Sunday Fundays

Sunday is our only day off here at Gloria, so it's important to make the most of our day of rest. More times than not, this means a trip to the capital (Taipei). Last week, I hiked 9-5 peak outside of Taipei with a couple friends. The view wasn't spectacular since it was incredibly foggy, but what a climb! It just got steeper and steeper until finally we needed ropes to climb. Thankfully they're already in place! The mountain was full of temples and little shrines, along with the Chinese character for Buddha (佛) carved into various rocks. Taiwan is full of temples scattered about the cities, a major convenience for those that need to get their pray on. I definitely plan on making it here again, so stand by for a picture with a clear view of Taipei.

Trevor on the ropes

Today we went to Jiufen. It's a bit touristy, but it had a lot of neat little stores to check out. Small alley streets and shops selling Taiwan souvenirs among other things. It was a good chance for everybody to do some Christmas shopping and hang out with a couple folks who are leaving this week. I had my first tea house experience. We got a lesson in how to properly prepare a pot of tea, which for some reason includes pouring water ON the teapot. The building looked like it was out of a different era, almost like being taken back 100 years ago. We drank our tea outside with the lights of the city behind us. When the fog rolled in, it kinda felt like we were on a pirate ship or something. The shopping resumed after we left the tea house. 

Find of the day (aside from my newly acquired ocarina shaped like Taiwan) :

I wanna know the person who thinks this is something they just 'need' in their living room. 

The beautiful view from Jiufen

That's it for now. Who knows what next week has in store.

-迪龍 out