Taiwan Photoblogging Part 2 = Tamsui City Sights

Gentle reader,

I promised Taiwan photoblogging, so here is a new installment! Previous posts included cute schoolchildren and a first glimpse of Tamsui.

I have Taiwan on my mind and in my mailbox: this week I received a beautiful art book in the mail, and it had been sent to me from Taiwan--a souvenir from my lucky relatives who had the chance to go abroad! Then yesterday I received a book about Taipei that the Sibling and my mom had purchased at Taipei 101.

Well, enough talk. A picture is worth a thousand words, after all! Here are a few snapshots in and around Tamsui. I'll have Taipei and Taichung photos later!

Here's a look at Tamsui from afar. You get an eyeful both of the harbor and the modern city, with a look too at the mountains beyond. Tamsui used to be mainly a little port town, but it's now a kind of resort, with a cheerful festival air; Taiwanese from all over the island go there for weekends and holidays.

This is the main street through Tamsui. Note all the scooters parked on the side of the road! You can find all kinds of shops here, including a famous pastry shop that makes fantastic little cakes filled with pineapple paste. So good! (My mom brought a box back for me. Thanks, Mom!)





Here is a typical street food vendor. She's making a kind of fried pastry. You might think that they are sweet (like churros), but they're actually not very sweet.





Here are some campaign banners for (now president-elect) Ma. Note how the banners all have a little image of Taiwan the island. Ma did say that he was not going to compromise the island's sovereignty. (Fact, promise, or campaign BS?) My Sibling did go to Taiwan in the days right before the election.




It's springtime in Taiwan, and in the spring, a young man's thoughts often turn to love! My Sibling snapped this charming photo of a happy couple in a back street. I don't know about you, but whenever I'm abroad, I *love* seeing wedding parties. Remind me to explain to you about the "wedding salon" industry in Taiwan too.





Here is an open-air art collection, right in the middle of town.