1.11.2007 monk

A photo from my painful ride to Yehliu in October I found on a film I just developed.

Labels: Photography, Taiwan day trips, Yehliu

11.08.2006 a path of mercy

On my 5 day weekend in October Han and I rented a scooter. Our feet pretty much only hit the ground to sleep and eat BBQ. One of our scooter adventures was in the mountains of Muzha. Randomly picking roads to go down.


We found a road that went to Pingling and decided to follow it for awhile. Not very far in we came to a section that was lined with golden statues of Guanyin about 6 feet tall. Guanyin is the buddhist goddess of mercy and is one of the big gods in Guandu Temple. I was captivated by this road and even though the lighting wasn't the best and I almost got run over about 10 times I snapped some pics.


Anyway even though the conditions weren't the best I really like these photos, 10 included in this gallery, and I'm going to go back at some point to a second run at the pictures. For now enjoy. Click the image below to go into the gallery:





I have a bunch of new photography to put up from random summer adventures but I'm working on putting up a new photography gallery program for the photography section. I think it'll be much better as far as being user friendly and it also includes a RSS feed and searchability! It'll probably take longer than I'm planning on getting up so I'll try to get the new photography up over the next couple of weeks in the current photography section.

Labels: Guanyin, Photography, Taiwan day trips

9.26.2006 decor

Labels: Photography

7.12.2006 Tai ping temple album (photography update)

My photos from Tai ping temple (see previous post) are uploaded. Here are a few teasers:

Click here to check out the gallery.

Labels: Photography, taiwan, Taiwan day trips, Xindian

5.20.2006 photography: abandoned

Meg and I climbed a mountain named "Hemei mountain" in Xindian last weekend. At the bottom was a Buddhist temple where monks were chanting. We sat and listened for awhile and then roamed up a path. The next interesting thing we hit was a strange cement block abandoned building with trashed amusement park rides littering the front. We took some pictures and made a note to come back and explore more later.

As we wandered a bit further up the path we found a cement tunnel that went through a hill. At the end was an opening with a good view of the scenery below. By the mouth of the opening was a flat stone that had two moldy rotting Buddhist manuscripts I imagine that one of the monks uses this place to worship.

On our way back down we decided to try and find a way into the back of this cement block building I think it was somehow the base of the amusement park because on top there were strange circles with metal poles coming out of them that seemed like they could've been the base of the rides. We climbed up a muddy slope and found our way into the bathrooms and a strange huge open room. Both were filled with smashed squatter toilets, mirrors, misch clothing, and strange medicine bottles.

The photos in the "abandoned" gallery are what I captured from our explorations.

Labels: Photography, taiwan, Taiwan day trips, Xindian

5.13.2006 Photography as a voice: one image added

Labels: Photography

5.05.2006 the tightening of the leash

My latest project is up. A new folder called "the tightening of the leash" has been added to my "photography as a voice" section of my photography page. Click the image to proceed to the gallery.

Labels: Photography

4.09.2006 My Photography: Once I went outside updated

uploaded to once I went outside

Labels: Photography

4.02.2006 My Photography: updated

uploaded to "photography as a voice" in photography.

Labels: Photography

3.31.2006 My Photography: Photography as a Voice updated

I've added 5 new images to the "photography as a voice" gallery. I need to get a macro lens. I'm obsessed with whatever is on the ground lately.

Labels: Photography

3.23.2006 Taipei must-see: Guandu Temple

I consider Guandu Temple Taipei's hidden gem. In almost all my Taiwan/travel books Guandu gets 3 lines if it's mentioned at all. This leaves me sad and in awe. It has to be the most incredible temple I've seen to date. All you ever here is "Longshan, Longshan, Longshan". I know there is a lot of history behind Longshan and it is beautiful but it has nothing on Guandu.

How we found it
One day my old roommates and I decided to have a random exploring day. These are done by jumping on random modes of transportation and jumping off at stops we don't know. We decided to take the red MRT line up towards Danshui and jump off as soon as anything caught our eye. Our roommate Deb only had a few weeks left in Taiwan and she really wanted to grab some pictures of rice fields, and hopefully rice field workers. Somewhere around Zhongyi I think we jumped off when we saw some fields of some sort. We found a cute little temple but started melting from the heat (it was August I think).

