A day in Chi Shan, Taiwan (part 1)

     Yesterday my aunt (my mother's cousin) brought us to Chi Shan, a place near Yu Li (my grandparent's hometown, where we are staying).  

     After about 20 minutes on the train, we arrived at Chi Shan. Since Chi Shan is in the countryside and far from big cities, the air was really nice there. We could even see the mountains from far away.

Mountains

Mountains

     My aunt rented 2 four-person 'mini-cars' and we traveled in them during our time in Chi Shan. They could also be pedaled like bikes. My aunt, my two sisters, and me traveled in one car. My Dad, Mom, brother, and Grandma traveled in the other car. We were going to rent bikes in the beginning, but thankfully, we didn't. It was very hot, and even though the mini-car had a cover on the top, we all got sunburned in the end on one arm.

Picture taken by my Mom. In front are my aunt, sisters, and me riding in the 'mini-car.'

     After driving for a while, we came to a water-wheel. Beside it there were benches and a place to rest. We stopped here for a few minutes. When we returned to our seats, the seats on the left side were burning hot! Thankfully, I was on the right side, so my seat stayed cool. My aunt's seat and my sister's seat were very hot, though.

Benches to sit on and shade from the sun.

The giant water-wheel

     We drove on and the sun grew hotter. Since it was almost lunchtime, we made a u-turn and headed back in the direction of the train station. There were many stores and restaurants there where we could buy food. We passed the rice fields again, the corn stalks, and most of the places we saw on our way before we u-turned. It was really fun, because it seemed like almost everything was green.

     Since there was still some time left before lunchtime, we decided to drive on another path before we went back. After we drove for some time, the motor began to flash a red light and make a very annoying sound. We started to slow down, and then our battery went out.
     My aunt called the place where we rented the 'mini-car' and we pedaled to a shady spot under a clump of trees. After ten to fifteen minutes a man arrived on a motor bike and changed our batteries. We drove for about 30 more minutes and then ate at a small restaurant for lunch.