Countdown.... Saipan in 8 days!

Hello Everyone,

You all should check out the link on the post below to Brian's biking trip- the pictures are amazing and he had a great time.

Today was such a nice day: packing... lunch at an Indian restaurant in Taipei 101 (Indian food is my absolute favorite)... packing some more... then going for a swim/workout at Dahu Pool. I've been learning how to free-style swim and I've finally gotten to the point where I can make it a few times up and down the pool... it's a really big pool! I've found that I really love swimming, and I can't wait to get Scuba-diving certified when we get to Saipan. I can't wait to check out those beautiful coral reefs that people talk about there. I also want to get a really cheap little bike and do some cycling around the coast.

We received our itinerary for our flight next monday: We'll be leaving on Monday the 16th, flying to Manila (the Philippines), then to Guam, then on to Saipan. We'll officially arrive in Saipan on the 17th, and spend the next few days searching for housing, registering for my nursing classes, and getting to spend some time with our friends who live there. It's finally hit us that it's so soon and I'm starting to get really excited!

We're so grateful that we've had such a wonderful experience in Taiwan, and it's hard to leave the people here, but we're both ready for the challenge of a new place, new job, etc.

Below are some pictures for your viewing pleasure :) Rach

Roadtrip! (on a train)

A beautiful Buddhist statue in Taiwan

In front of the best, cleanest, nicest hostel ever, in Koahsioung

Going to the best BBQ place in Kaohsioung

well hello! waiting for the mrt

Up in the Ferris wheel in Koahsioung!

Checking out the wicked cool beach in Keelung- the waves were crazy this day.

Me and my love

1,2,3... jump!

This was the view from the top of a cool temple in Hualien

Taroko Gorge is amazing- Hualien, Taiwan. We drove our rented scooter through the gorge for a whole Saturday- there was so much to see.

Our great training friends- Jenna just went back to the US and i miss her! :)

Spending a day in Keelung with our friends from training. This was up in the mountains on the coast of Keelung, near our friend Shoshana's house.
A cool Lantern Festival Event in downtown Taipei city.
Girls night- hanging out with Ashleigh and Jenna, and Jenna's best friend Colleen who was visiting from Korea, where she teaches English. This was during Chinese New Year, so all the beautiful lanterns were still up everywhere.
Well, these are a little out of order but oh well. This is at the Lantern Festival in Pinxi. Every year, the Taiwanese have Lantern Festival, where they cover large paper lanterns with their wishes, hopes, and prayers for the new year. They light paper money on fire inside the lantern, wait for it to fill up with air, then send it up into the sky. It is a very popular event, and it's an amazing sight to see hundreds- maybe thousands- up lighted lamps floating in the air!
There is ours, floating up and away- you can barely see other lamps in the sky above it
Our lantern with our drawings and hopes on it- we drew all over all 4 sides
This was a random afternoon. We were taking a drive up into the mountains on our scooter, when we passed a pavilion with about 30 Taiwanese people dancing, talking, and eating inside. We stopped to watch, and they promptly invited us to dance and eat with them. So we did- they were practicing some kind of cha-cha- which was really hard! We spent about an hour there, eating yummy free Chinese food, taking pics, and talking with these really nice people.

In Taitung- we rented bikes and took a ride around the seaside. This was in a cool seaside park that is famous in Taiwan. Taitung is on the South-Eastern coast of Taiwan.

On our train trip around the entire perimeter of the island, we took a little detour on our rented scooter to the Southern-most point in Taiwan.

We went with our friends Rosa and Mia in March on a little getaway to see our friend Heather (in the pic). We traveled to Koahsioung (in the south of Taiwan) and stayed for the weekend, eating, laying on the beach, shopping, and hanging out!

Ni Hao, ya'll

Bringing Texas to Taiwan

Gettin' a kiss from my little lady!

Here is a scary group of Hsin Hu teachers at Rachel's school.

Dodging traffic on Rachel's birthday!

Rachels HRT's surprised her with a birthday cake while she was teaching.

Checking out our neighborhood while waiting for a train.

Mucking around on the MR

Taking pictures of my wife on our street.

Here is a street just outside our apartment. Notice the 7-11. Life in Taiwan would stop if there were no 7-11's. We do everything at 7-11 even pay our bills and parking tickets. =)

Rachel and her friends at a cookout we went to last weekend in Taoyuan.

Rachel at her favorite shopping destination, Ximen

I was greeted by Buddha when I reached the top of one of the mountains I climbed this weekend.