Hsinchu, Chiayi, June 5-7, 2007
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David and Sue left Taipei on Tuesday June 5th driven by Abe’s PhD student, Kuan-Jou (Joe), to Hsinchi for a lecture, a night’s stay, driven by Abe to Chiayi, then staying once more with Abe and Grace at Taichung before flying home on Friday June 8th,


Joe drives to Hsinchu.


He treated us to lunch which included the most divine onion soup on the planet1

He also graciously presented us with hand-made gifts.
Then he drove us on to Hsinchu to the National Chiao Tung University

 

 


Where I gave the presentation on Embodiment, Symbolism and Formalism in Undergraduate Mathematics Education


Afterwards, Dr Pai (seated) talks to her friend Terry who runs a restaurant and will organise our dinner.


Terry is also an artist who designed and painted the whole restaurant herself including all the decorations on the walls, the seats and the tables.

She has a Japanese sushi chef who has cooked for her for five years. She encouraged him to cook with his heart by taste, not just by measurement of ingredients. The pork meal he cooked for David was the best taste he had in the whole of Taiwan, brilliantly prepared with added flavoursome ingredients on top. Unexplainable!


Dr Pai had her favourite ‘garbage pasta’ with a huge variety of odds and ends cooked to taste. mmmmmm!
This is innovative cooking at its most magnificent...

Next day, Wednesday 6th June, Abe came to Hsinchu and drove us on to Chiayi
where we were entertained by the director of the Graduate Institute of Mathematics Education, Yang Der-Chung (left), Lius Siang-tung (Tony), and Tau Ru-Fen.

Again, a delicious lunch ...
... with a variety of fish and other goodies.

The talk this time was Encouraging Mathematical Thinking with Power & Simplicity.


Farewell lunch with Abe’s students. All-you-can-eat-and-drink, including wine, Tiger beer, a vast choice of food which you choose and is then cooked and brought to your table straight from the kitchen.


The meal ends with Grace giving baby Cephas Häagen-Dazs ice cream. All you can eat! Go back and get seconds, thirds, fourths, if you so desire. What a way to go!

And so our trip to Taiwan came to an end leaving a vast compendium of memories ringing in our minds. First, the people and their kindness and generosity to their guests. We have experienced warmth and friendship in all our journeys around the world, but this is surely very special. Abe Chin supervised our whole trip, financed in part by the expenses provided for David’s invited attendance as keynote speaker at Changua and at Taitung, the rest by expenses and fees for giving talks round the island. The whole trip was made possible by the generosity of individuals who welcomed us, took us out for meals and drove us from one place to another. Every time we had to travel, a student was delegated to carry our bags and make sure we made the necessary connections. Dr Tam in Taipei and Dr Pai in Hsinchu were particularly generous. Abe’s student Joe entertained us and drove us from Taipei to Hsinchu and Abe did all the rest. Thank you Abe and Grace for our beautiful time in Taiwan, and thank you Cephas for making us so welcome.