tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70111891769933080432011-08-18T08:05:08.933-07:00This is a blog to document my time in SE Asia with Jonathan and Nolan. I hope that you check it regularly and keep in touch. Don't forget to "follow" the blog!Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.comBlogger1631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-62849226576834182262011-05-24T22:16:00.000-07:002011-05-24T22:17:21.899-07:00

We got to spend a few days with our good friends from Thailand when they were coming through Portland...it was a great time and great to see them. We also made a weekend trip down to San Francisco with them, it was a really good trip full of good conversation and laughs. I still can't believe that we drove that far in two days! It was a great experience. The trolly from back in the day, still

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-81745838140341645222011-05-24T22:10:00.000-07:002011-05-26T09:44:13.093-07:00

This was a really cool coffee shop called Ma'velous in San Francisco. Great coffee, the guy cares a lot about coffee and carries coffee from some of the best roasters in the world. Very cool, we had some espressos and caps which were superb. Cool atmosphere too. Having coffee here put the icing on the cake for our trip to SF. http://maveloussf.com/

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-34968265551639867662011-05-24T22:01:00.000-07:002011-05-24T22:02:32.316-07:00

I got to take a great hike with my best friend Aaron, he took the day off work and we had a great time, after we finished up eating at a Chinese Bistro, which was pretty good and, thanks to groupon, got a $30 meal for $5.Prior to the hike...Aaron helped me get all outfitted with Mountain Hard Wear gear...so nice! There was nearly no body hiking that day. I think we only saw one group of people

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-28139865204702549462011-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:002011-05-26T09:45:06.928-07:00

It snowed while I was back and that was awesome to see. I was really hoping for snow since it doesn't snow in Taiwan.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-68884286122547492792011-05-24T21:51:00.000-07:002011-05-26T09:45:33.474-07:00

It's always good to see grandpa and grandma. This trip I got to spend almost an entire day with both, it was a really neat and I got to pick their brains and ask them about the past. Really interesting. Grandma made one of our favorite dishes for the two of us, basically a pot roast (potatoes, carrots, kielbasaand sour kraut)...mmmmm...so good! Thanks grandma.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-46343051140407198162011-05-24T21:44:00.000-07:002011-05-24T21:45:17.823-07:00

I got to see many good friends and their babies for the first time. It was great.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-20430452078075480182011-05-24T21:34:00.000-07:002011-05-24T21:35:22.943-07:00

It was really nice to be back in the US for Christmas (and a couple months after), spending time with family, good friends.We ate really good food. Opened some presents. ...and played a lot of wii.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-41744602690146141372011-05-13T22:29:00.000-07:002011-05-13T22:29:19.694-07:00

Hey everybody! I just want to apologize for the lack of attention and updates to my blog over the recent months. I intend to keep it updated and will begin updating soon. Thank you for your patience and I hope you continue learning and enjoying the pictures and the things I experience in Taiwan and on other travels. A couple things before I post....I have a friend who goes to church with us

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-25590155938207014342010-11-19T09:24:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:25:58.188-08:00

Sandra's cousin had a birthday party so we hung out in a town called Linkou all day a few Sundays ago. It was pretty fun, we went to a steak house with an all you can eat salad bar, then went back to Sandra's cousin's house and let the dogs attack each other. We then went to a walk in a temple/park area, it was pretty nice and relaxing and Yuan Yuan (Sandra's dog) jumped on us and got us all

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-5182859434603864722010-11-19T09:14:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:15:16.563-08:00

Here are a couple of my classes dressed up for Halloween week, kind of fun, we went trick-or-treating to other classrooms....the funny thing is, we sing all sorts of Halloween songs that I have never heard of before...I remember one of my co-teachers asked me to sing a Halloween song and I thought for a second...and was really confused because I don't ever remember singing songs...I only remember

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-44165828065338102182010-11-19T09:07:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:10:58.789-08:00

Funny story because I was walking down the street with my girlfriend and two women pulled their scooter and started asking Sandra questions in Chinese...I had no idea what they were talking about until Sandra told me that they wanted to me to model the next day. I agreed, so I became a model overnight...the story has much more detail and gets even funnier, but that is a story for another time...

