (but especially Nikki) are looking forward to the various hot springs sprinkled among the mountains.  Yangminshan hot spring, on Yangmin mountain, comes with high recommendations along with Bei Tou.

Night markets, night markets, night markets!  Need we say more?  OK, we’ll say more…  Just about everywhere we could go in Taipei has oh so wonderful night markets.  We have been told that this is the place to do our souvenier shopping as most items will cost considerably less.  A few of the recommended ones are Shi Ling, Zhong Xiao Dong Lu and Dan Shui.

Mei Li Hua is also a scheduled destination.  You just can’t go wrong with a giant ferris wheel.  That’s right… the same ferris wheel that many of you have seen on TV!  We’ve promised Cali we would take a ride for her.  And Joy has recommended eating at the Wu Jiao Chuan Ban, a restaurant in Mei Li Hua.

There is a hotel near the Huang’s house where many famous people stay… it is called the Jing Hua.  We plan to stop in for their brunch buffet one day.  Who knows who we may see?

Of course, when all is said and done at the end of the day…… 7-11!

As mentioned above, we plan to visit the Bethel family in Taipei as well.  Despite all of the great destinations just mentioned, our trip to Bethel is one we are most looking forward to.  We hope to have lunch with the family and receive a tour of the facilities.

After our stay in Taipei, we will take the Tai Lu Ge Hao (train) to Hualien.  Everyone says Hualien is very beautiful, with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other side.  Also, it is said to be a huge marble export, so even some sidewalks are made of marble!  Our stay in Hualien will hopefully prove to be a little more relaxing… the beach (Qi Xing Tan), the national park (Tai Lu Ge), the park and lake (Li Yu Tan) and maybe even Sea World!

We are looking forward to meeting the friends in Hualien too.  We have heard many good things about them from the Huangs and also the Woolstens.

Our last week will be spent back in Kaohsiung with Jing Ru. 

Final Thoughts

We would be amiss if we failed to mention our dear friend Jing Ru and the wonderful hospitality of her family.  We look forward to spending time with them and getting to know them even better.  Jing Ru’s mom is already planning what she will feed us!  We are all anxious to try some homemade Taiwanese cooking!

The Huang family, and Sandy too, has been extremely helpful in planning our trip.  Recommendations, directions, phone numbers and “inside contacts” has proved to be a life-saver in making sure we will survive on our own in Taipei and HuaLien.  LOL.

All in all, we expect our trip to be very exciting and encouraging.  We promise to remember every detail so we can share with everyone when we get back.  While we are gone, though, continue to visit this site to see updated blogs and pictures.  Enjoy!