The Clark Crew at the Zoo!!!

Day Three - Monday, March 22

After a busy weekend of hanging around the homefront and prep for church, we were ready for our first real outing... what better place to start than our favorite - the Taipei Zoo...

We usually take the train up to the top of the zoo then walk down to see the animals... I usually say it's because Hunter loves the train, but really, when pushing the double stroller - it's just the most energy-efficient way to go!!!

Hunter is not much of a trend-setter, but he does seem to be aware of what's 'cool' around him... though he must know some unwritten rule that a girl's hat leans to the right and a boy's leans to the left.

Helena wasn't intimated by the enormous python glaring at her... she just glared right back!

Here's a new sport in Taiwan - turtle hopping... Tony's trying to get Mei Mei started early.

The lemurs were wild and oh so loud... Lynne couldn't resist getting Helena out of the stroller to see these guys... and Helena was milking it for all she could.

The big gorillas were out this time... I don't think I've ever really noticed them much... but it was a warm day and this was a great place to stop and watch for a while.

Feeding time for this family... looks like us when we've got one ice cream to share.

You wouldn't see too many Taiwanese families doing this...

And of course, Dad and Lynne had to see the Pandas... they were bigger than one imagined and smaller than the other thought... so I guess it was good they got to see them in real life.

It was a good, long day out at the zoo. We came home and had leftovers for dinner and the kids were in bed before 7pm. Tony and I took the opportunity with free babysitters to get out for a movie - so we headed out to see The Hurt Locker - which wasn't the lightest of films, but thought-provoking and a good time to get out together nonetheless.

And morning and evening were the third day.

Train Crazed Day Four

Day Four - Tuesday, March 23


With a foreboding weather report slated for the end of the week, we decided to take another adventurous day out early on in their trip. This was a special trip with a train crazy boy in mind... we took the MRT to the train station then hopped on a train headed east to Ruifang where we transferred to another train along a quaint line called the Pingxi Branch Line. So that was already 3 trains... we spent the rest of the afternoon getting on and off trains to look at different sites (well, we actually cut it down to just two stops) - it was a beautiful trip!

We started our trip like everyone else with our lunch boxes on the train! I don't think Dad nor Lynne have ever really done that before... what a kick to eat with chopsticks on a train with no table... they caught on pretty quickly.

We had a few minutes between stops so Helena got a bit of tumbling action in and Tony got in a bit of weight-lifting (though I'm not sure if this exercise is in any of the books).

Little Miss Independent got a bit of time to roam before being strapped back into her stroller... here's a rare moment she actually sat still. She's finally starting to get into books - though she still hasn't really worked out which way is up.

Our first stop was Shifen

It was a quaint township which has been beefed up a bit for tourists lately, but you still knew there was authentic life going on here... it was a cool place and we could've just stayed here all afternoon (if we wanted to just sit back, relax and chat over a coffee - but heck, that's totally over-rated, right?).

We had some fun on the suspension bridge - we actually got to go across two of them and Hunter was fascinated each time...

though from her stroller, little Helena wasn't all that impressed.

Our destination - the Shifen Waterfall!!! It was a beautiful scene before us and a totally man-made tourist park behind, but it was still worth the 30 minute walk along the river to get there. Plus the park was fun for the kids to run around in for a bit after all that train-sitting and path-walking.

We could be anywhere in the world, eh?!? Good thing we were here together in Taiwan! We love sharing 'our' island with the rest of our family.

Tony and I were giving this horse a run for it's money... when was the last time it had to hold xxxkg?? Oh wait, maybe it weighs more than us anyway!

Hunter has become very thoughtful and good at sharing.

Our second/last stop was at the end of the line in Jingtong where we were planning to have dinner at a 'famous' restaurant listed in the Lonely Planet (and although our book is over 5 years old, my friends assured me the info was still accurate), unfortunately, it wasn't listed that the restaurant is closed Monday & Tuesday... so we ended up eating noodles and some other fried food while waiting for the last train. Oops!!!

We didn't mind waiting for the last train because we had planned to send off some sky lanterns - so it was better that it was dark. However, as we were setting up our lanterns, other groups of people were already sending theirs up - with firecrackers attached!!! Well, this sent Helena into a frenzy and she spent the rest of the evening glued to either Tony or myself with her head buried into our necks screaming at high decibels into our ears... she's really become afraid of loud noises in the dark.

