World by Noelle

HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!!

Posted on April 1st, 2006 by tallgirl.
Categories: travel, taiwan.

For all of you, I will try to read Taiwanese. And try to upload pictures to flickr. But, I cannot guarantee that I’ll be able to do so. But, since I was able to do it, with someone else’s help, check out the pics from last night’s post - and today’s!

Last night, after dinner, we went to Carrefour - a French (I think) grocery store. I love going to grocery stores in other countries, just because they’re so fascinating! The stuff they have is great. While in Thailand last year, I was unable to thrill you with fabulous pictures of foodstuffs or other products (they won’t let you take pictures, apparently they think you are going to steal ideas or something - sheesh!), but this year, you can see Wine Kitkats!! There will be more pictures to come when I return - but Flickr has a limit to how much I can upload, since I’m not a paying customer. Maybe I should look into that…

Today, on Saturday April 1st, we went to see this GIANT Buddha. (The picture is NOT the Giant One - I think that one is sadly a little blurry - and I don’t want to upload that one w/o knowing for sure.) And all the stuff that goes with it. It’s very interesting to me - the Taiwanese Christians really don’t understand their own country-people’s religions. The folks we wandered around with were as clueless about the Buddha-related images as I was. I mean, even though I don’t always understand all of it, I try to know at least a bit, so I can explain to people. When I was in Thailand, Suthee was able to explain it all, but then again, he and his wife are Buddhist… The entire thing was gorgeous. It’s built on a hillside and we wandered up and up. Linda was unable to come with, as she still has her boot on, but she was privileged with being able to see a Buddhist funeral. She was also fed by a Taiwanese family, perhaps on a pilgrimage.

On the way to the Buddha, we went to a grocery store near the PingTung Presbytery office (which is where we are staying) and it had this fabulous little statue outside it - I don’t understand it, at all, but it’s great - dontcha think? Except that I’m now realizing that my feet are switched - I’ll have to correct that before we leave Pingtung on Monday or Tuesday. We drove through the city, saw some crazy cars (and crazy driving, let me tell you!) and saw these crazy things - kinda gross, in my opinion…

We drove back and on the way had lunch - we were purposely trying to have a light lunch, because the meals in the evening are so big. And tonight we’re going to eat with the General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan’s General Assembly. So, it was a little late, as usual, but it was good. My goal was to have veggies - and I sure acheived that. Maybe it was more mushrooms than veggies, but I loved the selection of mushrooms. My meal was with a veggie soup, a sweet potato and then this delicious veggie/mushroom and noodle dish. Good times. At the grocery store, they have a huge wall of mushrooms - all kinds. It’s great. All the meals here, so far, come with drinks and dessert. Today’s was great - the dessert was like a green tea/chamomile jello - I know it sounds odd. But it was good and refreshing. And strange looking, but fine! At this point in my day, I know y’all are sleeping, so I will run away.

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