Exploring Tainan

Early the next morning we arose in our beautiful Tainan homestay and felt spoiled. To have such a beautiful home at our disposal--complete with a lovely kitchen and the first dryer I'd seen in Taiwan, we luxuriated in the opportunity to be there and felt almost disappointed when we had to leave. Thankfully, we knew we had wonderful things to look forward to with Elder Liu and his family.

To begin things, we started at Anping Fort, which was where the Dutch East India Company originally built their trading post hundreds of years ago. The spot includes much of the original brick, cannons, and artifacts that were once housed there. Interestingly enough, the fort originally sat right against the ocean, but over time various major storms have significantly changed Taiwan's coastline, leaving the fort significantly further inland now.

It was so interesting to see such distinctly European artifacts in a place like Taiwan.

Jamin gets to know Elder Liu's youngest daughter. (She was such a sweet little baby!)

Following the heat and museum atmosphere of the fort, the kids stood in major need of refreshment. Considering how awesome the food is, no one minded the detour, and so off we went to sample some of Tainan's characteristic treats. 

Goose eggs.

Fresh octopus with wasabi. It tasted incredible.

The Taiwanese version of a pot pie. Apparently when the US servicemen were stationed here, they really missed this version of home cooking, so the Taiwanese came up with their own adaption. These typically have seafood in them. Quite good. 

Oyster pancake (in front). The plate in back hosts fried shrimp rolls with fresh wasabi, and don't forget the fresh watermelon (or passionfruit) slushie. I seriously miss this!

The kids had a great time. Coco especially loved the Liu girls.

After cooling off a bit, we headed over the Anping Tree House, a former Dutch sugar factory that was eventually overtaken by an enormous and characteristically aggressive banyan tree. The kids thought this was fantastic, and Mr. Bitts especially loved the opportunities to explore.

Buggas gives a shout-out for he and his dad's favorite team.

Jamin and her new buddy.

Following the tree house, we considered that since we were in a city known for its Chinese temples, we might as well stop to see at least one of their famous Buddhist temples. So, after a bit of a drive we arrived at what is probably the most massive Chinese temple I have ever seen anywhere! Most of the kids had fallen asleep, so we just took Coco inside and allowed the others to rest in the car with Li-ling.

Just one of many courtyards.

 . . And of course, Matsu's festivities were well under way here, too!

A little refreshment for all the pilgrims. Iced chia seeds.

It might look gross, but it's actually quite good.
A bit sweet, but it cools one down in the blazing heat.

Traditional Chinese puppetry.

Local worshippers throng the temple.

Inside one of the many, many shrines.

Pure, childlike exuberance!

By the time we were done with this major temple complex in Tainan, we were ready for some downtime. Fortunately, most of the kids had rested a little, which enabled us to continue onward and go with the Liu family to their LDS ward congregation's Easter activity that night--decorating duck eggs and then searching for quail eggs. Following directly afterwards there was a ward potluck where we got to meet many of the church members from the area. (Dad couldn't resist documenting some of the potluck contributions to shock some of his family at home.)

Notice what's up in the righthand corner?

My first exposure to Chinese zumba . . . :)

Though it was not a typical American Easter experience, our kids enjoyed the chance to meet other children their age and remember the important day that was coming. We ruminated on how special it was that we immediately felt at home so many thousands of miles away, as we felt so embraced by so many of the members there. Though they had never known us before, we felt a common bond through our faith and celebration of the beliefs we hold most dear--most particularly in remembering the life and resurrection of Christ. Even when compared to the impressive pomp and circumstance we had just witnessed earlier that day in Tainan's enormous temple, this emerged as the most meaningful part of our day, and helped me to look forward to the next day of worship with grateful anticipation.