Just the Two of Us

Our anniversary is right around the corner.

April 23 to be exact.

Twenty-three years ago, there were only 2 members of the Carl Dingus family. It didn't take  long to start adding to that number. And we didn't stop till six years and four kids later.

For our first anniversary, Carl and I left two month old Nick with my mom and dad, and went to Niagara Falls for a couple days. Just the two of us.

Since then, every vacation we've had has been either with the kids, or in a group of other couples. Until this week. We went on a mini-vacation: just the two of us.

This was also our the time in five years of living in Taiwan, that we vacationed without the accompaniment of a Chinese speaker. That may not sound like a big deal to some of you, but when you know so little, its hard to do some of the simplest tasks.

This adventure started outside the ferry terminal. "Look for the ladies wearing the pink hats," we were told. "They will help you park your car."

Except when we got there, there were no ladies wearing pink hats. There were no ladies at all. I tried asking for help, but no one understood English. So I called a friend fluent in Chinese and had her ask for help, but twice the individuals only spoke Taiwanese!

Finally, a nice Chinese speaking lady approached our van. Using my friend as a translator, we made the necessary parking arrangements.

Next came the buying of the ferry tickets. Fortunately for us, the ticket agent spoke English. Tickets bought, we waited for the next ferry to load. 

Soon we were on our way to Xiaoliuchiu, a coral island about 15km off the coast of southern Taiwan.  About 13,000 residents live on the 2.6  square mile island.  

The main road that circles the island is only 9 km long!

After our arrival, we waited for the B and B owner to find us. It wasn't that difficult. Using our mutual friend once again as our long distance interpreter, we rented a scooter and checked into our room.

Mosaic scene over the fish pond at the B and B. 

Our Bed and Breakfast. The red scooter was our rental.

Then, it was time to start exploring!

Flower Vase Rock

Two sources of income- snorkeling tours and fish farms!

This is the end of the road, for now! 

Coming soon... temples and turtles!