Excursion #1 (July 9): Qijin Island

Dinner at Qijin

Some of the guys in our group posing after our boat trip.

Dinner at one of many stands selling various kinds of seafood. This stand is selling barbecued squid.

One of our Taiwanese friends enjoying squid.

Some more guys enjoying squid.

Squid is oh so yummy!

This stand sold hard-boiled bird eggs.

This stand sold some sort of small shells (though I'm not sure how you were supposed to eat them).

One of the guys with some bird eggs.

Some more squid.

And I was finally brave enough to try some as well. It was actually really good (though just a little rubbery :)

Excursion #1 (July 9): Kaohsiung Harbor

Kaohsiung Harbor: Boat Tour

Our boat for the harbor tour.

A look back at Fisherman's Wharf.

One end of the harbor.

A view of the Kaohsiung skyline.

According to the guide, this is the largest ship in the Taiwan Navy.

Kaohsiung's tallest skyscraper.

So that's where the Pilgrim's ship went :)

A large oil tanker in the middle of the harbor.

A boat that has seen much better days.

One of the many barges being filled with cargo.

Excursion #1 (July 9): Fo Guang Shan

Fo Guang Shan (Buddhist Temple in Kaohsiung)

Our tour guide for the day trip to Kaohsiung was Brick (no really, that was his English name!)

Arriving at Fo Guang Shan (which literally means Buddha Enlightenment Mountain)

Our tour guide for the monastery was a Buddhist nun.

We participated in doing some calligraphy.

Calligraphy done by an expert.

The main temple

Buddha

Inside the temple

I couldn't resist getting a quick picture of this boy playing on the statue.

Lunch time for the monks and nuns.

A small park in one part of the monastery.

Me and a friendly panda in the park :)

Main statue of Buddha

Some of my classmates being good Buddhas :)

Our Buddhist tour guide (on the left) and Brick, our day tour guide (on the right)

The Buddha and I

Buddhist Monks/Nuns at Lunch

(sorry about the camera quality/shakiness...I did this more for the sound and the singing than for the visual)