An early Christmas
Although Christmas this year involved little more than some Kraft Dinner, a couple drinks with co-workers and a limited selection of downloaded classics, Mark and I still managed to have a fabulous day. My fabulous family had just left so I was okay with having a comparatively quiet Christmas.
The Roberts family took a three week hiatus from work and winter and came to join Mark and I in sunny Asia. It all began in the middle on an unexpected Typhoon late on Friday December 3rd. They were picked up in a van from the airport and we anxiously awaited their arrival. Around 11:30pm the front desk called and I rushed downstairs saying things like 'Crazy - when the elevator doors open my family will be in Taiwan!' To our surprise we found a very wet Mom and our friend Jen. It turned out that they had been dropped off at the wrong apartment. Fourtunately, the other apartment was just a little ways down the street. They were lucky to have had the Taiwanese security guard guess, and call up to the only white people's apartment - which happened to be four teachers from my school. My family had no idea where they were and so arriving this close really made no difference. Luckily Jenn was home and quickly came downstairs to meet my Mom and walk her (in the Typhoon) to our apartment. Fast forward fifteen minutes or so and we were all in my apartment taking off soaked jackets and giving the tour. It didn't take long for Mom and Sarah to notice the presence of my crutches in a corner... I avoided the questions for the first bit but then had to give in and explain that I had been in a small scooter accident 3 months prior and was still on crutches. You'll be happy to know that I am pretty much walking without much trouble today.
In the days that followed, we showed them around Taichung and introduced them to Taiwanese cuisine... which Sar and Mom didn't take to that well - mom especially who was off food for about the first week. On the second day, we went on a day trip with a friend of mine and his family to Lukang and SanYi, two great little towns with lots of shopping. This event started Sarah on what ended up being one of the longest shopping sprees she has been on, and I hope, will ever be on.
The following Friday, we left Taiwan for Thailand, where the weather was hot and the taxi drivers were crazy. We spent two nights in Bangkok and then headed down to HuaHin, a fabulous, Gulf of Thailand town about 3 hours south of Bangkok. We spent 3 days there lying on the beach, exploring, and of course, shopping.
We passed through Bangkok again on our way back to Taiwan where instead of heading straight home, we took the train from Taipei to HuaLien on the East Coast. We rented a car and drove through Taroko Gorge, a place Mark and I had been eager to visit since before we arrived here 4 months ago.
Back in Taichung on Sunday December 19th, we were already packing up the extra 3 suitcases of souveniers to find out how much more room we had to fill in the remaining 3 days. :( A few markets later my family was ready to go again. They left at 4am on Thursday morning and are now back in Canada with the snow and 13 hour time difference... how strange.
It was amazing being able to share our temporary life with them, I am so very happy that you guys came. Thank you so much for everything and hope to see you one more time before I head home... maybe China? Now, everything is pretty much back to normal with us, getting ready to bring in the New Year and then Chinese New Year shortly thereafter.
The Roberts family took a three week hiatus from work and winter and came to join Mark and I in sunny Asia. It all began in the middle on an unexpected Typhoon late on Friday December 3rd. They were picked up in a van from the airport and we anxiously awaited their arrival. Around 11:30pm the front desk called and I rushed downstairs saying things like 'Crazy - when the elevator doors open my family will be in Taiwan!' To our surprise we found a very wet Mom and our friend Jen. It turned out that they had been dropped off at the wrong apartment. Fourtunately, the other apartment was just a little ways down the street. They were lucky to have had the Taiwanese security guard guess, and call up to the only white people's apartment - which happened to be four teachers from my school. My family had no idea where they were and so arriving this close really made no difference. Luckily Jenn was home and quickly came downstairs to meet my Mom and walk her (in the Typhoon) to our apartment. Fast forward fifteen minutes or so and we were all in my apartment taking off soaked jackets and giving the tour. It didn't take long for Mom and Sarah to notice the presence of my crutches in a corner... I avoided the questions for the first bit but then had to give in and explain that I had been in a small scooter accident 3 months prior and was still on crutches. You'll be happy to know that I am pretty much walking without much trouble today.
In the days that followed, we showed them around Taichung and introduced them to Taiwanese cuisine... which Sar and Mom didn't take to that well - mom especially who was off food for about the first week. On the second day, we went on a day trip with a friend of mine and his family to Lukang and SanYi, two great little towns with lots of shopping. This event started Sarah on what ended up being one of the longest shopping sprees she has been on, and I hope, will ever be on.
The following Friday, we left Taiwan for Thailand, where the weather was hot and the taxi drivers were crazy. We spent two nights in Bangkok and then headed down to HuaHin, a fabulous, Gulf of Thailand town about 3 hours south of Bangkok. We spent 3 days there lying on the beach, exploring, and of course, shopping.
We passed through Bangkok again on our way back to Taiwan where instead of heading straight home, we took the train from Taipei to HuaLien on the East Coast. We rented a car and drove through Taroko Gorge, a place Mark and I had been eager to visit since before we arrived here 4 months ago.
Back in Taichung on Sunday December 19th, we were already packing up the extra 3 suitcases of souveniers to find out how much more room we had to fill in the remaining 3 days. :( A few markets later my family was ready to go again. They left at 4am on Thursday morning and are now back in Canada with the snow and 13 hour time difference... how strange.
It was amazing being able to share our temporary life with them, I am so very happy that you guys came. Thank you so much for everything and hope to see you one more time before I head home... maybe China? Now, everything is pretty much back to normal with us, getting ready to bring in the New Year and then Chinese New Year shortly thereafter.
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