Journey's end (for now)

Three months of not much interesting
Min and I spent the last three months living in Hualien, Taiwan.  We didn't do much that's newsworthy, but I took a semester of Mandarin and greatly improved, and we're planning to continue living there and I'll continue studying.

Hong Kong & Taipei
I had to fly out to Hong Kong for twelve hours to get a visa, but the only thing I had time for was some fancy dim sum, the photo of which I've lost.  Min and I have taken the two-hour train ride to Taipei several times on weekends.  There's always good food and things going on.

Taipei is full of motorbikes, buses, and outdoor malls.  Nevertheless it's a really nice place to visit.

Learning Chinese in Hualien
I took classes at a local university in Hualien with some other foreigners trying to learn how to get by with Mandarin.  We had a diverse class: one each of Thai, Canadian, Japanese, Israeli, and American.

Min and I having beers with two of my classmates.  The proprietor gave us silly hats to wear for photos.

Hualien is very slow-paced compared to a place like Taipei.  The things to do are mostly outdoor activities like going to the beach, hiking at Taroko National Park, or river trekking.  It was relaxing at first, but I started itching to go somewhere busier after a few weeks.

Man fishing in Hualien

A mountain river close to Taroko National Park

Swimming hole I've been wanting to try

Off to the USA
I've flown to the US for a few weeks to visit friends and family and enjoy the things I miss from American culture.  I've been drinking a lot of coffee and beer and eating hamburgers.  Min is still in Taiwan, and we'll both be living there for a few more semesters as I work on my Chinese fluency.  We're not done traveling, but I'm guessing our trips will be shorter and more focused after this one.

I'll leave you with this picture of a spectacle of American hunting culture, Cabela's, which I saw with new eyes after being in Asia for so long.