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-79488263903334852172010-11-19T08:58:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:00:01.557-08:00

We are in the mountains on our way to Yilan, a very beautiful place on the north eastern side of Taiwan.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-53589265425898668832010-11-19T08:55:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:02:24.082-08:00

...well, it wasn't really camping because we stayed in a lodge, but many Taiwanese people consider this camping because it is high up in the mountains. And it was high, we were basically in a cloud. It was a little cool because it felt like we were in mist for half the time due to the cloud...I wish it would have been sunny. It was still awesome regardless. We went with the same family that we

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-62213178061269725552010-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:44:35.993-08:00

Sandra got baptized on her birthday, August 29th, it was pretty unique to her to be baptized on her birthday and fun to watch.This is her speaking in front of the church, giving her testimony.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-54556312526956307402010-11-19T08:40:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:41:07.166-08:00

We went to this cool warf/port area on the western coast of Taiwan, it was pretty fun and the sunset was beautiful. Edward, Grace, Tom, Jerry (yep, like the cartoon), Sandra and I. The whole western side of Taiwan is covered with these concrete blocks, someone told me once it was in defense of China, so they won't be able to bring boats to shore easily...not sure exactly.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-51522579426755631642010-11-19T08:34:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:34:28.046-08:00

We flew into Seattle and almost directly getting off the plane decided to go to the infamous "Space Needle". I haven't been up it since I was a small child and it's such an icon in the Pacific Northwest. It was really fun, but it took a very long time to go up and down on a Sunday. We waited for 1/2 hour just to go to the top, which took about 1.5 minutes due to the high speed elevator. Then

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-68208923395691295302010-11-19T08:26:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:34:41.551-08:00

We got to spend some time in Portland with Jonathan and Margi, it was a really great time to see them and all of the family...it was also really fun to have all the groomsmen at the same place, it was, as you would say in Chinese, a 好久不見 moment, "long time no see". Definitely a good time. Breakfast with the groomsmen. It was tasty! Just hanging out with Jonathan and Margi. Yep, they are

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-63923739176046525422010-11-19T08:20:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:34:55.319-08:00

Sandra and I had a blast playing in the sun at the beach. It was a perfect day, so beautiful and not much wind. Aunt Sherry met us at the coast, it was pretty fun to see her and her pups, Sandra really enjoyed playing with the dogs. Yep, that is me swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and you know....it wasn't really that cold, it was an amazing day, sunny, hot and very little wind.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-29646539577955674792010-11-19T08:14:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:35:09.897-08:00

One of the things Sandra wanted to do was to lay down and take a nap on the grass in the sun...let's just say that there aren't a lot of parks with nice clean grass in Taiwan...or at least where we live...it was very nice. Sandra felt on top of the world at the top of Skinners Butte (or is it Spencers? I always get them mixed up) in Eugene. We met Steven and Aisha at the Original House of

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-75753294618895186142010-11-19T08:08:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:09:18.085-08:00

Apparently there is some guy that looks exactly like me on a bunch of buses driving all over the city I live in. Wait a second, I think that is actually me!?!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-1382941024172786512010-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:35:37.283-08:00

I went on a hike with Sandra's extended family, it was pretty fun and we saw some amazing things, you wouldn't believe how large some of the insects are in a tropical area. Apparently, the butterflies are very tame too. This butterfly was flying around me and I just put my hand out and it landed on it, never thought that would happen. I thought it was so fascinating, then the weirdest thing

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-47710025791343856452010-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:35:26.196-08:00

This is Sandra's sister, some of her cousins in addition to her and I. This is the first interaction with a muntant worm...this thing is massive. Yep, it's an ordinary earth worm except for the fact that it is about a foot and a half long, crazy!!!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-58485651095552997002010-11-11T00:10:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:35:55.981-08:00

We took a trip with a family that Sandra knows to a mountain called "Meaw Li" it was a great time. We got to see many things and had a lot of fun. The next few blog posts are dedicated to this trip and what we did. This is a picture of a lake (not sure if it is natural or man-made), it was very beautiful. On the right is a aboriginal lodge/museum, on the left is some sort of a coffee house/

