Day 2

We started the day with an orientation class which was a lot better than the presidential palace tour.  We discussed the history of Taiwan and the views of the people over the years as well as their rights.  From there we took a bus to the 5th factory in Taiwan.  It was a store front tea factory (Wang Tea).  They took us on a tour of how they make the tea.  We saw two men taking the steams off of the leaves, the heating of the leaves, how they separate the sizes of leaves, and were given samples.  From there we took another bus to a fancy Japanese 8 course meal.  The food was not that great, but well plated. I tried at least a bite of every course.  Next we took the train to the National Place Museum.  On the way we saw a garbage truck playing music like the ice cream truck which signaled the business to bring their garbage out front.  We were not able to take photos in this Museum.  Our tour guide was on speed.  She took us to through most of the Museum in an hour and a half showing the most notable pieces.  I was a little disappointed because this Museum is so well known for being the largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks.  I thought I would see more interesting pieces, but it was still an awesome experience. The most popular piece was a jade carving the "Jadeite Cabbage.” It is jade carved into the shape of a cabbage with grasshopper in the leaves.  The piece color and cabbage symbolizes virginity and the grasshopper symbolizes fertility.  The story was that it was a wedding present to the emperor from the father of the bride, but they never had any children because he left the girl for her younger sister.  Then we headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night at the Shih-lin Night Market across the street.  I watched as people at stink tofu.  Some people liked it but the smell was just not right.  The whole market had a funky smell that made it hard for me to eat anything.  It was very different to see the variety of food.  The market is a mix of carnival games, stores, and food.  Next time we go I will try the chicken the size of your head, which both professors had.