photos 2

February 07, 2008 11:22 p.m.

They�re a month late, but here are the rest of the Taiwan photos. The trip feels so far away now.

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Dec. 27: Stealth shot of someone�s farm in my maternal grandmother�s neighborhood. It�s still largely agricultural but growing in affluence, if the luxury cars were any indication. I couldn�t identify the winter crops this time, but growing up we always visited over the summer, when the rice paddies were freshly planted and snowy egrets waded through the water.

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The entrance to my grandmother�s house, with Ah-Tao the housekeeper and Tu Dou (Peanut), resident dog. Most of my family is there now to celebrate Lunar New Year. The sight of the stone inlay is enough to trigger the mental slide show.

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My earliest memory of the house is being chased across the first floor by a dog named Ah-Fu when I was six or so. Permanent fixtures include the calendars, wine bar and staircases on both sides of the house.

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View of the neighborhood (inexplicably named San Diego) from the third floor. In the center of the island is a swimming pool that was filled in summer with frogs, snails and the occasional snake. Go subtropical biodiversity!

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Mom and I went hiking on a nearby mountain with some of my grandmother�s neighbors, one of whom was spending her retirement scaling every mountain in Taiwan. We followed a trail through the right of this photo to the cell phone tower notched beneath the cloud.

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Tree ferns (I think) looking prehistoric.

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Mom and the feisty ladies on the trail, while I lagged behind to poke at plants and spy on birds. Any time a trail follows a stream, especially when it�s in thick forest, I basically fall in love with the sounds and scenery.

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The trail steepened as it reached the tower, and some thoughtful park rangers had installed rope during some stretches. We had a nice time being stuck between rocks on the way down.

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Mom and I stopped afterwards at a temple I�ve visited since I was 8. We revived our summertime custom of biking over, getting our fortunes told in a process that involves throwing stones and reading poetry, and buying passion-fruit popsicles from the corner store before heading home. (They were out this time.) I still have fortunes from 1995 telling me my life would be smooth sailing. Thanks, temple gods!

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Close-up of one of the sides. How long does it take them to assemble each dragon, phoenix and deity? Multiplied by a bajillion temples across the island?

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Back in Taipei, my grandmother, mom, uncle and I hit up the Shilin Night Market, swarming with tourists and locals alike. Imagine navigating a sea of food stands, with whiffs of oyster omelettes, steaming noodles and the inevitable stinky tofu mingling under the cavernous roof.

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My uncle vowed to eat at a hundred tables, but we all expired at number three. Ahhh...food for 50 NT ($1.66)!

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Me and my friend Hui-Ping, whom I haven�t seen since �working� for the family company in 1997. We enjoy Doraemon. (哪一個卡通人喜歡幫助別人? 小叮噹,因為它伸出援手!)

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Dec. 28: Across from Danshui in western Taipei, a place I actually remember from my last visit. As a port, it bears several signs of Western influence, like a British-style university, a statue of a Canadian doctor/missionary and a Dutch fort whose name, roughly translated, means �Fort of the Red-Haired Ones.�

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Roger, the long-lost second cousin I met over Thanksgiving, rocking out on a bike on one of Danshui�s trails.

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Dec. 29: Out of Taipei again! My cousin Yu-ting took me to Hualian County in eastern Taiwan. I fell asleep on the train and woke up to unrecognizable scenery�crazy tall jade-green cliffs plunging to rocky beaches and ocean. We stopped by an organic, pesticide-free farm that reminded me of Costa Rica.

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Cabbage patch kids, with cilantro, corn and sweet potatoes behind us.

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Dec. 30: Me and Yu-ting at the entrance to Taroko National Park, one of Taiwan�s main draws, in Hualian. The change of scenery was so, so refreshing.

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Taroko Gorge, replete with marble deposits and water colored blue by copper sulfates (?). Also, plumbeous redstarts and brown dippers. I�m sure I can find an excuse to conduct doctoral research here...

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Beware of, like, everything.

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One of my favorite shots. Part of the trail led down to the gorge itself, and everyone ran down to play among the marble boulders and crystalline water.

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Four years and 450 lives later: a highway literally carved into the mountains.

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While we were driving, the road curved sharply and circumvented a mountain jutting out like an enormous chin. (This isn't exactly the picture, but you can imagine them chiseling one another into existence.) I wish I could capture how it felt, watching these towering ancient things swoop into view.

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Dec. 31: Up until the last day I was checking relatives off the list. Back in Taipei, Mom and I visited my dad�s youngest and second youngest sisters in Taipei. Second Aunt�s daughter is a Duke alum working in Durham, without whom I would have had a much rougher time starting second semester. Thanks, Shu-yi!

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New Year�s Eve with Mom�s side of the family. We interrupted my cousin�s nap to pile on natural history posters. This photo clearly illustrates why one of Taiwan�s nicknames is �the yam.�

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23 seconds until midnight...or, almost 11 a.m. for the East Coast crowd.

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A heartwarming message, brought to you by Taipei 101.

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Loved ones.

Happy Lunar New Year!!

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