Taiwan Photoblogging: Beautiful Kenting

Michael Turton -- lucky guy indeed -- gets to go roaming all over the gorgeous scenery of Kenting while making me absolutely green with envy!  At least he's posted a massive amount of splendid photos.  Do take a look.

Awesome Photography: Taiwan from the Air

BEAUTIFUL.  Need I remind you that one of Taiwan's names is "Formosa"?  (From the Portuguese "Ilha Formosa," "beautiful island," used by a Portuguese ship that first saw Taiwan in the 16th century!)  I haven't been back there in far too long.  Link via the always-interesting View From Taiwan.

History in Photographs: Old Taiwan

Check this awesome archive of some 3200 vintage photos of old Taiwan -- a place that has long since vanished.   Check out, for instance, these street views of Taipei from "back in the day."  How far we've come!  Notice too how you sometimes see Japanese flags flying in photos from the pre-WWII (Japanese colonial) era.

Link via the always-fantastic View From Taiwan blog (xie-xie, Michael!).

Taiwan: Taroko Gorge

The always-enjoyable View From Taiwan blog has a lovely new photo set of images from Taroko Gorge, one of Taiwan's famous spots for scenic natural beauty. Do take a look!

Eat Your Way Around Taipei

WHY AM I NOT THERE RIGHT NOW? Feast your eyes on the culinary glories of Taipei.

Taiwan: A Glimpse of Pingtung

Pingtung was where my dad had been. Here are some photos by some folks who went down there to help in the clean-up effort (thanks!). Pingtung County has a website available in English.

Taiwan: a Photo Tour of Lukang

Michael Turton of View from Taiwan recently had the good fortune of visiting the ancient little town of Lukang. Take a look at his photo gallery. By the way, that photo of Lukang's most famous bakery? I was there the last time I was in "the Old Country." (And, yes, the pastries were delicious.)

Taiwan in 3 Photo Galleries

North Carolina artist Joel Haas photoblogged his recent trip to Taiwan! Take a look at his photos from his visits to:

• Shilin Night Market in Taipei (the Sibling and I love the huge variety of snacks you can get there!)
• Long Shan Temple
• Yangmingshan (gorgeous mountain and nature reserve just outside Taipei)
  

FYI for more photos:

• Michael Turton's Taiwan blog often has lovely photo galleries. Here is his latest.
• Recall the Sibling's photoblogging his last trip to Taiwan in March of 2008.
  

Hello Kitty Monstrosity of the Day: the Hello Kitty Pink Helmet

This was a photo snapped by the Sibling on a street in Taipei. Yes, it really is a pink helmet on a scooter. The horror, the horror! What's actually killing me, though, isn't the cute helmet -- it's the PINK railings on the street!

Also: astute readers will notice that in the "dashboard" of the scooter is a plastic cup with a giant straw that says, "I am bubble tea!" Yep, bubble tea, that Taiwanese beverage sensation.

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.

Taiwan Photoblogging Update: More Soon; I'm Drowning in Schoolwork

I know, I know -- I promised some Taiwan blogging. I have many photos and many comments (both on the photos and on the current political situation), but I am drowning miserably in schoolwork!

For now, just remember the first image collection. I give you a little photo token now as a promise of another collection soon to come! And yes -- they are school photos! You noticed!

Here is a kindergarten class full of xiao haizi (little ones). They're having lunch. Aren't they adorable? Once upon a time, I was like one of the little girls -- back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. This class is at Tamkang school in Tamsui. Grade levels range from kindergarten through high school (K-12), with college preparatory classes. My mom and uncles all went to school there and my grandfather was a history teacher there for many years too. See, my whole family is full of nerds. By the way, notice the wall on the right: the kids are learning the names of the months in English. English language instruction now begins very early in Taiwan.

I gave you a kindergarten photo, so I should give you a high school photo. Apparently schoolboys there are like schoolboys everywhere -- always having a little fun. Yes, everyone wears school uniforms. Hey...Is that a schoolgirl smiling at my Sibling as he takes the photo????

Taiwan Photoblogging: Part 1 = Planes and Night Markets

The Sibling is now recovered enough from his jet lag to start sending Taiwan photos!

I will post a few at a time -- in chronological order -- so we can all take a little virtual trip to Taiwan together and enjoy the photo fun. (And perhaps cure our travel envy?)

Previously I posted the first photo from the trip: the church in Tamsui.

Here is the first collection:

Here is the plane! It's EVA Air, the family's favorite airline for Taiwan trips. (Good food, great service, comfortable seats.) Notice the other passengers starting to read their Mandarin-language newspapers.

The Sibling and I love checking the flight map. Here he is, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, near the coast of Alaska, on his direct flight to Taipei from Los Angeles. Hey, it's much better than having to change planes in Narita, Tokyo, Japan.

Ah, yes. How to amuse yourself on long trans-Pacific flights? The Sibling decided on some Sudoku. Hmmm, notice the difficulty setting in the top right corner! *giggle*

Finally in Taiwan! The plane lands about 10 PM. Tired and jet-lagged, what's the first thing you should do? Go out to the busy night markets and eat like a pig, of course! Here is a photo of some glorious steamed dumplings, which were made and cooked on the spot. Eat with dipping sauce and shredded ginger root, with maybe a dash of vinegar.

Here is another example of the great (and not expensive) food you can get at the busy night market food stalls. This is called a "chicken roll," and it's delicious. The baby cucumbers are a nice and cool addition to the hot savory dish. The Sibling and family ate themselves into a happy food-induced coma and then went to bed.

Good morning, Taiwan! This is the view from the windows of the family's hotel in Tamsui, a suburb of Taipei now, though it once was an independent seaside village. Tamsui is out of the busy urban center (but well-linked by the excellent MRT system), and it has beautiful views of the ocean and also of some lovely mountains. This is Guanyin Mountain, as seen from the Sibling's bedroom window early in the morning.

Don't forget: breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Here is a typical Taiwanese breakfast: hot tea (the good stuff too -- look at the lovely color of the tea), hot rice porridge, a selection of meats and vegetables, and some fresh fruit. Oh, there are fried eggs today, with a little drizzle of soy sauce on top. Delicious. The uncles went out to the morning street markets and bought hot fresh soy milk -- just as here in the US and Europe you may go out in the morning for some hot fresh coffee.

And now, well rested and well fed, we begin our first real day in lovely Taiwan! That will be in Photo collection #2, which will be posted soon.

(Yes, yes, I know my Taiwan blogging is going to sound like a LOT of crazy propaganda. Sorry in advance. I'm *not* on the payroll of Taipei, but I can't help gushing about Taiwan -- it's such a fantastic place!)