Cut a Rug Canadian Style

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends! I still have this fantasy of settling somewhere in B.C and sea kayaking along the coast everyday.

Last Saturday we went to Taipei to celebrate an early Canada Day.  As we walked from the closest MRT station,  following the trail of Canadian flags to the park, Z sang the theme song from the Quebecois TV show Just For Laughs.  She cracked me up. To her 9 year old mind that show, which she loves is her biggest connection to Canadian culture. 

The event was quite the extravaganza. Although I didn't catch up with my party hearty Canadian co-workers, we made new friends. I partied with my kid which was a treat. Z made a new friend at the bouncy castle straight away and they were inseparable. Like the other girl's Dad observed, "It was bounce at first sight", her parents both work at the Canadian embassy. Z and her new friend were dancing right in front of the stage, They were getting into it, I had to join in. The girl's Dad exclaimed, "Your daughter is a party animal!" 

 Z  rode a mechanical bull and lasted 82 seconds (the top was 94), she got the first round of applause, the organizer said, "that kid is special." She makes it look easy. Soon after she finally got thrown off, many adults followed but they didn't last as long. The adults also held on with both hands and still they didn't last as long: 7 seconds, 12, 22 and when they got off they were so dizzy they couldn't walk! Before they got on, she told the men, "See if you can beat me," which made their friends laugh. I didn't appreciate at the time how well she did, until I watched them. The one guy who came the closest was wearing jeans, was tall enough to hook his legs under the bull, and he was heavier. The winner was 94 seconds, a small guy, we met him, unfortunately we didn't see him ride.

 After the last band finished (an amazing Latin, Rumba, reggae band with trombone, trumpet and various percussion) Z somehow made it on the stage to help announce the raffle winner (as she could read the Chinese name.) My kid was quite the little Canadian girl for the day, waving her little maple leaf flag beside her new friend.

Z in the limelight

Delicious food, and beers, ales and stouts, were plentiful. I saw so many beers I'd never seen before, I didn't know where to start, so started with a stout then later had a local micro-brew from Hsinchu. Our late lunch was also our dinner. We were full from the Texas Roadhouse ribs and sliders. The night ended with a bang of a fireworks show. Z and I crashed hard on the bus ride back to Yilan, it was a late night for both of us, but she is still raving how it was the best weekend ever.

Hakka Cultural Park

Its a serene park in the middle of the big city.