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JUNE 2004: Baishawan, Taiwan

I took this shot out the window of the MRT on the way to the beach.
The beach itself wasn't spectacular, but look! No crowds or tiled buildings!
There are loads of tiny shells and stones on the beach.
The sunset was lovely and pink.


JUNE 2004: Taichung County, Taiwan

We went to a big fish market at Wuchi Harbor in Taichung County, south of Taipei.
These are piles of dried shrimp and tiny dried fish used in cooking.
One of these fish is not like the others: this beautiful red fish had tiny black dots.
Tubs full of clams -- they didn't look too happy to me.
There was everything you could imagine, including little octopi.
Here is a heap of live crabs whose legs are tied up with red bows.
Fish heads! Fish heads! Fish heads and Alison's head!
Piles of crab legs in their pretty-coloured shells.
More fish heads -- they're the best part of the fish, I'm told.
After the fish market, we went to Taichung Municipal Park. See my kite in the sky?
Again with the public napping!
We saw some lovely flowers, like this hibiscus.
Write your own caption: What was I thinking in this shot?
The view from our friend's parents' house -- that's Taichung City in the distance.


MAY 2004: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We had a great view of the city from our hotel room, and it was sunny on Friday.
Here's the same view on rainy, cloudy Saturday -- towers piercing the clouds.
I looked up at the towers, and the tops just disappeared into the clouds.


MAY 2004: Wulai, Taiwan

Lovely surroundings, crap buildings: the main tourist drag of Wulai.
I bought two of these boxing dolls in Wulai last year. Why does every shop there sell them?
This shop sells nothing but dried mushrooms.
This poster, which advertises a massage business, must be from the 1960s.
Bill is waving from the entrance to the Wulai Aboriginal Village.
That's where we went to see Wulai's main attraction: the waterfall.
A gondola takes you up the face of the waterfall to the top.
Here's the view of the river from the gondola on the way up.
I took my own picture when we arrived at the top. (I was happier than I looked.)
And here's the view with me out of the way -- see Wulai in the distance?
Our hotel room was fantastic -- the spa tub filled with water from a hot spring.


APRIL 2004: Danshui and Bali, Taiwan

If you go on a Thursday morning, there's nobody around.
There's a lovely new walkway along the Danshui River.
This fisherman was wearing plastic slippers and a motorcycle helmet.
There are amusement-park games by the water: Hit Hello Kitty in the stomach to win a prize!
Many excellent and inflatable prizes are up for grabs, like Astro Boy.
A scene from the Danshui waterfront.
I took a ferry across the river to Bali (no, not that Bali).
This is the view of Danshui from Bali, where there is also a nice walkway along the beach.
Sometimes you just need to take a nap. In public, with other people.
This big mama cat was getting in touch with her roots.
I was at a nice little café as the sun began to set: this was the view from my chair.


APRIL 2004: Miscellaneous shots

A typical lane in my neighbourhood in Taipei.
In 228 Park, there's dirt instead of grass. Also typical.
A Chinese medicine shop on Bo-ai Road.
Guilty of culinary crimes! Weiners in croissants.
Guilty of assault against the sense of smell! Tea eggs.
Tubes of "Naive" skin cream (Japanese).
All the kids love White Men Toothpaste!
No space is wasted: this is the whole store.


MARCH 2004: Sunday afternoon in Taipei

Pink flowers over a red door.
Potted plants on a corner.
The sign on an old hotel by the river.
A small red door on a green wall.
An orange wooden door in a gray wall.
My self-portrait in a corner traffic mirror.
Somebody's balcony on laundry day.
A community notice board on Ting-zhou Road.
Blue meter boxes.
"Wash Good Practice" sign (with lucky paper pineapples).
The intersection of Ting-zhou Road and Jin-men Street.


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Last updated: June 2004