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-68500695752878827642010-11-10T23:59:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:36:11.385-08:00

I bought some of the honey produced by the bees on and around the mountain. This honey was not like any other honey I have tasted, it was very sweet and had a natural fruity flavor to it...very neat. You can see the queen, she has a natural blue bead on her back and is about twice as long as the worker bees. I thought it was fake or painted on, then as I got a closer look, it was actually part

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-64327504267511092842010-11-10T23:36:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:36:25.504-08:00

The bee hives The air was so clean and fresh, it was a great day. This is the suspention bridge that overlooks a waterfall, very cool and an amazing sight, but too many people. Don't "scramble" over the handrail....haha.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-45166268127207230332010-11-10T23:28:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:36:37.678-08:00

This was a really cool waterfall/body of water that we hiked to...it was really nice except for all the people including locals and tour groups. We walked through a small bamboo forest, it was pretty neat. This is a garden/cafe that we visited, it has many different kinds of flowers and plants, pretty cool. The path through the flowers.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-45690395602677449042010-11-10T23:23:00.000-08:002010-11-19T08:36:51.389-08:00

We took a day trip to the mountain (Meow Li, I believe) with a family that Sandra knows. It was really fun and relaxing. We visited this little cafe-type of place in the mountain, the food was good, the coffee was not bad and the view and company was excellent. This is Sandra, Grace and her son Jerry. They had these neat rocks with figures and animals painted on them, this one was pretty

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-43637848398900850562010-07-30T06:31:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:31:14.130-07:00

Nolan has done it again!  Nice job on the video Nolan.  This is about some of our adventures in Malaysia.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-20350837615298528602010-07-07T02:56:00.000-07:002010-07-07T02:56:04.779-07:00

Summer in Taiwan has officially begun!  Not only has it been very hot here in Taiwan, it has also been very humid.  Some days the wind doesn't blow very hard and when you combine hot weather and humid air with no wind, it gets a little unbearable.  Otherwise, earlier in the morning and the evenings usually are pretty nice.  I enjoy warm weather, but not too warm. My school is putting on summer

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-17404730000683418652010-07-04T19:35:00.000-07:002010-07-04T23:38:23.282-07:00

Sandra and my trip to Fulung was pretty fun. The weather wasn't too bad...but it was really humid and pretty hot and it rained no us, hahha....but for the most part it was tolerable. When we were on the train, we had to put Yuan Yuan in a bag...she didn't like that much, hahah. When we got to Fulung, we rented bikes and took a short bike tour, which was about 1 mile each way through an old

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-84067416991114360652010-07-04T19:22:00.000-07:002010-07-04T23:38:33.929-07:00

Sandra between two funny characters made of metal. Yuan Yuan finally figured out that she didn't have to be cramped in a ball when she was in the basket. She has pretty good balance, I have to admit. This was pretty funny too, when I would ride the bike fast or down a hill her ears would fill up with air and stick out to the sides...I had some good laughs and YY loved it. Myself, Sandra and

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-75588707941521633252010-07-04T08:09:00.000-07:002010-07-04T23:38:44.547-07:00

This is a long railroad tunnel that has now been retired, people can walk or ride bikes through it. I found it pleasantly pleasing as the air inside kept cool while it was hot, humid and sticky outside...it was a nice break from the sweltering heat for a short time. Me doing the Asian handsome face. Yep, Yuan Yuan was pretty tired, she actually stayed on her back while I heald her, haha.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-533886966574647822010-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:002010-07-04T23:38:56.656-07:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-64815268255387615812010-07-03T19:58:00.000-07:002010-07-04T23:39:06.649-07:00

Over the Dragon Boat Festival Sandra and I went to Fulung to ride bikes and visit the coast...it was really fun, but is was so hot and muggy out. The air was so clean and fresh to breath though...it was like being back in Oregon. At first Yuan Yuan had a tough time getting situated in the basket, which I thought was hilarious. Being so long and skinny can be a little awkward sometimes when you

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-13183289352245856882010-07-03T19:49:00.000-07:002010-07-03T19:50:42.897-07:00

