Amacizing and XiaoLongBao

We woke up early on Monday morning, June 24th, to see if we could join a tai chi group in a nearby park where Craig had done a lot of street contacting.

 Although it was drizzling and there were fewer people in the park than usual, we soon came upon this group who were "amacizing," according to Craig, a term coined by the missionaries to describe elderly people (grandmother = ama) doing their morning exercises, which involve rhythmically slapping their bodies and doing mild stretches.  They were amused as we joined in, slapping in time to recorded music.

A short time later we came upon a woman doing tai chi and she graciously allowed us to follow her, beginning her routine over again so we could start from the beginning.  We were amazed when she told us she was 70 years old and had only recently begun doing tai chi.  Her husband walked around the track.

Dad decided to strike out on his own.

Following Dad's example, Craig and I tried our own version--or I should say, I tried to follow Craig's version! Clearly more practice is needed....

We enjoyed exploring the rest of the park.

We came across a few other hardy souls doing their morning exercise routines.

We returned to our hotel, showered, and feasted on the abundant breakfast buffet, then headed out to explore some areas where Craig had served.

Loved the lotus roots (center back)

Looks like potato soup, but actually includes white radish chunks as well--delicious!

This was our view of Craig for most of the trip--he was a challenge to keep up with!

James Wang, Nancy's husband, was in Taichung visiting his parents, and he invited us to lunch at a world renowned Taiwanese restaurant, Din Tai Fung, which specializes in XiaoLongBao (steamed dumplings).  It was fascinating to watch the dumplings being made and even better to eat them!

Good thing I thought to take a picture before they were all gone!

James Wang, Craig, Mary Lee and Bruce at Din Tai Fung

The restaurant was located in a fancy, new mall, which included a grocery story that reminded us of AJs (where we can't afford to shop either).

Durian fruit.  Craig said they don't eat it till it's rotten and even he, lover of stinky tofu, won't eat this fruit!

Custard packaged in egg shells--tasty!

Later in the afternoon, we took a taxi about an hour out of town to a place Craig had been to where we could buy scrolls and other items at a good price.  We pass these Daoist shrines on the way.

Later we walked through a Daoist temple.

 

Craig explained there are literally hundreds of thousands of gods.

Check out the eyes!

The last stop for the day was a fruit stand to buy some of the fruit that Craig has been raving about ever since he returned from Taiwan.  It was delicious!

Litchee fruit on the front left--a soft white, delicately sweet  fruit inside.

Dragon fruit comes in red...

and white.

The only thing that Dad and I discovered in Taichung that Craig didn't know about was a gelato store called Ex-Libris (next door was an elaborate candy store set in a library decor) with an amazing number of flavors--60 in all--including 20 flavors of chocolate, 20 fruit flavors, 8 "Miyahara Specials," and 22 tea flavors.  Move over Frost!

Reconnecting with friends in Tainan and Taichung, Taiwan

After McDonald's breakfast burritos, courtesy of our hotel, we took a taxi to church.

Taking advantage of every available ad space

The Yong Kang ward meets in a lovely three-story stake center in Tainan. 

Craig was looking forward to seeing the Tang family again.  Not only did we meet them, but Br. Tang gave a talk in sacrament meeting!

Br. Tang and another man that Craig baptized while in Tainan

 Sister Tang had been attending church faithfully for ten years before Craig arrived in the ward.  At that time, Brother Tang had recently begun attending church, but was not yet baptized.  As Craig and his companion were loving and responsive to the Spirit in teaching about eternal families, Br. Tang's heart was touched and he agreed to be baptized.  Their oldest son will soon serve a mission in New Zealand, while the younger son, 16, lives at home with his family.

Craig, Mary Lee, and Bruce with the Tang family and another ward member

The Tang family gave us a ride back to our hotel, where we retrieved our bags from the hotel, then took a train to Taichung.

Craig anticipates returning to his mission headquarters

The land in Taiwan is lush and green.  It seemed that every available piece of land without a building was cultivated.  You can read more about Taiwan here.

Plastic bags protect mango fruit from birds

Burning rice fields with Daoist temple in background

Flooded rice fields (early planting)

Mature rice plants

Our first view of Taichung, outside the railway station, near our hotel

Craig suggested that we stay at the Park City Hotel in Taichung.  It is located in the area where he served and he had passed it many times, always curious about what it would be like to stay there.  It was a great choice!

Park City Hotel, Taichung

After checking in, we headed back out on the streets in search of Craig's favorite street food--and a sit-down restaurant where Bruce and I could get something to eat!

 

 

Craig chose vegetables and meats for his made-to-order stew.

The final creation

Take out, street food style

There was a lot of interesting food, some beautifully presented, but Bruce and I were not ready to try it off the street, especially since our friend Nancy had warned against it.  By the time we left Beijing, however, we

enjoyed a kind of fried bread with a semi-sweet glaze that Craig bought for us all.

We found a curry restaurant nearby--Mr. 38--where Bruce and I ate, right next to Let's Burger.

In the evening, we visited Craig's mission president and his wife, President and Sister Bishop, who were returning home in just a few days.  They graciously invited us to their home and served us delicious fruit.  We stayed only about 20 minutes, aware of their busy schedule, but we enjoyed hearing about what a great missionary Craig had been.  President Bishop said Craig was a great student of the gospel and the language and that he was very enthusiastic about the work.  Sister Bishop said they appreciated the scriptures and quotes that Craig would often share with them.