I recently returned from a 3-week trip to Taiwan. My husband did an amazing job holding down the fort at home while my mom and I toured the island and visited relatives. In my previous visits, I had only seen the cities where my family lived. On this trip, though, the tour took us to the mountainous eastern side of the island as well as some coastal regions.

The green mountains surrounding the Taroko Gorge reminded me of the scenery from the TV show Lost (filmed in Hawaii).

Turtle Island is off the eastern coast of Taiwan. Does it look like a turtle to you?

The charming little village of Checheng.

We stayed in several 5-star hotels on our tour, including the Lalu on Sun Moon Lake. This lotus is floating in the reflecting pool, which flows over the edge of the building.

In Taipei, we went to the 2-28 Museum, which tells the story of thousands of people who were executed by the Chinese Nationalist government following an uprising by disillusioned and disenfranchised Taiwanese citizens. My grandfather, circled in red, was one of the victims (my dad is circled in blue in the photo below my grandfather’s). My grandfather’s body was never found, but it’s likely he was shot and dumped into the ocean (as seen in the sketch).

Of course, a trip to Taiwan would not be complete without a mention of all the incredible food. My favorite: xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung, which is so much better in Taipei than it is in Bellevue.

And in spite of all the beautiful places I saw, I have to admit that the following two pictures are my favorites. I made sure I always went to the bathroom when clean toilets were available so that I could avoid the notorious squatty potties.

The trees that line the bridge and the street that lead to my house show evidence of the passing of the seasons. In the summer, the trees are filled with verdant leaves. The leaves change to a brilliant red with the coming of autumn. As fall changes to winter, the leaves fall off. And then life springs anew with the cherry and plum blossoms.

The other day, I drove across the bridge and noticed how barren the tree branches looked. Poor little naked, twiggy trees. But it occurred to me how they were full of hope. What an odd thought, since hope is usually associated with spring, with the promise of new life. But spring’s buds already know that they will blossom or yield new leaves. Winter’s branches have no knowledge of such promise. They merely wait, not knowing, just hoping.

Every year, my friend Angie throws an elaborate birthday party for her daughter. Last year, she had a pink theme: pink cake, pink water, pink M&Ms, pink marshmallows, pink lemonade…you get the picture. This year was a winter theme, complete with a fabulously incredible igloo cake and beautiful snowflakes. Stay tuned at the end of this year to see how she will top herself.