This is Emil, he hurt his neck after working out...but it was bugging him a lot and he decided to go to the doctor. The doctor proceeded to tell him that he needed to have a disk or a vertebrae replaced (I can't remember which). Either way, it was going to be a costly ordeal, not the operation because most of that is paid for, but the part was going to be quite expensive. Anyway, after agonizing

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-78783740750256095632010-07-03T19:38:00.000-07:002010-07-03T19:39:02.892-07:00

We celebrated my birthday at TGIFridays. Nolan, his wife Erica and Emil. One of my students' moms got me this cake, so nice...it tasted really good too, I believe it had raspberry filling. It cracked me up when I saw this little panda. It was about 6" in diameter. Sandra made me this bouquet of flowers out of playdoh for my birthday, hahahh. She also got me a nice backpack because mine was

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-90029593606440029312010-07-03T19:31:00.000-07:002010-07-03T19:32:18.297-07:00

Sandra and I met her sister (and her friend) for tea and snacks in Tapei. It was pretty fun, the tea was awesome and the little snacks were pretty tasty also. We met up with her brother a little later and went to a very popular restaurant. Once we got into the restaurant, the waiting line to get into the restaurant got really long and extended about 50 yards back. We had something called eel

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-48029997592694030842010-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:51:40.693-07:00

This is Sandra's dog and I.  Her name is Yuan Yuan which literally means round round. hahah.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-50900284748423432562010-04-29T20:49:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:49:44.106-07:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-82885116377191013142010-04-29T20:48:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:48:46.828-07:00

So...I'm officially a model now! The school took pictures of some of us for advertisements. Here are some of the pics. I'm not sure what the advertisements will be, but someone told me that some of the pictures might be on the sides of buses.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-89386042586784331102010-04-29T20:36:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:37:45.018-07:00

Oyster omletts, so good! These are called oil noodles, noodles with lamb, so good! Lamb soup with thin slices of ginger these were little mini steamed pork dumplings

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-70506567873315663892010-04-29T20:28:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:28:41.807-07:00

Sandra and I went out to this little restaurant and it was awesome, we will definitely revisit this place. Normally I eat street food or if I got to a restaurant, it usually isn't this good, so it was a treat for me.Tea and teapotThis is what our meal consisted of: a clam and vegetable soup, a pork dish with assorted vegetables, a mutton meat dish with assorted vegetables, squash soup with tea

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-18054472395350070752010-04-29T20:24:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:25:12.544-07:00

Tofu soaking in a soy-type of sauce with some herbs. Clam soup, with assorted vegetables. This is a close up of the pork dish.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-68672731454892439262010-04-29T19:58:00.000-07:002010-04-29T19:59:25.157-07:00

This is a dumpling soup with lots of vegetables and noodles. Here is a noodle soup with oysters and a cilantro type herb to give it a little extra zing. I added some spicy sauce to give it a little extra kick, that is why it has a reddish tint. One thing I've really enjoyed about Taiwan is eating oysters. I don't eat them all the time, but when I have the opportunity, I get them. Sandra and I

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-18688017323845385182010-04-29T19:52:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:00:15.928-07:00

I got some really good dumplings at this little place that sets up shop just a little walk from where I live. This is more of a dumping wrap, it had beef, and a few different types of vegetables in it...it was amazing. These dumplings were amazing as well, they were stuffed with pork and vegetables, then fried...some of the best dumplings I have eaten so far. I think I will go to this place

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-27262818309420022552010-04-29T19:42:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:01:40.682-07:00

Snake Alley is a famous place in Taipei, Taiwan. Snakes are supposed to be some type of male enhancer because they are long. Not sure when people started believing that either snakes would make men bigger in certain ways or they are a substitute for Viagra, but...I'm sure that many men...and women have been disappointed over the years because of this belief. This part is a little graphic..."IF

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-77467067268102578112010-04-29T19:25:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:01:20.194-07:00

These are different kinds of dried fish and spices in Snake Alley.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-9731425108025717932010-04-26T23:44:00.000-07:002010-04-26T23:47:14.602-07:00

This it it! The hotel that looks like a temple, it's pretty popular, actually.Emil, being his usual self. (Sorry for the blury pic)A view from the hotel parking lot. It was a little overcast. Inside the hotel...it was decently nice, interesting architecture.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-16787963880026313472010-04-26T23:36:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:00:56.406-07:00

