Reunion Second and Third Days
This was the most important day for the reunion as we hired a bus to take all of us to visit our Junior High School at Banqiao, which is located about 25km away from Taipei City. When we started in this school 60 years ago, most of us had to take at least one train ride to get there, which took about 50 minutes, at least. It was quite a chore then, not only for us but also for some of our family members! Our 2011 ride was, however, happy and full of fun. It was also short! The school was ready for us. They briefed us on the present situation and then showed us around the campus. (Not one structure is left from sixty years ago.) Before we walked out of the administration building, the school gave each of us a copy of our transcript, just to remind us how we performed when we were there sixty years ago. That was the only thing left of us at the school!
the
view from the field where we used to play ball
After the school visit, the bus took us immediately to our familiar Lin-Garden nearby. It was renovated and open to the public. We had a guide explain the history of the garden, how it was built, and when it was occupied. It was an enjoyable visit!
Following the garden visit, we were treated by the hosts of our reunion meeting, Taotze and Louise, to a Shanghai restaurant nearby - another delicious dinner.
Then the bus drove us to Hsintsu, where we visited "The One" or, in Chinese, South Garden, for an evening of special treats. It is located in the mountains, surrounded by woods, with many beautiful buildings and gardens. The drive was about one and half hours and we stayed at the place for about 24 hours, with dinner the first night and breakfast and lunch on the next day.
old friend!
Finally, on our third day, we checked out from "The One", and drove back to Taipei for our farewell dinner at Taipei 101, hosted by another classmate, Naiching Sun, who made arrangements for us to eat our final meal near the top of the tallest building in the world (up until 2010). It was truly a special occasion. With two tables, we had a great party from 5:30pm to about 9:30 pm. It gave us quite a bit to remember!
Finally, we would like to thank our non-Banqiao friend, Carol Fong, who had this great banner made for this occasion. It made us very official!
