Day 13 ~ Hakka Cultural Park

Liudui Hakka Cultural Park:

Bamboo

The Umbrella Pavilion will be finished in December

Lunch at Donggang Restaurant

These wraps were really good!

Kenting:

Water activities at Houbihu:

When we arrived we had to put on a wet suit, water shoes, life jacket and goggles. Backing out was not an option.

Snorkeling:

Having attempted snorkeling unsuccessfully several times before, I was apprehensive about this particular activity. I shouldn’t have been because it was a peaceful, serene experience .We were driven to a destination point and were shown how to clean our goggles and then how to breathe. I was ok with that part because I had done that before. It’s the next phase that has always given me problems, the part where you have to put your face in the water and breathe through your mouth. I usually panic and fail. This time was different because I was told to look forward with my face in the water instead of looking straight down. After a couple of attempts I was ok with it. The next step was to get in the water and try out my new skill. We lined up in a row and then formed a V with the guide pulling us at the vertex. I was happy to do this in baby steps because for the first time I was successful at snorkeling and it was amazing. The beauty and life that can be observed below the water’s surface is amazing. It’s like being in the middle of an aquarium except you are on the inside instead of observing from the outside. The quietness below the water surface is amazing, the only thing you can here is your own breathing. It is serene. Thanks to Dr. Peng and Tracy our tour guide for helping me to overcome my aversion of snorkeling. Sometimes you have to be forced to do certain things. Given a choice I know I would not have gone on this excursion so it’s a good thing I wasn’t given one.

Yay! We did it!

Kenting Street:

The bus drove us to Kenting Street which is like a night market with street vendors and shops but this one had the added attraction of arcade games and carnival type games where you can win a prize. I actually preferred this over most of the other night markets we have been to because it wasn’t so crowded. The quality of the goods was pretty decent and they had a good variety with good prices. For dinner Pat, Sean, and I went to a restaurant because we didn’t want street food.