This is inside the hotel, some kind of metal art. A dragon fountain, pretty interesting. I think the English was wrong, because I'm pretty sure the Chinese said, "Please take pictures!" So I did!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-35462516598763212722010-03-23T09:37:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:04:27.296-07:00

One of our friends brought us this fruit back from the south of Taiwan, the English name is custard apple...it was really good! There are a bunch of little pockets of fruit in here and they all have seeds in them. You don't eat the seeds, so you just pull the fruit off the seed. Very tasty! I have eaten this a few times now...it is like rice porridge. This is filled with all sorts of

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-21268410016010788822010-03-23T09:26:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:05:58.251-07:00

You probably remember my note a while back about Nolan and I trying to get to Danshui to visit our friends by scooter...we never made it. Update - somewhere along the trip we apparently ran a red light and we ended up getting tickets, that was a bummer...not only did we not find our destination, we also had to really pay for it, hahah. Anyway, we tried a different route and made it this time,

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-7515346996798904402010-03-23T09:13:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:08:33.805-07:00

This guy played some kind of a shell instrument, he was really good...I felt like it would just put me to sleep if I stood there too long. This is a Turkish guy who sells Turkish ice cream. He puts ice cream on a cone with a metal stick, and the ice cream is so sticky that it sticks to the metal stick, he then plays games swirling it around people, its pretty interesting...they try to grab it,

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-25820223284115094202010-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:10:14.750-07:00

We stopped by a famous restaurant in Danshui. We had meatballs and Ah Gey. Danshui is famous for Ah Gey, you can't just get this anywhere in Taiwan. It was really good. On the left is the Ah Gey, on the right are the meatballs...they are not the kind of meatballs that you would usually think of. It's more like a meatball in the middle of a rice-flour gelatin casing. Inside the Ah Gey is

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-74797572452484768872010-03-23T08:53:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:12:53.676-07:00

 We made a trip to Ying Ge with our friend Anita and her family...it was a lot of fun. If you want handmade pottery, or just any kind of pottery or dishware, Ying Ge is the place to go, it is about a 1/2 hour scooter ride from where I live. It is a pretty cool place, not to mention, there is a lot of good food there too. I tried hot fresh squeezed orange juice for the first time in my life

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-61339882107100056312010-03-23T08:42:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:15:13.341-07:00

We stopped by many pottery shops, this was the one we bought our stuff at. These are handmade teapots, they cost anywhere from $60 and up. So many tea pots. These were all the handmade teapots and sets. More handmade teapots.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-73695689145932901862010-03-23T08:35:00.000-07:002010-03-23T09:30:42.069-07:00

This is sticky rice in a leaf...I can't remember what kind of leaf it is. This was my sticky rice...to my surprise it had bacon and other seasoning in it....it was so good! This is Mark, our friend Anita's son. He bought some different kinds of tofu for us to try...it was really good. They had tofu with different texture and different tastes. We saw this band, they were nice to listen to.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-65824435383175738962010-03-23T08:28:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:14:31.252-07:00

After looking at all the pottery, we stopped for dessert. This was a very interesting bean/tofu dessert in a bath of tea. It was pretty tasty. This was the dessert that I got. It had a couple different types of beans in it with sweet tea and tofu. Me stuck in a striking pose!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-68150780504745602282010-03-23T08:24:00.000-07:002010-03-23T08:25:07.756-07:00

We had cookies and tea with Anita's family after we came back from Ying Ge. It was great!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-66772099600860435872010-02-12T20:18:00.000-08:002010-02-12T20:19:09.831-08:00

We went to the airport on the way home to watch planes land right over our heads. It was awesome, I have never been that close to a plane landing before...they were right above our heads.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-55839223554644235142010-02-12T20:15:00.000-08:002010-03-24T09:16:35.348-07:00

We found a tank...the sign said do not play on...but we couldn't read it because it was in Chinese! Emil found out the hard way...he got stuck in front of the tank and lost a leg...it was so painful to watch...I had to ride him back on my scooter while he kicked and screamed....it's okay, we found an old baseball bat that we used as a replacement for his leg...Today, it's like he never even

