a little more sugar for 不老部落

Birds in the forest.

不老部落

I spent the day at 不老部落, a fascinating restaurant/workshop/farm/inn/family home for a group of seven Atayal families in Yilan County. After roasting mushrooms over a fire and meeting our hosts' amazing dogs, we explored the property and marveled at what they've created from immediately available local resources. I particularly loved the light fixture fashioned out of nails (top right)--it was just beautiful.

market economy

Although Taipei has a variety of really wonderful supermarkets--I found matzoh ball mix at City Super last week!--they tend to be very expensive. The most economic places to shop, by far, are the city's many open-air markets. I took these photos at the market near Yongchun Station, not far from where I live. I don't know if it's apparent from the pictures, but the fish was incredibly fresh and sparkly-eyed. P.S. Hope you're not sick of my toy camera pictures yet!

a rich tapestry

Though this is hardly a fabulous photograph, I couldn't resist the urge to post it. There's so much going on...my parents-in-law striking saucy poses, a peace sign, etc. Oh, and a giant fiberglass gingerbread man (who is actually both a character from Shrek and the random mascot for a Taiwanese Mexican restaurant chain called GoodDay) bathing in a hotpot, wearing a tiny towel on his head as though he were enjoying a soak in a Japanese hot spring. Although the gingerbread man is all smiles, I can only imagine that one of his legs (the one submerged in broth) has dissolved. Gruesome.

...and more palm trees

Some days I think the campus at NTU is absolutely beautiful. It's only if you look closely that you can see that the buildings are perilously close to collapsing.

what Taiwan needs is more color...

A few weeks ago I went shopping for fabric in Wanhua, the old part of the city, with my in-laws. We were looking for material that we might use to make a wedding banquet dress for me. I suggested this pattern, a much-loved Taiwanese floral, but they didn't seem too excited about the idea. They didn't say that it would make me look like a couch, but that's what they were thinking. I know it.

mysterious statue

I am too lazy to figure out who this statue represents. Suffice it to say that I am still playing with my toy camera. More information to come. If I feel like it.

where the buses sleep

We live across the street from a large parking lot that I like to think of as the place where the buses sleep. Taipei is full of brightly colored coaches whisking tourists off to places where they can drink clam tea and learn about the secret to Sun Yat-sen's longevity (the answer: clam tea).

life is beautiful

I recently purchased a very cool new toy camera, my first ever. It makes things very pretty.

Life in Taipei is aaaaaall right.