salt icecream and a flock of birds

Yesterday, Jake and I stopped by our favorite drink stand (they make the best banana smoothies) and were randomly invited to partake in a bird-hunting jaunt. We accepted and took off to Cigu with our newly made friends.



As it turns out, our Taiwanese friends (in the photo above) are members of the B.F.S.A (Black Faced Spoonbill Conversation Association), a group dedicated to saving the nearly extinct Black Faced Spoonbill, and often spend their time recording animal populations (hence the clipboard and binoculars).



Cigu is an area mostly covered in ponds (both man-made and natural).





We spotted many people fishing from the side of the road, as you can see in the photo above.





We saw tons of birds that day. In the picture above is a multitude of ducks, nearly 600 (my camera couldn't zoom in far enough, but they're the dots in the distance).





(above) A large "book" at one of the bird watching sites, explaining the protected area and its species.



(above) This bird site had several viewing holes to watch a flock of Black Faced Spoonbills: they rest by day and are active by night.







(above) Some of the Spoonbills taking flight.



(above) After birdwatching, we visited "Salt Mountain." Yep, that's made entirely of salt. The picture below gives its history.







(above) Taken from the top of Salt Mountain. In the picture is a sort of fourwheeler meets go-cart raceway.



(above, also taken from the top of SM) I have no idea what this is.



(above) A smaller salt mountain that Jake decided to climb.



(above) The walkway by Salt Mountain was made from broken pottery washed over by salt water.



Yeah, that place was all about salt. Salt coffee, roasted salt nuts, and even ...



... salty icecream. Jake's flavor was Blue Algae Grape (with salt, of course, and chunks of what resembled shriveled grapes) and mine was something with almonds and salt. They weren't bad ... but, quite different from your standard sugar-flavored icrecream.

Until next time, thanks.

toilet paper and dumplings

We have been teaching for a few weeks now (which is an experience in itself), and it's a blast. In addition to Taiwanese students, we also have 6 French students -- which makes for an intercultural mix. Coming up with our own lesson plans and keeping our students entertained for 2 hr blocks is quite the exercise of creativity.

We also began our Chinese classes this week. We have a 2hr oral Chinese course on Mondays, and a 2hr Chinese writing course on Wednesdays. Jake took 6 semesters of Chinese in America, so he has some foreknowledge. My Chinese knowledge, however, is zilch. Our Monday class is purely in Chinese -- so imagine the language shock my brain endured. Our classmates include the aforementioned French students and one Japanese student.

The photos for this week are purely a hodgepodge of normal day outings.









(above) This is a breakfast food served at a food cart in Sinying. It's like Taiwan's own version of an Egg McMuffin. In addition to meat, egg and bread, the vendor adds some sort of sweet sauce and a bit of (unidentified) green, crunchy vegetable.





(above) At another breakfast place, they serve this bacon tortilla dish.



(above) Dumplings!! Walk in, order a plate of dumplings (we normally get about 40), and stuff your face. Good stuff.



(above) One of Jake's favorite dishes: curry chicken over rice.



(above) In this part of Taiwan, there is no Starbucks to be had. Instead, there's a popular coffee shop called "85 degrees." They offer a plethora of desserts, in addition to drinks. In Yanshuei, we found a coffee shop called "5 degrees," which is basically "85 degrees" with the "8" crossed out.



(above) Nope, that's not detergent he's holding in his right hand. Any guesses? That's a container of bodywash - bulk size perhaps?



(above) Probably the smallest car I've ever seen.



(above) Outside every window, there is a chain to hang clothes on. When we first saw this, we prepared ourselves for the dread of having no clothes dryer. However, after poking around our apartment building a bit, we realized that we DO have a dryer to use. But, you've got to let the clothes cool for a bit before trying to remove them -- or else the clothes are nearly too hot to touch.



(above) The "international blend." Tastes the same.



(above) From left to right: 50, 10, 5, 1.



(above) In America, coins are something that get lost under seat cushions or get thrown into a jar and forgotten. Here, however, coins actually have useful value and are worth Taiwanese dollars.



(above) Undrinkable tap water means we go through a ton of water. And since its so humid here, there's no choice but to make like a camel.



(above) I was given a request to take a photo of the toilet paper here. This photo is a package of, you guessed it, Taiwan's toilet paper. Below, is the toilet paper holder in our bathroom.





(above) This floor of Nan-Jeon's library contains only English books (though only a small portion is dedicated to fiction). Believe me, when you send two bookworms to Taiwan, English literature is a basic need.


Toilet paper, bacon tortillas and mega-sized detergent ... I think that just about covers everything.

As always, thanks for reading.