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Yesterday morning, my dad drove us to visit my grandparents' graves in the morning drizzle. The incense and candles persisted in burning in the rain, which seemed like a good sign, as did the divination shells that landed right on the first try--one facing up, the other facing down.
The good omens weren't enough to stop my suitcase from getting in late, but at the very least we were able to drive to the airport and pick it up without a hassle last night. Apparently my suitcase had missed a few flights coming to Taipei from LAX, but it finally made it onto one arriving a little before 9pm last night. Maybe I should complain to American Airlines.
My parents and I both slept in today and drove over to Samgi to visit the Miaoli Woodcarving Museum. I found the intricate carvings quite impressive, though they weren't very well protected from tourists given that they were supposed to be "for your eyes only." A local artist had a special exhibit showcasing his religious carvings, but I think he labelled one of them incorrectly--on his crucifix was carved the word "ΙΧΘΨΣ".
On our way back, we stopped in Sintek to see my (maternal) grandmother and to take her out for dinner. The Windance Matsuya department store, reportedly the largest in Taiwan, has a giant conical overwhelmingly-Christmas-tree-like decoration on its façade, not to mention a food court, so it would be the perfect place to take grandma shopping and eating! Imagine my surprise when I saw on the escalator four young men in suits, three of them Caucasian, wearing large placards that said something to the effect of "Jesus Christ the Savior" in Chinese. I didn't know there were Mormons in Taiwan, and I had to explain who they were to my parents, who probably thought that well-dressed foreigners were an oddity in the department store. But this has nothing to do with the rest of the trip, which involved popsicles purchased in large quantities. More non-sequiturs to come later.
The good omens weren't enough to stop my suitcase from getting in late, but at the very least we were able to drive to the airport and pick it up without a hassle last night. Apparently my suitcase had missed a few flights coming to Taipei from LAX, but it finally made it onto one arriving a little before 9pm last night. Maybe I should complain to American Airlines.
My parents and I both slept in today and drove over to Samgi to visit the Miaoli Woodcarving Museum. I found the intricate carvings quite impressive, though they weren't very well protected from tourists given that they were supposed to be "for your eyes only." A local artist had a special exhibit showcasing his religious carvings, but I think he labelled one of them incorrectly--on his crucifix was carved the word "ΙΧΘΨΣ".
On our way back, we stopped in Sintek to see my (maternal) grandmother and to take her out for dinner. The Windance Matsuya department store, reportedly the largest in Taiwan, has a giant conical overwhelmingly-Christmas-tree-like decoration on its façade, not to mention a food court, so it would be the perfect place to take grandma shopping and eating! Imagine my surprise when I saw on the escalator four young men in suits, three of them Caucasian, wearing large placards that said something to the effect of "Jesus Christ the Savior" in Chinese. I didn't know there were Mormons in Taiwan, and I had to explain who they were to my parents, who probably thought that well-dressed foreigners were an oddity in the department store. But this has nothing to do with the rest of the trip, which involved popsicles purchased in large quantities. More non-sequiturs to come later.
