Golf in Taiwan??

Sunday was a free day for the team, which really means, many of our guests try to plan things with us.  Bryan was lucky enough to be asked to play golf in the morning by AG Manpower.  His son Brian also went in order to translate.  They headed out at 5am to a course that was about an hour away.  When they arrived, Bryan noticed that all of the employees were dressed in uniform.  This is something that is very prevalent in Taiwan.  Many of the rotary clubs have uniforms, as well as many business including banks. 

A temple near the first tee.  A place to pray for good luck on the course?

No range balls or warm up, just step up to the first tee.  First swing since October!!!

Our foursome.  That is AG Manpower to my left.  Perhaps the nicest man I have ever met.  After the round I asked his son Brian to let him know how appreciative I was for taking me golfing and he said that it was his pleasure to ask me to come along.  He also wants to play again next time we are in the Taipei area.

Bryan and Brian!!

My own personal ID card for the day.  Unfortunately they would not let me keep this as a souvenir.  In the top left in blue ink is my name in Chinese.

Each group had their own caddy and one golf cart with 2 rows of seats.  I asked earlier in the round for a picture with our caddy and she declined saying she was too ugly for pictures and that she only takes them with her husband.  Later in the round on a difficult par 3, I said if I hit the green on this shot, you have to take your picture with me.  As you can see, I hit the green, and she was still a little reluctant.  She was a little shy, but very nice and very funny!

What a great day on the golf course.  I was a little rusty at first, but warmed up and made an eagle on the par 5 16th, and a birdie on the par 5 18th.  If anyone reading this knows Herman Menke, please tell him I am on the board with 1 birdie in 2011 and that he is lucky I made my ten footer for eagle!!!!

After golf, I was invited to a wedding by Brian and his dad.  A lot of the rotarians were there and were very surprised to see me in attendance.  I felt like the guest of honor which has been a common theme since the day we arrived. 

The Bride and Groom walk down the aisle together.

A toast by District Governor Victor

After arriving home from the wedding, I ran into Whitney and Lauren in the lobby.  They were about to take the train to do some shopping so I joined them.  We returned back to the hotel at around 6 because I needed to get ready for dinner.  My host brother, who happens to be one of the few people in Taiwan that likes to eat steak, invited me to dinner at a steakhouse near the hotel.  It was so nice to taste Fillet Mignon again.  The steak was excellent!!!  What a day.  Could you ask for anything more. 

Stay tuned for more updates.  We are trying to catch up.  Our Taroko National Park visit will be up soon.  Prepare for lots of amazing pictures.