July 10, 2013 - Walking around Taichung

Today we stopped by the Natural Life Science Museum to check out some of the exhibits that we haven't visited yet.  On our way out we saw a big DNA structure.  It would be so fun to climb, but there was a sign saying, "No Climbing" in English and Chinese.  It looks like people have climbed it before, though, because some of the paint has rubbed off.

Then we headed to lunch at a popular sandwich store.  We were going to stop there before the museum, but the line was sooooo long.  So we ate turnip cake and their specialty, which was a egg and sausage sandwich.  It wasn't like something I would eat every day -- it was kind of plain.  I don't get why the lines were so long.

Time for dinner.  Good night.

Big DNA

Eating a famous sandwich

A giant melting ice cream cone

COOL!

I love art

Watermelon on a popsicle stick

July 8 and July 9, 2013 - violin lesson, Chinese phonetics, and cars

July 8, 2013:

Today I went to my violin lesson and learned a new piece called, "Meditation from Thais" by Jules Massenet.  It is a gentle, slow piece that you would like.  My teacher gave it to me to work on my tone.

After my lesson I learned Chinese phonetics with my mom and grandma.  It is similar to the English alphabet and there are 37 sounds.  I can now read words with the help of these phonetic symbols.



July 9, 2013:

Today we dropped my dad at the train station to go meet some people.  Then my grandpa, mom, Darren, and I went to look for used cars.  We saw a Toyota Previa that was way too expensive -- 1.4 million New Taiwan Dollars (divide by 30 to get to American dollars).  We also saw a Toyota Wish which is the car we rented when we went to Taipei a couple weeks ago.  The Toyota Wish has room for five but then you can pop up two more in the trunk to give you seven seats total.  The price was much better and I think it is a nice car.

I also learned more Chinese and got up to page 50 in my book. 

July 7, 2013 - Performance at Top City

Today Darren and I performed at Top City, which is a super department store with 15 floors.  Maybe you remember it from a previous post I made in June.  The performance was a fundraiser for the native Taiwanese children who don't have money to go to school.  A string ensemble from a local school played four songs first.  Then I played the Bach Sonata #1, 4th movement (Presto).  I played well.  After my performance I got some chocolate covered cherries from the fundraising stand.  Then Darren played with his group from the cello studio.  Darren played very well.

For dinner we went to A-Kuan, a hot pot restaurant.  I had lots of lamb.  It was yummy to my tummy. 

After my performance

Darren before his performance

Darren and his cello teacher

Cello ensemble

Darren gets the microphone

July 5 and July 6, 2013 - shoe shopping

Sorry -- no pictures!

July 5, 2013:

Today we went shoe shopping for Darren and me but were not successful.  We went to RT Mart - one of the places my mom's friend told us to go to find dress shoes.  Darren's shoes are for the performance on Sunday.  We ate sushi for lunch.

Later that night we visited my mom's friends house to play with her two sons, Sammy and Gary.  Sammy is 7 and Gary is 4.  When we got there the boys wanted to play hide and seek.  Their house has five floors, including the garage.  The top floor was dedicated to their two cats.  The cat floor has a balcony with a pond containing fish, which the cats try to catch.


July 6, 2013:

Darren had his weekly cello lesson so I stayed home to practice violin and read.  Later on we went shoe shopping again and found shoes for Darren and sandals for me.  The kids' sandals were too small, so I checked out the smallest women's sandals and they fit me.

July 4, 2013 - Swimming and park

Today we met Enrico at Country Swimming Pool to free swim. There was a waterslide and I went on it many times. The first time it was very slow, because I didn't know I had to lay down. Other than the waterslide, there was a saltwater pool, herbal soaking pool, and a jacuzzi. We played swim under the bridge in the saltwater pool. I got really low.  After swimming we went to Enrico's grandparents place and played Commander Lychee, Captain Apple, and Soldier Banana. Then we went to the park and played Surroundings. There also was my favorite thing on the playground (see pictures below). Enrico and I climbed into one of the benches shaped like an UFO. We walked home and played some more, then drove home.

I am swimming with Enrico and Darren

Coming down the waterslide

Playing "surroundings"

Just hanging around

One of my favorite playground activities

In the UFO/bench

July 3, 2013 - Science Museum with Enrico

Today at 9:30 we met my friend Enrico at the Science Museum.  Enrico is my mom's friend's son.  He is 10 years old and can speak good English.  When we got there we went to the Life Science center first.  There were mechanical moving dinosaurs and they looked pretty realistic.  We also saw a giant beetle in comparison with a teeny elephant.  Their sizes were switched.

Then we went to the giant greenhouse that felt like a jungle.  When we got in, it was more humid than outside.  There was a portion that was like a rainforest with steady rain falling from the ceiling of the greenhouse. 

On the walk home, we all got mango smoothies from DaYung's Tea shop and then stopped for dinner close to our house.  Enrico played at our house for a little while until his grandfather picked him up.

It was fun spending the day with Enrico.

Enrico pressing all of the buttons on the scene

In the earthquake seat

The greenhouse

Giant butterfly outside of the greenhouse

Whoa!

I'm so tall!

Enrico and I on the lever ladders

With the python

Cooling down

All of us drinking mango smoothies

Who are these statues?

July 2, 2013 - Tainan (southern Taiwan)

Today we drove down to Tainan to explore the area.  For lunch we tried "coffin" pot pies, which is a specialty of Tainan.  It is a crispy bread box filled with a pot pie-like filling.  I loved it.

Then we visited Fort Provintia, which is one of the first Dutch forts built (1653).  It was almost destroyed by a typhoon and was restored by the Japanese in 1945.  We stopped by salt fields and the Taiyan salt mountain.  Darren and I had lots of fun climbing up and down the mountain.  Even the stairs were carved out of the salt.

On the way home, we stopped by a roadside vendor and bought some live shrimp, clams, and snails.  We brought them home and my mom cooked them.  They were delicious.  Darren and I were able to peel the shrimp ourselves and my dad was very proud of us.

Square Pot Pie

Fort Provintia built by the Dutch

A vase-shaped doorway

At the salt eco-village

bins of seafood

Climbing up the Taiyan salt mountain

View from the top of the salt mountain

Three monkeys -- the sculpture is made of salt

Salt sculpture

Snow in Taiwan?  Nope.  Salt.