TAIWAN PART TWO: Landscapes, skyscapes, and other scapes (but no garlic scapes)

Taiwan has been rainy. It seems even more rainy because our only mode of transport is by scooter, on which we (and all of our stuff) are regularly exposed to the elements for long hours at a time. Between downpours, generally in hazy conditions, Taiwan has some pretty unreal sights to offer. Here is a very pared down selection.

Kaohsiung

Sun protection and vines. Victorian Tarzan.

Roots scape

yup birds

Motorcycle and tank scape

Neal and Chinese tank prevention beach

Neal in tea bliss

Teletubbie tea scape on 60 stone mtn

drivin'

Mountain on rice paddy in east rift valley.

Rice scape

train on bridge on rice

maybe I should have put this one in the food related post...

Shitiping harbor

Highway 11 after it stopped raining on us

Somewhere in Lishan

Lishan (Pear Mountain)

THE Lishan high mountain tea.

The bottom of Toroko gorge.

It is marble lined and the river is the color of wet cement.

Marble cave hotspring (in Taroko) in cement colored water with Jonas, the Swede.

Ladies who convinced us to go to the hotspring.

They were on a 20 year reunion tour of Toroko.

This is the landslide that caused us to spend 2 extra days driving through the mountains back to Hualien. It was bigger than it looks.

The first wild monkey I ever did see.

More Toroko

And Toroko

Temple roof in Taipei. At this temple, you can go to pray to Buddha, Daoist gods, and Taiwan folk gods all at the same time!

TAIWAN PART ONE: FOODSCAPES

THERE IS A LOT OF FOOD IN TAIWAN. A LOT OF IT IS GOOD. WE DIDN'T GET PHOTOS OF EVERYTHING CRAZY WE HAVE EATEN (for example, polenta stuffed deep fried cuttlefish with spicy sauce, or steam buns shaped like hot dog buns and stuffed with pork, sweet pickled cabbage, and peanut PowDER), BUT WE DID SOMETIMES REMEMBER TO STOP SHOVING IT IN OUR MOUTHS IN ORDER TO CAPTURE A GREAT FOOD/FOOD RELATED MOMENT.

Here are some of them:

At a highway stop for Buddha's head fruit (custard apple) - deliciouso!

Tiny Tuna! Crazed Neal.

Some sort of crazy roasted chestnut shaped like a moustache!

Good food at a small town restaurant whose owner claimed a new government would be taking over Taiwan with the help of the American army in December.

We'll see about that - but the food was delicious.

This is where they make all the mochi we buy in the US! Yeah mochi!

This is Neal's spit. It is not blood, but the pigment of your saliva for several minutes after chewing a carcinogenic nut called Betel nut that grows in a very tall and straight tropical tree. Many truck drivers, farmers - whoever - chew this in Taiwan for a quick buzz and hotflash.

Farm stand at the top of some mountain we had to scooter over after the landslide prevented our intended exit from Taroko National Park.

Coffin bread at the Hualien night market.

It is what it looks like: french toast filled with spicy, saucy pork.

Your typical frozen section at the supermarket contains fish balls and other items for hot pot.

An aboriginal classic at Wulai: millet (and stuff) cooked in bamboo

Preserved egg covered in dirt. Neal tried to eat the dirt.

Neal drinking seaweed beer.

It was a little weird and very sweet and didn't taste anything like beer.

Our first meal in Taiwan.

Saggy dumplings filled with SOUP (!), sprout salad, and FRESH soymilk. YUM.

SOME PICS FROM CHINA WE SHOULD HAVE PUT UP A LONG TIME AGO

Hey everyone - we finally got some time/internet to put up some photos (these from China, Taiwan to follow) after almost a month of blog inactivity. These are displayed in reverse chronological order. Enjoyyyyyyyy...

ON OUR WAY TO TAIWAN!!!!

Bunkers in Xiamen (Southeastern China)

Xiamen raised highway/otherworldy lights/plants

wedding (photo) crasher on Xiamen beach

fresh seafood at old town market (Xiamen)

more Xiamen

Huangshan (Yellow Mtns)

Tangkou village entering Huangshan
Shanghai scape

MY ADVENTURE TO SPLASH MOUNTAIN(THE SHOUT OUTS)

THIS ONE IS FOR MY SISTER WHO HAS CRABS :

This is not just a funny pose though. I am actually crossing from the tropic of non-cancer into the tropic of cancer. Cancer in astrology means crab and now that I have given her this picture as a present, she has crabs as a present.

THIS ONE IS FOR MY FRIEND ELIZABETH WHO LIKES WHISKEY:

In Taipei they have free samples for more than half of the items for sale. This comes in real handy if you are trying to pick out which distinct flavor of expensive single malt scotch you like before you buy it or if you are trying to work up a free buzz before going out into one of the coolest cities in the world.

THIS ONE IS FOR SARAH WHO IS (sorta) MISSING OUT:

It has rained for the last two weeks in Taiwan (the typhoon came late this year). This photo is from the week we tried getting by on $1 ponchos from seven eleven. Due to weather we have been trapped in gorges beyond our control, missed out on the best hotspring/waterfall combo in Taiwan, and have been shut off from accessing the most impressive high elevation monkey-ridden jungle trail around.

THIS ONE IS FOR JUSTIN WHO HASN'T LIVED UNTIL HE HAS HEARD KATY PERRY SUNG BY A FILIPINO BAND IN A HELLO KITTY THEMED CLUB:

THIS ONE IS FOR SAM WHO KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT FINE BEVERAGES:

THIS ONE IS FOR MY MOTHER:

I had a really nice one for my father involving KFC and the Forbidden City, but I lost it.

Stay tuned for a series of cool landscape photos from Laura!

Soundtrack: Roll with the Punches

Food: Coffin Bread!

Mood: Is my shirt getting wetter or dryer? It's hard to tell in this much humidity.