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拖了好久的大陸行...終於要到結尾了！請看下去吧！
第四天，我們一群人將前往蘇州...
於是這天一早吃完早餐...我們就開始整理行李...
準備退房...
退房前當然要先填飽一下肚子...
朝食在望湖賓館的樓上餐廳...可以看得到一部分的西湖...其實還頂不錯的！
吃完早餐之後...吳叔叔準備帶我們去遊西湖...
呆漫漫這時候的心情是十分雀躍的...
因為昨天只遊夜西湖...
不知道白日的西湖是何等模樣呢？
逛西湖的景色...有幾個一定要介紹的地方...
一就是斷橋...
我也不知道為什麼它要叫斷橋...
但...據說一到起霧和冬天下雪的時候...斷橋景色是十分美麗的...
聽的我有點想看西湖冬天的雪景...
不過據說...西湖現在很少下雪了！
第二景...
岳王廟...
由於將前往蘇州...所以岳王廟我們就跟一般遊客一樣...拍張照到此一遊就好！
這天西湖起霧...天氣有點陰...司機大叔說這種天氣逛西湖不美...
但...我覺得起霧的西湖反而別有一番風味...
西湖其實比我想像中的大好多...聽說之後還有人工開挖一部份...
所以它算是天然湖加上人工湖吧！
之前玩天龍時有一個西湖的景...現在到實地看...線上遊戲都是亂畫的...！
遊完西湖之後...我們就退房前往蘇州了！
整整坐了好長一段路...終於來到蘇州...！
我們第一個地方是經典園林之拙政園。
在進去拙政園的時候...我們有導覽員帶著我們解說...
但...呆漫漫忙著拍照...所以導覽員說的我都沒印象嚕...！
如果大夥們對拙政園的歷史感興趣...可以去搜尋看看！
進入拙政園前可別忘了當個觀光客在牌坊前照張像阿！
看林老爹和林老媽多稱職阿！
進入拙政園之後...才明白什麼叫樹大便是美...
這片蓮花池可真是無邊無際啊！
等蓮花開的時候一定又是一番美景吧！
拙政園很有古味...
是漫漫喜歡的古代庭園風味...
而且很幸運的在拙政園裡看見漫漫喜歡的花朵...紅花石蒜...亦稱彼岸花！
紅豔的彼岸花開的很漂亮...
拙政園裡有一大片...
但漫漫這朵是開在竹林裡...
逛完拙政園出來...看見很可愛的三輪車...
又手癢拍了一張回來...
之後我們又要坐車前往下個地點了！
下個地點是"姑蘇城外寒山寺"...
百年古煞果然不同凡響...香火真是鼎盛阿！
不知道在這裡拜佛...會讓呆漫漫願望實現嗎？
雖然不知道...但還是誠心拜了一下...
而且我頂喜歡這張照片...
還有用來祈求幸福的紅布條...
發現...內陸的廟宇都很喜歡在樹上綁上紅布條...
上次在上海的玉佛寺也是看見滿滿的紅布條...
逛完寒山寺...我們就要驅車前往昆山了...
臨走前還不忘拍一下寒山寺前的一景留念...
PS.蘇州行照片請看http://jobilin.pixnet.net/album/set/14599319
-------------------------------未完待續-------------------------------
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![Away We Go (2009).jpg[(112102)07-48-13].JPG](http://pic.pimg.tw/copact/4ab2cfe68088a.jpg "Away We Go (2009).jpg[(112102)07-48-13].JPG")
After four days of walking around Taipei City, Da Pong and I finally got a day off. 
We decided to accompany my mother to visit one of the Tzu Chi Hospitals. My mother somehow travels far to this hospital every month for her monthly checkup. It is quite a distance for her to travel by bus from Sin Zhuan to Sin Dian! I wanted to tag along to see her health report. Plus, I really wanted to see this hospital and, furthermore, my donation dollars at work, I guess.
I don’t mind disclosing a little fact that I do donate to many charities regularly and Tzu Chi is one of them. 
A close friend of mine is an active member in the town I live, and I donate the money through her to Tzu Chi every month. I have heard many stories about how they helped build the hospital, but this would be my first time to visit one. Honestly, I was quite impressed with the size of the hospital and how orderly the process was wherever we went. 