We decided to hop in a cab and to ask the cabby to bring us to beer. So we hopped in a cab and said "pijo!". This of course totally stressed out our cab driver. He understood the request (because he laughed and made a drinking motion) but he started to ummm and ahhhh and scratch his head murmuring "pijo...mmm.... pijo....pffff... pijo". We decided to call our "Taiwan mom" Jane and get her to help out. She told the cabby just bring us somewhere, anywhere, doesn't have to be fancy... where we can drink beer.

Well our darling cab driver ended up taking us to this outdoor eatery across from Guandu temple. We got out and stared up at the temple in awe. I think we were so awed we actually forgot about the beer for awhile go to explore.

What we found
Guandu is massive. There are stairways going every which way leading to all kinds of ornate places. There are roofs upon roofs upon roofs filled with Taoist figures, buddhas, dragons, elephants (first temple I've seen in Taiwan with elephants), and about 100 other things I have yet to discover.

The find of all finds in Guandu was this tunnel we saw people dripping into. At the mouth of the tunnel is a really large round metal ball...with carved chinese in columns all around the metal ball. Above the writing there are coin slots. We stopped a nice couple to ask them about it. Each column represents something you'd like to have in the coming year. Many were related to wealth, and luck. Some to love and good health. We dropped a few coins in and continued.

The tunnel ended up being Loooooooooooooooong. On either side of us the whole way were various Taoist gods incased in the stone wall with protective glass in front of them. When we reached the top it opened up into a big round room that opened up into a big round balcony. Once in the room we turned around to see a huge buddha (we thought) at the time.

From the balcony we got the most amazing view of the river and bridge.

About Guandu (official info)



Guandu was built in 1661 as a dedication to Matzu the goddess of the sea. This is the oldest Matzu temple in northern Taiwan. Beside the temple (through the tunnel) is the Buddhist chapel dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Guanyin of Thousand Arms and Eyes, this is the statue in-front of the balcony we thought was Buddha. According to legend, in 1895 three old banyan trees standing at the temple's entrance died suddenly during the same night; local residents believed that this might have been a message from Matzu warning of impending disaster. Soon afterwards the area was soon occupied by the Japanese.

The tunnel I spoke about is an 80 meter Buddha cave which is lined with 28 devas (gods).

I didn't take any pictures of the actual gods or devas out of respect. One of the first things I asked a Taiwanese person when I arrived is "what is disrespectful to photograph, specifically in temples". She told me that generally anything is ok but a god/goddess should never be photographed directly. They can be in a photograph but they should not be the primary point of focus. I hate to seem like an annoying tourist especially when I'm truly enjoying something and am so wrapped up in it like I was our first night there, so I kept my camera down. Maybe sometime I'll dress up as a dorky tourist and act the part to get some good shots if I'm feeling brave.

How to get there

If you like temples, this one has to be seen. It's about a 15 minute walk from the Guandu MRT stop. Our second time going we used the map on the wall inside the MRT station to find it. If you're feeling lazy or it's really hot:

By Bus: Take the public bus no. 223, 302, 308, Zhinan 2, Zhinan 5, and get off at Guandu stop.

By MRT: Take MRT on Danshui Line , get off at Guandu Station, then take a bus No.302 to Guandu Temple.

[Here] is a link to the MRT map of the area that shows the roads and Guandu temple if you'd rather walk (takes 10 - 15 minutes but is really easy to find).

Note: I've seen it spelled both "Kuantu and Guandu" the signs seem to be random so keep this in mind.

Tip:
Avoid the public bathrooms close to the eatery on the river front. It was an absolute disgusting nightmare. I opened 3 different stalls and saw 3 completely different nightmares that I won't go into but let's just say I was gagging for about a half an hour afterwards. I'm nearly gagging just writing this. If you really have to pee there are public bathrooms at the bottom of the temple (inside) that seem to be significantly less grotesque.

Google Earth

If you have Google Earth download this GuanduTemple.dmz I made to check out Guandu temple, Guandu MRT and surrounding area. [Click here] if you don't have google earth check out the general area on the google maps website.

My Photography - Guandu



I've created a "Guandu Temple" album in the "Taiwan" gallery. This is my Guandu photography, not snapshots :) These were mostly film shots and there are some I'm incredibly proud of. Please check them out! Click the image above (dragons) to be taken to the album.

