Taipei9

In the "Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall" area.

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A full view of the previous site.

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A picture of the "National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine" in downtown Taipei.  I recall it was so huge, it was difficult to get the entire structure in the frame.

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A peephole in the shape of a fruit.  Interesting design for the times.

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A majestic villa inside the compound.  One item I recall from the tour, there weren't banks  per se at that time in Taiwan so the Lin family would bury their money at various locations around their compound.  I assume all that fortune has been recovered?

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Still at the Lin Family site, some pictures of the small pond in the middle complete with Lotus plants.  A very calming environment indeed.

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A respite in the middle of the complex.  I can just imagine losing yourself in such a tranquil place.

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As I walked further into the complex, I realized this was quite the interesting place after seeing the sights above.  I don't know how most people are but I often forget the names of such structures soon after they're told to me.  At some point, a volunteer guide working at the place took over the tour from my friends and made me even more confused as she went on for almost an hour about all the details of the place.  She was quite informative but I needed much more time to take it all in!

Taipei

The next series of pictures I will post are from a trip I took to Taipei.  Taichung, where I was living, is only about 45 minutes from Taipei on the HSR.  As a matter of fact, it's convenient to travel to most of the major cities in Taiwan using this type of transportation.  I wish we had such convenient modes of transportation in the US.

The first place I visited in Taipei was the Lin Family Mansion located in the Banqiao district of the city.  This family is very famous in Taiwan and apparently gained most of their wealth through banking.  I was told some of the descendants of the original family still live on the grounds but only on a small part of it.  Some family members even live in the US.

This picture was taken right after entering the complex.  More pics to come!

Kaoishung Revisted--The Last Picture

This is the last picture from Kaoishung.  It's truly an amazing city with very friendly people.  I always wonder why those from the southern part of countries are so personable.  I don't know if that's true across the board but it seems to be in my travels.  Anyway, what a way to end the day--eating a famous Taiwanese dessert.  Doesn't it look delicious?

Kaoishung Revisited(10)

Two more pictures from Kaoishung showing the coast and skyline in the bottom one.

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And here is the restaurant that simulates a city block on the inside.

Kaoishung Revisited(8)

This is me standing in a unique restaurant.  On the inside, there are street signs and faux shops creating the illusion of being on a city street.

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Kaoishung Revisited(6)

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Another from the environs of Kaoishung.

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And here's another view from atop the Pagoda on Lotus Lake.

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The same temple in the last post but viewed from the street.

Kaoishung Revisted

If you look a few posts down, you'll find where I left off in Taiwan.  I had posted a picture of the pagodas at Lotus Lake in Kaoishung.  Pretty amazing, huh?  This picture is from the top of one of those pagodas and gives a great view of the temple below.

Actually, I returned to the US from Taiwan on 26 January but haven't been posting much due to the hassles of getting back to work, etc.

Everyone Has A Sweet Tooth, Right?

One reason I love to travel/live overseas so much is the ongoing commercialization of the US and the effects it has on my everyday life.  Literally, everyone has a hand out and 'reputable' businesses are constantly devising new ways to part the customer from his money.  Take my dentist for example.  She pushes dental products to the point she seems more salesman than physician.  But, far worse than that is what I saw when I went for my biannual cleaning earlier this morning.  While in the waiting room, I saw for the first time two vending machines, one with candy and the other with soda products!  Can you believe it?  Items that are horrible for one's teeth are prominently displayed in a dental office.  That's the moral equivalent of a rehab clinic providing Hydrocodone to people recovering from addiction to painkillers!  What is this world coming to? 

Back Home!

I'm back home and will be visiting my family next week.  I can't wait to pet this adorable cat.

In Taipei

A little bit out of order because I have so many other pictures to post.  However, I felt inspired today to post two pictures from my hotel window in Taipei.  I'm staying at the Grand Hyatt Taipei and obviously have a great view of the Taipei 101 building, the tallest in Taiwan.  The other picture is just a street view from the same location.  I should be happy but I'm a little sad because I leave Taiwan tomorrow after six months.  I will definitely be back in the future though to meet the most hospitable people in the world again!

I am so lucky to have a job that allows me to travel and live around the world!

Leaving Taiwan

I'll be leaving Taiwan in under a week and, as with most of the places I've traveled, wish I had done/seen more.  I also wonder if I'll ever be back to this part of the world.  Still, I take solace in the fact that I actually got to live in such a wonderful place at least once in my life.

I will continue to post pictures of my travels here after my return to America.  I fell behind before unfortunately.

Notre Dame

This is a sad day for ND but the players/coaches deserve praise for a great season.  I expect more success in the future.

 

This is a picture of a former dorm mate of mine at ND.  He's standing next to Brian Te'o (Manti's father) outside the stadium in Miami prior to the game.

 

Go Irish!!!

Pagoda Closeup

A closeup of the tiger pagoda at Lotus Lake.

Upgrade!

Wow!  What a nice suprise I got from my hotel the other day.  Apparently, they have a policy that you get a room upgrade once you hit 100 days at the hotel.  I walked into my standard room on Friday and saw a bottle of wine, expensive chocolate, and various other gifts along with the notification that I now have "VIP" status.  Today, I moved into my new room and it was definitely an upgrade!  It was double the size and included a bar area when you first enter the room.  Of course, not being much of a drinker I don't know how much use I'll get out of this but it still looks nice!

With five weeks to go in this room, I am definitely a big fan of the hotel!

Lotus Lake: How it got it's name

And so, you can now understand why they call the lake what they do, right?

Dragon/Tiger Pagodas (Lotus Lake)

 

 

 

The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Lake were very interesting. According to custom, you should enter through the dragon and exit from the tiger. Terrible things might happen if you do otherwise. There was a great view from the top of the pagoda. This was a good way to start the day.



Lotus Lake (Kaohshiung)

 

 

 



Finally putting up the pictures from Kaohshiung.  This first one shows a temple in Lotus Lake, an amazing place to visit with beautiful views.  More coming later.

 

Christmas Cat(2)

This cat gets along very well with other cats!