We set off at 4:30am Saturday morning (June 30) from Hsinchu. Eight kids, six parents, and me: we drove south to Kenting, a beachside resort town, for a weekend of beautiful weather, mountains and beaches.

Amazing fact: I didn’t get sunburned.

Obvious fact: Now I want to move to Hawaii.

I tried water chestnuts, fried flying fish eggs and coconut water, all for the first time. Food was an unofficial theme for this trip. The scenery was, y’know, pretty decent, too.