I never like hospitals because it always reminds me of the time when my dad was in and out of three hospitals. You would get to hate it as well if you had to visit the hospital everyday. 
Anyway, I was very impressed with what I saw at the Tzu Chi Hospital. I don’t know how the quality of the service is like for that size of a hospital though. The large number of patents and the number lights made the place look just like conveyer lines to me. Can a doctor really get to know a patient well at a big hospital? I don’t have the answer but, at least, I know they’ve got a happy patient- my mother. My mother obviously is happy enough to visit there on a monthly basis.
Other than the visit to the hospital with my mother, we actually had another plan for the day. We planned to have the first ET encounter. 
I am not talking about the alien ET but the blog friends on English Taiwan site(ET2). 
After the hospital visit, I called up my blog friend Carlito again to confirm the time of our date at lunch, which happened to be the day after his birthday. I had been looking forward to this day. For this trip to Taiwan, I did not really plan to meet up with anybody at first because my time was limited and the schedule was tight. However, the messages I had received from so many blog friends from ET2 and the other two blog sites (Wretch and Pixnet) were quite overwhelming. 
I was humbled by all the kindness and friendly gesture I had received. I am very sorry if I did not get to see all of you due to my time constraint.
Da Pong and I were quite excited and nervous about meeting up with the first blog friend on ET2! Well, it turned out to be blog “friends”. On the phone, Carlito mentioned that he would bring along another friend, Summerplayer. Excellent! 
It was even better to meet up with two at the same time. Da Pong felt a bit awkward at first because he knew nothing about my blog friends. All the information he heard about Carlito was all second hand information through me, so he was hesitant about going along to meet them. Well, if I was the tour organizer for Da Pong, he didn’t really have a choice, did he?
I was so happy to finally meet up with Carlito and Summerplayer. They were super friendly! We originally planned to have a coffee after lunch, but we ended up chatting through the afternoon. When you saw Da Pong get really talkative, that meant he was beginning to feel comfortable with the people he met. 
At least, now two people on ET2 know how serious and chatty I could be.
I would like to skip the details of our friendly ET encounter, and no photo will be posted here, either. I just want to say that it is my pleasure to know so many good friends on ET2. Thank you, Carlito and Summerplayer, for such a wonderful afternoon!
By the way, don’t ask me about what Carlito and Summerplayer are like. The same would apply to the others. I will not disclose any personal information to you. You just have to ask them or find out yourself.
]]>Ever Since the report of Typhoon Morakot hit the news, I have glued myself to read news after news on the computer everyday. I don’t really have the mood to write anything, not even my trip reports. All the past memories for the places I had visited suddenly became heartaches. It was only about a week before August 8, I visited A-li-san for a few days and toured around Kaohsiung City and the County with my family. When I read about the places I visited may no longer be there, I just couldn’t bring myself to write about the trips.
Today, I read about the damage of the highest elementary school at A-li-san, Siang Shan Elementary School. I remember the day when Da Pong and I were standing outside a temple by the beautiful school, reading the banner on the wall and discussing about the possibility of going back to reside in Taiwan. We were jokingly hoping that we might be able to teach or volunteer at Siang San Elementary School or any aboriginal school ne day. Now looking back and thinking of those children we met at A-li-san who may not be able to return to their school in two weeks, it is just heart wrenching.
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基本上，在自己牧場介面中...通常只會出現上述所發生的狀態。
而在好友介面中...並沒有與自己本身牧場介面有太大的差異...
唯一要介紹的就是讓好友的小動物出現驚嚇...((這是壞小孩常做的事))
(1).點選下圖【金星】圖示
(2).出現拍手圖示後...選取你的獵物拍一下
(3).可以看見對方的小雞出現眼花花的驚嚇狀態了
以上的教學有沒有很好玩呢？
等到農場等級到達六時...一起去養小雞嚕！
撰文者：漫漫
修圖者：舞舞
首先要介紹的是主選單介面
1.My Ronch---------我的農場介面
2.K-Coins-----------買賣K幣
3.Send Gift---------收送禮物
4.Discussion-------討論區
5.Invite Friends---邀請朋友
6.Add Me-----------((這我通常忽略))
7.Settings----------((不常用到))
8.FAQ---------------問題集
9.Ranch------------牧場((需等到農場等級到達六級才會開啟))
10.Farm------------農場
通常我們一開始進入農場介面的時候，會看到下面這些圖像。
在頭像區域你可以看到有太陽標籤、愛心標籤、K字標籤、錢幣標籤！
太陽標籤代表你的魅力值...
