Travel The World

A respite in the middle of the complex.  I can just imagine losing yourself in such a tranquil place.

As I walked further into the complex, I realized this was quite the interesting place after seeing the sights above.  I don't know how most people are but I often forget the names of such structures soon after they're told to me.  At some point, a volunteer guide working at the place took over the tour from my friends and made me even more confused as she went on for almost an hour about all the details of the place.  She was quite informative but I needed much more time to take it all in!

The next series of pictures I will post are from a trip I took to Taipei.  Taichung, where I was living, is only about 45 minutes from Taipei on the HSR.  As a matter of fact, it's convenient to travel to most of the major cities in Taiwan using this type of transportation.  I wish we had such convenient modes of transportation in the US. The first place I visited in Taipei was the Lin Family Mansion located in the Banqiao district of the city.  This family is very famous in Taiwan and apparently gained most of their wealth through banking.  I was told some of the descendants of the original family still live on the grounds but only on a small part of it.  Some family members even live in the US. This picture was taken right after entering the complex.  More pics to come!

This is the last picture from Kaoishung.  It's truly an amazing city with very friendly people.  I always wonder why those from the southern part of countries are so personable.  I don't know if that's true across the board but it seems to be in my travels.  Anyway, what a way to end the day--eating a famous Taiwanese dessert.  Doesn't it look delicious?