The Adventure Begins

With a little hypnotherapy help to discourage sweaty palms, Joplin did the round-the-world in five days for an interview in Taitung, Taiwan. We decided that going to a country where we are the distinct minority was a great thing for our 16 year old daughter, Anika, and it would be unfair to her sister to not give her the same experience. So we threw a dart, and the little island off the coast of the great big China is where we're going to go. Pimsleur Chinese has taught us how to say, "Sure, I'd love to go to your house to have a drink," which means chocolate milk to our 8 year old McKinley, of course.
Taitung, from what we now know, is a sleepy town on the verdant side of Taiwan. The other side of the island we hear is filled with people and industry. The East coast has mountains, trees, hot springs, and even a few beaches. There are aboriginal people still living out ancient traditions, and fabulous fruit and tea.
We'll know more soon. Departure date, August 17th. Things to do before we go? Too numerous to list.