Day 4 - Taipei Discovery Centre, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, Ta Kuan Junior High School & Ximending

Welcome to Day 4 of our amazing trip at Taipei, Taiwan!

In the morning, we went to the Taipei Discovery Centre where we learnt more about Taiwan’s history and its origins. The trip was quite enriching and we also watched a short film in the discovery theatre. It is a theatre with rotating screen, somewhat similar to our Omni Theatre in Singapore. It is different from other theaters because it is an anthropocentric and dynamic theater reflecting daily life. The films were very interactive and allowed us to gain insight of Taiwan’s history and cultures.

 Next, we visited the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. When we entered the main entrance of the memorial hall, we saw the huge statue of Mr. Sun Yat Sen and the guards around it. Every hour, there is a formal changing of the guards, which is a popular tourist attraction. The guards are much disciplined and did not move an inch until the glorious ceremony of changing shift took place. We leant from the tour guide that the guards have to undergo training for 3-6 months before perfecting the drill with extreme precision.

In the afternoon, we went back to Ta Kuan Junior High School for our second friendly game with them. We had something different for warming up this time round. Instead of the rigorous physical training done previously, we played some fun ice-breaker games with them. All of us partnered with the players from Ta Kuan Junior High School and had a really enjoyable time with the games. We went into the indoor court after the games to warm up with each other for competition proper and begin our friendly game. It started off much better this time round as we were better prepared and more familiar with the way they played. It was an eye-opening experience for us as we move away from the conventional game play adopted by volleyball teams in Singapore and gain more insights and wider perspective on tactical game play in volleyball. We hope to master their adaptive style of playing in future and also impressive discipline in the team as they adhere to the strict rules that have been laid down for them.

Although we only know our “buddies” from Ta Kuan High School for a very short time, we established good friendship with one another. We exchanged contact details before leaving the venue with a very heavy heart. It was a saddening sight to see them waving frantically at us and making hearts with their hands until we all lost sight of each other.

The last activity for the night was a trip to Ximending, a bustling night market that was filled with people of all ages. In comparison with Shilin night market that is more famous for their local products, Ximending is the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture, and Japanese culture. Personally, we preferred this night market as it is more organized, trendier and more things for us to look at. Tonight, we did not return to the hotel by our tour bus but had the experience of taking their public transport, MRT instead.

Please remember to look out for more of our photos at: http://www.dropshots.com/psyang#albums/