Itinerary

Note: I've added details to the itinerary and changed things as A. Melody has updated us. Fun times! Please keep in mind that I did this really late at night so forgive my errors in spelling and typos. :P

Sept. 26 - Mom and I depart Seattle 4:05 AM *snore*
Sept 27 - Arrive in Taipei 7:40 AM / rest day at A. Melody's home in Tai Chung (A. Melodysays that we may not go to sleep - she is going to get us off jet lag ASAP) / dinner at a teppanyaki restaurant. cool!
Sept 28 - Ronda Sheppard take mom and I to Mei-O-Mei for breakfast and Taichung Folk Park / join music teacher lunch/mtg / HS Chapel and tour of Morrison / A. Melody makes Pad Tai noodles for dinner / early bed time. yay!
Sept 29 - morning trip to fruit & vegetable market (also "cheap clothes lady" and Columbia jackets) cool / visit A Cappella Choir / prepare for party and decorate (my kinda thing) / mission prayer mtg at A. Meldoy's house / Murder mystery dinner with Chamber Singers
Sept 30 - day trip to 1) Sanyi, and old Chinese wood carving village, 2) Cynthia's house in Longtan 3) Shimen Dam with Michael, Nancy and Cynthia Lu, 4)back to Tai Chung
Oct 1 - breakfast at local Chinese breakfast shop (dan-bings?! Boy, mom and I are going to have such a good culture experience with all this new food!) / Chinese church / lunch either potluck at church or out at restaurant / afternoon trip into mountains near Tai Chung & visit an earthquake memorial (a school that was badly damaged in the 1999 earthquake - I remember reading about that quake) / go to mountain tea shop / visit Jade market / dinner at home then movie night with singles and Sheppards at band teacher's home
Oct 2 - Ronda Sheppar and Beckie Johnson take mom and I out for foot massages while A. Melody is teaching (I think we might be getting the better deal lol)/ relax at home / A. Melody shows us how to make Tai or Balinese food (yes! I love cooking!) / dinner at home. perhaps in the evening we'll walk to get tea at Crazy Sue's tea shop (what a great name!) afterward we'll play a board game
Oct 3 - Home day /dinner out at "The Shacks" (A. Melody describes it as a hole-in-the-wall joint. cool!) w/ Sheppards and singles
Oct 4 - Lunch highlight: Dumplings! and beef noodle soup (I'll have to remember to write down all the recipies. :) / dinner at Dwight and Beckie Johnson's house (the downstairs neighbors in A. Melody's duplex / This evening we get foot massages (boy, we'll be so pampered!)
Oct 5 - pack for trip to Taipei / get settled in Wan Fu Guest Apartments and eat lunch / go to Dan Shui; walk along boardwalk and eat Taiwanese snacks (A. Melody tells us that we must try pomelo and moon cakes. What fun names!) shop for trinkets (at "tourist traps" as Grandad would say. Don't worry, Grandad, we'll barter. :D / eat dinner in Dan Shui / go to Shr Lin Night Market with A. Melody's friend Rachel Sawatsky
Oct 6 - morning visit National Palace Museum which holds the largest collection of Chinese art in the world / lunch at the Grand Hotel (known for its fabulouse Chinese architecture) / afternoon: visit Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial and Taipei 101 (the world's tallest building) / dinner at famous restaurant and stay over one more night
Oct 7 - travel to the east coast (we'll be taking the scenic view from which we can view a scene ... ok, it's really late and my puns are bad at this time of night. lol) / drive up into the Taroko Gorge and hike around in the mountains, stay over at an old aboriginal (Taroko tribe)stone protestant church which is run by German sisters
Oct 8 - head home to Tai Chung by way of the mountains / stop at Starbucks in the mountains (just cuz it's there!) / home for good night sleep before next trip
Oct 9 - bus to airport in morning/ fly to Hong Kong - arrive at 3:45 / check in to Caritas Bianca Hotel / see the city at night / do a little shopping
Oct 10 - goto Stanley Market (aka, more shopping!) via subway, Star Ferry, and double-decker bus (boy, are we well-rounded travelers, or what?) / take tram Victoria Peak if a clear day (if not go Wednesday) / dinner at Victoria Peak, or at Dan Ryan's / evening: maybe take in a concert or movie?
Oct 11 - Museum of History (of Hong Kong) / lunch at Sam's Deli / more shopping on Nathan Road and/or women's market in Mong Kok / Indian restaurant for dinner where A. Melody's friend, Andrea Rusk, will joing us
Oct 12 - Breakfast at Dim Sum restaurant - morning free for activites / lunch near hotel - take shuttle back to airport / afternoon flight back to Taiwan where A. Melody gets off and Mom and I transfer planes. 6:20 pm depart Taipei / 1:45 pm arrive in Seattle (earlier than when we left Taiwan - Do I like the international dateline?)