view from Taipei 101
beef, egg and noodles from Nanbin night market, Hualien
Zheng Yi's famous muaji (dough filled with fruit, red bean, peanuts etc.) in Hualienn... Yum! I showed them that they were in my Rough Guide. They were very proud.
Dish of unknown name. A mound of rice with a spicy pork fat topping.
Entrance of Taroko National Park
"Bridge of 100 Lions" and the lovely, winding Shakadang Trail. This was one of the few spots that I got to see the river in its lovely blue shade. The rest was grey from the ran.
Yikes! We were not able to cross, you need a permit from the park...Dodged a bullet there!
Incredible marble walls of Taroko gorge with grey river flowing below.
"Mr. Ruan," a retiree from Western Taiwan was also on the tour with me. He was a good marker of perspective. These are the hand-forged tunnels inside the mountain. They wind throughout the park and many died while making them.
we had to wear hard hats for safety.
A lovely Buddhist temple across a bridge and on top of a mountain in the middle of the park. I climbed many, many steps to the top and gave a donation.
A shrine dedicated to those who lost their lives (several hundred) building the road and tunnels across the park during Japanese occupation.
Cingshui Cliffs in the East Coast National Scenic Area on the Pacific. These Cliffs are 1,000 meters tall, our guide told us.
Taiwanese man, with cigarette. On the beach at Cisingtan Scenic Area, Hualian.
On the train back to Taipei! Ocean views on the way.
my first day of homework -- writing "initials" in Mandarin Phonetic symbols
It is ghost month, when the gates of hell open up and all the ghosts get a few weeks of vacation, someone told me. The storefronts in Taipei have tables with offerings, incense to the ghosts and they also burn paper money as offering.
Stunning views of city and Taipei 101 from Celine's office
my dear roommate, Celine! I went with her to Jiu-fen, a mountain town north of Taipei famous for its steep, stairway streets and gold mining past
fun at the Jiu-fen puppet show
relaxing in the afternoon at one of the town's famous tea houses, perched on the hillside
wild boar on a stick, anyone?
This is Mr. Hu, a renowned artist who makes elaborate collages out of tin cans. He let us stay at his home in Jiu-fen.
me and celine
Jiu-fen's famous stepped street
local desert with chewy taro balls, red beans and ice. very popular...the taiwanese go crazy for this stuff!
Atop a temple in Jiu-fen, admiring the view
the flouring, rolling and cutting of the aforementioned taro balls.
Jiu-fen's narrow winding mountain roads. Single track, with buses speeding by!
Crazy huge grilled mushrooms at the food market.
in wulai, they even piped in hot spring water at the restaurant, so that we could enjoy it under the table as we ate.
the photographers at work. fish is at right, fiddling with her phone.
traditional taiwanese lunch. rice and veggies whipped into a very sticky gelatinous paste, stuffed with meat. then the whole thing is wrapped in a big leaf
John, ready for a day of birdwatchng. The radio on his chest makes bird sounds to attract his subjects.
me and fish
the long-eared buddha at Wulai Farm. Fish says big ears are auspicious.
Wild daylilys everywhere! They served them in soup at our hotel.
more wildflowers.
the road in the park was super narrow and twisty. see tea fields in the background.
a monkey! don't know the name...
After a long day of birdwatching, we drink whisky, eat snacks, and look at the photos on John's computer.
crazy water-chestnut like things at left. root veggies that Fish ate like candy at right. I could not get over these. The ones on left looked exactly like shark egg sacks.
black swans compete with koy for bread at the pond in Wuling.
John, off to work
"The professor" sneaks a nap between bird sightings.
The whole crew. This is how they were introduced to me, from left: John, Mr. Money (Qian, in Chinese) "A-Li" and "The Professor."
we stop at a roadside stand on the way back to the city.
mildly stinky tofu was not so bad.
temple lanterns near my apartment
fishing boats in yeliu harbour
creatures of the deep at Yeliu fish market
Yeliu geological park, north of Taipei. These sandstone formations are millions of years old and constantly changing from erosion. These are known as "mushroom rocks"
"ginger rocks"
A fossil in the sandstone. Hey Dad, what is it?
"Candle rocks." The stone in the center is harder so the surrounding stone erodes more quickly, creating a "wick" in the center.
Seconds after Maggie snapped this shot, I am in trouble with the park ranger for getting too close. He blew his whistle at me.
the most popular formation is known as "the queen's head." You had to wait in line to be photographed with her highness.
local fishermen
ubiquitous "pork floss," a kind of ground up powder composed of pig. this is in everything.
Lead singer of Spoon-de-Chop, a band that performed old-school Taiwanese songs on the street in Taipei and gathered a large crowd.
they do not play for money...only beer! As you can see, they are well liked and have a stack of beer in front of them.
