Saturday, March 17, 2007

Things seen while walking

Last week I visited the new Tz Chi Hospital in Tanzi, just north of Taichung.





One area contains brief bios of famous people connected with medicine in Taiwan.

The hospital is done up with false wood paneling. The atmosphere is wonderful, and Tz Chi volunteers are everywhere.

Walking around, I chanced upon many things, like these frames for growing things in a local field.

Towels from a hair salon dry in the morning sun.

The Scream.



Still Life at Tea.


I stopped by a small shop that made traditional Chinese desserts. Here they are busy steaming some.

A "cake" made from daikon.

Traditional desserts -- tsau wa gui in Taiwanese -- stuffed with salted daikon, or sweetened peanuts or red beans.

Traditional Chinese desserts on sale.

A vendor out front sells breakfast -- the famous fan tuan, rice roll.

These four wheel electric vehicles were made illegal last year. Not that it has had any effect on their use. Would you want to be the cop to tell some 80 year old that he has to walk home?

Out walking, we come upon a pond.

This otherwise nondescript unpaved tractor path.....

....is the only place in Taiwan I've ever seen obsidian. There must be plenty of it elsewhere, but I've also heard that it can't found on the island. Imported in some gravel shipment from the Philippines?

A close up.

Dusk. A field.







Is he going to do every rock on the river?



Although it is night, this mother is happy to tote her kids around without helmets, and make a left turn on the left side of left turning vehicle, so she has to cross in front of it to get back to the right.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

when i saw that picture of pink traditional desserts, it was like i had hope for world peace or something. there is something very uplifting about that photo. the light, the brown with the pink, the shine of the metal, the arrangement of the intricate-patterned desserts (not to mention thinking how they would taste), it was like a happiness pill. i also loved the carwash scene. happiness is finding beauty in the everyday.