April

Last weekend I finally got the chance to visit Lou Dow...or Green Island. We had the best group to go. We all have similar interests, are easy going, and take our time doing things. I hate those tourist weekends where we are practically running from sight to sight. I want to relax on my weekends. The five of us where: James (Kentucky), Patti (Indiana), me, Tony (Taiwan/Hong Kong/Australia/USA), and Julie (Texas). We met in Taidong and stayed the night at Julie's place. We woke up at 6am so we could catch the 8am ferry to the island. It's about a 50 minute ferry. Julie gets sea sick easily, so we were all hoping the water would be calm. We all slept on the way there...then once we got there, we were picked up by the owner or our hotel. We immediately got on our suits and went to the beach to snorkle. The water was crystal clear and there were so many amazing fish and colorful coral to see! I loved it! After snokling, we had lunch, then went out again later to snorkle while the guys went scuba diving. That evening we drove around the 20km island on scooters and saw so many beautiful sights. After dinner, we went to try out the hot springs. But, they were super crowded and noisy....impossible to relax. We felt like we were taking a bath with 40 strangers, so we left soon after we got there. After tony shouted at the loud asian people in english, we left the filth infested water and went back to the hotel and crashed. Wow, what a day. We were all tired from a fun day, so we crashed early. On Sunday (Easter Sunday) we took our time getting up and having breakfast. Tony had already been up fishing for a few hours and caught a huge needle fish that looked like a cartoon character. After breakfast, we decided we were going to try out our underwater lungs and get a little scuba lesson from Tony, who is a certified instructor who has lived in Australia giving scuba lessons on the GBR. I was scared and figured I wouldn't try, but after Patti tried and loved it, I had to try it out. Tony was very thorough in his instructions and didn't leave any questions unanswered. What a great instructor. I felt save and excited. We were at a dock so the water was very shallow. He held my equipment and messed with the equalizer while I dove, so all I had to focus on was keeping my breathing steady and looking at fish. While he was diving with Patti, they saw a seahorse, something Tony has NEVER seen in all of his diving experience (did I mention he's a Marine Biologist?) So, they were really excited about that. He pointed out a blue eel, a rock fish, and other fish to me, but I saw the seahorse and pointed it out to him once I saw it. How awesome. I'm definitely on to something here...I HAVE to certified and go diving more. I'd love to go to the Great Barrier Reef. I think I'll take my Dad there. He loves diving and deserves a sweet vacation. I know I know...you're thinking I better win the lottery.
After scuba, we all cleaned up and went to lunch. This was the BEST meal ever. I had what was called pork and basil. It was small strips of pork that was stir fried with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic and lots of basil. It was amazing. It was a big plate, but I sure finished it all! I had a long train ride ahead anyway...I probably wouldn't be having dinner. After lunch, we packed our things and prepared to leave the hotel to go back to reality. Sad. The next 6 hours was boring travel: the ferry ride, scootering so fast you'd think we were on The Amazing Race, getting on the train, waiting for a bus, then bussing back to Taibao, and a ten minute walk back to the apartment. So much travel.
It was an awesome weekend and I'm so thankful for Tony and Julie for organizing the little getaway. Tony got a great hotel, figured out all the travel times, and must have done a lot of work to get us there! THANK YOU!
Back to school:
This week is crunch time for the English competition. We have been practicing twice a day and critiquing pronunciation so much! The kids are doing really great and I really think they have a chance to win! They've come a LONG WAY!
I only have 10 weekend left in Taiwan. One will be spent in Thailand, and perhaps I'll make a weekend to Hong Kong. As for the other 8, I'm not sure. I have been to all the big tourist destinations in Taiwan, perhaps I will visit the smaller places and and discover new adventures.
I am very excited for the summer. I have so many plans and so many people to see and catch up with. I miss everyone and everyday, but that missing seems to grow larger and larger as it gets closer. I can't wait to embraced the people I love in the airport terminal on June 26th. I miss hugs more than anything!