June 5

Here we are at Elaine & Janice's dentist's office. This was such a great aquarium in the waiting room, so I spent time getting to know my camera a bit more. I took lots more pictures than this, but this was one of the more colourful ones.

Janice, dentist, Elaine:
Our waitress at a Japanese restaurant where we had lunch after the dentist visit.


Elaine went to work after this and I hung out with Janice for a bit as well as catching up on emails. I met a cello student of Janice's, then I got a ride to town and did a bit of shopping. While I was waiting for the bus on the way home, I met a high school student named Doris. She knew a lot more English than I knew Chinese, but I tried out a few of the phrases I had learned (well, I read them. I still can't remember how to say them without looking at my notes) "Ching wen ni renshi Yesu ma? - Do you know Jesus?" and "Yesu ai ni. Jesus loves you." She didn't know Jesus, but she was very interested in a tract in Chinese that I offered her!

I got home late and when I asked Elaine if she was worried, she said no, she knew I'd be OK. She actually laughed when I asked her and Janice let out a tense-sounding sigh ... it was Janice that had been worried about me, not Elaine! Ha! We all just had to laugh at that, even though Janice's laugh was a bit strained from being concerned that I would find my way home OK.

June 4 - The Science Museum

So Elaine dropped me off at the Science Museum on Monday and then I would make my way to the bus station to meet a friend of hers who was going to take me to a 'clinic' where I would find out if coming to Taiwan for a short term stint was a possibility (to do rehab).

There was only one problem ... all the museums in Kaoshiung are closed on Mondays. So I went down to where all of these people were congregated outside the building. It was all the museum staff taking part in a presentation by the fire department. So here is a lady finding out what it's like to hold the active hose. The firefighter in the foreground is holding her son's backpack ... (ya, I don't think that's part of the fire crews gear! ha ha).



I didn't stay here too long since they were just finishing. Some people suggested I go to the library across the road if I wanted to do some reading (I had brought my Bible to have some time with God and had said I was looking for a library). Only problem is, I could not find the library! So I started to wander in the general direction of the bus station - where I was to meet Tom 4 hours later.

I stopped in at a store that had some familiar signs - 'Yonex' is the one that stands out, so I thought I'd go check it out. It was a store/club that sold tennis gear and there was also a place inside that people could play when they couldn't play outside. The owner couldn't speak much English at all, and I couldn't speak a whole lot of Chinese, so he called someone for me. This is how I met Dynasty. The store owner was his tennis coach at the university and Dynasty just happened to be in the area. So he would drop by and take me to the university where I could spend time at the library.

Then the coach poured me a glass of water & turned the A/C on in another area of the store ... it looked like a bar. Hmmm. I thought this was as good a place as any for me to read my Bible, so I asked if it was OK for me to stay here and read. By the time Dynasty came, I had decided it would be better if I stayed here ... I knew the university was a bit far away and I wasn't sure if I'd have time to get to know Dynasty a bit and read at the library and then get back to the bus station in time to meet Tom (oh ya, and find a place to have lunch), so I decided to stay at the store, but I got Dynasty's contact information. In retrospect, I regret not having gone with him this day.

Sunday June 3 - ChiChin Island

We went on a day trip today to ChiChin Island in the southwest part of the city. This lighthouse is on the island. (This picture was taken from the ferry on the way over).

Ferry terminal on the island.
"Skytower"
Beside the lighthouse looking towards the other side of the island from where we arrived.
Turning 180 degrees, and we have the National Sun Yat-Sen University campus nestled in /on Monkey Mountain. The former British Consulate is to the right of the parking lot/road in the foreground.
A beach on campus ... not bad!
Scooter ferry like the one we came on.
Ferry terminal as seen from the lighthouse hill.
The beach on the other side of the island.
Elaine mentioned in her blog that the water isn't very clean to swim in here, but people still do it.
At the market ... those red frilly things in the air are attached to a fan-like mechanism. They spin around to keep the flies away from the fish.
On our way back on the ferry. It amazed me how nobody got run over ... everybody is waiting in a packed line and it seems like they all start going at once. Very talented. I just hung on, very tightly!
Afternoon snack! Mmmmmm.
After church (church starts at 6 pm - and tonight, it didn't finish until 9pm) Elaine's roommate, Janice, gave her a much needed massage after a long day of driving me around on the scooter ...
... she wins the prize for best massager! ;)

Actually, she received this at a recital she was at for her students tonight. Janice is a Cello & Piano instructor.

