It wasn’t on our schedule, but somehow we ended up at a gold driving range behind Miramar Entertainment Park.This was a first for both Ktula and I. Betty took courses before. She gave us some pointers then off I went.
After a few practice swims, I went for the ball for real. “Pong!” I hit the little white ball in 1 swim!
Call it beginner’s luck, but it deserved a little victory dance.
This winter Ktula and I took a 2-week trip to Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
First stop in Taipei, our schedule was packed with sight-seeing, friends visit, and constant feasting on local food. The hotel i pick initially was located in a questionable alley on Chung-Shan North Rd. After 2 nights, we moved to The Grand Hotel(圓山大飯店).
We covered the usual tourist attractions and then some:
In past years, I would make the effort to pay a visit to the National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院) when I’m in Taiwan. This year was no exception.
We were blessed with good weather. The day we visited Taipei 101 observatory, the visibility to the entire Taipei basin was clear under blue sky.
My mom took us to Liouhuang Valley in the Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園). The air in the valley was filled with strong sulfur smell. Taipei locals came for the hot springs and scenic hiking routes.
Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) was yet another eye-opening experience for young Ktula. The varieties of local food stands; the boiling noises of vendors yelling, traffic, and market goers; not to mention the unique smell in the air. It was Taiwanese culture in its true and most colorful nature.
About 30 minutes ride from downtown MRT main station is Danshui (淡水). Used to be a fisherman’s town, now it’s evolved into a popular seaside destinations for locals and tourists alike.
My sister Betty took 2 days off from her extremely busy schedule and accompanied us to destinations that’s harder to get to with public transportation. Jiufen (九份), a declining gold mine town, now visitors came near and far for its Chinese style narrow streets and tea houses.
After his unsuccessful shrimping incident, Ktula has being dreaming about shrimping in Taipei. And so we did. For a change of luck, Ktula caught his first shrimp in less than 15 minutes, shortly another one, and then another! Betty caught her first one, and then Liam caught one too. I didn’t catch anything for a long time but eventually i started to catch up. At the end, each of us had at least 5 catches, that’s 19 times more shrimps than Ktula previously caught!
The days in Taipei was short and sweet. We left Saturday early morning and to our next stop, Johor Bahur, Malaysia.
Living in the Seattle area, Smelly is a user-centered designer with a decade of design experience. 
