What we have been doing...Saturday

Good Morning from us and Good evening to you! It is actually Monday morning here in Taiwan and today is the big day. Fion will be picking us up at 11:30am to go get Willow Hsin-Yi. I am feeling a bit anxious so I thought I would write a post with more details of what we have been up to.

Saturday we woke up, got ready and headed down for breakfast. Paul and I were still not adjusted to the time change and did find ourselves napping quit a bit on this day.

The hotel offers a complimentary breakfast daily. It is not a very large buffet and there are very limited options when it comes to Western Style foods. I had scrambled eggs, and alfalfa salad with an interesting vinegar and oil dressing (not as good as mine), a steamed roll (delicious and so soft), noodles with chicken, and dim sum. To drink I had iced coffee which was excellent and finally a slice of Taiwanese Cheesecake (very light and airy). Paul was a bit more adventurous. He had a few more unique stir fries (not sure what was in them) and pretty much the same thing as me. He did try the sausage link and ham (tasted like spam) . He also tried a brown yolked egg. Paul said it is an acquired taste. To drink Paul had two frozen slushy type drinks one called FROZEN YOGURT (tasted like a dream sickle, very yummy) and the other was called FROZEN ROSE (a mix of raspberries and rose petals). They were both good, but the Frozen Yogurt was the best.

After breakfast Paul and I went for a very long walk (about two hours) and came back to the hotel and waited for our tour guide to come and take us to Yangmingshan National Park. This area is a volcanic area. The pictures above are from their. The first picture is of the fumerals which is sulfuric steam rising out of the earth. This is what provides the heat for the hot springs. The smell of sulfur is thick in the air but if you can get past the smell you will be awed by the beauty.

The second picture is of a clock made with seasonal flowers. Taiwan has 4 seasons just like we do. Right now is the summer season (HOT) which provide different flowers then fall, spring, and winter. Their winter is not like ours, it gets to about 60 f. for about a week or two. Wish that was how our winters were! This national park is famous for its botanical gardens, mountain views and hot springs. It is about 20 to 30 min. from Taipei.

The highlight of the visit was having the opportunity to take a bath in the hot springs. Hot springs are known for their detoxifying, energizing, and relaxing abilities. The hot springs are piped into various spas that are attached to restaurants. They are separated by sex, so the men go to one area and the women go to another. Paul and I brought our bathing suits, but were not allowed to wear them in the hot spring. You must shower before entering and shower when exiting the area. They provide shampoo and shower gel for you. We purchased towels. There are a few pools with different temperatures some are extremely hot, a few medium heat and one really cold. Paul remembers the temps on his and they were 45 c. (like boiling water) 39c. (medium hot) and 18 c. (very cold). It is very organic and beautiful. There are trees surrounding the area, rock walls, chairs to sit on. You can't be in the higher temps for longer then 15 min. or you will pass out. So you go from hot to cool to cold. Then there is a pool with high strength shower falls. I felt this was painful!

We were able to enjoy the hot springs for an hour. On the tour we met a man from California, a couple from Singapore and another man from South Korea. It was a unique experience that I would be willing to do again.

After we left the national part we went to the Handicraft store. We did not stay there very long to much pressure to purchase. I was starving, we had not eaten since breakfast and did all of that walking, this was putting me over the edge of no longer happy.

After arriving back at the Hotel we came to our room and took a long nap. We woke up at about 8:00pm and went out for dinner. We wanted to try a restaurant that was recommended but are not sure it was the correct place. No one spoke English, nor did they have an English menu. The waitress found a man that spoke some English and he helped us order. We had the pork and beef dumplings. They were excellent! Not nearly enough food, seeing as we did not eat lunch. I was hungry and frustrated with the communication barrier and found it difficult to eat. Paul and I walked around some more and we stopped at Starbucks. This was nice because it gave me a sense of familiarity. I purchased a Vanilla Bean Frappachino and Chocolate muffin. Paul got a Blueberry muffin and shared my drink with me. It was refreshing with the hot heat of the night! Still not having eaten enough we were back at the hotel and off to sleep.

A few side notes I am not sure I mentioned. 99% of the women wear a heel or dressy shoe of some sort, even if they are not dressed up. The first day we went walking around, I wore gym shoes and received many looks. From that point on, I've been wearing flip-flops while walking around.

I have a theory regarding restaurant signs, if the sign has its name in Chinese characters and in English, it is likely that the menu will also be that way. This way if the waitress doesn't speak English, you can point on the menu.

Sunday's details to come.... Have to get ready to pick up Willow. xoxo