Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Before I went there, I heard that there was a bold mountain near Fredericksburg. It's like big rock mountain. At that day, we planed to go to Fredericksburg, and our first stop was Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. While we were on the way to there, we saw many motorcycles riding on the way. It was amazing for me because their motorcycles were so cool. It took around 2 hour to Enchanted Rock, and the weather was really good at that day; it was a little bit cool but also warm while I stood under the sunshine. When we arrived there, there were some people already hiking or climbing toward the top of the mountain. Of course, our purpose was hiking or climbing toward the top of the mountain, and we knew it took around 30 min to the top. When we saw this mountain, we thought that that was wrong, and it might take more time. We hiked along the trail and then walked higher and higher gradually. While we was climbing, we could see the sightseeing near there. Actually, a part of way was so steep, so I was afraid of falling down. After I passed that part of way, it became flat, and I could see farther than when I was lower place. While I approched the top, wind was very strong! When I stood the top, my ears felt painful after five mins. The top of mountain was really flat, and there were a few plants growing there. I was a little bit surprised that how plants could grow up based on the rock. I didn't see any dust. I walked around the top and saw different view in different directions. I calculated how much time I spent on climbing from the bottom to the top, it took 30 mins! It looked like taking longer time. It was easy to climb the mountain, and it looked like big stone. It was totally different from Taiwan. The mountains in Taiwan are many covered by many trees, so my impression was that mountains should be green. Actually, I wore the slippers to climb this mountain, so while I went down the mountain, I met a guy. He said, "How can you climb the mountain?" For men, it was not suitable equipment. :)

Lake Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

This is flower season in Texas now, and we can see some flowers on the side of highway or some parks. I really want to see some flowers in Texas, so we went to Lake Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on weekend(May 12th 2009). It's located in South of Austin and not so far from my apartment. It was a sunny day, and the sunshine was really strong strong. Oh my God! When we arrived there, parking lot was almost full, and I thought it was popular? There were many people like family or a couple visiting there even though it costs $7 per adult. After paid for ticket, we entered the park. The park was not as big as my imagination. We saw many kinds of flowers, and some of them were too similar so that I could not distinguish what difference between those flowers are. Amount of each kind of flowers is just few, and not too much. I saw Texas flower- Bluebonnet, and some cute flowers like Black-Eyed Susan. I also found out a special grass which make me laugh- Mexican feather grass. I had never seen that before. Additionally, there were small butterflies area to see butterflies, but I couldn't find any butterflies in the park; I guessed it was too hot and butterflies stayed somewhere to escape hot weather like human. Moreover, there is a market on the side of the park selling many kinds of flowers and seeds. I saw an very interesting car in the market which can load big plants when people shop. I have seen that before, I didn't know what function it is, so I feel interested. Also, there are a shop store, a gallery, and a cafe shop, so you can spend a little time on sitting inside the park with coffee. In fact, I thought it was not worh to pay $7 for each perosn to go to the park. :(

Blue Bell Creameries-Brenham

This was our last stop on my Spring Break trip, and it also was assigned to go by my boyfriend. He really really wanted to go to Blue Bell Creameries because his favorite ice cream is Blue Bell! The Blue Bell Creameries is located in Brenham, which is a samll town in Highway 290. When we drove back Austin from Houston by Highway 290, we went to Blue Bell Creameries in the one-third of way from Houston. When we arrived in there, there are many cars in parking lots and many people and kids waiting in line. While we entered outside the Creameris, we met a really friendly elder empolyee to tell us tour which is visting factory inside to see how to make ice cream was full today. We were so upset, but he gave us one ticket for one scoop free ice cream. Ok...we had to eat this free scoop ice cream to make us happy, so we went to ice cream shop to get one free scoop ice cream. While I apporched there, I was so surprised at many kinds flavors ice cream more than HEB sold. While I ate ice cream, I went around the creameies outside. There are some beautiful flowers, some special demo cars, and some sculptures. Of course, there is a shop store selling products of Blue Bell ice cream, and I bought one chocolate and one strawberry pencils that we can smell specific flavor in the pencil. After we were shopping and saw many people waiting in line for tour, we decided to leave. When I was walking toward parking lots, we met a friendly elder empolyee again! He made a gesture to me, and I thought he may give me some special thing? He told me they had extra one tour today, so we could wait in line right now. Oh....he gave me two gifts today, and I was really so happy to meet this friendly guy. I didn't take a picture with him, and it's so pity. After saying thanks to him, we were waiting in line for around 30 mins, and we bought admission to attend the tour. It cost $3 dollars per adult. Finally, we entered the Creameries to get started the tour. The tour showed us how to make ice cream and some machines. There is a big refrigegator showing all kinds of ice cream. At the end of tour, we got a free scoop ice cream again! I ate two scoop ice cream in Blue Bell Creameries, Brenham at that day. I thought it's really fun to visti Blue Bell ice cream factory!

Houston Toyota Center for NBA Game

This was first time going to Houston,and Our purpose was NBA game. I really wanted to watch basketball game while I was in the U.S. We searched the internet about NBA ticket, and I noticed that the ticket price depends on the team. When one stronger team met other stronger one, and the ticket price is more expensive. As we know, two stronger teams play basketball game is more spectacular, and that's why we chose the game that the teams are Houston Rockets and San Antonia Spurs. I really looked forward to watching basketball game before we got started. It was so cool! If you ask me which team did I support? I was neutral.:) I just wanted to see a good basketball game. The time of game was Saturday night, and it was Houston Rockets' home, Toyota Center, Houston. There were many people wearing red Rockets' clothing, and many products selling in the store. When we was waiting for the game started, we saw some people who support Rockeks making noise to cheer Rockets and anticipate Rockets win the game. I also really wanted to see Yao ming, one of famous palyers of Rockets, how he paly this game. While Rockets attacked, display showed audiences "Let's go Rockets," so we said Let's go Rockets with melody. While Rockets defended, display showed audiences "defend," we also said that with melody. I really enjoyed this kinds of atmosphere! I also saw some really awesome moment that palyer got points just less than 15 Secs. Players moved so fast and played well. Because both of the strength of teams are so closed, points are also really closed. Finally, Spurs beat Rockets even if Rockets stayed their home. It was so pity, but it was a good game. Again, I really like this kind of atmosphere in basketball game or football game. I am going to go through baseball game in May. :)

