Sunday, May 24, 2009

Teaching children


I've found that I prefer teaching adults. Perhaps I just need to change my methods...


Sunday, May 10, 2009

Some photos from the past month - Part 4

After Jinguashi we headed to Jiufen. The last time I came here was on a weekend; the place was jam-packed with people and it was raining. But on this day, a Friday, the weather was beautiful and the streets weren't as crowded, although that may be hard to believe when seeing these photos.

Click on the photos to enlarge






We made our way to a shop to eat the obligatory 芋圓 yuyuan : Chewy taro, plus sweet potato, red beans, and other items over ice.We next headed to a shop for some fishball soup. However, something was not quite right about this place......why do I have this creepy feeling?

Seriously, though, the owner had her photo plastered on all four walls. Chyo and I weren't the only ones who felt weirded out; other patrons were looking around the room with the same disbelief in their faces. And, if that weren't bad enough, she owns a second restaurant in town and it, too, is covered with her face. Strange.


We later had tea at one of Jiufen's many teahouses, which afford a fantastic view. Doesn't that picture of the foreigner look like it could have been taken at a café in Europe?




Before we left, we just had to take a look at this curious condom shop. Nearby was this woman demonstrating her effortless artistry. Finally, there was no way I was going to leave without getting my favorite "ice cream-peanut-cilantro burrito"!



What's the best part of a fun day? Making a new friend!All in all, it was a great day!

Some photos from the past month - Part 3

Friday, May 1, was the Labor Day holiday, so Chyo and I took a day trip to 金瓜石 Jinguashi and 九份 Jiufen.

Jinguashi is a former gold mining town. Its Gold Ecological Park proved to be a lot more interesting than either of us had expected. Lots of interesting buildings to see, plus miles of hiking. Below are some photos from Jinguashi. Our journey to Jiufen will be in Part 4.

Click on photos to enlarge


From the surrounding hillside trails you can see the Yin-Yang Sea with its blue and yellow water.







What's in here?Oh, I see.How convenient!



Some nature shots




This area was heavily mined during the Japanese occupation of WWII. Below is a lodging house for a Japanese supervisor.






Here is the Japanese Crown Prince's residence, complete with mini golf course.





Hiking up into the surrounding hills. Just caught the tail-end of a beautiful blue salamander.





Goofing around...




Visited this temple housing the world's largest statue of 關羽 Guan Yu. Before we left, we had to see the Gold Waterfall, which is the source of the Yin-Yang Sea.






On to Jiufen!