愛心標籤代表你的等級數...
K字標籤代表你所有的K幣...
錢幣標籤代表你所有金錢...
在圖像旁還有六個小圖樣
1.轉輪---------可試試手氣獲得新獎品。(但需要花費錢幣值...第一次花費200...第二次就加倍了！)
2.Home-------回到自己農場介面的快速鈕
3.倉庫---------收穫的物品都堆積在這邊等待賣出
4.商店---------在這邊可以買賣你要的種子、工具(包含農場所需的食物花及肥料...牧場的雞鴨牛羊...)
5.好友---------在這邊可以展開好友清單
6.問號---------點這個可以看到Sunshine Ranch的動畫教學界面...
再來是屬於個人介面的小幫手
1.Move Mode---------------------------------------可供移動畫面
2.Kill Pests to increase your yield--------------當地出現蟲子時，殺死蟲子必備的殺蟲劑
3.Watet your crops to increase yield----------地出現黃色乾旱情況時可以點這個澆水
4.Harvest-------------------------------------------果實或花朵成熟時可以按這個收取
5.Hoe to plant crops------------------------------收穫完的地有乾枯農作物時，以這個剷除
6.Open the parcel to pick seeds and items--打開你的包裹查看((包包裡面有許多介面...這就略過了))
7.Camera-------------------------------------------幫你的農場或牧場拍照
熟悉這些小圖示之後，接下來進入Sunshine Ranch主介面。
一開始進入Sunshine Ranch時，會有六塊空地供予耕作。
如果要買新空地需要等級足夠並且擁有足夠金錢才能購買！
Sunshine Ranch和開心農場不同的是...它不會有雜草滋生...所以不用除草！
但，Sunshine Ranch也有幾個需要注意的地方！
第一狀態：乾旱
這時農地已經出現黃色的圖示，這就代表需要水分滋養了！
所以，這時你必須點Watet your crops to increase yield澆水...解決這問題。
第二狀態：害蟲
這時農地已經出現小蟲子亂跳，這就代表需要除蟲了！
這時，你必須點Kill Pests to increase your yield除蟲。
第三狀態：熟成
這時農地已經出現果實了，這時可以點Harvest收穫。
收穫後，果實已經放入倉庫了。
點了倉庫畫面後，可以看到剛剛收穫的果實。
點了Sell all farm harvest之後可以全數賣出。
到好友的農場時，其實與自己本身介面並沒有太大差別...
一樣可以幫忙澆水、除蟲...
當然...朋友的農作物熟成之後，也可以偷竊。
唯一要介紹的就是放蟲...
放蟲可以讓好友增加經驗值...所以...多多幫他們放蟲蟲吧！
舞舞心聲：『愛他就給他放蟲XD』
等到等級到達六級之後，可以進入牧場介面...這就下回分曉吧！
一起加入Sunshine Ranch行列....http://apps.facebook.com/sunshine_ranch/index_main/
撰文：漫漫
修圖：舞舞
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七點媽咪起床終於在颱風過後
見到久違的太陽的笑臉
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To be continued...
]]>After three days in Taipei, we were beginning to get used to the persistent heat. When I said “get used to”, I basically meant that we simply accepted the facts that; One, there was no use to keep our shirts dry because it was not going to happen; Two, there was no point wiping our sweat because they would keep dripping down like going through a car wash. Three showers a day would not be enough for us. We were simply perspiring profusively, literally like pigs throughout the day.
After the day trip to Taipei 101 and Dr. Sun Y.S.’s Memorial Hall, we decided to visit the Guang Hua Shopping Centre to get a few memory cards for the cameras. In my old memories, I still had this impression of a dark old shopping area with many used book stores in the dingy basement under the bridge. On the contrary, I was surprised to find this new building of this electronics shopping centre quite nice, bright and airy.
