Thursday, October 11, 2007

Our Journey Thus Far -- Vacation Pictures!

Just to keep everyone up to date, here are some pictures of what we've been doing. The following are all pictures taken on a misty, slightly rainy day in Taroko Gorge (太魯閣), which is located in a national park in Hualien County (花蓮縣) on the central east coast of Taiwan.



This is a picture of the entrance to the Central Cross-Island Highway (中部橫貫公路).

This is the Eternal Spring Shrine (長春祠), built to commemorate the men who gave their lives building the Cross-Island Central Highway.


Now I'd like to interrupt these images of beauty with another bit of culture shock my grandmother was forced to endure -- the infamous "squatty potties!"

The rest of these pictures are from our trip to Jioufen (九份), a quaint little town located on a mountain on the north coast of Taiwan.

My grandma and I.


The view of Keelung (基隆) Harbor.

Jioufen is famous for it's tea. We had some of Taiwan's famous Oolong (烏龍) tea in a traditional teahouse.

And finally, the perfect ende to a perfect day -- a beautiful sunset!
posted at 9:49 PM
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13 comments:

  1. Very neat. I have seen the quatty potty's, but many much filthier!

    I love the tour, I don't think you need the ???for spelling or what not...I will take your spelling as Gold as you are there!

    Thanks for sharing your life:)
    Jennifer
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  2. oops I meant squatty potty's(I never heard them called that before) and think it is appropriate!
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  3. Did you try the "oo-yi" in Jioufen? It's good stuff!

    Did your grandmother say anything about your new haircut?
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  4. How cool--LOVE the pictures.
    What beautiful country.
    I'm thinking I stick to our bathroom's. :) Maybe that was not the best way to say that- But you know what I mean.
    Thanks for sharing your vacation.
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  5. I spent two months in Japan on a mission trip.

    I hated those squatting toilets!
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  6. Jennifer,

    I think the "???" that you're seeing are actually Chinese characters that won't show up on your computer for some reason. Thanks for trusting in my spelling, though!

    Amanda,

    What is oo-yi? It sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if I've tried it yet or not. Is that the gelatinous "flying saucer" like things with meat inside? If so, Ian has tried them but I'm still too chicken!

    Sharon,

    My grandmother echoes your sentiments! I have to say though, there are some upsides to them. For one thing, you don't have to actually touch the toilet in any way. Also, gravity is on your side. ;)

    DF,

    Thanks for stopping by my blog (actually, I already thanked you in my other comment, but thank you again). You just have to get used to the toilets. Like I said to Sharon, there are upsides! However, if you don't want to have to work too hard to go to the bathroom, then a western-style toilet is definitely better!
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  7. Those are some really interesting and amazing pictures!
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  8. Beautiful!
    Except for the potty- I remember them well from our trip to China- not my favorite part of the trip!!

    Blessings,
    Sue
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  9. Beautiful pictures! They really don't do the view justice, do they? But they come close.

    My sister in law experienced the joyful feeling of accomplishment of using a squattie this past summer. There is a technique that makes it all much easier, but I think that's something that has to come with experience. ha!

    I'm so glad you were able to share Taiwan with relatives!

    Blessings!
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  11. Rose,

    Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you like the pictures. =)

    Sue,

    I'm glad I can bring those sweet memories back to you!

    Stacy,

    Have you mastered the technique yet? I'm assuming you have because you live here. I kind of like them, actually. What do you think? By the way, what's your technique? =)
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  12. I have. I perfected it on the Mainland. That's a whole other realm of experience. I didn't experience porcelin (sp?) potties there. Or flushing ones.

    Your pants should only be pulled down just past your bum. That's the technique. Makes things a lot easier and less messy. (ugh!)
    ReplyDelete

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