Tag Taiwan
Doors and windows are slightly rounded, as if seen through a fish eye lens. Straight lines are scewed and the whole world sort of wobbles as I walk, a wave traversing through asphalt, concrete, glass and steel with every movement of my head. It is somewhat like being drunk but not that warm fuzzy state that gets you talking and dancing. No, its more like that cold, nauseous stage of drunkenness when you just want to get home and sleep. Yet I haven’t touched an intoxicating substance for two weeks. Instead it is my glasses that affect me thusly. I … Read the rest
Camera in hand I’m trying to portray this bizarre place but I keep failing. I either stand too far away which makes the statues look small and insignificant, or get too close so you cannot see the big picture. Then it strikes me, I have an excellent way of portraying something that can’t be captured on camera: these very words. So what is it that I find so hard to take a good photo of? The memorial sculpture park in Cihu is a rather stretched out park in a remote township in northern Taiwan. The green lawns are criss crossed … Read the rest
I’ve compiled a couple of notes I made on my map to summarize the trip. Anyone interested can check out the pictures below:
From Hualien to our goal in Yilan it was only a day of driving. We could easily have gone to Taroko gorge, arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the entire island with its rivers sheer cliff faces. However, both me and Yini have been there fairly recently so we opted against it.
Instead we kept driving along the coastal road which turns out to be one of the most beautiful stretches of tarmac in the country with sheer cliff faces rivaling those of Taroko, sloping down into turquoise water.
While riding, storm strength winds suddenly descended upon us … Read the rest
Today started with a short visit to a nearby lagoon that was said to be worth while. Since many of the attractions were closed down for repair there was not as much to see as I hoped. We did however take a short boat tour which turned out to be very cool. Out in the middle of the lagoon is a small island, entirely made of oyster shells. Apparently fishermen have been dumping them there for thirty years which has formed a small island. It’s barely worth calling an island, it’s more like a sand bank I guess, but amazingly … Read the rest
For a while now, me and my girlfriend have been planning a small adventure and today, having landed in Taiwan just yesterday, we finally got on the way. The plan is simple: drive my scooter from the south of the island, north along the east coast and stop along the way at interesting places; a kind of random sightseeing.
My girlfriend sent the scooter south by train a few days ago so we wouldn’t have to ride all the way and today we picked it up and started riding. Unfortunately we couldn’t send it as far as we wanted so … Read the rest
All I can see is the ceiling, a corner of the air-condition and a wreath saying Merry Christmas, it smells rather much of mint and someone is rubbing what I can only assume is shampoo into my hair. On top of it all they have glued, or perhaps taped a piece of cardboard to my forehead, apparently as some sort of splash protection. Lying back in a recliner having my hair washed is an odd feeling, not bad, not particularly comfortable since the woman is rubbing my scalp with vigor, just… odd.… Read the rest
I am sitting here at the start of the second film of a two films for the price of one deal but, the pictures on the screen in front of me and the sounds coming out of the speakers hold little interest to me. It is just a stream of sensory impressions, light, color and vibrations impinging my eyes and ears. I find it interesting that when I’m stuck here in the salon, with no option to flip the channel or turn off the TV you start taking an interest in sounds and images you would otherwise avoid. Just because … Read the rest
I am in the most incredible bathroom I have ever seen. The toilet is situated in the middle of a small platform of grey stone with an assortment of plants, bamboo rods and yellowish lights all around. Sitting on the toilet seat, my feet are only a few centimeters from the wooden edge of the platform and a small pond. In the pond rises three small pillars supporting slate stepping-stones leading to the sink and then the door. The pond is filled with small fish and plants and is lit from below with a turquoise luster. A hidden pump is … Read the rest
I’m sitting at a table in a garden drinking tea, it is dark, the ambient light from the nearby cafe building spilling out on the people sitting here combined with a small oil lamp is the only thing that illuminates us. The early december air is verging on cool and in the background I can hear the noise of the nearby motorway as the walls around the garden do not block it out completely. Three women are sitting around me having a lively discussion is Chinese and one of the women’s son sits in front of me fiddling with a … Read the rest