Golden Waterfalls

Heading towards the coast, we stopped at "The Golden Waterfalls". The name serves a double purpose: 

1) in the early 1900s the Japanese discovered that this area was rich with valuable rocks and minerals (including gold) and turned this into a mining area

2) The mines are all but shut down at this point but there is still tonnes of iron and other minerals in the water, turning this waterfall a goldish colour. 

It was a cool day trip, here are some photos. 

I believe this is what Mars looks like.

Check out the layers of rock supporting this bridge and abandoned building.

We walked to the ocean and checked out this amazing sandstone rock face by the port.

From the port we saw a ruined Japanese factory. Apart from the shuttle bus, this was an amazing view of an abandoned Japanese factory in the mountains.

We will end with my favourite shot of the day:

- RS=T

Fun Times with Debi

We had a great time showing Cassie's mom Debi around Taipei. What we can take from this is that the best nights are those loosely planned with an open mind. Just like this guy's t-shirt.

We knew the night at the market was going to be great when the oyster guy gave us 9 for $100NT. We held no prisoners.

Hot soup on a hot night!

Look. At. The. Size. Of. This. Shrimp. (Ranging from $300-$1000NT)
*note: my fingers are average human sized!

We went into a photo booth but it wasn't accepting our money... so we took our own photo!

Mother and daughter hitting dingers

HOMERUN!!!

Shooting hoops at the arcade! (From Left to Right: Jeremy Lin, Steph Curry, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Dikembe Mutombo. Photo Credit: Charles Barkley)

And finally, no night in Taipei would be complete without couples in matching outfits. Fantastic days!

- RS=T

Modern Toilet

Welp. We've finally gone.

One of Taipei's "crowning" attractions, which just so happens to be right outside our front door, is this poop themed restaurant. This place is so loaded with tacky charm and Asian flare that we couldn't possibly not post about it. Here's Byron and I waiting outside the restaurant, without even a crossword.

 As we walk in, there are tonnes of fun toys kids can play with and buy, like these for example. 

Here is the sink in the washroom

And some art which I call "regret, ponder, relief"

Here's a look at a menu

Here's a picture of my delicious curry!

Here we are about to eat our meals served in toilet bowls. Cassie's mom Debi spent a week visiting with us, it was great having her around and showing her the sights (and smells)

Very real stuff

Dessert

Overall, twas a great experience filled with love, laughter, and joy. 

- RS=T

To Hitchhike

You can walk there yourself,

but take a risk and you may get there before the sun goes down. 

Don't let fear be the reason you take all day,

just stick out your thumb.

- RS=T

This is an Art Attack!

Yingge (ing-guh): a small town 30 min SE of Taipei that is the home to historic ceramic, clay, and glass artwork.

Lots of cool things to see here. Just took some quick shots and wanted to share. The first is a pic of Sharon and Cassie making cups. They turned out great and with *some* help from the staff. 

Here are some glass animals (dragon, koi, and chickens [which at the moment reminds me of Janina, Erik, Enzo, and future mini versions of that family])

To stay on the family trend, wouldn't it be fitting to find some glass produce and sausages carved out of marble?

Until we meat again,

- RS=T

Dog Rules

This is for all the animal lovers out there. Note: if you're not a "pro-small-dog" person then prepare to be disgruntled. We are showing you the best of the best and all of these pictures are not the anomaly, they are the rule. Lets begin!

Dog Rule #1: It is acceptable to have a miniature dog off leash at the front of your store

This is very common. This little dog lives at this store and will not leave. So well trained that it amazes me. 

Dog Rule #2: This dog is too big to carry

Medium sized dogs are great but Wishbone over here is too big to carry and therefore is not as loved, as we will see moving forward. Its ok buddy!

Dog Rule #3: Your dog doesn't need legs!

This is more common than I'd like to see. Tiny dogs being carried by their owners. Some dogs are pushed in baby carriages, some are carried by hand. Either way I find this sad.

Dog Rule #4: Case in point

Again, this is more common than you would like to believe

Dog Rule #5: Short snout dogs are in...

 ...but they have respiratory issues which makes it hard for them to breathe in 

hot and humid weather...

Dog Rule #6: Give your dog a bizarre haircut

 no comment

Dog Rule #7: Always be selling!

 This girl is really nice. We see her every day on our way home from work. Today she is selling double mint gum.

Dog Rule #8: Foxdog

 I'm not sure what breed of dog this is but it's super cool and lots of people have them. They are a good medium sized dog that looks like a fox with a curly tail.

Dog Rule #9: Just to reiterate, dogs are off leash and hang out at the front of stores  

 This dog's name is Love but I thought her name was Glove

 Dog Rule #10: Seeing a big dog is a rare sight, so give it a good scrub on the head!

I was surprised to see a boxer, but I was so happy when I did. Apparently, this boy is 13 years old, which is amazing for a boxer. He was old, slow, and heavy, but certainly loved a little roughhousing.

Welp, thats it for dogs! I will leave you with one final dog, that is exclusive to Taiwan. It's low maintenance, makes no noise, and is great with the kids! 

- RS=T

A Bike Ride Down the Red Line

Greetings!

It's Monday morning before work, and what better a time than now to reflect on the past week. Since Wednesday we have had nothing but heavy rain, which is not uncommon for Taiwan, but has been rare since we've arrived here. Needless to say we have to try hard to keep our stuff dry or it will take forever to dry again. Luckily for me, I (Russ) got a chance to take a really nice bike ride through Taipei the day before the rain came. Here I'd thought I'd share this journey with you.

I woke up and went to work from 9 - 12. After that I went to one of the most Northern areas of the city, Beitou: where the hot springs are. When I got there I remembered that I had a cut on my toe and I really didn't want to go in the hot springs with it. So I hopped on a bike and took the 3 hour journey home.

The subway in Taipei is on par with the best in the world. It has 5 lines and this one (the red line) is one of the two that goes above ground. What I love about Taipei is that it does not spoil an opportunity to throw down a bike path. As I discovered, the majority of the northern red line has a bike trail that runs parallel underneath it.

Along the way I discovered some miniature bouldering rocks, so I stopped an played around on them for a bit.

Then I stopped at a fruit market. Check out these beautiful watermelons and durians.

As I was cruising off the bike path and into a market, I realized that I had been here the day of the baseball game. It was cool to stumble into a place that you've been before. Pictured below are two ladies cleaning their pots as they open their stall for the day. Note: this is being cleaned by a hose down to the sewer. This is a quite common practice and does not phase us nor has it made us sick. Our philosophy on this whole trip has been simple, if it's good enough for locals then it's sure good enough for us.

 This is a common sight as well. Periodically throughout the day people will pull out these fire bins and burn "money". The idea is that they are burning money into the afterlife for their loved ones.

Once that trail ended I decided to hop into the riverside trail. These trails go all across Taipei and the reason they exist is to create a buffer for when large amounts of rain comes. Every park has a giant retaining wall that is designed to withstand river flooding and protect the city. Here are some pics.

Baseball Diamonds

A biking bridge to go over the retaining wall used to keep the river from flooding into the city in case of enormous rains.

Along the retaining wall there is lots of cool art. This one caught me so I had to take a picture. It's the Taiwan flag with their Presidential Palace. There are lots of cool things to look at and I love that they use this space for art not advertising. 

This guy's playing the sax by the river. How about that.

 -RS=T