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-33737661529114989092010-02-12T20:09:00.000-08:002010-02-12T20:11:08.205-08:00

I have never seen so much fresh sashimi and in such large cuts. I wanted to eat this sashimi so bad. It was kind of spendy though. Next time!I believe this was salmon. I believe tuna is on the left and salmon is on the right. Sashimi packages

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-1338058681158629612010-02-12T20:04:00.000-08:002010-02-12T20:26:26.279-08:00

I can't remember what kind of fish this is, but I know it's a deep sea dweller. More octopus and fish. Fish Head. Yummy, fish head soup anyone?!? King crab...it was pretty big.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-74675388514012892592010-02-12T19:59:00.000-08:002010-02-12T20:26:50.255-08:00

I went to the coast close to where I live...about a 40 minute scooter ride. I found all sorts of amazing looking seafood...I wanted to eat it all! Unfourtunatly, I only ate a little bit, just some fried squid. Squid I'm not sure what this is...eel, maybe snake fish. Huge Octopus tenticals

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-6305772903989480012010-02-12T06:24:00.000-08:002010-02-12T20:28:06.154-08:00

Here is the fried squid I ate, it was really good and really fresh. Here is some more squid. This was a little (well actually kind of big, about 8" long) Tiger Prawn. I named him Sam! Sam actually posed and smiled for the camera! If I had more room I may have taken him home as a pet, fattened him up, then fried him up when he was just the right size.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-74533919228986408712010-02-12T05:42:00.000-08:002010-02-12T05:43:41.126-08:00

We really enjoy this place. You pick a plate and pick out whatever food you want, meat, vegetables, fried food, whatever and they charge you by the pound...or not really by the pound, its more like they look at the plate from a couple different angles, then say a price. I think maybe we should nickname it "by the mood" in stead of charge "by the pound" because they don't even weigh it, they just

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-27987145539483042252010-02-04T22:51:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:52:13.865-08:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-48340748082621532562010-02-04T22:47:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:53:04.295-08:00

Nolan, Michael and I This guy was doing a workout at the top of the mountain...hanging upside down! We saw a few chairs randomly on the hike...huh? We found Godzilla, he almost bit me!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-54799774466053973352010-02-04T22:42:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:49:56.533-08:00

Tiger Head Mountain: Is a small mountain, big hill close to where we live...it is better described as a bunch of little mountains in one area. It is a nice little hike and a good place to get away from the city if you have a little bit of time. We hiked for about an hour, stopping a few times to goof around and take pictures. Nolan and I at breakfast before hiking. Michael took us here, his

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-10066669003397295232010-02-04T22:29:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:32:28.815-08:00

2010 Annual Teachers Banquet...the food was good and the people were fun. They also did a CASH raffle, a bunch of $NT600 (about $20 US) envelopes, some $NT1000 (about $30 US) , $NT2000 (about $60 US) and one $NT3000 (about $90 US). Guess who won the only $NT3000 envelope, yep...it was me. Luck of the draw I guess, I can't believe it. All the people at my table. Vicky, Fifi and I Kyrstie

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-47759023175327414522010-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:32:18.510-08:00

This is a picture of some of the foreign teachers, many of us live in the teachers dorm. Isa, Sandra, and me. Nolan and Steve Not sure what exactly we are doing here!

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-7099698363249924812010-02-04T22:03:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:03:12.697-08:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-37128147066779436322010-02-04T06:22:00.000-08:002010-02-04T07:02:40.751-08:00

It is much easier to find a destination using the Ariel view of Google Maps than it is to find it when you are on a scooter in an unknown land. A few days ago, Nolan and I set out to ride our scooters to Danshui, about 1.5 hours from where we live, to visit some friends. It was a trip of disappointments, unfortunately.  We set out at about 9:30am, after about 20-30 minutes of driving we

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-89429475007364105102010-01-29T21:50:00.000-08:002010-01-29T22:09:38.361-08:00

I get 70 miles to the gallon on this hog! This is my trusty scooter! I just bought it about a week ago. I got a really good deal on it, really a blessing. First I must explain the situation: I usually have to teach at multiple different schools within my organization, the best and easiest (and most practical) way to travel is by scooter. The bus system is not always reliable, sometimes the

