Spring Break Trip to Alishan...

After taking two weeks to bask in our newly-engaged glow, Eddie and I headed to Alishan for our spring break trip. Besides enjoying the pristine mountain forests and breathtaking sunrise, we needed to get started with some wedding planning! Having decided to get married this summer, we knew that time was going to be a precious resource -- so we used our three-hour train ride to discuss some of our ideas. We even picked out two potential dates and after consulting with our Pastor -- we will be married on Saturday, August 21, 2010! One decision (BIG) down, millions to go!

Stepping off the train, we put wedding planning aside and enjoyed hiking around Ali Mountain and tasting some traditional foods (including Tiger Lily Soup). Even getting up at 4 a.m. to see the sunrise wasn't such a challenge because of the beautiful natural scenery!

I went a little overboard on the pictures -- 150 photos in two days! But surrounded by so much beauty, how could I help it?

Our Proposal Story...

One Sunday in March, we went to our Bible study group at church in Taipei. After Bible class, Edward told me that we had to be at Taipei Train Station at 4:00 p.m. to meet a friend who was going to drop off some English teaching materials for me (I am her English tutor.) We planned to go to the evening church service after meeting this friend.

Since it was such a nice day, I suggested we just walk from church to the train station - it's a good walk, but we had all afternoon and there are some nice parks along the way.

Along the way, just as we happened to get to CKS Memorial Hall with its beautiful surrounding gardens, Eddie got a text message saying the girl was running late. So I said, we could walk around the park, visit the free museum, enjoy the sunshine. (Notice how everything seems to be MY suggestion!)

As the sun was setting, we were just walking along and talking and I was starting to think we were going to either miss meeting this girl AND/OR be late for church. Suddenly, Eddie spun me around and gave me a big hug. (I found out later it was so I didn't see our friends from church who were there to take pictures for us!)

After this surprise hug, he led me over to the place where we had our first kiss (this "just happened to be" the same park) and pulled out a ring box from his pocket. He got down on his knee and proposed! :-D

Our friend took pictures the whole time! It was really sweet ~-~ and I was so surprised that I didn't have time to cry until later! :-D

Contest Results

The contest results are now available...
Unfortunately we were not selected as one of the top 50 teams.

Thanks to everyone for their support and wonderful comments, maybe we'll try again next year!

THANK YOU!! :-)

Waiting for the results...

A big THANK YOU to everyone for voting for us!

The judges are now deliberating. They should announce the results on July 10th. If chosen we will have until the end of August to complete our trip. :-)

Check back later for the final results!

Going South!!!

Here is our detailed 4-day itinerary including our estimated expenses:

Day 1: 第一天	Expenses:
Taipei to Kaohsiung (左營站), via High Speed Rail (HSR) Depart 06:30 - Arrive 08:30 35% Off Promotion	Ticket: NT$965/person Subtotal: NT$ 1,930
Explore Kaohsiung City: Transportation – KTRC 1-day pass (一日暢遊卡) From the Zuoying Station(左營站) walk to Lotus Lake Spend the morning exploring 蓮池潭, including visiting Dragon & Tiger Pagodas, Spring & Autumn Pavilions, and various temples. Snack:刀削麵. Take the KMRT from Zuoying to Sizihwan (西 子灣站). Ferry to Chijin Island. Seafood Lunch! (旗津) Explore the beach & lighthouse. Ferry back. Visit British Consulate (英國領事館) Take KMRT to SinYi Elementrary School (信 義國小站) Walk & Check into 85 Fortune Hotel (details below). 休息一下. Take KMRT to Formosa Blvd Station (美 麗島站) Shopping & Dinner at Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) Take KMRT to Yanchenpu Station(鹽 埕埔站) Walk to Love River (愛河). Nightscene boat tour. Dessert and romantic stroll along the Love River. MRT back to SinYi Elementrary School (信 義國小站) Time for bed! 晚安!	Pass: NT$ 700/person Snack: NT$ 100* Lunch: NT$ 500* Dinner: NT$ 500* Tour : NT$ 100/person Dessert : NT$ 200* Subtotal: NT$ 2,900
Lodging: 85 Fortune Hotel, Kaoshiung	Subtotal: NT$ 1,500
	Daily Total: NT$ 6,330

