Christmas in Taiwan

Christmas in Taiwan was quite different from Christmas back home. Here in Taipei, I didn't start to see decorations for the holiday until the second week of December; quite different from having Christmas decorations in the stores in September in the US! Also, I had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Monica and I decorated the English Village at school for the holiday and taught the students how to make ornaments that were then hung up on a giant paper tree we hung in the gym. The students were thrilled every time they walked into the gym to see the tree become more festive with each passing day.

On Christmas night, I went to my friend, Karin's house for a small party to celebrate the holiday. It was quite different from the big family gathering I'm used to, but it was nice to share the evening with my "family" here.

Saturday morning, or Friday evening in Mishawaka, my family and I had a chance to video-chat during my family's festivities. Each of my family members brought their presents over to the camera and opened them for me to see. Everyone in the family received genuine Taiwanese surgical masks, as they are very fashionable here. Afterwards, I had a chance to open the gifts my family had sent for me. I got an iTunes card, some earrings, a picture of my nephew, and some sweets.

It was a hard holiday to be away from home, but I realize that this Christmas is only one holiday out of many. Thank goodness for technology, it made it a bit easier to be able to see my family and "participate" in the holiday festivities. Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoyed your time with your family!

*Picture above: Miramar Ferris Wheel at night

Little Liu Chiu Island

The second weekend of December, I took the High Speed Rail (HSR) down to Kaohsiung to catch up with my friend Deb and her family. It was her son, Gabe's, 3rd birthday, and we decided to go to Little Liu Chiu Island, off the coast of southern Taiwan.

It was a weekend full of public transportation, of which I've become quite a big fan of since I moved to Taiwan. After meeting the Aquino's in Pingtung City, we boarded a bus to Donggang, where we caught a ferry to Little Liu Chiu Island.

After we arrived, we found a hotel with an waterfront view and then went exploring. Our first stop was Vase Rock, a coral formation that looks like a vase with vegetation growing out the top. We then headed over to a lookout point and enjoyed watching the sunset over the Taiwan Straits.

Sunday morning, we headed over to Beauty Cave and Black Dwarf cave where we hiked through caves formed all by coral. The weekend was filled with all the things I love about Taiwan: public transportation, great views of the water, hiking, and the Aquino family!

Weekend in Hong Kong

The first weekend in December, I decided it was time to finally get some stamps in my passport, so I headed to Hong Kong with Karin. We caught a late flight out of Taipei in to Hong Kong. We stayed on the Kowloon side of the island, with a beautiful view of the harbor from our hotel room.

Saturday morning we woke up, armed with tourist maps and a mission to find the local H & M store and see as much of Hong Kong as possible. We took a shuttle bus to a ferry, which whisked us to the other side of Hong Kong. There, we traversed the streets, which were decorated for Christmas - just like back home, and found lots of little shops and a wonderfully delicious dumpling place for lunch.

That night, we headed to The Peninsula Hotel to watch the fireworks and boat parade which were part of the opening ceremonies of the 2009 East Asian Games. The boats had dancers and performers, and the fireworks show was amazing.

Sunday, Karin and I woke up and caught the ferry again in order to ride the Peak Tram, and takes you to the highest mountain peak in Hong Kong. The views were amazing! Afterwards, we found the famed "Mid-Level Escalators which are the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire escalator system covers over 800 meters in distance and elevates over 135 meters from bottom to top.

Hong Kong was amazing, and was actually very different from Taiwan. The given dialect in Hong Kong is Cantonese, there were no crazy scooters on the sidewalks, and there were many more places that had employees who spoke and understood English. This was a great weekend getaway, and I now have passport stamps from Hong Kong!