10-25-16 Last Couple of Nights in Taichung...Till We Meet Again!

We had to hit Fengjia Night Market one last time! Since Mango Snowflake Ice is no longer in season, Cantaloupe Snowflake Ice will have to do!

 Oh gosh, deep fried mocha balls!

 Saying goodbye to good friends is so hard!

We promise to come back to visit soon!

 Farewell dinner with another former mission president, with the Taichung East stake president's family:) They have been so kind to us, and we will miss them so much!

10-24-16 Jiufen

Unfortunately we didn't get here before sunset, but Jiufen night is awesome!

Buddhist temple:

 Jiufen's night market has everything, including one of our favorite desserts: 

Taro ice cream, peanut candy shavings, and cilantro (not shown) wrapped into a spring roll!

 Taiwanese graffiti:

The Jiufen teahouse:

A guard was set at the stairs leading to a balcony overlooking the teahouse. When I asked if I could ascend to the balcony, he asked where I was from. When I told him I was a missionary from America, he let me in but kept the locals at bay. When my mother reached the stairs, he let her come up too, in spite of the fact that she was from mainland China, and on account of the fact that she had escaped to Taiwan!

10-24-16 Touring Taiwan: Yehliu Geopark

After my mother spent the morning attempting to have her Taiwanese citizenship reinstated (alas she is SO close!), we headed out to Yehliu Geopark to see the geological formations on the 1700m cape stretching out from the northeastern coast of Taiwan.

 Arriving at the parking lot and walking up to the visitors center, we wondered where the formations were hiding...

 They must be out on the promontory:

 They were here all along!

You are about to see the handiwork of the Lord!

 Mushroom Rocks:

 The famous Queen's Head!

 A better perspective of her size:

 Somehow I was thinking she would stand about 100 feet tall!

 Elephant Rock:

 Fairy's Shoe:

 Earth Rock (center):

 Honeycomb Rock:

 Fossils:

 Amazing little holes everywhere!

 Dragon's Head:

 Walking along, some members recognized my 60-year Anniversary of Missionary Work T-shirt and stopped to greet us!

 Marine Bird Rock:

 Sea Cliff:

 Tofu Rock:

 Yehliu Lighthouse:

 Heading back:

 Crowds clearing, you can see how Queen's Head might appear to be 100 feet tall!

 A whale's tail from one angle:

And a geisha girl's headshot from the other side:

 Statue of Lin Tianzhen, a local fisherman who, in 1964, courageously jumped into the ocean to rescue a touring student who had fallen into the waters. 

 Potholes:

 Cute Princess:

 Ginger Rock:

 Hand dryers?

 Ice Cream Rock:

 Candle Rocks:

 The sun is going down...on our way to Jiufen!