Welcome back!
We started this day by searching for the “Mega Mall” in Kaohsiung. After a few wrong turns Thane saved the day by suggesting we go around the block a different way. It was just like a huge mall in the states… we spent some time doing a little shopping and then decided it was time to get on our way.
After leaving Kaohsiung we headed south toward Kending – this is the beach resort area of Taiwan. It was about two hours to drive there and we made a few stops along the way. Our first stop was a good beef-noodle shop. The boys again had swei-jous and we all got our clothes dirty with splashed soup! We did some shopping along the way and then we make a quick stop at Fang Liau.
While I was serving as a missionary in Chao Chou I knew a member named Jackie Jang that lived and worked in Fang Liau. My companion and I would stop in for a quick visit every other week as we traveled to Heng Chun for district meeting. Sister Jang worked at the fisherman’s co-op as an accountant. The co-op hasn’t changed a bit… the same old fisherman selling their catch to the wholesale buyers right on the dock. We inspected the catch for the day and were surprised to find a HUGE, LIVE lobster waiting for a buyer. It was amazing… the fisherman even offered to let me hold him. He told me to really hold it firmly because it would try to get away. Just as soon as he finished telling me that the lobster gave an incredible flip of its huge tail… the noise was almost enough to get me to drop it… luckily I maintained my grip and he didn’t get away!
A short time later we arrived in Kending and checked in at the China Youth Corps Hotel – a youth hostel that has been converted into a “hotel” and has buildings with traditional Chinese architecture. The accommodations were excellent and we really enjoyed our stay here. After a quick change at the hotel we drove a few minutes to the beach and enjoyed the warm water and explored the reef seeing bright-colored tropical fish and eels.
In the evening we called Tiffany Lu (Lu Jya) who is a member in Hengchun. We had met her a few days earlier in Kaohsiung at the 50th anniversary celebration. She and some other friends met us at Smokey Joe’s for dinner. We had a good time looking at old pictures and talking about missionaries and the Church in Taiwan.
Posted under Taiwan
This post was written by Paul Pearson on July 31, 2006
