Taiwan Home Life

Lunch time in the pharmacy.

Wake Up Call

Our first morning back in Taiwan I woke up and heard lots of loud music outside. Music that can only be associated with Asian cultures. Then I started to hear lots of drumming. In typical fashion, it took me a while to realize I was missing something. So finally I grabbed my camera, keys, and went downstairs to check it out.

The entrance to the apartment building is at the top of a T intersection. Half way down the first block of the leg of the T is where the music was. There was a large tent set up almost entirely blocking an alley. I thought this might be a wedding celebration. Later Hui-Ling found out it was to celebrate the birthday of a local God.

There were carts with sound systems. I saw drummers, martial arts, and lion dancing. Across the street from the alley entrance was a stage, but nothing was happening there.

Last Morning in Shanghai

Here are some mua ji we bought. They are made with sticky rice flour and have different fillings. Soft and yummy! We got one of each flavor at this particular stand. I got scolded for taking photos inside of the shopping mall. This shot is in the dining area of the Shanghai apartment.

On the couch.

Last violin practice in Shanghai.

The mag lev train approaches.

301 km/h. That's 187 miles per hour for us non-metric people.

The landscape zooms by as we head toward the airport.

Massage

We ended this particular evening with a massage. All 5 or 6 of us were in the same room, on separate tables. No one took their clothes off.

Shanghai

Joy had fun in a science museum. This is inside a submarine.

She made some friends outside of the museum.

We took the subway to see this building.

In the subway on the way home, this girl got her parents to stop us. She wanted to give the picture to Joy.

Hangzhou

After some confusion and exchanging of tickets, we took a high speed train from Shanghai Railway South Station to the city of Hangzhou. It was a 1-1/2 hour trip and I had a standing only ticket. I didn't find that out until we were almost on the train. I didn't know it was that long of a trip either. We waited a little in the Hangzhou train station while Mei-Jen arranged our return tickets, then we took a taxi van to a restaurant by West Lake.
 

We walked along the edge of the lake for a while.

We took a rest here. It was suggested that I should walk on ahead and they would catch up to me. I'm not sure how they thought that was going to work with Joy and a 1 year old along, but I jumped at the chance. I walked, and walked, and walked some more. Eventually it became apparant to me that there was no way they were going to catch me. I sat down and waited. Then I waited some more. I started to walk back and finally came upon some of them. The others had gone backwards looking for me, thinking they might have passed me.

We hired this gentleman to give us a ride around part of the lake. Guo-Yen and Mei-Jen didn't come along as there was not enough room in the boat.

Here's a boat following us near the end of our tour.

Canal Tour in Suzhou

After visiting Tiger Hill, we boarded a long and low boat to tour some of the canals.

Engagement or Wedding photos?

 This was at the end of our tour.

The Humble Administrators Garden

It's a fairly large garden for such a humble guy.

Moments after I got this shot the area behind HL and Joy filled up with thourists.

Tea House

Joy tried on hats while we walked the gauntlet of shops at the exit of the garden.

More Tiger Hill

This sign should have been at the World Expo in Shanghai. 

Waiting for a customer.

Relaxing in the shade.