Quick Links:
[Guandu Temple Photography] [GuanduTemple.dmz] [Guandu Temple google map - web]

Labels: Guanyin, Photography, taiwan, Taiwan day trips

3.21.2006 Photography updates

I've kind of been sitting on some stuff for awhile. Undecided what I wanted to do with it. Well I've gone through the pile again and decided to add some of this stuff to my photography section. Let me know what you think!

Labels: Photography

3.04.2006 photos: urban jungle

my favourite photography subject, added to "photography as a voice". If I get busy enough it should have it's own gallery eventually. Let me know what you think.

Labels: Photography

3.02.2006 My Photography: Xianjiyan

I've posted a new album in my "photography as a voice" gallery. I debated for a good while whether it should go in this album or whether it belongs in the "Taiwan" album. The whole intent of the evening was creative and explorational. Based on that and the results I think the photos ended up where they belong.

Saturday night (Feb 25th) Meg and I packed up our tripods, cameras, a couple of sandwiches, and tea... well we forgot the tea... and headed to Jingmei. We used to live in Jingmei in a tall highrise on the 9th floor (a very cool place to experience big earthquakes). We had big picture windows in the apartment that faced the Xianjiyan mountain.... I'm not sure if that's the name of the mountain or just the temple on top of it. At night the whole temple is lit up... you can see the red lanterns glowing. We always intended to find a way up that mountain but never got to it.

Well Saturday we felt very motivated. And these pictures are the results. Can I mention how much I love Meg? Not only did she wait for me as I stopped every 2 feet to take 15 pictures of some random thing that interested me but we also sat on top of the mountain, in the middle of the night, on a big rock at the highest point..... staring down at the city below..... eating our sandwiches. Not having to say anything but being perfectly content. I feel a little sorry for people who can't enjoy those kinds of experiences... people who only feel stimulated by corporate subsidized entertainment. bright lights, loud noises, party party party. That's all good, but it's not enough.

I'm a very lucky girl to have a friend who understands this stuff. I'd give anything to spend an evening with mom in the car with a Tim Horton's coffee.... staring at the ocean... talking about everything and nothing but you know what? Sitting on top of the world in Asia with a friend and a sandwich is pretty good substitute.

Labels: Photography, Taiwan day trips

2.27.2006 My Photography: Thailand

I've posted the best of my Thailand photos from an artistic perspective. I still have more stories to share and related pictures but these are the pieces that I consider "photographs".... not snapshots. Please feel free to leave your comments! Click the buddha to be taken to the gallery.

Labels: Photography, Thailand

2.14.2006 photo: Similian Islands (Thailand) panoramic

Too stressed at the moment to up do a proper update about my Thailand vacation but I'm back and alive in one piece. For now enjoy this panoramic of one of the islands where I went snorkeling. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger size image:

Labels: Photography, Thailand

2.06.2006 Xinhai and some healing time (updated!)

Got my Xinhai (tombs and graves) film developed. Didn't even realize I was shooting black & white!!! How goth! I laughed my butt off when I realized. Of all the films to end up b&w it was the grave shots. Anyway [click here] to see the updated post.

Labels: Photography

photos: This is Meg

Took a couple of pictures with film that I'm really pleased with. I think they esentially capture Meg's personality... or at least her personality through my eyes. Meg is one of my ex-roommates from my first period of time in Taiwan.

She's also my muse and a real motivating force for me (creatively) lately.

Labels: Photography, relationships

2.02.2006 photos: we are so rock!

Ok... these may be a bit goofy, but can't I love them anyway? Meg had the idea to use her crazy jackets with the backdrop of her crazy couch covering, and crazy wall colours, with my crazy sunglasses. The wall is actually yellow but I think a mix of bad photo processing, and bad image to cd-ing made it more greenish. I really need to find a new place to get film developed. I've fallen out of love with my current place. Taken on the 21st of Jan (I think)

Labels: Photography

2.01.2006 photo: bronze warmth

not sure what I think of this one yet. What do you think? How's it make you feel? Leave a comment.

Labels: Photography

1.31.2006 Xinhai and some healing time

Well I'm not doing very well at sticking to my goal of getting to bed at a reasonable hour and waking up at a reasonable hour. From what mom says I've been a night owl since I was a baby. I guess I should stop fighting nature.

