Hong Kong Day 1-2

We spent our first evening exploring the city close to our hotel.  Sidewalks were packed with people everywhere.  We have a great view from our room on the 24th floor of one of the main streets in Hong Kong.  (See second picture.) We enjoy watching traffic lights change and suddenly the intersections are swarming with people.  Just as quickly, they empty when the light changes and taxis and buses are flying through the intersections.  We took a ferry to Lamma Island on Saturday.  Duane and Vannie planned to go fishing but discovered it was a "tourist trap" where bait was tied to the fishing line (no hook)  and dropped into a large tank of hundreds of fish.  They got to feed the fish! :)  However, they really enjoyed sitting at an outdoor restaurant watching the activity in the fishing village.  They reported watching two accomplished elderly women stand to row their boats across the water.  Vivian and I hiked with two of her friends across the island from one fishing village to another, walking through markets selling fish and vegetables, and seeing amazing views of the ocean.  We saw a woman watering her organic garden with a double sprinkling can and enjoyed seeing philodendronleaves larger than my hand.   We ended the day with a harbor cruise at night and got to watch the fifteen minute light show with lasers flashing from sky scrapers from all over the city. Our pictures just don't do it justice!

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.