Kaohsiung: Day 6

An early start today–breakfast at 6:45, bags packed and we were loaded on the bus at 7:20 a.m. We had a four-hour bus ride to Taipei; one bright spot at a toll stop was a Starbucks; most folks on the bus were extremely happy, since we had not seen one the entire time we were [...]

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Kaohsiung: Day 5

Following the senior center visit, we toured an ecological park, filled with gorgeous botanical gardens. Projects like this have started up in the past years with the preparation for the world games, and Miss Leslie said that it is amazing how much the city has improved and expanded since she visited in 2007. We enjoyed [...]

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Kaohsiung: Day 4

Today was a formal day–everyone in their blazers and dressy clothes. We went to breakfast and then boarded the bus for the Kaohsiung City Government building. The Delegate from Seattle rode with us on the bus as well. The building was beautifully modern, and we were escorted up to the third floor to a very [...]

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Kaohsiung: Day 3

“Queen Rachel” in Chinese We started the day with breakfast then got on the bus to Cijin island. There were a group of wonderful volunteers that sang; they brought us fruit and desserts and most of our group made a pastry with bean paste and pink dough. They put the bean paste into the center [...]

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Kaohsiung: Day 2

We started our day today with a buffet breakfast in the hotel, a combination of western foods (eggs, bacon, waffles, cereal) as well as traditional Chinese foods, (miso soup, fried rice, tofu and various other dishes). Wow, there’s always a lot to eat, but now I know why Miss Leslie packs those granola bars, since [...]

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Kaohsiung: Day 1

Miss Leslie and I left Portland at 5:35 a.m. on Wednesday for our flight with the delegation to one of Portland’s most colorful sister cities, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This is a traditional trip for the queen and her chaperone, one of the highlights of every Rose Festival queen’s reign. This trip is very exciting, as it always [...]

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Prime Minister’s Auction

At the annual Prime Minister’s Auction, our family attended and enjoyed the company of the Royal Rosarians as well as many members of the Rose Festival Foundation. The theme included wearing the color pink, so everyone was decked out in their favorite shade of pink as we were entertained by the auctioneer.

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