March 12, 2011: Our first stop was at a Formosan Aborigine-themed neighborhood, where we were lead into a shop that hawked Royal Jelly and other dried goods, be they honey, deer parts or giant mushrooms. The proprietor was dressed in tribal costume, and after he finished his sales pitch we heard a buzzing sound. Several ladies rushed out from behind the back doors and counters to try and close the sale. One of the seniors even engaged in some flirting by showing his saleslady some ballroom dance moves. Not sure if he actually bought anything, though.
This cultural theme continued 'til well past lunch by the pier, then afterwards we visited some temples. We saw a man made up to look like a Terracotta Warrior statue, like those "living statues" you'd see at the Atlantic City Boardwalk or Hollywood. Maybe it's because he's Chinese, but while it looked like his eyes were closed he was still able to see whoever's putting tips in his basket, then acknowledge it w/a thumbs-up.
On to the Formosan Aborigine Cultural Village Theme Park. This was the same amusement park I visited back in 1998, although it was way smaller and not so culturally-themed. After riding the cable car (and actually getting off at the top, since the Seniors opted to just stay on for the ride back down), I had a couple of hours to kill, taking pictures and whatnot. As always upon reaching the amusement park section I only lined up for the roller coaster. The whole experience from launch to landing lasted exactly 2 minutes. The Seniors killed time by looking around the souvenir shops and laughing at tribal drawings that showed dudes w/ their wangs hanging out.
When we left the amusement park, without a touch of irony we rushed to the station to catch the bullet train, w/c got us from north to south in just about an hour. We ate dinner at hotel, but stayed in another Howard's Inn for the night.
And now: more pix for your amusement--
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