Day 9: Museum Day and Danshui

I started my day with a break out of hives. Boo. I’m not sure what caused it but I had to carry on regardless.  Today was a field trip day - met at Lin Kou High School and then headed off to the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology.  Susan, an assistant principal at Lin Kou, was so nice to organize our day for us.  We traveled to the coast again, weaved through some winding roads and arrived in what is called the Bali District of Taiwan.  The museum is also an official historic site – the residents of Shihsanhang lived during the Prehistoric Iron Age and are the only confirmed example of Taiwanese people possessing the ability to smelt iron.  The museum exhibits the rich culture of the aborigines of Taiwan.  I learned that the aborigines of Taiwan then migrated to places such as Micronesia, Melanasia, and Australia.  The aborigines of Australia are descendents of those that migrated from Taiwan. 



The group outside the museum





Face Vase - a famous Aboriginal artifact from the museum



After the museum, we hopped on a ferry and headed across the river to Danshui district.  Susan and our history chaperones immediately started buying us the best and most famous Taiwanese delicacies.  We had Taiwanese donuts that were out of this world! This was followed by an egg custard dessert, plum juice, fried oysters, fish dumplings, and tofu with noodles.  I was about ready to bust after this lunch.



Views across the river to the city of Danshui





Kelly and I with our fried oysters



Taiwanese style donuts - amazing!!!



We took a walk up to Oxford College (formerly a college but now a high school and elementary school) and Aletheia University. Oxford was founded by missionary Thomas Mackay in the late 1800s and served as one of the first modern educational establishments in Taiwan. The campus was very serene and tranquil with its many ponds, palm trees, waterfalls, and shaded trees. 



Alethia College Campus




With theTaiwanese history teachers outside of the university



  After refreshing with some slushies, we jumped back on the ferry and it was time to head home for the day.  Jacki #1 wrapped up our day with sushi and Jim and Kelly went back to their host families for the night. We had a fun-filled, educational day once again!



On the ferry boat with my passionfruit slushie