The day we saw a cobra

This is an incense offering in Bishan temple. People who come to worship here will light their stick of incense and go through a ritual of bowing and praying.

Bishan temple

A super popular milk tea stand in the Nangang area- when we passed by, there were over 30 people lined up for one cup of milk tea!

Our pretty city- Neihu, Taiwan, as you drive by Dahu Park

Yum! fresh squeezed orange juice

Don't look down! This hiking trail was so fun- there were 4 mountain peaks with these stairs built into them, which let you climb all the way to the narrow peaks.

Brian climbing to the top of one

The view on the way up. These trails were in Pinxi, which is the same city that hosts the famous "Lantern Festival" every year.

Here are pictures from another hike that we took with some friends from work. The hike was in the mountains right behind our apartment, and the trail started in the park at the end of our street.

This was.... right after we saw a cobra. Yes, a real, live cobra blocking our path on the trail. We were all walking up the trail steps and heard a loud hissing noise, and saw Austin (our friend's golden retriever) freak out and jump out of the way. A giant "Chinese Cobra" was sitting there, like 4 feet away from us! He was hissing and had his hood all puffed up... but soon just slithered away into the woods. So crazy!

We made it to the top of the trail

The trail ends at Bishan Temple, and overlooks Taipei City

Taiwan, by train

Here are some pictures of our recent trip around the island of Taiwan. We took the train around the entire perimeter, stopping along the way to visit various cities. We would stay for a day or two at each destination and spend the night in a cheap hotel or hostel. It was an awesome trip, and we got to experience all of Taiwan!

Haha oops you can't see our faces- up in the mountains of Taroko Gorge.

There is a scenic highway that runs all along the gorge, from the bottem to the top. It winds in and out of the mountain, so there are hundreds of amazing bridges and tunnels to see.

Taroko Gorge is on of the most beautiful places I've been to in Taiwan. You really could spend an entire week there, just exploring.

Brian and I up in the mountains- it started raining a bit the higher we climbed on our scooter

Brian getting ready to enter the park

Just arrived in Hualien- the train station is in the background

A cute Taiwanese family enjoying a bike ride

Brian looking cute on the beach

These people were collecting seaweed from the rocks to sell. The Taiwanese love to eat dried seaweed. I think it's gross.

Brian made this- the beach is one of his favorite places to be in Taiwan. We live so close to the ocean, we try to go as much as we can.

We went hiking in a National Forest in Kenting (the Southern most part of the Island), and found this tree. That day, we also saw wild monkeys in the forest!! They were really protective of their territory and babies, and were hissing at us if we got too close!

We took a scooter trip to the Southern Most Point of Taiwan- now we've been to both the North and South tips of the island.

Swimming in the ocean

Chillin on the train. We took the train around the entire perimeter of the Island. I spent my time on the train reading and drinking coffee.... perfection.

A giant rock formation in Kenting

We rented bicycles and rode along the coast in Taitung, Taiwan- a beautiful city on the East coast of Taiwan

Thai sculptures at a yummy restaurant in Kenting. Honestly, Brian and I eat Thai food in Taiwan at least once a week! We're addicted to curry.

Picking out our scooter for the day- the hotel we stayed at had a little scooter shop attached

sparklers on the beach at Kenting

Sandals anyone? This beach town had tons of cool surfing and swimming gear

In a temple in Hualien, near Taroko Gorge.

The pictures from the post below are also from our trip around the island... we took a LOT of pictures. :) enjoy