June 11

We started today with a long walk. We were headed to a navy ship which was about 3 miles away. As we started the walk, our plan was to find a place on the street to eat breakfast. However, the street we were walking on was a larger one with lots of hotels and bigger businesses, and we didn’t see any smaller breakfast places. We were almost there when we finally found an open one. I ordered two plain steamed buns (montou), three egg tortilla things (danbing), one thing of warm soy milk (dou zhiang) for us all to share. However, there was an old lady there who was one of the shop owners. She thought our kids were so cute and so she gave us a huge bag of animal crackers, five more soy milks, and some fried sesame bread. We left really full.

Right before the navy ship we found a park and played there a bit. The parks are one of the kids’ favorite things here in Taiwan. They aren’t really much different from American parks, but I think they are so attractive to the kids because it gives them a chance to finally run around and play. Here in our small apartment we are constantly telling them not to play and to be as quiet as possible. On the street they have to be right by our side the whole time since we walk right in the road (sidewalks have a different purpose here – seating for restaurants, parking spaces for cars and scooters, signs for the stores, etc.). So it is really only on the street that they get to play around.

After the park we went to the navy ship. The children liked that a lot. On the ship they got to try out some fun things, like Morse code, flag signals, ringing the bell, and pulling on the ships ropes. Next to the ship and park was another old fort. We walked around the moat for this one a bit and saw the canons. However, when we got to the front gate we saw that there was an admissions fee and since we had read that it was pretty similar to other ones we had gone in already, we decided to skip it. We walked the three miles home and just rested for the rest of the night.

Outside the city hall. It also included that large white building in the background.


Elliott with the soy milk. I don't know if he really thought it deserved a thumbs up or if that was just a pose for the camera.


At the park.










At the navy ship.






Sleeping in the captains resting quarters.


Inside the captains bathroom on the ship.


I thought the English translation of these signs was funny.






















Somehow a crying baby made his way into the heart.


Inside a temple that we passed by on the way home.




I am glad that these are not the gods I believe in. Look at the one in the front stepping on the person.


This was one of those temples that was really impressive from the outside. It looked like it was just a whole apartment building that had been converted into a temple.



On the way home we got red bean popsicles. I warned everyone that they were not that great, but we still had to try them. We got a box of six and I ended up eating four of them and Asher two of them.


Another temple just outside our apartment.


Curry for dinner. Only empty plates left.