Sat. June 2

Set to go for another day of riding around Kaoshiung on a scooter! (OK, so the helmet leaves a lot of vulnerable areas, and the rest of the body would be prone to some pretty nasty road rash ... but don't worry, when it rains, she wears a full face helmet and a poncho - plus, one's body slides better on wet pavement).

That mask is a necessity when driving around the city (or walking, for that matter) because of the sheer volume of scooters. The exhaust can be overwhelming when waiting for the light to turn green!

Today, we went to find the bus station to find out if I would be able to catch a very early bus to Taipei the morning I leave. Well, it took us most of the afternoon to actually find the right station ... just to realize that it would be easier for me to go to Taipei the day before and take a bus to the airport from the hostel.

It wasn't a waste of time, though ... we got to hang out together and checked out some stores - and we waved at the parking attendant who gave us directions ... each time we went by him again ;) (OK, Elaine didn't wave, I did - while she was trying to hide herself as we went by! LOL).
We stopped by this beautiful park and just hung out before going to the prayer meeting. (She looks deep in thought, but she assured me that she wasn't ;)!
We had dinner with Joyce, Vincent & Lance tonight. J & V were Elaine's students back at ESLI, but are back in Taiwan. They live in Taichung, but were in Kaoshiung for the weekend. That's twice I've met them now - once in Langley & now in Taiwan - both times it was for dinner! I like getting together with them ... it always seems to involve food! :)

These night photos are blurry - sorry. I'm still getting used to my new camera. And maybe I can blame it on my stomach still being upset here. Nachos tonight were probably not the best idea. It took about a week & a half for it to finally come around. (Just remember, it looks like I'm posting this on June 2 - which means I still had another 3-4 days where my stomach didn't feel well - but really, it's July 15 now).
Lance is a friend of J & V's and he lives in Kaoshiung. He goes to a Mormon church (to learn more English). We invited him to Elaine's church, so hopefully he will come sometime (he may initially come so he can learn English, but the Holy Spirit can touch his life so he learns more than just English).
I thought this was such a cool advertisement ... although I don't know that the promise of turning into a fish would encourage me to drink this water. lol ;)

Friday June 1 - Chinese class & Chengcing Lake

So here is Elaine at her last Mandarin class for this semester. I'm sure that my wandering around the small room taking pictures was a bit distracting, but both her & her tutour seemed to manage quite well! I think I learned a bit too ... I caught on pretty quickly to the body parts (ear, nose, eyes, face, etc.), but I couldn't repeat them now, and I don't even know if I would recognize them even if I heard them! Elaine, you are probably doing better than you think you are at learning Chinese! Keep it up (when you start classes again, that is. For now, just go for the practical experience. Don't let Janice speak English to you for a while ... that will probably help) !;)
While Elaine went to work this afternoon, I wandered through the park at Chengcing Lake. It was hard for me to figure out what landmark this was, since there was no map I could bring with me. I did get a little map later on, but that didn't help ... it was all in Chinese. However, I do know that this is a bridge. I don't know if it's the bridge I was trying to find (there was some English on a direction sign that pointed me in this general direction).
This isn't the best picture, but one of these fish was putting on a show for me. It was totally vertical in the water and it seemed to be bouncing along the aquarium in this manner. So, just imagine this little show with me ... it lasted more than a few minutes, too!
Here's an entrance to the Lake with Kaoshiung in the background.
I spent my quiet time on a bench near here ... by the time I was finished, so were these ladies that are planting this garden!
The 9 - Cornered Bridge.
Quite the contrast ... where nature and city meet.

