Umbrellas, Heat and a little bit of Whine.

The title would refer to our weekend trip to Kaosiung. We traveled there a few weeks ago , leaving on a Saturday at the whim of Will. I LOVE when Will has whims. He felt like driving, Wyatt and I were happy to comply, and we ALL wanted to get out of dodge. Yes, even in paradise, sometimes you want out. According to Wikipedia, the website for all things true and factual, Kaosiung "is in southwestern Taiwan and is located south of the Tropic of Cancer." (TRUE) Kaosiung is also home to the Hakka people, who first immigrated from China (http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/hakkaint/). Their history is fascinating and we had a great time experiencing the culture, the food and of course the shopping. We toured the Hakka museum, ate noodles with the locals and walked around town. In the countryside of Kaosiung they are known for their handmade/handpainted paper umbrellas...(beautiful). We bought a few. It was incredibly fun.  On the way home being heavy competitors,Will and I even had a healthy sized bet on what was wrapped up underneath the tarps on the trees(the fruit here is like, pre-packaged on trees) For the heck of it Will dared me to run over and look- I think he knew it was bananas(literally bananas) but really just wanted to see if I'd follow through and do it. FYI- NEVER dare me. I have yet to see my 500 NT (just in case you read this Will).Yeah so an incredibly fun time was had by all when we ignored Wyatt's whining about the heat and incessant complaints about walking. We did all this on Sunday though. Let me back up to Saturday, I'm jumping a bit ahead of myself. The drive took about 4 1/2 hours until we ended up in the city of Kaosiung. It reminded me of Singapore with its newness- but bigger, with 3/4 less congestion. It was baffling. As we were driving through, it was such a freeing feeling not to be in bumper to bumper traffic... even walking was a bit surreal not to have a stranger stuck to your buttocks like when in Taipei. It was AWESOME and as I said just moments ago... refreshing.....until Wyatt saw the park from our hotel window. Bummer. That's where the whine came in. He couldn't think of ANYTHING else all day but that stinkin' park. He spoke of nothing else all day but that stinkin' park. I appreciated his resolve, but it was SUPER annoying and I was starting to lose my temper. Being that I start to whine when I'm hungry and uh, Wyatt and I have a couple of similarities, I suggested perhaps we stop walking around the Love River, which we weren't all feeling a whole lot of and get Wyatt something to snack on. We stopped at this little restaurant and waited  ages for food. Wyatt started chewing on ice when Will looked at him and said...Did you lose a tooth?!? Sure enough he did. I like to think that we're stellar enough parents to have noticed if our kid's tooth was gone earlier in the day...or the previous one. It's pretty obvious. Oh, and did I mention that we have no idea where his tooth went? Aren't great mom's supposed to save their kids first tooth? Well, I can tell you I wasn't going to go searching for where it potentially could have gone. (The tooth fairy came a few nights later after a note was written regarding the literal "lost" tooth). Anyway, after a bit to drink and the excitement over the gaping hole in his mouth, Wyatt's whine dropped a few degrees along with the heat. We were ready to proceed with the rest of our day. We walked around the night market and a little further down the river and found the blasted park on the way back to the hotel. By the time we got back, we were exhausted and thoroughly ready for room service. Fast forward to Sunday morning where we drove 45 minutes further south towards the Hakka village (refer to previous information)......Minus the whine good times were had by most.

 

The Place where the tooth was lost.

At the Hakka Museum 

Wyatt throwing a pot..you know child's play.

Umbrella making.

The "it" couple on the island. Perhaps you've heard of them. 

The beginning of something terrible.....terribly wonderful.....?

OK. I should probably put this on Wyatt's page..but it was kind of a big deal, so I'll reserve it the space it so rightfully deserves on the Front. Yeah Baby. With my husband's permission (I feel that's important to point out) I brought my son to get a foot massage. I know. I know. I really wanted one....and I know that he really likes them. What could it hurt I thought? I'd been there before- 10 minutes for a soak and a shoulder massage and you're out. I repeat. 10 minutes. I pointed what I wanted for WYatt and I out to the cashier receptionist from the "menu" on the wall. She wrote it down. She appeared to understand....Until I said not to give Wyatt the shoulder massage- then it all went to pot and we ended up getting shoulder massages AND wait for it......40 minute foot massages. Wait, what? I know. Ridiculous. Worse than that? Wyatt LOVED it. Now he keeps asking when we're going again. Crap.

Regardless of age. Pampering is a must. 

Sorry Wyatt's future wife.......

The monster has been unleashed.

It's been a long hard day. 

Museums, Cats and Coffee

It's been awhile since Wyatt and I had been on an an adventure Friday. He's had crazy amounts (or what seems like it) of time off from school over the past couple months (FYI-anywhere from 1-7 days a month is considered crazy to me) and we've GOT to fill up the time. I like to shake the routine up from just going to the park, because Lord knows, there's only so much park time one mom can take. Yes. I said it. Aren't I selfish? Park secret? I've been labeled the princess by Wyatt which means I get to sit and observe while Wyatt plays. Every now and then I give orders...you know as a princess. Win Win. Back to Friday. Since I've been doing this coffee thing, I'm always on the hunt for a good cafe and wanted to check out some little side streets off of one of the MRT stops. Well, I didn't find the area I was looking for...which is not a big surprise really so Wyatt picked an exit and we walked. We came across Mask Cat Cafe and The Museum of Contemporary Art. The coffee shop was, uh..interesting? The coffee was quite good..and then there were the cats.- There were only 3 but initially it seemed like at least 10...HAHA well not really 10. They're super friendly and they just kind of sidle up right next to you. I wasn't sure if it was precious or kinda yucky. I mean there was no odor or random hair in places it shouldn't be...but cats walking on tables.ummm verdict is still out. Across the street from Mask Cat Cafe was the museum. They had numerous photography displays which I go bananas over but Wyatt was over it pretty quick. So over it that he was scared to even go to the second floor. It was kinda dark.. I guess. I get annoyed, but I need to remember he's 5. Only 5. Luckily the museum had a children's section where we got to play and make craptastic crafts.. . Once we left we even got to trace our hands on the museum entrance. How fun is that? Wyatt and Aly forever remembered in Taiwan...well at least until they paint over it. 

Where's the Panic Button??

I went on another hike today. Our fearless leader was an expert, has written multiple books and definitley knew what he was doing. Hence the description of expert.....I went on this hike becuase I am trying to push past my discomfort, broaden my workout regime and see Taiwan in a different light. I am a fool. When will this big ballerina learn? The hike itself was described as easy, and in comparison to how hikes here can be (i.e climbing mountainsides via ropes) than yes, it was easy. However, for a somewhat unathletic type such as myself, it was at times a bit painful. As we were trudging up the mountainside, careful not to slip on moss or fall off the steep precipice which was waiting patiently to consume our very being (I exaggerate of course...kinda), I was mentally picturing a panic button in my head. My hand may have involuntarily pushed it once or twice. I wanted out. I couldn't breathe. My feelings were, well they just weren't natural. Dear God, when was this going to end. Then there were moments, when we were not climbing up hills, (soooo...not hiking?) that the hike at that very moment in time was completely worth it. The cherry blossoms, the flora, the fauna, the waterfalls..the distinct feeling of accomplishment that my body was capable of being pushed further than I knew it could go...well that made it worth it. (Did I mention there's another hike at the end of April and I'm going for it? Eh. Why not?)

could this face get any redder?