Allen's Adventure Week

I had no idea that following God's call to Taiwan would include new and exciting ways to enjoy His creation. This week was amazing. I have never gotten to do so many different nature-filled activities all in the span of a week.
Last Friday our men's accountability group hiked up a small mountain and had our meeting sitting on rocks under a beautiful sky.
On Monday I got to go scuba diving with two of my brother-in-laws, Casey and Jon. We saw huge anemone fields, lion fish, spanish dancers, and I even spotted a lobster hiding under a rock. The weather was great, the water was great, and how often do you get the chance to go scuba diving with your brother-in-laws!

Wednesday brought a great adventure when a friend, Bart, invited me to go biking with him. He goes quite often and asked if I wanted to bike on flat ground, or along a river, or get some real exercise and bike up a mountain. Since I have gotten back into running even during the heat of the day I thought I was game for the challenge of the mountain. We started off and I pushed hard to keep up with Bart. We came to a little bridge and I saw him get off his bike to rest and wait for me. I was already tired and a little dizzy and figured we must be near the top, but when I asked, "Are we about there?" he said, "That was the warm up." We biked about 9 km up the mountain. We were surrounded by greenery on the way up and at the top we were greeted by open skies and a beautiful tea farm complete with expansive decks and a view of the city and the ocean beyond. The friendly owner gave us organic plums from his farm. When we started back down the mountain I couldn't believe how fast Bart was going-he was flying! We hit 60 km/hr, passing trucks and scooters. I was glad for disc brakes on my borrowed bike courtesy of Scott Pagel. The speed going down gave me an adrenaline rush and I found myself yelling because of the sheer excitement. By the end of the ride I was dead tired, but even though it was one of the hardest things I've done physically, I really enjoyed it.

Then this Friday our family along with the Bells and Ralls' tried out a new beach that had been recommended to us by the Edwards'. It was one of the cleanest beaches we have been to here. We walked on a long pedestrian bridge that went straight to the beach. There were mountains all around, clear skies, shallow enough water for kids, and waves that kids and adults could enjoy. I think it was the best beach day we've had.

Being able to do all those things within one week is pretty special. I feel very blessed to be able to enjoy God's creation like this.