Taiwan Day 6

We woke before six o'clock to watch the sun rise over the ocean. After running from room to room we finally figured out where the sun would actually come up,and got to see it break through in all its glory. Our next stop was the Hualien Mennonite Church. While looking at a city map, we saw "Mennonite Church" and "Mennonite Hospital" on the map. We realized it was just around the corner from our hotel so We stopped by and were given a tour of their beautiful new facility by the pastor and his wife Dr. and Mrs. Chen. Next stop was a clam farm and processing plant. The four of us hopped into the water and dug into the sand for clams. After digging several boxes of clams, we saved them and took them to a local restaurant in the evening where they graciously steamed them for us. You will see the results in the pictures. After a quick stop at a "Cow Resort" we headed to a tea farm. We understand now why hand picked tea is considered to be exquisite. We watched a line of women move skillfully down the row of tree plants and pluck the new tender leaves. Afterward we went inside for our own "tea ceremony" where we learned the correct way to prepare tea. Our tea will be much better after this! On the final leg of the trip today, the sun shown on the rice fields creating golden vistas of ripened grain. In the picture included, wind has flattened portions of this field of rice.