We arrived in Taiwan on Christmas Day. Upon arriving in Kaohsiung, we went to a wedding reception. It was a huge venue (with over 700 guests!) and the banquet was delicious. The bride and groom (my father’s friend) wore several different outfits and were presented with a lot of fanfare to the guests. Our first Taiwanese wedding, what a fun experience!
Presenting the first course of the wedding banquet
The next few days were spent exploring with family. On Boxing Day, we traveled to Gung San where my grandparents live. On the way to their house, we stopped by a temple where the ashes of my aunt are kept. She died when she was 8 of thalessemia, and I know my dad and my grandparents have a special place in their hearts for her. My grandparents are doing pretty well considering their age, and we had a nice time visiting with them. I love just being in their presence; it reminds me of all the wonderful times in my childhood that I spent playing with them.
Don't stare at the wildlife!
We also went on a hike with my uncle, cousins, and their kids to Chai Mountain. It was one of the highlights of the trip because Dan got to see monkeys. He loves seeing monkeys on trips! We saw a lot of them, all scampering about and doing lots of climbing! We were staying with my aunt and uncle. They live in the same house as the one I used to spend summers at as a little kid. To me, they are everything that Kaohsiung represents to me. Thank you Big Aunt and Big Uncle!
Hiking with the family
Mixed among all the fun we were having, I did a few presentations on behalf of the university to try and recruit Taiwanese students to attend. These took me around Kaohsiung and back up to Taipei. For the first time that I can recall, we were spending time alone in Taiwan without any hosts or relatives showing us around. It was fun for us to explore on our own for a bit. My aunt, Second Aunt, arranged everything for us to make sure we took advantage of our time in Taipei. We got to see Taipei 101 on one of the last days that it was still the tallest building in the world, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. We also ate at Din Tai Fung, one of our favorite restaurants, and had good beef noodle soup. Yum! One highlight was seeing Mr. and Mrs. K one night for dinner. When I grew up in Cincinnati, they were like my second parents, and I haven’t seen them in years. I spent a lot of time at their house growing up, so it was great to see them again. Thanks for dinner Mr. and Mrs. K! We also took a cooking class which instructed us on many of the basics of Chinese cooking. So much fun! The last day in the north was spent in Hsin Bei Tou, home of world-famous hot springs. We stayed a night at the retro spa, I-Tsun, and got to soak in the rejuvenating hot springs. We even had ramen that used hot springs water in its soup! Thanks, Second Aunt, for your arrangments!
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall with fountains in front
We headed south again to spend more time with family. My great uncle passed away on 1 January 2002, so we went with his family to the temple to pay our respects. One of the traditions is to burn money (fake money) so that the dead are wealthy in heaven. It was the first time that I had been to a military cemetery/temple. The next generation of his family, my dad’s cousins, are some of the most generous, kind people I have ever met. Dan and I are always welcomed by them with open arms every time we see them. Thanks Kwan family!
Apparently you need lots of money in heaven!
Our penultimate full day in Taiwan was spent in Tainan with Aunt LL, my mother’s college roommate. She was born and raised in Tainan and wanted to show us the sights. Tainan has more temples than any other city in Taiwan and as the old capital, much of the Taiwan’s history can be seen in this city. We ate foods we had never had before, saw a fort which looked exactly like the forts in Europe, and visited many temples of the War God, Matsu, and Confucius. It was a great experience, thanks Auntie!
Eating Puffed Sugar in front of Chihkan Tower in Tainan
The last day in Taiwan was for the engagement/wedding party of my cousin, S. She and K have been living in Maryland but decided to tie the knot in their home. They had the most stunning pictures taken for their wedding and the food was fantastic. There were many fun traditions we got to see for the first time. Such as the tea ceremony where the bride serves tea to all the elders (slightly different to the tea ceremony at our wedding). Or when the groom’s side of the family has to leave the room when the fish course is served. It was lovely to be a part of their wedding day!
My beautiful cousin and her hubby with her family
We finally started our journey home. Unlucky for us, we went through Beijing during a record-setting snowstorm. Despite the cold weather, we braved the freezing cold to have an authentic Beijing duck dinner. It was definitely worth the cold!
Delicious duck dinner at DaDong
Miraculously, our flight back to London was on time and smooth and our trains to Aber were fine. It was a relaxing trip which allowed us to recharge fully. You can find the full album with our pictures here. Now we are back home and tomorrow is Dan’s birthday, which in this family, officially marks the end of the holiday season. Happy birthday Dan!
