Day 19

Last night we partied with District 3520’s conference committee, who were celebrating a successful District conference. There was food, drink, dance and karaoke. What fun!

Hit the road early today heading to Sun Moon Lake. Enroute we stopped at the Lien Cheng Saxophone Museum in Houli. Saxophones have been made there for over 60 years and are a family tradition. We spoke with the grandson & granddaughter of Chang Lien Cheng, and learned that of his four great granddaughters each plays saxophone and intends to follow in the family business of producing exquisite instruments.

We had lunch along the way, and stopped at the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan. The Museum opened on the 5th anniversary of the 1999 quake, and is used to provide the public and schools with realistic earthquake education and teaching materials. The 7.3-maginitude earthquake caused much devastation in central Taiwan.

Made a quick stop at a roadside shop to sample "Beetle Nuts." They use scantily clad young girls to attract the buyers. "Beetle Nuts" cause a warming effect and slightly numb the mouth. Some locals use it a lot despite the fact that it turns your teeth and mouth red.

A short stop at the Wen Wu Temple followed. The temple suffered damage from the quake, and it took 4 years to rebuild some of the buildings.