But we did manage to send off four lanterns - which was a unique experience for Dad and Lynne and the kids... the sky lanterns really are pretty cool looking.

By the time we got home (after 9pm) we had been on at least 7 trains!!! Not bad for a day out... not bad at all!

And morning and long evening were the fourth day.

A Few Slower Days

Day Five - Wednesday, March 24
After two days of go, go, go... the kids and I needed some time to re-group near home... so after Tony and I returned from our 2 hour morning bike ride, we sent Dad and Lynne on their way to look at some memorials during the day while we just hung out at home napping, doing laundry and perhaps playing in the park... though it's all a whirlwind now! Of course we couldn't let a whole day go by without some kind of tourist attraction, so that evening we all went over to the Shilin Night Market.

Dad's always good for those sweet little sausages (truth be known, so am I).

Granny Lynne's truly a good granny... she brought her grandkids' shoe sizes out with her to see if she could find shoes to fit... unfortunately the price wasn't right so no shoes... but she managed to find something for everyone on her list at some stage!

After eating our share of street food and touching all sorts of things we didn't buy, we headed home on the MRT for another 'way-past-bedtime' night.

Hunter 'won' this little toy during his time at the arcade in the market... he loved it!!! And as you'd guess, one week later it's already broken and in the bin... well, that's one less thing to pack!

And morning and another late evening were the fifth day!




Day Six - Thursday, March 25
Dad and Lynne spent a big part of the day on their own... looking at shops, drinking coffee, eating cake... basically enjoying a holiday! They even went to a concert that night - "The Seven Last Words of Christ' which my friend Vicky was performing in... what a fun "date night" for them! The rest of us had a nice morning with Stephen and Felicity in the swimming pool... and an evening where they actually went to bed at the 'normal' time!!!
And morning and evening were the sixth day.


Day Seven - Friday, March 26
This day started with our regular healthy breakfast and a trip to the Core Pacific Living Mall for our regularly scheduled tumbling class!!! This was fun for these guys to see part of our 'real' life and Hunter was especially excited to have Tony there to see him do his thing! (more on tumbling class at another time)

Part of our 'regular routine' is a stop at the potty before class starts... Grandad and Granny Lynne took advantage of the moment for a cuddle with Mei Mei.

Here's Hunter and his classmates finishing up for the day by balancing against the wall... it's all pretty fun to watch... and even more fun for them to do!

That's the spirit, Granny Lynne!

After lunch, Hunter, Tony & Dad headed off for a very special afternoon - Hunter's FIRST MOVIE!!! A showing of Thomas and Friends at the Vie Show!!! He especially enjoyed the popcorn and really liked the movie once the previews were over (what kind of theatre plays PG13 previews at a G rated film? Tony had to cover Hunter's eyes during "Clash of the Titans"- that made me angry... I guess next time we take the kids to a movie (whenever that will be?) we'll go a bit late so as to avoid the potential violence, etc.) The kicker was that the movie was in Chinese with Chinese subtitles - so Hunter was fine with it since for all he knows Thomas only speaks Chinese (his dvd is in chinese), Tony was fine because well, his Chinese is good, but Grandad had a heck of a time watching a kid's flick in a foreign language... what good sport!!! Anyway - Hunter loved the overall experience and still tells me about the popcorn everytime we pass the theatre.




Later that evening, we met up with Anna, Sharon, Felicity & Janet at Din Tai Feng - a restaurant 'famous' for its delicious dumplings... with good reason!


We all enjoyed our feast... and since we had enjoyed such a 'local' dinner, we decided to stop for a 'local' dessert - shaved ice with tapioca balls, sweet potato/taro starch balls, green beans (not the stringy kind you're thinking about), fruit and a bit of sweetened condensed milk... very different... but Dad and Lynne were brave enough to try a bit - minus the beans! Of course when Tony and Janet rocked up with frozen yogurt their eyes lit up (as did Helena's) to something a bit more familiar (and sweet!).