Wildlife Ranch- African Safari(Texas Style)

My boyfriend, I and another couple friends went to Wildlife Ranch-African Safari in Spring Break. This tour is by car, so we don't have to walk and just stay in the car to watch animals. It was a sunny day, and it was almost 11 o'clock when we arrived there. There were many cars waiting for buying tickets, and we got a CD which introduce preparation before entering the Ranch from the empolyee. It cost $16 per adult, and we could get a package of animals food for each car. We got started to see animals after we paid for tickets. I guess that there were around 10 kinds of animals in this Wildlife Ranch. Deer was most common animals that we saw, and there were many kinds of deer; My favorite one is spotted deer. While we were driving on the road in Wildlife Ranch, some of animals were moving or walking on the road. Sometimes there were a little bit traffic jam on specific road because animals were moving slowly, and visitors had to wait for animals across from the roads. I fed a deer in the car and took a picture with it. I noticed that deer use their tongue to ear food and their teeth same as peopel's. Feeding was really fun and deer didn't make me scare, but ostrich really make me afraid. Ostrich is really big and strong and sometimes they sticked its head and neck in our car. When Ostrich was fed by us, they had very strong strength to eat food. If people fed Ostrich by hand, and people must get hurt. I also saw a kinds of cow, and thier horns like UT longhore. Honghores just took a rest under the tree, so we couldn't see them closed, and it was a little bit pity. In order to see longhores closed, we drove on the way again, but they were still far from us. Finally, we went back with really strong sunlight!

They are My Best Friends

There are four people in this photograph; Miss "Hair" was on the left, I was the second on the left, Miss "Flower" was the second on the right, and Miss "Ni" was on the right. Miss "Hair" "Flower" and "Ni" have been my best friends for around 10 years. We were classmates in middle school and high school, and we still kept in touch after graduated high school. I think that one of the reasons why we gather together and become really closed friends is that we have similar personality. First, we have not really well temper except Miss "Flower." When we face somthing, we are angry easily. For example, we sometimes fighted with our boyfriends, we lost our temper easily. I know it's not good thing, but it's difficult to change. In addition, we always get something the chest out each other. When one of us had really bad emotion, we must become the listener, and we also comforted her. Absolutely, we blamed someone who make her have bad emotion. Finally, we share all of things such as our family, love, and school life. Even though we live in different city right now, we still know each other what happen to my best friends because of our secret place-our secret blog. Recently, we are in different condition; Miss "Flower" has some money trouble in her family, so I hope she could go throught this period; Miss "Hair" has to take exams for working in the government department, I hope she must study well and get good score; Miss "Ni" has routine job and sometimes get angry because of her boyfriend, I hope everything is fine. How about me? I hope I can get a good job I want after I go back and learn English well in U.S.A. To my best friend: I really miss you guys!

Cherry Blossoms(Sakura) Festival in Japan

(Cherry Blossoms in Japan)

(My mother,and my younger sister, and I were in Japan last year.)

( It was in one of visting parks in Kyoto during Sakura Festival)

(It was one part of Shinjuku Gyoen新宿御苑 in Japan.)

(It was unknown area Tokyo downtown, and it was near our hotel in Japan. Everywhere you could see the Sakura around you.)

(It was the other famous park to see Sakura wihch is called Uenoonishi Park上野恩賜公園. There were many people sitting under Sakura trees and drinking bear!)

There will be a well known and popular festival which is Cherry Blossoms Festival in Japan in one month. Cherry Blossoms are called "Sakura" in Japanese, and we also call Sakura same as Japan in my country. Since Japan is really closed to Taiwan, many people in my country visited Japan for Sakura Festival in Spring. While Sakura Festival is coming, the weather forecast will predict when does Sakura bloom; it's really important. :) I visited Japan one year ago for Sakura Festival with my mother and my younger sister. Before we got started to Japan, we really were afraid to miss the timing of Sakura Bloom. Fortunately, we saw a lot of Sakura in many different park. First of all,we visited one of parks in Tokyo to see Sakura. It's not really famous one, but there were still a lot of people visiting there(picture 3). When I was this park, I felt excited, and I thought that it was much enough. After that, we visited other really famous tourist site to see Sakura which was Shinjuku Gyoen新宿御苑. There were a lot of and many kinds of Sakuran blooming during Sakura Festival, and it was awesome and amazing!!(picture 1&2&4) I highly recommend! I saw the view which was that many people had a picnic and sat under Sakura trees. We also sat under Sakura trees and enjoyed Sushi with breeze and fallen Sakura petals. I haven't forgotten that moment, and I really love it! Additionally, you could see Sakura around you during Sakura Festival. I saw many Sakura trees along the road or other unknown park. The fifth picture was near my hotel along the small river. Finally, we visited the other famous park which are called Uenoonshi Park上野恩賜公園. It also had a lot of Sakura in the park. When were there, many Sakura already fell down, but there were still many people picnic there. It was very interesting and same as I watched this condition on TV. Many Japanese guys who looked like high school students drank bear and chated(picture 6). I really love this trip, and I recommend you visiting Japan during Sakura Festival! This post is for my Japanese friend, Noriko.