We got to the shopping centre too early, one hour before the opening time. It was not fun to hang around an empty place. We were like two hungry kids outside a closed candy shop; we could only look in but couldn’t touch. No fun at all! Finally we found a shop that opened early and they did sell memory cards for the camera. Da Pong went for a card with 16 Mg., but little did we know that our camera would not read a card that big; anyway, that would be another story for another time.
Since only a handful of stores were open early, we hung around for a short while and left for the museum. While we were at the Centre, I made a quick phone call to Carlito to wish him a Happy Birthday. The phone call was short and I guessed I just caught him off guard. Anyway, it was good to talk to a real blog friend on the phone and we set a time to meet in person. Man, his Chinese is good!
We like to walk a lot, but it is a completely different story when walking in the sun, in the heat and looking for street names and bus stops. Two overweight people strolled on the street in Taipei with hats, shorts, running shoes, backpacks, hand towels and bottles of liquid in our hands. We somehow just didn’t fit into the 9 to 5 office crowds on the street. Yeah, we sure looked like two odd tourists with the word “tourist” stenciled all over our foreheads. Wherever we went, we had to ask people for directions to get to the subway or bus stops. I thought I was pretty good with reading maps, but I guessed we were direction-challenged in Taipei. Anyway, we walked all the way to the closest subway station from Guang Hua Shopping Centre and then on our way to the National Palace Museum.
Did I mention that I love the subway in Taipei? The subway system is very efficient and the stations are very clean. I wish all transportation means could be as convenient as the subway in Taipei. The only problem we had with the public transportation in Taipei would be a “cultural difference” problem-- the issue of “personal space”. You see, people in the city are used to crowded buses and trains, especially during the rush-hours. Da Pong, however, grew up in an environment that personal space has always been respected. His rule of thumb for the personal space is to keep the arm-length distance between him and the persons around him.
When Da Pong was on the bus or the subway, he would move away respectfully from others to keep that personal space. However, when other people see “more space” on the jam-packed bus, they automatically move towards that direction. Da Pong was surprised to discover that people would move into his “personal space” whenever he tried to move away from a crowded area. In the end, he would often be cornered into a tiny spot on the crowded bus which, of course, drove him nuts. He later declared to me that he would never get on a crowded subway cart or an over-crowded bus.
After the visit to Guan Hua Shopping Centre and a few bus rides later, we finally got to the National Palace Museum. The first thing that I saw when I got off the bus was the big residential condos across from the museum. There seems to be more and more developments every time when I visit the museum. The museum used to be so far out of town that only trees and hills adorned the museum, but now all those condos, which I assume are very expensive ones, are towering over the museum. Honestly, I was kind of sad. I think I just like my old memory about this place better.
Da Pong remembered the museum well, especially, the trees in the museum park. He always said that the evergreen trees there look so “Chinese”; i.e., the branches pointing up in clumps, which is very different from the evergreen trees we have in Canada. He thinks everything in Taiwan looks Chinese; the stray dogs’ faces look Chinese and even the fire hydrant looks Chinese. Duh!
In the heat of the sun, the steps leading to the museum seemed to be so long and high. We were really overheated and dehydrated when we got inside the building. You wouldn’t believe the “cool” feelings we got when we sat down on the bench inside the museum. Ah! What a relief! We love the National Palace Museum!
We would never get tired of the museum. In fact, we always enjoy the visit immensely. However, Da Pong had a mission this time. He wanted to study more on Chinese weapons. Unfortunately, the weapons on display, especially the swords, were quite limited this time. I guess the display is on rotation and changes every three months. His obsession with Chinese weapons would later dominate our trip in Taiwan.
After our visit to the museum, we originally planned to see a bu dai si, a hand puppet show by the Long San Temple in Wan Hua. We were quite excited about the Bu Dai Si Festival in Wan Hua. However, we were just too exhausted and ended up changing the plan and going home instead. We had to take it easy because we certainly did not want to get sick after just a few days in Taiwan.