I was somewhat "productive" today. I got my butt out of the house and did some exploring without any accomplices.

In Taipei I live on the brown or Muzha line of the MRT (subway system). It's one of two lines that has above ground portions except Muzha line is completely above ground. I literally go from one end of this line to the other every day for work. One of the stops is Xinhai. Passing Xinhai makes me love being on the brown line.

I'm speaking with very little knowledge and I wish Han was here to fill in the blanks for me... but it seems to be Asian custom for the remains of the deceased to be put in tombs high high up in the hills. I say "Asian" because I've noted this in Korean movies too. So any high hills, no matter where in the city they are, are covered with these really beautiful ornate tombs. I've really wanted to do some photography of Xinhai but was worried that it may be "rude" culturally. Han told me it'd be fine when I asked.



So to Xinhai I went. I've never gotten off at this stop so I don't know the area. The tombs are all very visible from the MRT stop but the MRT stop is up really high. I didn't have success getting the shots I wanted but while I was roaming around trying to find a non-intrusive way to get up the hills (most ways seem to go through people's backyards or these tight tight spaces where people had their property or laundry... I avoided trying since I have 0 Mandarin).... anyway I kind of gave up but decided to explore Xinhai a bit more to see if I could find anything interesting or to see if I could find some vantage point to get a good shot of the tombs on the hill. While walking I found this set of beautiful stone steps (obviously meant for the public) going steeply up this mountain/hill.



Once I got high enough up I found a tomb :)



Unfortunately because I got a late start and because it took me awhile to find one I don't think I'll be happy with the results (I took film).

I decided to keep going and see how far the path would take me. I could see the mass tombs in the distance but not from anywhere I could take a clear shot. So I kept walking and discovered plots for future tombs amidst the bamboo trees. After I let go concentrating on trying to find a good shot I realized just how beautiful my surroundings were.

I couldn't hear the city (aside from the random firecracker going off), I couldn't smell the city... it smelt like forest but not a forest smell I'm used to..... and I could hear bugs and birds. I found a really nice place to sit, and I just sat.

(weird setup near where I settled... must be a rest area for the workers digging the graves. The ground was very soft under the chairs... like freshly dug ground)

It was a really good hike up the mountain, something dad would've really have loved. Everything around me made me think of him. He was supposed to be coming over this week to stay for a month if everything hadn't have happened. I wonder if I would've thought to try to take him to Xinhai and if we would've discovered the same place?



I don't think if I was home I'd be visiting my father's grave excessively. Dad always kind of turned his nose up at that and thought it was silly... but there was some comfort for me being near these well kept tombs in a place that dad would've loved to have been exploring too. The culture and customs here are very focused on the deceased and more specifically deceased ancestors.... there's some kind of comfort in being in a society that places value on that.



Anyway back to the forest. I think it healed me a little. There's a term called "data smog", google it. The idea is that we stimulate ourselves so much (with tv, music, cellphones, computers, etc) that we can't think anymore. I think this has been another form of intoxicating myself... I do it on purpose. I can't even fall asleep without some movie or tv show running on my computer in the background.... but up there, aside from the camera around my neck... that's all there was. Sitting on the soft ground, bamboo trees all around, mosquitos eating me... it was magic. It brought me back to when I was younger.... I looked around thinking about dad showing me how to tell what leaf came from what tree, what the animal tracks were, how to tell what direction you were facing based on moss and the sun.... it opened my eyes and I started discovering funny little things.

Weird spider webs......



strange tree knots..........



perfectly naturally positioned vines on trees............



My eyes were open again. I could've sat there forever... but stupid mosquitos and an urge to see if I could find another path lead me off.





I get how one of dad's dreams was to become a hermit way deep in the forest some day :) I got it at that moment.... I got it when I saw Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring last night......

I think I got some neat shots. I'll reference this post when I get them developed and post them.

update: 02/06/06 got the pictures developed...didn't even realize I was shooting black & white. How goth!

Labels: bereavement, Photography, taipei, taiwan, Taiwan day trips

1.17.2006 Confucian temple (Jan 8th)

Location: Tainan, Taiwan
Date: January 8th 2006

Labels: Photography, Roadtrip, Tainan, taiwan

12.21.2005 a self portrait of sorts

Labels: Photography