I know I said my next blog post would be part2 (of many) of my stay with Wen-Hung and his family of great cooks, but I got a bit distracted with all the adventures I'm trying to squeeze into my month in Taiwan.  It's funny how even a month is just not enough time to really experience a place, even when you're lucky enough to get a crash course of tradition and history during their 10 days of celebrating  Chinese New Years.  

Fireworks, hot springs, beautiful hikes, good surfing, cultural hospitality, eccentric and tasty food ... all of it has created a determination in me to return later, since my landing visa is almost up (30 days for Americans). I've begun looking into different ways to make that happen and so far, my best bet looks like the Taiwanese government scholarship to learn Chinese where they give worthy candidates a stipend of 25,000NT ($800US) a month.  Considering that I'll be departing Taiwan next week with only spending 600 dollars for a whole month of living and travel, it's not such a shabby offer.  Especially since teaching English can really help put some extra cash in your pocket.  

Coming around full circle, that's my excuse for jumping blog posts.  Look for The End of the Road part2 soon.   

In the mean time, I wanted to share a couple of night shots from the past couple of days.  Below is a shot from our rooftop of one of the many colorful explosions that litter the sky every night.  The superstition is that fireworks scare away evil spirits intent on eating you (*Taiwanese friends: Please feel free to correct/expand on my understandings of traditions)  

The second shot is of our own, blooming contributions to the Flora of the sky.