Taiwan 12: Sabbath in Kaohsiung (20. Jan. '18)

After a blissfully restful night in Trip GG Hostel (look for it here to stay and get rewarded for doing so), it was Saturday morning. That means it's the Sabbath. A few days before going to Taiwan--and much longer after booking my accommodations--I decided to look up SDA churches in Taiwan. I found one in Kaohsiung for the weekend I was going to stay there. Imagine my surprise when I saw it just around the corner and a few blocks down from my hostel. A 5-min. walk away! Is that convenient or what?

Seventh-day Adventist Kaohsiung Church

The church sign

The church. Taiwanese to the left, English to the right.

This was a very small, but just as warm church. There were 2 mixed families and others from the community. I understood the pastor of the English-speaking congregation is from St. Vincent. His wife gave the sermon about children and children's ministries. It was much better than I expected when I initially heard the topic.

Both congregations ate lunch together. There was plenty of food, and everything was delicious.

Train Ticket Trouble

During lunch, I told those who asked about my travel plans and of my present travel problem. The evening before, I reserved a ticket back up to Taoyuan via my phone. I got the confirmation page, but then I lost it. Whoops. Could anyone help me? One of the church members went with me to Kaohsiung Station (since I was going to depart from there), spoke to a few people, explaining the situation, and eventually, I got my real train ticket. *Whew!*

Time with the family

I thanked her a few times and returned to the church with her (she went to church on her scooter and left it at the church. If she had an extra helmet, she could've given me a ride) to thank the others who also tried to help.
I came in just in time for a Bible study on the book of Revelation. There were a couple other people from the Taiwanese church. I wonder if this was their way of getting (extra) English practice. We ended up studying very little about Revelation and getting to know a lot more about me and how things are in Korea vs. Taiwan. Fascinating--and eye-opening--conversation. Once that was over, the pastor and his family invited me to join them on an excursion and for dinner.

For the excursion, they were going to take me to Cijin (a tiny island just off the coast) and watch the sunset there. Typically, they take the ferry. Since I was with them (a family of 4), they thought driving would be better and more convenient. They were wrong.
First, we got lost.
Second, we were quite far from the beach (the sunset-viewing spot).
Third, when we arrived, the sun had set, and we had about 5 min. of light left.
It was still lovely, and I felt bad for them. Things just didn't go as they thought. At least we all know now for next time.

Beach on Cijin Island, with an airplane in the sky.

After that, we went to dinner--at TGIFridays. Oh, not what I had in mind, but ok!

I decided to go all-out American and got a burger. Oh, just thinking about it as I type this up makes me hungry. After dinner, they dropped me off at my hostel and bid me adieu.

I was not ready to call it a night just yet.

Exploring Liuhe Night Market

I still had a Taiwanese flag to buy.

I remembered seeing a sign for a souvenir shop in the MRT station, so I decided to find it and find my flag.

The Dome of Light, by Narcissus Quagliata

This is the largest glass work in the world.

I found the souvenir shop(s), but none had a Taiwanese flag.

Then I saw a sign for Liuhe Night Market just outside Exit 11. Why not? Let's check it out.

Here we are

Whhhaaaaaaat? I didn't expect that.

I found a couple of stalls/kiosks that sold the usual souvenir stuff. Then I saw one with a flag. I went inside and found a Taiwanese flag just like I wanted. Alright, it might be a little larger than what I wanted, but it was enough. Ah yeah! My treck was not in vain!

Time to do some nearby victory exploration.

Interesting, but not enough for me to take pictures.

Besides a random drunk guy who grabbed my arm (but I was able to shake him off quickly), there wasn't anything that stood out.

Exit 3, which means it is diagonally across the intersection from my hostel.

One more look at the Dome of Light.

Policies for Trip GG Hostel, just in case.

Wow, my last night in Kaohsiung was closing in. The next day, I was to make my way back north and check-in at the airport counter by 1AM. Oh, the unexpected adventures that awaited me...