In April 2019 a group of seven of us from District 9940 flew out to Taiwan for a reciprocal visit to their District 3523. The highlight of the trip was catching up with the people we had met 17 month earlier. However, the generosity and care the Taiwanese Rotarians showed us was tremendous. We attended their District Conference and were treated to some amazing entertainment and food.
As a group we saw the Taipei Theatre complex which is large and based on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The memorial to Chiang Kai Shek had crowds as the changing of the guard happened every hour. The Taipei Zoo was excellent being the largest and ‘best’ in South East Asia. We spent time in the country side with a gondola ride of 40 minutes up the high mountains surrounding Taipei. It was a varied landscape of farming, green spaces, homes and restaurants. We spent three days on the west coast of Taiwan and were hosted by a local Rotarian. A visit to the Whiskey Distillery was a highlight as we experienced a 6.2 earthquake. The building was substantial, and we then understood why. The barrels were stored standing up simply because that stopped the rolling of the barrels in earthquakes. We experienced the culture, the religions, the street food, the scooters and the silence and consideration of all drivers. Our overwhelming memory will be the people, the laughter, the generosity and lasting friendships we have all made.
Thankyou Rotary Friendship Exchange!!!
Sandra Kyle - Team member