May 31 - AWOL, the boot has gone AWOL ...

Remember when I mentioned in some of my previous posts that I was looking forward to coming to Taiwan where the Murrayville boot that I have with me would get the opportunity to have a photo taken with its partner? Well, I was disappointed to learn that Elaine's boot never made it to Taiwan! She thought she had packed it, but it fell behind a desk while she was packing ... unfortunately, it didn't fall into her suitcase!
Thankfully her dad found it, so I'll have to get a picture of it before it gets sent to Taiwan with David, who will be visiting Elaine the end of August.

Let me go back to my preparations for leaving for this trip ... When I had asked Elaine if she wanted me to bring anything for her, she listed a few things like chewable vitamins and some things she couldn't get in Taiwan. She also mentioned that she would love to have her winter blanket, but she knew it was too big and she totally didn't expect me to bring it. When I picked it up from her dad, just in case I thought I'd be able to bring it, I saw that her 'blanket' was a Queen-sized duvet/comforter! I did not think I'd be able to fit it. I had mentioned to her that I could buy a twin-sized one when I was in Denmark and would be able to squish it down to a really small size that I'd be able to bring. She thought that would be fine, but she still didn't even think that would be feasible for me to bring. She was not expecting anything like that to come with me.

Her reaction was priceless when I opened my little black suitcase to reveal that I had actually been able to bring her own comforter! There was a long silence and a look of shock! I'm not sure if she was more shocked at the fact that I had found room for it and brought it, or at how small it was ... she said, 'I've never seen it that small before in my life!' I had put the cover on it, folded it in half (lengthwise) twice and rolled it up tightly. Oh, did I mention that it was down-filled? That is why I was able to compress it so small and hold it together with a strap. It was priceless ... unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of either the comforter or Elaine's reaction. Oh well, I'll just have to rely on my memory this time. :)

Next stop, Taiwan

May 30 - This is as far as my poor suitcase made it! And it even got a free ride all the way to Africa (it was packed inside the big suitcase that I left there). Actually, the zipper broke last night in Cambodia. Good thing I carry duct tape with me! That's what got me to Taiwan - even with all the modes of transportation I took today (by the time I arrived at Elaine's home, this is how I got there: taxi to Phnom Penh airport, plane to Bangkok, plane to Taipei, bus to domestic airport, plane to Kaoshiung, taxi to Elaine's).

Actually, in the Taipei airport tonight, I got chased by the Beagle Brigade ... By the time I arrived to pick up my luggage (after trying to call Elaine on a pay phone and then exchanging $), the suitcases were located in 2 different areas - one was by the luggage belt still and the other had been moved to another location (I think that was the area where unclaimed luggage was moved to - I didn't think I was that slow).

Anyhow, I picked up my backpack suitcase and headed towards getting the one pictured here. That's when I heard the lady & dog running after me, she was asking me to hold on for a minute. Supposedly, Barbie had smelled something in my backpack. She asked (not Barbie, but the lady - he he he) if I had specific foods or plant products in my bag. I didn't think I did - I suggested it may be the Stroopwafels (sealed) from Holland or the caramel licorice from Denmark, but she said that wouldn't be it. She seemed very apologetic and said I didn't have to go through my bag for her. But I was curious what the dog smelled! I guess that will be a mystery.

As I left, she handed me a magnet in the shape of a paw with 'Barbie' the beagle on it. I still have to check out the website to learn more about the Beagle Brigade at the International airport in Taipei. That gave me something to smile about as I went to find the bus that would take me to the next airport ... one more plane ride! :)
Waiting for Elaine to pick me up at the airport in Kaoshiung. I had been able to make contact with her by the time this picture was taken, so was just waiting for her with these airport police officers. The officer who took this picture was the head of airport security here (maybe even of all of Taiwan, but I can't quite recall). By this time, I was pretty much toast - a taxi, 3 planes and a bus so far. When I finally met with Elaine, we took a taxi home. You can check out Elaine's blog for her version of how this night went. :)