Tuesday, April 27, 2010

a day in wulai (烏來鄉) with video!

wulai township (烏來鄉) just outside of taipei is a popular weekend getaway. it's famous for its hot springs, atayal aboriginal culture, great hiking, swimming, fishing and birdwatching opportunities and gorgeous mountain scenery... a few shots from a 1/2 day trip from two weeks ago.



entrance to main street through wulai bridge



shops, restaurants and food vendors are a plenty



restaurant serving atayal cuisine



these are actually water pipes pumping thermal water to mountainside resorts



wulai hot springs produce weakly alkaline carbonic acid water at temperatures of 55 to 80 degrees celsius







the odorless hot springs are supposed to cure skin diseases







some breathtaking views are to be had from the gondola over the falls



wulai falls



wulai gorge (taken with the camera phone)











the visitor center has all the information you need






and finally the videos (don't accept high quality, these were taken with a samsung omnia II cellphone and seem to be further compressed by blogger.com)




the visitor information center by wulai falls




checking out the sights...




some of the nearby mountains reach 5-600 m




this converted mine train built during the japanese era takes visitors from downtown wulai to wulai falls

Friday, April 23, 2010

just another danshui (淡水) afternoon

april 4. took advantage of some nice weather (not too hot, not too cold, not rainy, not too cloudy, not too sunny, not too humid... hard to please the taiwanese :)...)




i don't recall seeing ANYONE, EVER catch ANYTHING worth mentioning... but then again i only visit the place 5-6 times a year....



maybe burning some ghost money will help...



danshui headgear fashion...



coffee shop (yes, "that" one...) don't drink it, don't care for it... the guy may as well have been me...



traffic jam by the river... the pacific ocean in the background...



wedding photography at fort san domingo... an auspicious month for marriage, lots of similar scenes all over scenic spots in the city...



also fort san domingo...



taiwanese belle by the fort...



a monk and two nuns (i think) at fishermen's wharf...



yet another angler...



animals of danshui I.



animals of danshui II.



animals of danshui III. (o.k. not that many of these running around)



a glimpse of the past... by the riverside. prime real estate... won't be long before it'll be replaced by some fancy bar or another coffee shop (yes please, more of those...)



still more people trying their luck...



wedding photography and fishing... welcome to danshui!



makeup...



... and then the photos...



another couple, a bit further up the hills...



view of the danshui river...



huwei fort (滬尾砲台) more brides...



huwei fort



yet again, two brides getting ready. huwei fort



animals of danshui IV.



master and servant



by the river



getting hot and sunny..



waiting for the sunset...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

photos from a photo shoot

some pictures from a wedding photo shoot...



artist at work



face, hair and fingers...



the model



selection



beauty and the kids



the photographer



the fans


action!