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Taipei 101 was the first stop on our list to visit. I was at Taipei 101 last year with my mother and two nephews and very impressed with the massive structure and engineering technology. On the observation deck last year, we also had the most expensive ice cream cone that I had ever had, which my two nephews still talk about it till this day. This year I was the seasoned visitor to lead Da Pong around to visit the building of Taipei 101.
We took the subway and buses to get to Taipei 101. Although we had obtained our international driver’s licenses before we left Canada, we decided not to rent a car in Taipei. My brother also offered us his car for our stay in Taipei but we just didn’t feel comfortable driving in Taipei. I have to say that my driving record has been excellent, but I am not so sure that I can ever adjust to the Taiwanese driving style. What I don’t need is to have an idiot driver changing lane illegally to pass me by and scratch the car, which is rampant in Taipei anyway. 
The Taipei subway system is excellent in my view, and the bus system connected to the subway is quite good. On top of all, the taxi is not too expensive, either. So, risking our lives to drive in Taipei is out of the question.
The wealth that Taipei 101 displays is beyond our comprehension. We were there on a Monday which might not be the busiest day for the retail business. We were in awe to see all the expensive shops under one roof and wondered how the stores could have stayed alive in business. Then we soon found out how.
Da Pong left his camera strap in Canada. Without the hand strap, it could be dangerous for him to lose his grip on the camera which was a Christmas present from me. So, while we were in Taipei 101, one of the biggest shopping malls in town, we decided to look for a hand strap for his camera before any of our out of town trips. Sure enough, there is a Sony Store inside Taipei 101. We were hoping to find a generic hand strap for his Nikon camera. How difficult could it be for a simple hand strap?
The salesman at the Sony Store was very kind and attentive to show us the only two hand straps they had, which were only two hundred New Taiwan dollars apart. We calculated the prices and somehow felt strange with the number we were given. Well, it appeared to be cheaper, compared to the prices we might pay back home, but hey, “This is Taiwan!” we thought, and maybe we got a good deal. Six dollars might just be the right price to pay in Taiwan. We happily picked the more expensive one, walked to the counter and gave our credit card to the salesman. Only did we find out later that we were just not very good with the money conversion math. Duh! We moved one place too many on our place value math!
Somehow, we thought the hand strap cost six Canadian dollars, which would be on the cheaper side but not unreasonable. The receipt we signed turned out to be equivalent to more than $60 Canadian. Wait a minute, 6 dollars might be a bit more on the cheap side, and I could definitely accept 16 dollars for a little tiny piece of plastic and Velcro. Holy! The strap turned out to be more than $60 Canadian dollars! By then, we felt being totally ripped off, but it was too late. We already told the guy to take the strap out of the package and assemble it on the camera.
Well, this is the price at Taipei 101, the gold diggers in Taipei. A pair of jewelled sandals at a fancy shop can cost up to $400 Canadian. I may have cherished my feet every much but I don’t think I am worthy of wearing that kind of expensive sandals. I am not worthy!!
On top of Taipei 101, while Da Pong was fascinated by the engineering technology displayed on the wall of the observation deck, the smooth ride of the elevator and the giant ball situated inside the building, I was pondering about the wealth distributions on the island. On one hand, you have people spending money on brand-named items like there is no tomorrow (or suckers like us who got ripped off), but on the other hand, you have people worrying about the food on the table for tomorrow. 
Put it this way, I have never seen so many Louis Vuitton stores in close proximity in my life. Well, I have never seen so many people with LV bags in my life on a subway, either! Did Louis Vuitton have a sale or what? If you have asked me to find a LV store near me, I don’t think I can find one easily close to where I live. Granted, a brand name such as Louis Vuitton usually represents some reputable quality. However, there is also a hefty price tag that comes with it.
What would be the quality life that people in Taiwan would like to pursue? I don’t know the answer, but anyway, we certainly will forever remember the most expensive ice cream cone and the camera hand strap that we got at Taipei 101.
Our flight landed at 5:30AM! Days before my departure, I already told the family not to bother to come pick us up at the airport. (For God’s sake, it was 5:30 in the morning!) Anyway, we really took our time walking through the corridors, waiting in line for the immigration and claiming our luggage since we figured that no one would be waiting for us at the gate. By the time we stepped out the custom, it was about 7:30AM. Suddenly, I heard, “Julia!”