Iko the cat, my mortal enemy. (She makes me sneeze).
Celine makes us a home cooked meal -- yum!
Foot massages at Father Wu's Health Center.
Father Wu's reflexology chart
typical taiwanese lunch with Celine. from left: pork and ginger, steamed greens and rice noodle soup with pork and basil.
ancient-type "dinkem" stoves used at Tian-tan restaurant when they prepare 15-course Confucius banquet. I went there in search of a story. Will keep you posted.
mung bean desert with ice and jelly.
Moon festival BBQ at Mr. Lin's house. We had trouble getting the coals started on this jury-rigged thing!
Ceilne brings the jumbo prawns to be grilled
grilled tofu on a stick. mmm...
"Dan-bing" Taiwanese breakfast of eggs and bacon coated in a crepe. With a fried egg on the side for good measure.
Moon festival concert at Lin Family 100-year-old historic mansion in ZhongFu, Taipei.
performers wait in the wings to play traditional songs
Celine stands in door with a crazy shape.
ceiling in Lin mansion
lotus in bloom
pick your own kebab. scallion or mushroom wrapped in bacon.
super ornate temple interior
delicious and adorable pancakes in the shape of hello kitty and friends. eat these with a carton of papaya milk, and you're in heaven.
bag of soup! sweet sour hot soup from my favorite restaurant
Celine prepares a spicy beef dish called "fly's head" for the dinner party.
the feast!
The gang, from left: Celine, Maggie, me, Aaron, Linda, Jessica, Pei Lin
I think this is a Formosan blue Magpie.
no idea
This is how you get your bike across the highway and into the park. Exercise!!
Hot Pot, also called "shabu shabu." You cook your own stew at the table with meat and veggies.
My Chinese textbook. Somebody please tell me -- What is a "stick-like thing"??
Tai Chi master repells his students with his super strong Chi.
Master Liu is 85 years young.
Me and Su-Fang at Yonghe Soy Milk King for a traditional Taiwanese breakfast of warm soy milk, radish cakes and fried bread sandwiches.
Me, Su-fang and her husband, Joe. He is a structural engineer.
Macao hotspring, Yanmingshan Mountain
After the hot springs!
Taipei City at night from Yangminshan Mountain
first ever "owl crossing" sign
Danshui, Taipei.
Biking path from Guandu to Danshui
Arts performance, Guandu Temple
Taipei subway (aka the MRT) on a Sunday afternoon.
View from Apollo Hotel, Sun Moon Lake
we took a boat around the lake at sunset
Boats floating in the harbor of Itshao, an aboriginal village in Sun Moon Lake
Sunset on teeny Lalu Island in the center of Sun Moon Lake. It is sacred to the Thao people.
Wunwu Temple, Sun Moon Lake
people post many prayers on tags at the temple. they sway in the breeze
temple eaves
peacock garden!
other crazy pheasants
butterfly garden. they were everywhere and they weren't shy, landing on my camera and on maggie's shoulder.
Syuanguang Temple
"filial piety pagoda," built by Chiang kai-shek in honor of his mother. After climbing many switchbacks to reach the pagoda, we climbed nine stories to the top for stunning lake views.
what a view! this captures the mood on top. shaky legs, light as air and feeling goofy.
moon rising over the tea fields
inside the bus, which is bedecked with lace and gold trim everywhere.
This is the best that I could do in trying to capture how blue-green the lake is. Near the shore it is like emeralds or light jade.
"Big belly of Buddha tree," Chung Tai Chan Monastery
Inside Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Puli
Maggie tries to shut the colossal door...
Cloud Blossom Cafe, inside the brand-new Chung Tai Chan Museum
monk on a mo-ped
Taiwan, from a taxi
Maggie and I make our own paper at the Sing Paper Fatory in Puli
Pressing the water out of the paper in a vice.
I liked this old lady selling steamed yams in the afternoon.
this guy jumped in the cedar barrel streetside to measure his tub!
the lin tian cedar barrell shop. they smell amazing!
Guava shake at "The Home of Bitter Tea"
enormous revolving bbq in Chiayi, near Alishan
Fish and I on the bouncy suspension bridge, Chiayi
On the road to Alishan, damage everywhere from typhoon Morakat
This tree is 2,300 years old!
We picnic in front of a temple on Alishan
"Trail of Giant Trees," Alishan. There was mist and fog everywhere. I taught Fish the words "spooky, haunted and eerie"
In the morning we wake up in a sea of clouds!
one of "two sisters" ponds. The legend goes that two sisters were in love with the same boy and in order not to break the other's heart they both jumped into ponds to their deaths. yikes.
