台中新社之旅: 透明 ~Trip to Taichung & Shinshe: Transparent

These photos were taken in Taichung City, located in west-central Taiwan; some were taken in the Shinshe District of Taichung. One of the city shots were taken at Taipei Main Station (台北車站), where we boarded the High Speed Rail (高鐵), which can reach speeds of 300 km/hr. The journey from Taipei to Taichung took a mere 49 minutes. The other two night city shots were taken outside a shopping complex in Taichung. The second day of our trip, we drove to Shinshe (新社) and stayed at a famous hostel, 風林谷, which is located on a hill and normally only open to the owners’ friends and acquaintances. It’s a beautiful place. The dog in these pictures is named Penguin (企鵝). She’s adorable and is always on the alert for approaching visitors. The pictures of the water droplets were taken during a heavy afternoon rain the day we arrived. Other photos were taken early in the morning inside the log house (where we slept), in the garden, and on nearby roads. The garden, which includes a tiny stream, a pond inhabited by seven koi carp, many fruit trees, a gorgeous fountain, water lilies, and wondrous plants, is also home to many different species of dragonflies and butterflies.

Trip to Hualien Part II: Blue ~ 花蓮之旅: 藍

Part II of my series on my trip to Hualien County. These photos were taken at 石梯坪 (Shihtiping), a popular travel destination right by the Pacific Ocean; it is also a National Scenery Location. There is a small fishing harbor located nearby. When I visited 石梯坪 on this particular day in late July, rain was in the air and the result was a glorious array of beautiful blues displayed in the sky, clouds, sea, and horizon.

Taipei 101 Night Shots ~ 臺北101夜景

This small collection of shots was taken from a vantage point atop Elephant Mountain (象山), one of the Four Beasts Mountains (四獸山) in the Xinyi District of Taipei City (信義區). Tiger Mountain．Leopard Mountain．Lion Mountain．Elephant Mountain．(虎山．豹山．獅山．象山) comprise the Four Beasts Mountains. It was a short but steep climb to the 400-m summit. The mountains are regarded as the "spirit beast" guardians of the city. I took these pictures using a 24-70 mm lens on my D70 camera, which was then set up on a tripod. The subject of these pictures is the Taipei 101, the former tallest building in the world (now the Burj Khalifa in Dubai)and the landmark of Taipei. It was designed to look like bamboo, which in traditional culture symbolizes life, growth, and learning. The building itself symbolizes many things. For example, its 101 floors symbolize an ideal beyond perfection (since 100 connotes perfection), as well as the "renewal of time", according to Wikipedia, as the Taipei 101 was built at the turn of the century. Moreover, the yellow light at its pinnacle symbolizes a "torch of welcome", and the tower itself displays the seven colors of the spectrum according to the days of the week (Ex. Red on Monday). As I took these pictures on Wednesday (August 8th) the tower glowed with yellow light.