No way!
My brother and my sister-in-law had been waiting for a long time for us to come out. (Some people just don’t listen, especially the loved ones! 
) My brother was supposed to fly out to Vietnam later on the same day, but he delayed his departure just for us. Luckily, he and I got to spend a whole day together with the whole family. I really appreciate their efforts for us.
My number one travelling rule to beat the jet lag: Always stay up when the sun is up!
Shortly after we had arrived and freshened up, the family decided to go to Jin Shan to visit the mausoleum where the ashes of my father and all the ancestors are kept. It was a good decision for us to be out for the day just to keep ourselves awake. On the way back to Taipei from the mausoleum, we drove along the coast to visit a few scenic places. WOW! There are lots of coffee shops along the coast!
We were just trying to kill time to stay awake for the day but honestly, it was not easy to move around like zombies. We had not slept for more than 20 hours! By four o’clock in the afternoon, we were nodding and dozing in the car. 
My brother ordered two large pizzas for take-out because we were too tired to go to Shi Lin night market for dinner.
The pizza was something worth talking about! 
Those were probably the most interesting pizza that I have ever had in Taiwan so far. Believe it or not, one was a hot dog pizza and the other was a seafood pizza! Yes! The hot dog one had hot dog, relish and beef toppings. Honestly, the pizza was awful but the family seemed to enjoy it very much! Gee! Nothing would surprise me anymore.
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]]>到了四點半約定的時間，泡泡也到了立人。
因為天氣悶熱，所以我們打算先去買杯冷飲...再出發前往廟東！
到廟東，因為週末又是暑假的關係...所以人潮很多...我們先找了停車位把兩輛小藍安頓好之後...
就開始我們的敗家之旅！
先去逛衣服區，但...老實說...廟東的衣服質料真的沒有比天津路好！
泡泡也說，衣服最好買質料好一點的！
然後...我也有同感！
所以逛了三、四家服飾店...我們卻沒敗下一件衣服！((真是挑剔的女人！))
然後，我就說要帶她去一家便宜的鞋店！
可以買一送一...逢甲和一中都找不到那麼俗又大碗的鞋店！
更不錯的是...它雖然便宜...但鞋子穿起來真的很舒適！
不像有的鞋穿起來會咬腳！
我之前在逢甲買了一雙白色高跟鞋...穿起來真的很咬腳！
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| 泡泡正在挑鞋子！這張是她在鞋子前面待了10分鐘被我偷拍的！ 因為我們都很挑鞋，所以...很難買鞋！ 架上的鞋都是390...買一送一！所以合計一雙不到200元～ 泡泡挑了一雙白色的平底鞋...一雙帆布鞋！ 殘念是她最喜歡的那幾雙都沒有她的尺寸！ |
逛完鞋店之後，我們就去廟東的小吃街救濟我們的五臟廟！
現在想起來，我們兩個昨天都沒有吃正餐！...我吃了蚵仔煎...喝了一杯木瓜牛奶！
泡泡則只喝了一杯冷飲！
等我吃完了蚵仔煎之後，泡說要玩籃球機...所以我們就瘋狂跑去投籃球...
結果我果然很沒運動細胞...不管玩幾次都輸泡...
玩完籃球機之後...我們就去買一些小吃好讓泡帶回去給伯父伯母吃。
出發前往公老坪看夜景！
前往公老坪看夜景時，因為從沒自己一個人去過...所以我也很怕迷路！
而且我從沒騎車爬山過，所以騎山路的時候一直在心底默唸佛號！
因為我很怕摔車...！
還好到最後終於安全到達！
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| 其實，公老坪的夜景真的沒有清水休息站那樣華麗！ 但，也別有一番滋味！ 只是...那天來看夜景的都是閃光族... 我跟泡兩個女生...真的很不融入那個世界！ 泡跟我說下次要帶我去看台中港華麗的夜景...我很期待... |
看完夜景之後，又帶泡泡去買了老雪花齋的杏仁餅...就各自打道回府了！
