Where did the last month go?

Ok, somehow the last like six weeks disappeared and I managed to blog about nothing.  So, if I can even remember all that we did I will finish blogging about Taiwan (but perhaps not all today). 

So lets see, on day 3 of our trip Mr. Xue (Amy's husband) took Ben and I down to see the ceramics museum in Yingge. It was pretty interesting to learn about the history of pottery in Taiwan and we saw some really beautiful pieces there (unfortunately, since it was a museum we have no photos).  All I really remember is that they apparently made the first modern toilet and in that section of the museum there was a tv screen inside a toilet bowl.  Ooh, speaking of toilets I did take a picture of  a squatter toilet that one would get to use in public (this trip I learned that they were much easier to use in a dress)

After the museum we went down to the old street to buy some bowls and stuff to take home. It took me forever there cause there are so many different things to choose from. When we left there we had 25 rice bowls (8 for us, 7 for the Gwilliams and 10 for the Hongs-we must like them the best!) 

I just liked the signs at the gas station...

That night we got together with my friend Pan Chuan Mei (my new member...but I don't think she's going to church much these days...) and went to see Taipei 101--the tallest building in the world.  It was really cool-we rode the elevator to the top and it was so stinking fast (the world's fastest in fact) that everyone's ears popped cause we were going up to the 89th floor.  We saw all the views of the city and then we walked up 2 more flights of stairs to the outside observation deck-it was really neat, and kinda creepy.

So I obviously didn't take the above picture since we went there at night...but I just wanted to show how seriously tall the building is.  The buildings around it look so tiny, but they're not!  So here is a blurry view out one of the windows.  Pictures through glass at night just don't do it any justice.

Here's Chuan Mei and I standing in front of the giant damper ball.  This thing weighs 600+ tons and serves to reduce the effects of wind so the building doesn't sway when it gets a-blowing.

Ok, now on to day 4, Wednesday.  Ben and I decided to just take it low-key and do a little bit of exploring on our own (I wanted to see if I could remember how to find things).  Well, I couldn't find my old apartment, but we had fun wandering around markets and shops.   

Here's Ben posing with our favorite side-of-the-road treat.  Butter Tire Cakes-they taste kind of like waffles with hot custard in the middle.

I borrowed this vest from Amy cause it was so cold there.  She made me hide my purse under it for safety.

After like a half day of wandering we came home and took a nap I think...never could recover from that darn jet lag.  When we woke up we found that once again they had outdone themselves with some wonderful food.

Ben affectionately called this thing "the jellyfish"-Amy thought that was so funny.  It's like a doughy dumpling with meat in the middle.  He said they were really good.  I got out of eating a lot of food since I was a vegetarian last time everyone saw me.

After my first dinner at Amy's around 4:30 I went with my friend/last companion Ke-ren to have dinner at her place.  Before this trip I had no idea that she had gotten married.  She really made me nervous to meet her husband, but he was a really nice and  friendly guy (he's from Syria and he gave me a really beautiful handmade tablecloth).  

Here's Ke-ren and Aliwawa

Oh, and Ben asked me to get a picture of my first ride on a scooter.  So cute.  It was pouring rain on the way to her apartment, so I was wearing a nice poncho too.

Ok, I finished like half of our trip.  I promise that before 6 more weeks go by I will finish my Taiwan posts.