Taipei-March 29

Yesterday in Taipei was very interesting. We docked at the port of Keelung and joined a tour to see the National Palace Museum. Inside the museum were some beautifully carved pieces of Jade and Ivory. Many pieces were so tiny that the displays had a magnifying glass with the pieces so the intricate detail could be viewed. The museum was mobbed with people from around the world looking at these spectacular national treasures.

We went to the Martyr's Shrine, but could only stand outside because the day, March 29, was the special day to remember the ending of the Chang Dynasty in 1911 and the deaths associated with that. The President of Taiwan was coming so the monument could not be entered.

We went to the Grand Palace Hotel for lunch. This magnificent hotel was built by Madame Chiang-Kai-Shek as a place to impress Americans. And it was impressive. The lobby was huge and Albert, our guide, said the rooms were really big.
Albert told us a bit about his story. He was born in Taipei. His parents came from mainland China in 1949 with Chang-Kai-Shek. Fifteen years ago Albert took his parents back to the mainland to visit family. His father had a twin brother who chose to stay in China. The brothers had not seen each other since 1949He said the brothers hugged, cried and almost immediately began to argue about whether the Communist life or life on Taiwan was best. Sad!

Albert is a Christian because his Mother is a Christian and taught him to "give my troubles to God and live my life." He kept saying about our travel experiences that we were really lucky. He said if I was a Buddhist I would say "you must have done something really good in your last life, but since I am a Christian I will say God smiles on you." AND I AGREE!

We went to a Buddhist temple- Dragon Mountain Temple. It was the most active religious place I have ever seen. Mobs of people were making offerings of all type. People were selling small flower arrangements and fruits and vegetables that were being left as an offering. There were also some giant arrangements with cards attached offering thanks for the answering special prayer requests. People had big bunches of incense they were waving. Folks faced every way. There were Buddhist monks

We went to the Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial which is one end of a huge square that also contains the major performing arts hall in Taipei. Albert said the hall is called “The ABC building” because outside it looks very Chinese but inside it is all American….so ABC means American Born Chinese.

Our last stop was at the tallest building in the world- currently. It is Taipei 101. We went inside and looked at the shops. Some folks rode the elevator to the 89th floor but we decided to pass on that option.

We are going to be so interested in what happens in the future for Taiwan. This movement for "one China" will clearly have an impact and any effort to fight that will have an impact also.