From hospital to KTV

After our 6.30am start, confirmed 4 times, we finally departed our accommodation at 7.30am to head for breakfast. After finding a car parking spot behind the excavator at the unmarked road work site our team and their hosts, which had grown to 10 at this stage, stopped at a street side kitchen, with luckily 10 seats for breakfast. A mixture of toast, sandwiches, egg and meat (no flavour provided) was enjoyed by all.

First site visit for the day was to TouLin Medical Center, Hospital. Buses deliver the sick and the elderly right to the front door where they check in hotel style for blood pressure, 45min pathology results and a treatment planned supplied. To floor two where traditional Chinese medicine including acupuncture is practised. The team had a beautiful photo taken with the acupuncture mannequin as we decided where to stick needles in each other (just kidding).

To soy and imitation fish product heaven. After learning about the value of protein added soy products that can be made to look like almost any other regular product including prawns. Although the taste is NOT the same, no matter what the box says.

A quiet lunch, team count now 25pp, enjoyed a traditional 14 course banquet over a quick 2 hours.

From there to visit a fascinating gentleman who out of china and ceramics designs temple and there magnificent statues. After seeing the amazing designs and starting to understand the scenes produced in temples (over 100 new temples are made each year in Taiwan) the team headed off to see the goddess Mat Su. With about 300 of our closest and newest friends we admired a stunning temple that receives over 5 million visitors per year. We received a lecture on temple design for example the lion and the dragon represents man, the tiger and the phoenix represents the female.

Wooden products and stencils were the topic of the next visit to see native aboriginal Taiwanese art. The stencils will be beautiful at home. Back for a 10min rest, shave, shower, get dressed and head for a Rotary meeting with the two clubs we had spent a wonderful day with.

After we finally retrieved Edward from a hungry, but violent lift we successfully arrived at the meeting. Dinner and KTV (karaoke) followed with one team member demonstrating there beautiful voice. A great night was had by all for the end of another busy day.