Always an Adventure...

Fun facts about Sun Moon Lake it is in Nantou county in the center of Taiwan it took us about 2 hours to get into the water after we registered there were over 20,000 participants in the swim I got kicked a lot we had a group of 13 we were interviewed just before getting in the water and were spotted on tv by friends  we swam 3.3km  it took me 2.5 hours I got a certificate, towel, and polo shirt for completing the swim they had rest stations every 100 meters where you could get water, chocolate, rice and other things for free we were required to wear the orange swim caps we were issued and bring a flotation device into the water the two oddest things I saw people bring into the water with them were a basketball and an umbrella maybe I should have brought an umbrella too, because I did get sunburned, and had a nice swim cap line across my forehead it was a great time... will I do it again? maybe in another 10 years... Before at the starting line ...

Chinese New Year is over now, and did it ever fly by! I spent the first part of the holiday on a trip to Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan with two of my colleagues. We really had a fun time, despite a bit of rain. Sun Moon Lake got its name because of its shape, since one part of the lake is round and another section looks like a crescent moon. It's the largest lake in Taiwan, and quite a popular tourist spot. We took a 4 hour bus ride from Taipei to get there. We stayed in a little B&B where we got great Taiwanese hospitality, including breakfast, free fruit, and discounts at some nearby places. It was a pretty nice place and soo cheap, we paid about $130 (Canadian) for 2 nights, divided among 3 people! We rented scooters the first day and cruised around the lake. We stopped at a temple and a stairway with 366 steps. It had a day of the year on each step, along with the names of famous people who were born on that day. We had a good time hopping down the steps and stopping on ...

Despite reports of -40 to -50 windchills back home, I must say that spring is coming here. I spruced up blog a little and hopefully will spruce up my house soon.... Spring Cleaning this week I have no classes, so I need to do a number of things, including putting away my Christmas decorations, cleaning my house, and getting organized for next semester Spring Festival Chinese New Year is also called Spring Festival. It's also Chinese tradition to clean one's house this time of year, and buy new clothes (like I ever need an excuse for that!) . I'm going to decorate my house a little. All of Taiwan is on holiday (except poor 7-11 workers I guess) from Feb 7-11. I'll share my plans for the holiday later. Also I'm trying to send out some Chinese New Year cards or other mailings that I should have sent at Christmas (sorry). If you want a card and you're not sure I have your address send me an email or a note on Facebook! Spring Flowers The picture above is plum bloss...