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-69919562672556786102010-01-28T19:24:00.001-08:002010-01-28T19:24:17.041-08:00

The Mosquito Challenge Ever since I arrived in Taiwan I have been accustomed to playing (more like forced to play) this game “find the mosquito”. Here is how it works: I go into my room at night usually noticing a few obvious mosquitoes flying around, so I either smash them on the wall or in mid-air flight if I can.  The game begins, the object of the game is to find where the mosquitoes like to

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-40869934481682575792010-01-22T08:34:00.000-08:002010-01-22T08:35:16.964-08:00

So Jon, Julia and I went to this hot spring place. We assumed that they would have communal hotspring pools...well, we weren't exactly wrong, they did have communal pools (about 5 of them). For some reason, they were all drained and looked like they had been out of use for quite some time. Anyway, backing up, prior to seeing the pools, the staff (which spoke not one word of English) would not

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-2097519539009312982010-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:002010-01-22T06:38:30.547-08:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-61045332307931429752010-01-22T06:34:00.000-08:002010-01-22T06:35:43.403-08:00

Jon (another teacher) and I Jon and Julia (also a teacher)

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-40665777594016086632010-01-05T08:26:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:36:46.160-08:00

We had some amazing dumpling/pot stickers here, I forgot to get a picture when we had all the dumplings, I guess they were just so good that I couldn't stop to take a picture.  We had some steamed dumplings and some fried.  They cost about 4-5 NT each (which is about 15 cents with the exchange rate at 32NT to $1).  We also got hot and sour soup (for either NT35 or NT50, I can't remember) and chow

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-75871610218344666762010-01-05T08:23:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:25:27.261-08:00

This was (a park built) on top of an old military structure (not sure if it was USA or Japanese), we could see pretty far as it was on top of a hill. Good place to setup a long range cannon back in the day I guess. Looking out to the ocean. Nolan and I.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-84876658941124674412010-01-05T08:16:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:36:25.758-08:00

Why do I get the feeling that everywhere I went a hand wanted to touch my butt...well, this is a hand chair, they had many of these(maybe even as many as 100). They were in front of just about every statue or peice of art in the complex. This concave structue is designed in such a way that if you stand in the middle you can hear your own echo, it was pretty neat. Depending on where others

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-12177250103706396752010-01-05T08:07:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:36:11.301-08:00

All of the stuff in this temple/park complex is symbolic to some extent...but I had no idea what most of the stuff was for or the significance of it. This is some kind of huge turtle The pig in the middle was a little crazy looking. A huge red bull with a figure under it's head...maybe a buddha, I can't remember.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-1882214625213091102010-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:35:08.662-08:00

This is the light house...I guess. That is what Troy called it at least. These concrete blocks are crazy...they don't just use huge rocks like in the US, they actually form hundreds of these "Jacks" Us...on the "Jacks"

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-71601501484837814932010-01-05T07:56:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:34:49.762-08:00

Troy and Jessica's apartment. Funny monkey sculpture/bridge cave.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-69655377355336151192010-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:002010-01-05T08:41:52.572-08:00

We visited Troy and Jessica on New Years weekend, so we went to the hot springs. Funny story, on the way back from the hot springs, the weather decided to change.  It began to pour down rain on us for the entire 30-40 minute scooter ride, we were all completely soaked.  I hit a puddle and water splashed over my scooter and all over me, it was like someone poured a 5-gallon bucket of water on me

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-23131114740101482902009-12-24T20:38:00.000-08:002009-12-24T20:38:38.993-08:00

Merry Christmas! It doesn't really feel like Christmas here, I rarely see a Christmas tree or Christmas lights.  I sometimes hear Christmas music coming from Starbucks or the mall, though.  It just kind of feels like another day.  But, I know that we celebrate Christmas not for the feelings and gifts, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Just because it doesn't feel the same, does not mean

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-21596334413984945192009-12-06T22:07:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:13:53.456-08:00

