Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Taiwan. Especially in Taipei. It's wonderful. There are lights and holiday decorations everywhere. It's hard not to start feeling jolly with so much holiday spirit.

Last week, Rooney and I ventured to Taipei for lunch and to see something worth seeing. Lunch was good and American - Gordon Biersch. It was delicious and it is at the City Hall stop on the MRT. There were Christmas decorations everywhere! It was great. And right outside there was a HUGE Christmas tree that you could take pictures in. It was awesome. There was also a game to play, so we did. We thought we were playing against each other and so sabotaged ourselves rather than working together. Haha.

After lunch we went to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Originally we had planned on going to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial but it was much further away from our lunch stop.

Yellow scarf was the art director

changing of the guards

hahaha

101 and kites

sys mh

The Sun Yat Sen MH is huge. I didn't realize it would be so big but it is filled with art galleries and historical galleries. It was pretty cool. And the grounds were awesome. There is a lake, lots of gardens, and some awesome views of Taipei 101.

When we arrived at the hall, the changing of the guards had just started. It was pretty cool to see. He was the first president of the ROC and influential in the revolution. The three branches of military take turns guarding his statue that sits in the entrance hall of the memorial. After we had walked around outside, we saw a little boy doing that guard's routine. It was adorable. He was so focused and serious.

Outside there were some old men flying kites. They were so high. It was really cool! We stopped and talked to them for a couple minutes asking who's kite was who's. They were such cute old men. Haha.

But the best part of the day was when we asked a fellow picture taker to take a picture of us in front of Taipei 101. So she took one and then we thanked her. She insisted on taking another one. So we obliged and then thanked her. And then she started directing a photo shoot that ended with a picture of Rooney and I sitting back to back, arms crossed across each other, and symmetrical legs. It was hilarious. I was dying. The pictures are actually cute, but it was something else. I truly felt like I was on some set and she was the art director. She was having people move things, telling us where to put our hands and feet, etc. Hahaha.