Dear Friend,

	The Shihmen Dam and Reservoir (Notice the low water level.)

When my stepfather (who is not on this trip) was growing up, he lived in Taipei for three years because his father was an engineer on the Shihmen Dam. Today, our group visited that dam!

The Shihmen Dam and Reservoir were originally built to help solve drought problems and to promote agricultural development. They now provide irrigation, power generation, flood and drought control, and a public water supply. People also enjoy boating and fishing in the reservoir, and there are hiking trails and campsites nearby.

	The spillway, where water flows when released from the dam

Unfortunately, it was raining heavily (and even thundering) today, so we couldn’t walk around much of the area. But I did manage to take a few pictures before getting completely soaked!

The rain is needed. When we stood on the dam, we could see that the water level in the reservoir was lower than normal. Everyone is hoping that the rain will end the current drought in this area.

We also went to look for my stepfather’s former house. But unfortunately, his house and neighborhood have been replaced with apartment buildings and stores.

Your friend,

Carla