Day 6

Friday began with a train ride on a steam engine along the Pingsi-Line Railroad. The train is only scheduled once a month, and only foreigners are allowed to purchase tickets. It was a very entertaining ride, from the beautiful views, to the locals who gathered and waved from various vantage points along the route. A couple of members of the group were even interviewed by a Taiwanese TV news station. We arrived at the end of our journey in 30 minutes, and spent time walking through the streets of Shihfen. The area is famous for their Sky Lanterns, so the team decorated one with their wishes and sent it off into the heavens. We’ll let you know if our requests were granted.

After yet another delicious luncheon we rode the Maokong Gondola, which is a cable car that travels 4.03 kilometers (2-3 miles) to a maximum altitude of about 300 meters. The ride was sedate and offered wonderful views of Taipei City. At the end stop we went to a teahouse and had tea in a traditional Chinese ceremony. What a treat!

The day ended rather late after a joyful celebration of the 49th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Taipei North. A fabulous dinner was followed by a performance by the Taipei Opera and a demonstration of Ball Room Dancing.

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