Day 2: 第二天	Expenses:
Kaohsiung to Tainan, via TRA Local Train Depart: 08:43 - Arrive: 09:38	Ticket: NT$ 69/person Subtotal: NT$ 138
Explore Tainan City: Transportation: on-foot and by the FREE Tainan City Tourism and Recreational Bus From the Train Station we’ll walk to (1) Koxinga’s Shrine (延平郡王祠), then continue down Shulin St. (maybe stopping for a spot of tea) before exploring (2) the Great Southern Gate and sections of the old city way (大南門城). From there we will pass by the (3) Confucius Temple (孔廟) and visit the (4) Taiwanese Literature Museum. After a quick visit to the museum, we’ll pass by the (5) Altar of Heaven (天壇) and the (6) Official God of War Temple (祀典武廟). We will definitely stop to sample the famous (7) A Chuan Melon Drink (阿傳冬瓜茶). Then we’ll visit the (8) Chikan Towers (赤崁樓). (Along the way we will enjoy the traditional snacks of Tainan!) Then we will take the FREE tourist bus to An-Ping to visit (9) Fort Zeelandia (安平古堡) and the old streets of (10) An-Ping (安平老街). We’ll finish our Tainan city tour with a dinner of traditional Tainan delicacies at (11) An-Ping Gui Ji Local Cuisine Cultural Restaurant (安平貴記美食文化館) and take the FREE bus back to the train station!	FREE! (1)Ticket: NT$ 50/person (7) Tea: NT$ 30/person (8)Ticket: NT$ 50/person Snacks/Lunch NT$300 (9)Ticket: NT$ 50/person (11) Dinner: NT$ 500 Subtotal: NT$ 1,160
Tainan to Chiayi (嘉義), via TRA Local Train Depart: 20:06 - Arrive: 21:09 Walk to hotel國園大飯店提供 (details below)	Ticket: NT$ 160/person Subtotal: NT$ 320
Lodging: 國園大飯店提供, Chiayi	Subtotal: NT$ 950
	Daily Total: NT$ 2,568

Day 3: 第三天	Expenses:
Early Breakfast at Hotel in ChiaYi	FREE!
Forest Train to Alishan (阿里山) Enjoy the breathtaking mountain views on our train-ride to Alishan!	Ticket: NT$ 400/person* Subtotal: NT$ 800
Explore Alishan: Picnic lunch, walk, and sunset dinner.	Snacks: NT$ 300* Dinner: NT$ 400* Subtotal: NT$ 700
Lodging in Alishan	Subtotal: NT$ 2,000
	Daily Total: NT$ 3,500

Day 4: 第四天	Expenses:
Sunrise at Alishan 4:30 AM bus arranged by the hotel	Ticket: NT$ 300/person* Subtotal: NT$ 600
Brunch & Nap at hotel, Alishan Resting, scenic walking, shopping, (阿里山高山茶)	Brunch: NT$ 400* Shopping: NT$ 500 Subtotal: NT$ 900
Forest Train from Alishan to Chiayi	Round Trip Tickets bought on Day 3
Visit Chiayi Chochi Ceramic Museum (交趾陶舘) Dinner in Chiayi, the original Turkey Rice (火雞飯)	FREE Dinner: NT$ 300* Subtotal: NT$ 300
Transfer to Chiayi HSR Station
Chiayi to Taipei, via High Speed Rail (HSR) Depart: 22:03 - Arrive: 23:18 35% Off Promotion	NT$700/person Subtotal: NT$ 1,400
Lodging: Hostel in Taipei
	Daily Total: NT$ 3,200

*These are estimated expenses.

When Herbal Tea meets Coca-Cola...

Herbal Tea and Coca-Cola-- both are delicious, refreshing drinks; however, they are extremely different from each other. It’s the same for our team members, Eddie and Natalie. We are both graduate students in Taiwan, but we have very different backgrounds and interests!

Eddie (林政佑) is a city boy who grew up in Taichung, Taiwan. He is currently studying in the International Master’s Program in Communication Studies (IMICS) at National ChengChi University. When he’s not busy studying or teaching English, Eddie enjoys learning new languages (currently French), watching movies, eating ice cream for dessert and then exercising off the extra calories. And oh, yes, he likes to drink herbal tea!

Natalie (林娜娜 ) is a country girl from Michigan, USA. She is studying at the Graduate School of International Affairs (GSIA) at Ming Chuan University. When she’s not practicing her Chinese, her hobbies include taking lots of photos, exploring new places in Taiwan and shopping for the perfect pair of shoes. And you guessed it: she enjoys drinking Coca-Cola!

We do have something in common: a passion for traveling, meeting new people and discovering new places!

During our 4-day trip we’ll show you southern Taiwan like you’ve never seen it before! We’re both “國際” (international) majors, so along the way we’ll highlight “foreign footprints” in Taiwan.

Taiwan has been internationally connected for hundreds of years. As we visit Kaohsiung (高雄), Tainan (台南), and Alishan(阿里山), we’ll show you “footprints” from foreign influences ranging from the Dutch and the British to the Japanese and the Ming Dynasty King Kongxinga (zheng成功).

In addition this “history lesson”, we’ll also showcase the diversity that makes Taiwan a spectacular place to visit. We’ll travel from modern Kaohsiung to historical Tainan and finally to natural Alishan. And of course, no trip would be complete without sampling the AMAZING snacks and signature dishes of every place we visit!

So whether you prefer herbal tea or Coca-Cola, we guarantee you’ll enjoy our 4-day Best Trip in Taiwan!!

"Vote for us!"

It's finally here... our team introduction video!

Click here to watch our video and vote for us!