After dinner and dessert, we sent the boys home with the kids and Lynne and I headed out on a mini-shopping spree with the girls! Janet knows her way around the shops and Felicity knows her way around a bargain - so we were in good hands! We had a fun time and Lynne especially thought it was such fun going shopping at 10pm - remember, she's from the South Island... it's even slower and quieter down there than Wellington! Boy are we going to miss this city!!!


And morning, afternoon and late night shopping were the seventh day!

Another Great Day in Taipei

Day Eight - Saturday, March 27

Tony and I took advantage of our built in babysitters and went on a bike ride 'together' with our bike buddies. It was my first time out with the crew and as it was a gorgeous day I really enjoyed myself. Of course it was much nicer for me because I only went out for two hours (around 40+km) whereas Tony continued on for another 100km!!! (Needless to say we spent much of the day without him around and he spent much of the day wishing he was anywhere but on his bike.) When I returned home, I made us a breakfast of blueberry pancakes - Lynne's first ever taste of these delicious delights! And because it was a beaut of a day I suggested Dad & Lynne to make it up the 101!!!

They had a good time up on the observation floor checking out the city from the bird's eye view... but I forgot to tell them to take the guided tour... oh well, they enjoyed their stop to the cafe up there.

While Grandad and Granny Lynne were up the 101 (and dad was still working his way back home by bike) we went out to enjoy the beauty of the day at the sandpit... and it was a gorgeous day.

Later in the day we had a babysitter come look after the kids so we could go out on the town with Dad &Lynne... we took them to our favorite local restaurant for a delicious meal... the ambiance leaves much to be desired but the food is very good! Next we stopped at yet another Starbucks for a cuppa before the main event....

the Main Event being the cultural performance at the Taipei Eye!!!

I love the Lion Dance... who doesn't?!? These guys are strong, cheeky and had us on the edge of our seats throughout their whole 'climb' up the cloud mountain!

During the intermission we had a chance to meet some fish...

This section of the performance is the traditional squealy, squeaky you think of when you think of Chinese Opera... good thing it is the shortest part of the evening. At least the costumes were amazing and I'm sure if I understood Chinese Opera I would've been able to appreciate the talent behind the shrill.

But this part... wow... everyone can appreciate a bit of flying acrobatics... look at the height these 'sea turtles' get...

We all enjoyed the show and our time together... thanks Dad and Lynne for being so willing to try everything!

Where In The World Are We Again???

Day Nine - Sunday, March 28

We woke up this morning and took a drive... it didn't take too long but we ended up...

at 'Xiao Ren Guo' (Window on China) where Tony sat on the lawn of the White House...

 

Xiao Ren Guo is an 'amusement park' of sorts out near our other favorite theme park from last year. It's got miniature (25:1 scaled) landmarks from all over the world for people to have a peek at and be photographed with. For only 600$NT you can pretty much see the world!!!

And being an amusement park of sorts there were rides...

Hunter got to experience many of his favorite modes of transportation in one day - boats, trains, cars, horses, planes...

This was his first independent mission... well, he was supposed to just be a passenger in the back seat with this kid, but the kid didn't know how to tell him no... so Hunter got to go two rounds without baba or mama in the car with him and you can tell by his smile he was fine with that!!! I watched along the sidelines as my 3-year old drove away thinking he's really not a toddler anymore... he's definitely a little boy!

 

At least I've got my little girl for a bit longer...

Grandad and Granny Lynne were good sports waiting and watching and enjoying the beauty of the day.

They could tell their friends they made a stop in China too...

Tony's got a photo almost just like this at the real Forbidden City... minus the kids of course.

We could've been anywhere in the world on this day, but we were happy to be here in Taipei, Taiwan with each other!!!

After our big adventure we stopped at one of our old favorite restaurants near our old apartment for one last authentic meal together... we ate till we were stuffed and made it home in time to put the kids to bed and sort out the laundry... What a great last full day!

Day Ten - Monday, March 29

Well, Tony headed back to work, Dad & Lynne headed off to the airport and the kids and I were back into our regular routine - a trip to the doctor for a vaccination!!! What a way to go... We really enjoyed our time with Dad and Lynne... what a bunch of special memories at the tail end of our time in this special place!!! Thanks you two for spending this time with us! We'll see you back in NZ!!!