Visit to Dad's home town and Incense burning to the ancestors.......

Yesterday we went to visit our elder uncle,( Dad older brother) who live in the city of Yilan 宜蘭 to burn incense and pray to our ancestors. Yilan is the birth home of my father and the ancestral home of our family who according to elder uncle came to Taiwan from what is today Fujian Province in China, about a hundred and fifty years ago. It was surreal and really quite amazing to be standing in the house my father grew up in. I also visited the elementary school Dad and his siblings went to, and the Neighborhood they grew up in.

The Liu family shrine in the city of Yilan.

Elder uncle

Dad explaining some of the family history.

Different generations of the Liu family.

Dad's Childhood home in Yilan.

The neighborhood Dad grew up in.

Aunty made lunch and it was so so good.

My cousin and little brother.

Sun moon lake and surrounding area....................

Yesterday we charter a taxi and pay about 7,000 Taiwan dollars to go to sun moon lake in central Taiwan. Driving through the Taiwanese country side was just beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking. we drove past mountains after mountains, and every now and then we would go through these passageway or tunnels drill deep into the mountains, all i kept thinking was Taiwanese engineers must be some of the best and most resourceful people in the world. to drill through these mountains to make highways was amazing.
When we finally got to sun moon lake the place was filled with tourist mainly i think mainland Chinese, but it was still a beautiful experience, the whole place was just beautiful.

We drove through tunnels after tunnels, this one was on the way to sun moon lake.

The scenery in central Taiwan was breathtaking.

View of sun moon lake.

With my little brother at sun moon lake.

On the way back to Taipei we stop in the city of Puli to have lunch.

McDonalds in Taiwan, taste better then any Mcdonalds in the U.S

Also in Puli Dad got some sugarcane to eat.

Taiwan has been awesome so far......................

At the chiang kai shek Memoria

I have been in Taiwan for a couple of days now and so far its been awesome, we met uncles, aunts, cousins, and a lot of my fathers' friends from when my father used to worked in Africa. some of these people we have not seen for over twenty something years, but we were surprise that they still remember us, from when we were kids.

We have actually been staying in the city of Toucheng (頭城) Yilan county, about an hour drive from Taipei by bus, but i try to go into Taipei as much as i can, there is just so much stuff to see and do there. I spent the whole day at both the chiang kai shek Memorial and Taipei 101, and what can i say, it was fun, the shopping, the sights, its just one of those things you have to experience to know what i am talking about.

The view of Taipei from Taipei 101

With my Dad and brothers outside Taipei 101

Tomorrow we are going to the Taroko national park, i heard there is no other place like this in the world. so check back for more development as i make my way around this beautiful yam shape Island.

Hoping Taiwan will touch my heart too..................

I am off to Taiwan in two days to visit Dad, and the rest of the other extended families including aunts, and uncles who i have not seen since i was a kid, and can you believe i am still not packed yet?? I have a lot of things planned as soon as i clear immigration and leave Taoyuan international airport, I told my Dad the first thing i will probably do is visit the final resting place of one of my favorite Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, to put flowers on her grave.next i have a long list of places i want to see mainly in the Taipei area like the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei city's Martyr's Shrine, and off course Taipei 101.

Like others before me, i am hoping Taiwan, this Tiny beautiful Island, the birthplace of my father will also touch my heart.

Favorite Chinese Actress Liu Yi Fei (刘亦菲).......

Name: Crystal Liu Yi Fei (Liu YiFei, Liu Xi Mei Zhi)
Chinese name: 刘亦菲 (劉亦菲, 刘茜美子, 劉茜美子)
Birth name: An Feng 安风
Nickname: Xixi 茜茜, Baozi 包子
Birth date: August 25, 1987
Birth place: Wuhan, China
Height: 170cm
Blood Type: B
Education: Beijing Film Academy (graduated 2006)
Languages spoken: Mandarin and English
Profession: Actress and singer

Favorite sports: Golf and tennis
Favorite actresses: Audrey Hepburn and Vivian Leigh
Favorite singers: Amuro Namie and Faye Wong.

Liu Yi Fei is fast becoming one of the most popular contemporary young artists in China. Some of her famous work includes the Condor Heroes, and and the forbidding Kingdom. This famous Beijing Film Academy graduate was born on the 25th of August , 1987 in Wuhan, China.

A Classic performance................................

Famous in the 60s and 70s and a superstar in Japan, Taiwanese singer / actress Tang Lan-Hwa will definitely be remember along with Teresa Teng as some of the greatest stars from Taiwan during that period. Most Chinese parents will recognize her name. I still have some old VHS tapes of some of her movies that my dad had when we were growing up as kids. Here she is in a scene from the movie "Jilted" The movie that made Tang Lan Hwa an overnight sensation, performing one of my absolute favorite classic Chinese songs called, I am by your side............... 我在你左右 She sang all but one song in the sound track.

Although this was not my time, but there is something about this time and the way Tang lan-Hwa sings that just makes you want to be there. The lyrics to the song is so simple and endearing, No wonder my dad loved it. A lot of memory! Teng Lan Hwa is now a devout Christian

Halloween 2010 in pictures..............................