Smooth Ride

So over the last two weekends I have had some amazing experiences! First- last weekend Lindsay, Joseph, Andy and I went to a local amusement park. By the time we got there- we found out that there was only 2 1/2 hours left- but we decided to go anyway. Much to our surprise and pleasure- there was almost NO ONE at the park. We never had to wait in line once- and quite often would just stay on the ride and keep riding over and over. It was one of the BEST times I have had at an amusement park. It wasn't very big- and there was only one roller coaster- but we rode more rides than if we had spent the entire day at a busy one. My favorite ride was the one roller coaster. These Taiwanese really like to surprise you with these rides- it is not very big but we had no idea what was coming. I have never heard Lindsay scream that way before. You ride to the top- and when you are horizontal you stop- and then the front begins to rotate down, and the back rotates up- so that you are just hanging there- and then it releases and you fall straight down. It was crazy fun and I will try to load the secret video we made! Also- the ride that would compare to splash mountain also had a surprise- again, not as big- but just when you get to the top- it turned you around and you went down backwards. Also- another favorite part was at the end of that ride- we had just gotten off and we're all wet- and much to our delightful surprise- we found at the exit that they provided hair dryers you could insert a coin in and dry your hair. (I have since come to notice that the Taiwanese NEVER go out with wet hair. They also provided hair dryers at the water park.) It was just fantastic not to have to wait in line- let alone just staying on the ride to go again and again! We also had several groups who wanted pictures with the foreigners- so we also took pictures with them. I never tire of people staring at me and find it quite amusing! Loved the whole experience! Yesterday Lindsay and I ventured an 1 1/2 hours south to Guanziling to go to the Fire Water Cave (for future reference: was not really a cave- but a small pond on the mountainside) We had to take a train, then a bus, then a taxi up the mountain to see natural gas that forms as pressurized water comes out and ignites. It was really pretty cool to see fire burning right on top of the water! We then walked down the mountainside- which took 90 minutes and loved every minute of it. It seemed as if we were strolling through the jungle- minus the paved roads and tour buses and tourists that waved to the strange foreign girls walking down the mountain! At the bottom of the mountain- we found one of the coolest temple complexes that I have been to yet! It had many different buildings and a large, gold Buddha that is 300 years old. One of the monks spoke some English and was pointing out their treasures that were very old. I loved going through and took lots of pictures! One part of it was a man-made pond that was empty- but had several different bridges you could cross- and a gigantic Dragon and another statue of Buddha (I think.) It was also amazing on this trip how smoothly everything fell into place for us! We got to the train station 10 minutes before it left- same with our bus ride there- and then also the same with our train ride back! We were very blessed! I can't believe that I only have 5 weeks of teaching left- and then 5 weeks of traveling! My time here in Taiwan has really gone by swiftly- and I will miss Taiwan and her kind and wonderful people when I go! They are so amazing! Yet again as Lindsay and I traveled- we had several different people that went out of their way to help us. One man helped us get on the faster train and saved us a great deal of time. Another woman saw us wandering around confused inGuanziling as we tried to find the train- and walked with us until we found it. Did I mention that none of these times did we ask- and that they willing came to help. That is one of the things that I hope to take back with me to America- and something I think we could all do better at- freely offering to help others! The Taiwanese people are amazing and I love them!