Dear Reader,

    How did you spend your Chinese New Year? Did you take a vacation
    somewhere or did you spend it with your family? Did you go
    overseas or stay in the country?

    As for me, I headed south. I went to Southern Taiwan for a few
    days. It was a relaxing trip, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
    Instead of writing about "phonics", I would like to share with you
    about my fun trip and some of the places I went.

    I left Taichung on Sunday, January 21st. I started my trip at
    noon because of the highway restriction that was "enforced" that
    morning (def: used, put into force). Maybe because of the
    restriction, it was pretty "smooth sailing" on the highway (def:
    easy, simple). Not much traffic and my average speed was
    90-100km/hr. As Taiwanese know, I'm quite fortunate given it was
    Chinese New Year.

    I arrived in Kenting around dinnertime and checked into the hotel.
    Actually, my hotel wasn't exactly in Kenting, but just outside of
    Kenting. It was pretty quiet there at night so I decided to drive
    10 minutes into Kenting to see what I could find. Wow! That was
    were all the people and "action" were (def: fun). Kenting was
    very much alive and full of people! So many restaurants, pubs, and
    food stalls were open and full of people! I spent many happy hours
    exploring this small coastal resort town and taking in its sights
    and sounds.
  (921K MP3 recording,
    http://www.path2english.com/Reference/MP3-040-01.mp3)

    I spent that evening eating at "Warung Didi", a great little "Thai,
    Malay, Chinese" restaurant/pub. Quite a mouth-full isn't it? The
    food at "Warung Didi" was very good if you like spicy food, which I
    do. The price was very reasonable. However, the most unique thing
    about this restaurant was not its food but its female owner, Marco.
    She was from Malaysia and has lived in many countries. She is
    quite friendly and talkative, and has many interesting stories and
    tales to tell. I found her so interesting that I went back the
    next evening and sat at the bar where she works. I told her I
    would write about her restaurant in our newsletter (not that she
    needed it because I noticed that "Warung Didi" was already in many
    local newspaper articles).

    From Kenting, I drove on Tuesday to Taitung, which is on the
    southern east coast of Taiwan. Taitung is famous for its numerous
    hot springs and aboriginal groups. I stayed that night at an
    establishment created by one of these aboriginal groups. One of
    the most memorable things while there was that I ate "instant
    noodle soup" for Chinese New Year's Eve. No restaurants were
    opened ^_^
  (724K MP3 recording,
    http://www.path2english.com/Reference/MP3-040-02.mp3)

    I really enjoyed my stay in Taitung. I watched many aboriginal
    performances at the place I stayed. I heard they just came back
    from a performance in the US. It is a very peaceful and tranquil
    place. The aboriginal staff was very friendly and treated you just
    like their personal friends. They told me their mission is not
    just about entertaining us, but also educating us about the
    "plight" of aboriginal people in Taiwan (def: sadness, trouble).
    It was a great place to visit and I highly recommend it. I felt
    like I was in a difference culture without leaving Taiwan. It is
    a great place to recharge and contemplates ones life. They have a
    website were you can get more information, http://www.bunun.org.tw/
    They are also looking for volunteers to help them so if you want to
    do something very meaningful in your life and gain something from
    it, please contact them. You can write Lari, lari@kimo.com.tw
    directly and tell her JacksonFive sent you ^_^ You can go for a week
    or a few months. Whether you go as a "guest" or "volunteer", your life
    will be enriched by the experience.

    There are also many other attractions near this aboriginal
    establishment. It is also the home of the famous "Red Leaf Baseball
    Team". You know, the baseball team that is shown on the new $500
    dollar bill. I set aside one afternoon to visit their school and
    baseball museum. It was an eye-opening experience. I strongly
    recommend going to this museum. I also enjoyed the Red Leaf Hot
    Spring nearby. It was an outdoor hot spring and very natural and
    beautiful. It was a great place to "unwind" (def: relax). I must
    go there again sometime.
  (1023K MP3 recording,
    http://www.path2english.com/Reference/MP3-040-03.mp3)

    After spending 2 days in Taitung, I headed back to Taichung. I
    decided to drive through the southern mountains. It was a long and
    interesting drive. For 12 hours, I followed my map closely. There
    were many new roads, which I wasn't familiar with. This was nothing
    like the Taichung roads that I drive everyday ^_^ This time, there
    was quite a lot of traffic on the highway. I got back to Taichung
    at around 10:30. It is awesome being "away from it all", but it is
    also nice to be home. I'm glad I went south! I hope you also had
    an amazing and life-enriching vacation of your own. You can find
    some pictures from the trip here,
    http://www.path2english.com/Reference/Taitung.htm

    My voice is better this week so I have recorded MP3 recordings for
    you. Before you download, install this "Download Accelerator"
    first. It will increase your downloads by at least 100%. I've
    used and tested it for a few weeks, and I'm impressed with its
    performance and features, http://www.speedbit.com

    Also, please remember to fill this form if you would like me to
    consider building a JacksonFive School in your neighborhood,
    http://www.path2english.com/NextSchool.htm I like to plan ahead
    you know ^_^
  (746K MP3 recording,
    http://www.path2english.com/Reference/MP3-040-04.mp3)

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    "Resources for Your Children"