SME's Adventure
SME and Doug arrived safely in Kaohsiung(Gow-shung), Taiwan. They will be spending the next 3 weeks in Taiwan, visiting Doug's son, Paul and his wife Juliet. SME got a bit airsick, from the turbulence, toward the end of their 12 hr flight, but she's feeling fine now. Doug is loving the 80F, with 83% humidity weather. He's not as thrilled with the pollution though.
Paul met SME and Doug at the Taipei airport. They then took this 180 mph railway to the south of Taiwan. I haven't heard if they enjoyed this part of the journey.
Z and I have been using SME's adventure as a homeschool lesson. Yesterday, we learned that Taiwan is 1/6th the size of MN, but has 6X the population. The time in Taiwan is 13 hrs ahead of us, so it will soon be Sunday morning there.SME said that Paul and Jules live in a beautiful apartment complex, complete with waterfall, pool, palm trees and pineapple plants. She was a bit overwhelmed by the millions of scooters on the streets, and the obscene "Engrish" t-shirts worn by the teenaged girls: "Fuck One and Get One Free", "Gooey Tart", and "Take Your Top Off!" SME hopes the girls don't understand the meaning of the messages on their shirts.
Paul has a ton of neat activities planned, including a camping trip in the mountains. Paul's passion is scuba diving, and he has sent us many gorgeous pictures of his underwater adventures. Now, he plans on taking his Dad for a short dive, while SME and Jules lounge on the beach. Last night Paul planned a tour of the city after he finished teaching his evening class. The food should be a vegetarian delight for SME.
I can't wait to see the pictures and videos of their adventures!
posted by tshsmom @ 8:03 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
How absolutely GRAND that SME and Doug get to have this adventure. Love the pictures and news. Wonderful!
(I'm so jealous..)
Cherie, it's a lot cheaper living vicariously through my kid. ;)
I'm soooo grateful for email right now! I sleep better knowing that they arrived safely and are thoroughly enjoying their new experiences.
I'm confused... who's Doug? Isn't Richard SMEs partner in crime or have I missed something completely. Looks like SO much fun!
Same person Laura. ;)
Richard Douglas is a Jr., so everyone in his family calls him Doug...except for SME, who prefers Richard.
They're really enjoying the cultural differences. I'll update as the emails come in.
Awesome! Thanks for the update. I wondered how the flight went.
What a wonderful adventure. It looks beautiful from the photos. Odd that Taiwan has a better public rail system than good ol' USA, huh? Looking forward to more pics.
How lucky to get so far away! Fascinating.
I can't wait for those pics either! Cherie's right, it's wonderful that they have this chance--especially while they're young to really get the most out of it.
p.s. Taiwan's approach to rail puts this country's capital to shame.
But then, what doesn't???
LOL
WC, I figured everybody would want to know. ;)
Gardenia, it's a bigger adventure than I've ever had.
SME and Doug's pictures should be a lot more interesting than these ones I found on the web.
Jeannie, with Paul and Jules as guides, they'll experience a lot more than most tourists!
Bridg, I can't wait to hear all their stories! I know that SME will post about it when she gets home.
Taiwan's train only had to go about 300 miles. Our countries have a lot more territory to cover. :(
:::jealous:::
What does Paul teach? And what took them to Taiwan? Just curious...
Courtney, both Paul and Jules teach English. Apparently, there's a high demand for English teachers in the far east.
How very, VERY exciting! I know that they are in good hands and having a great time.
Also congrats to your son on the drivers exam. When I moved to PA from CO I had to retake the written exam. I only passed by one point. lol! That's one test that you can't get away without studying a bit.
That train looks like fun. I have never been on an airplane before. But glad to hear they arrived safely.
Grizz, SME says that they're happy to be with someone who knows the language...and the FOOD. She says the food can be "iffy".
I've noticed that I've acquired several bad habits after driving for the last 36 years. I've been using these bad habits to point out to Z how NOT to drive. I'm always handy to have around as a bad example. ;)
Tweets, I just got another email from SME, so I'll try to write an update for tomorrow.
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