Finale of Favorites: Back to where we started

My very first night in Taiwan was spent sitting on the roof deck of the Mountain Star Hot Springs Hotel with my friend Yu-Chen.  We drank in the blackness of the sky, the brightness of the stars, the lights of Taipei glowing below us.  We caught each other up on the happenings of our lives since last we'd met, and enjoyed the stillness of the night air.

As we sat quietly laughing and talking amidst the night sounds, an unexpected falling star swam gracefully across the sky. I felt it trace across my heart as I spoke a one-word wish--a prayer to the God of the heavens, whose glory was evident in the beauty of the evening and for whom my vision is too small.  [And sorry friends--no matter how much you might want to know it, that prayer is between me & the One who heard it.  Some things are just too precious for blogging...]

Eventually we made our way back down to our room, which included a bathroom unlike any I have ever experienced.  [You could say it was unusual...]    What you see before you is hot tub, shower, and sink in left to right order.  And what I had before me was a luxurious bathing experience, sitting upon a stool in the middle of a stone floor, removing all trace of traveling filth and grime before climbing into a pool of crystal clear hot springs water.

Being submerged in this water was like being wrapped in a thick, warm, blanket.  It was like entering another world, where skin is made of pearls.  It was unexpectedly and unusually heavenly.

After my bath, I crawled into a bed I swear was made from clouds, and woke to find this daytime view as astonishing as it's nighttime counterpart.

I reflected on the beauty of the place and decided that I could go home then and there--I'd seen all I needed to see, experienced all I needed to experience.

Thanks to Yu-Chen I can say--even now, after numerous more days in Taiwan and China and countless wonderful memories--the hot springs are without doubt my favorite.

So, let's end where we started--

with gratitude:

To a God who thought of falling stars, 

for an unusually varied and unexpectedly full trip.

And to you friends, for taking the time to share in it with me.  We may be at the end of all I have to say, but don't go away for long--don't you think we need an Encore?