Had to get a picture of this...don't worry, I didn't try it...I didn't want Mad Swine Disease. These were really good. It looks like an ordinary roll, but it has meat inside. These were like round seafood pancakes, they were pretty good, but I stuck mine into my mouth too quickly and it was incredibly hot (microwave hot) and burned my tounge. Luke did the same thing I did, you can probably

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-52937082149753798262009-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:14:19.102-08:00

These are pigeon eggs, they are so tasty, we tried them in Thailand also...one of my favorite treats. This is some kind of dessert, we didnt try it, but something like a cherry with berries in the middle. This was a little crazy...so normally people will just purchase sausages...at this stand, you have the option to gamble to get a lower price by rolling dice. The goal of the game is to

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-34248035925493181852009-12-06T21:55:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:14:28.476-08:00

This is Lawerance, one of out Taiwanese friends we met at a conversational English class. This is an Oyster omlete and pork stew of some sort...good for the soul. If you're sick, pork soup is great, so we hear. Luke and Stanely Jonathan, Lawerance and Nolan

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-66170203312629078902009-12-06T21:50:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:14:40.463-08:00

Jonathan took his share of the pigs blood rice cake dipped in nuts and green onions, sick! Here is a closer look, after we all tried it. Stanely took us around the market. He is holding up some kind of Japanese salad. It was very interesting. It was some sort of doughy-sprout salad with corn, dried pork, tuna, seaweed, mayo and other stuff on top. I'm still not sure what most of this is,

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-88551580943556156422009-12-06T21:42:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:28:47.577-08:00

Sunset in Danshui One of our amazing view in Danshui This is a picture of one of the old hot spring pools, I believe it was a Japanese spa at one point in time many years ago.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-31766335052604855922009-12-06T21:38:00.000-08:002009-12-06T21:38:53.036-08:00

Some guy enjoying the free hot spring area. I believe this is close to where the water comes out of the earth. More steam.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-9916792310645835982009-12-06T21:35:00.000-08:002009-12-06T21:36:16.545-08:00

We have been staying in Danshui with friends and at the YWAM base. Danshui is northwest of Taipei, about 45 minutes from downtown taipei.This is just some random picture...thought it was kind of funny.We visited Beitou Hot Springs on our third day in Taiwan. Beitou Hot Springs. They clear the place out and clean it every few hours. The pools start out very hot, on the top right, and

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-7674275515238877592009-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:18:56.874-08:00

Danny needed to make room because he is expanding the recording studio for his music ministry.  We turned four rooms into one large room.  They will also expand one of the apartments across from the studio.  These are the rooms that Nolan and I lived in for 2.5 months.  So sad...my room...gone! Dtan working hard. What a mess, we started with 4 rooms and ended with 1! The remains of the room

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-44751857408853497422009-12-06T21:25:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:25:52.411-08:00

Nolan doing some damage. This was a massive Christmas tree in a mall, Thailand. I think it was something like 5 stories tall. The national prayer conference.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-56003332314127945532009-11-28T05:37:00.000-08:002009-11-28T05:37:04.080-08:00

Hello Everyone, I appologise for not blogging lately.  We have been really busy.  We arrived in Taiwan about two weeks ago and are trying to get settled in.  We have had a tough time finding a coffee shop with wifi, that is open before noon (and that has a power outlet plug in).  We have mainly been going to a gammer internet cafe, so we haven't been able to use our laptops as much.  Once we

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-52889479133916809622009-11-10T23:23:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:24:15.541-08:00

The top of the Queen's Botanical Garden overseeing the hills. Tan and Gai, they live with us at Danny's house.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-56558827493975932082009-11-10T23:19:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:24:25.472-08:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-28587231780989217852009-11-10T23:15:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:24:35.532-08:00

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-34724690277228303472009-11-10T23:13:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:24:49.044-08:00

This was a really cool structure made of bamboo. Nolan, wanted to destroy the pillars, but they were built too tough, sorry Nolan.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011189176993308043.post-12071397011413611592009-11-10T23:09:00.000-08:002009-11-10T23:25:00.134-08:00

Nolan drinking out of the water jar. Families used to have these outside their houses for people to drink out of when they walked past. These leaves are huge, about 4'x3', wow.

Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10532143909570593653noreply@blogger.com0