2 sojourners

…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life…

~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

Cicero

  • The Japanese, during the occupation, planted a lot of coffee trees in the Maolin Valley. After they left, the Rukai didn’t know what to do with them…it wasn’t edible, so they just cut them down or let them go. But…

  • One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to try local dishes. We not only got to try this one, we got to be involved in the preparation. The inner leaves are stuffed with a meat mixture, then folded…

  • If you go to Maolin, this is where you want to stay! It’s really a wonderful little family run ecological guest house. DaTou, his fiance and his parents, have created a lovely little get away to base out of for…

  • We went to Maolin for the butterflies (I’ll be blogging about that soon). But honestly, it’s just a great area to explore. There are plenty of places to hike, waterfalls, rivers, culture. We stayed 8 days, and we didn’t manage…

  • At 3,099 metres (10,167 ft), Mt. Emei is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Be prepared to climb a whole heap load of stairs. I’m sure many people climb those stairs to visit the 67 Buddhist…

  • A foreigner living in China must have a Chinese name. As you will be living with your new name for years to come, it’s important to get a good one. Usually a teacher or good friend will pick your new…

  • My friend handed me a snack package, and inside was a little Chinese style junk food bun in a really odd pinkish orange color. I almost groaned out loud. I really don’t like the fake bread that just tastes awful.…

  • We saw this in a big bowl of water at a little roadside stall. I snapped a quick shot, and then we had to hurry to catch up with our friend who had not stopped. Wade thinks they are painted…

  • Out in the countryside, the Rape is in full bloom. Yesterday, we passed field after field of glorious yellow blossoms. The fragrance is heavenly. This edible Rapeseed is one of our favorite greens. Wade always starts asking for it in…

  • And another semester begins. For me, this one is all about characters. I’m going to be doing a lot of this. A lot of reading. I’m actually extremely excited to get going again.

  • I just might be a wee tad obsessed with Lanterns. But it’s a national obsession. I’m just well adjusted…to the culture anyway.

  • I’m pretty sure that for Wade, Lantern Festival is all about the food! I’m also pretty sure he is not alone in this respect…

  • I love Lantern Festival. It is so beautiful and really fun. My favorite thing is obviously the lanterns, but the celebratory atmosphere, the crowds, the food…it all adds up to a really good time. It’s kind of like if the…

  • Thank you Forest Bureau for your good advice. I can testify that quick walking in the forest will  make you slender. I lost 4 K (9 lbs.), walking up and down the mountains of Taiwan chasing butterflies. But I have…

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