Taiwan

 This past week was ski week, and we took a trip to Taiwan.   We have been contemplating a trip there for awhile, having heard good things about it from several friends.   Plus Jason and Ethan LOVE the food, so they were particulary interested in going.  So when we found a flight sale, we snatched up tickets.

We have several Taiwanese friends who gave us great recommendations before our trip, and we planned our itneirary with half of our time  in Taipei and the other half in the countryside.

When we got to Taiwan, we noticed a few things right off the bat: it was quiet, orderly, and resepectful.   There were also very few non-asian tourists--our family definitely stood out!

In Taipei, we spent a lot of time walking aound.   The weather was ok--we did go in the rainy season, so we had some intermittent drizzle and clouds, but at least it was not too hot!   

Highlights included the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial and Grounds, and a short hike up Elephant Mountain with views over the city.

  

We also were lucky in that we were there during the beginning of cherry blossom season--and the blooming trees were beautiful.

 

Of course, we did a lot of eating!   Taiwan is known for their soup dumplings, which come in different varieties, but most commonly are made with pork.   

The night markets are legendary, and we enjoyed dinner every night in Taipei at a different one--there were many interesting items, most of which we had never heard of before--things like puffy sweet potato balls that were cooked in a giant wok, and millet donuts--which were like flour donuts but chewier.  Of course, Boba tea is very popular there--it was invented in Taiwan in the 90s--and we enjoyed some every day.

 We rented a car for the second half of the trip and were so pleased with the kindness of the car rental agents--so different than our experiences in Italy!

We first headed North--visiting the cities of Shifen and Jiufen.  These are historical cities nestled in the mountains north of Taipei.   In Shifen, there is a tradition of releasing a lantern with your wishes written on the sides of the lantern.   We each wrote a message and set the lantern free!   

 

Aften touring the towns, we wanted to take a hike, but it started raining, so we canceld that plan and went to the yehliu geopark--which was a coastal park with strange sandstone rock formations.

That night we went to a hot springs hotel--the hotel was a bit run down, but the hot springs were really nice and relaxing.

We decided to spend the next two nights at Sun Moon Lake, a small mountainous lake in the middle of the country.   Unfortunately, when we got there it was cloudy/smoggy and somewhat difficult to appreciate the natural beauty of the area.  We had dinner at a hot pot restaurant where we met a couple from Austraila who were on a biking tour of the entire island for their 70th birthdays--they were in really good shape!!

The next day, we decided to bike a 30km course around the lake.   Though it was intermittently rough (Alaina had a stomachache, some early sections were along a busy road, and all of our bikes were kind of jalopies, with mine requiring regular refilling of a tire and Jason's chain constantly popping off), it turned out to be a very nice ride, and it felt good to get exercise.   Along the way, we saw several temples and visited another town on the lake for lunch.   

 

Our final full day in Taiwan, we headed back to Taipei, with stops at a tea farm to learn the art of Chinese tea making, and for another dumpling lunch at Din Tai Fung.  We returned the rental car and stayed at an airport hotel in order to catch an morning flight on Sunday.   Fortuituously, the annual national lantern festival-which is a Lunar New Year celebration-- was going on nearby our hotel--so we headed out to see the beautiful lanterns, watch some dragon dancers, and of course eat--our last night market in Taiwan.

 

 

A great way to end a great trip!

 

House Woes

We have had a series of house problems over the past week....

It all started when the rains started--we have had nearly 10 inces of rain in the last week--never good for a house!

Last Friday morning, someone crashed into our backyard fence.   The fence is up against a fairly busy road that kids walk to school on, so luckily no one was hurt.  Apparently the driver, who was 17 years old, had a seizure--but she is ok.  The fence, however took a beating.   Luckily, trees behind the fence stopped the car, or else I think the car would have ended up in our backyard.  Here's the pic Alaina snapped from the kitchen:

Then on Tuesday morning, our power went out--but when it came back on our furnace would not restart.   On Wednseday, a repairman came over and found that our crawl space had nearly 3 feet of water inside it, and likley had flooded the air intake into the furnace.

Then on Thrusday, Jason went into the attic and found that a dmall roof leak that we had repaired 2 years ago was leaking again--no ttoo much--and not enough to explain the water in the crawlspace, but still a leak.

Jason was beyond exasperated with all of this,  understandably.  Hopefully the rule of three applies--we have not had three problems, so we should be done for awhile!  Now if only we can fiture out where the water in the crawl space is coming from!

Sweet Sixteen

Yesterday, Ethan turned the big 16!

This happens to make me feel really really old!  He is growing up fast, and becoming so much more independent.  He is now also officially "taller than Grandpa"!

To celebrate, because he did not have school on Wednesday for the Lunar New Year, he had 5 friends up afterschool on Tuesday for a sleepover.   

They had pizza and ice cream sundaes, and enjoyed some hot tub time as well.

   

Sadly, on Ethan's actual birthday, Jason was out of town for an anesthesia conference.   Ethan had a school assignment to see a music performance, so I took him and his best friend to see a show at SF Jazz in the city.  We got some food and ice cream before the show.   I had never been to an SF Jazz show before, but I was super impressed.   The musicians were really good!

 

Jason returned on Sunday afternoon, so we had a family dinner on Sunday night.   Ethan's choice: salt and pepper crab and ice cream cake. (chicken for the non-crab eaters!)

Though we did not give Ethan a car, haha he did enjoy his gift:vRay Ban Sunglasses!

And he has his driver's test scheduled for Feb 25!