I was talking to an old friend in Taiwan and realized that I hadn’t put up many pictures from my life and times there.
So here are some:
This was taken during my stay at Liuchiu Island southwest of the main island. I went with coworker of mine and we terrorized the locals and flirted with the women. Okay, maybe not, but the story behind the beer is kind of funny. Both of us were about to head to bed when we heard someone say hello. As we were the only foreigners on the island, we proceeded to track down this voice and it was attached to a group of Chinese tourists.
Actually, the group was comprised entirely of Chinese travel agents from Hong Kong that wanted to see if the island was the next Jeju-do (a Korean island that is a popular vacation spot). They proceeded to stuff our faces with dried squid and play drinking games. Unfortunately Team USA lost to the Hongs. A sad day indeed.
My coworker and I were uber popular just for being us. Seriously. You’ve heard stories of locals in Beijing approaching people just to be in a picture (my friends experienced that last month). Well, the same holds true for their rebellious counterparts in Formosa. This was taken next to the light house on Liuchiu island.
So there are a million Buddhist temples all throughout East Asia, and many of them look the same. The reason I chose this picture is because I look semi-cool with my bike helmet. Fortunately I didn’t show you the picture of my bad ass cruiser, aka 50cc scooter. Actually, if you get a chance, you would probably enjoy speeding around the hilly, yet scenic island. The weather was superb the weekend I visited Liuchiu. And, don’t tell my doctor, but I drove around without a helmet — and tried to emulate a ride down Highway 1.
This is near my home in Kaohsiung. I just wanted to point out that most urban centers in East Asia look like this: developed. Imagine that, people, just like you and I, wanting to live in an air conditioned room, far away from subsistence on rural farms… how dare they!
I briefly mentioned the March election over at AWC. This is an image of a daily occurrence during the run up to the election. Motorcades run by volunteers drive down each and every block blaring music and campaign statements through mega phones. It is kind of cool the first couple of times you see it simply because it is alien to Westerners used to automated phone calls or mass mailings. And each candidate is given a number to be identified with. This was done because it aids those who are illiterate. Thus, don’t blame me, I voted for #9!
This was taken on January 8th, my first evening in Taiwan. I was on a bridge in downtown Taipei and was amazed by the army of scooters that seemingly owned the roads. This was a few blocks away from the Shin Kong building.
I don’t recall the importance of the shot, but it is in downtown Taipei near the Far EasTone building (the easiest place for a foreigner to get a cell phone) and McDonalds (yes, I did actually eat there). Just like I ate at McDonalds in Japan and have done many a time in Korea. Be sure to also check out the Big Mac Index.