Category Archives: Nantou County

I’ve got Yellow Fever

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G2C R7.1 SRAM Apex
The G2C R7.1 with SRAM Apex

A couple weekends ago, I met up with Taichung City slickers Michael T. and Drew K. to go shopping for a new bike.  After checking out T-Mosaic and a Specialized shop we were off to 185 Warehouse in Dakeng.  There I test rode one of their house brand [Generation 2 Cycles (G2C)] bicycles – an aluminum alloy frame with carbon chainstays, fork, and seatpost outfitted with SRAM Apex.  I talked to the product manager James Murray, who is one of only six people I’ve ever met in Taiwan that’s taller than me and he told me they had a large frame available, in the color of my choice, and could outfit it with SRAM Apex for under $45,000 NT.

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Cycling – The Jhongliao Loop

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October 10 Cycling
Early Sunday morning, I decided to head out on my bike in the direction of Jhongliao’s Dragon and Phoenix Waterfalls [龍鳳瀑布].  It had been a long time since I headed out in that direction and my usual route was leaving me wanting more since my last couple of outings.
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Jiji Train Station

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Jiji Township
I had the opportunity to spend a morning in Jiji [集集] during in an unprecedented Friday off work.  Jiji is located in Nantou County and was the epicenter of the destructive 7.6 magnitude 921 Earthquake in 1999.  During the weekend the small town swells with tourists, but during the week the town is very quiet and pleasant.
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The Formosan Rock Macaques of Songboling

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Formosan Rock Macaque
Stumbled upon a troop of a dozen or so Formosan Rock Macaques [Macaca cyclopis] today.  We followed a portion of the Songboling Trail, which spans from Ershui’s Fongbo Plaza [豐柏廣場] to Songboling’s Shoutian Temple [受天宮].  If you’re looking to see Formosan Rock Macaques outside of the zoo this is good place.  I’ve heard that 6am-9am is ideal.  Don’t carry any food on the trail, as the monkeys will snatch it from you.
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2010 World Tea Expo in Nantou

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2010 World Tea Expo
A couple days ago, I had the opportunity to check out the 2010 World Tea Expo [2010南投世界茶葉博覽會] which is being hosted in Jhongsing Village, just a few blocks from where I live.  Nantou is an ideal place to host such an event as its mountainous terrain makes it Taiwan’s largest tea-producing region.  The event lasts through tomorrow [June 27] and is a great chance to learn about tea history, culture, production, and try many locally produced teas.
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Nantou’s Meifeng Farm

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Trip to Meifeng Farm
Meifeng Farm [梅峰農場] is located within NTU’s Highland Experimental Farm on the Central Cross-Island Highway just past Cingjing Farm if approaching from the west.  Cathy and I visited during my hiatus from blogging and I haven’t gotten around to posting pictures from our trip until now.  We visited during the last day they were open to the public during their Peach Blossom Festival [桃花 (Prunus persica)].

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Recent Temple Parades

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Temple Parade
Temple parades in Taiwan are always exuberant events characterized by a lot of noise and colors.  I stumbled upon two separate parades that were held two days apart in Caotun.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints I was unable to follow each parade for too long, but did come back with a handful of nice shots.

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Taiwan Barbets and Various Publications

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Taiwan Barbet
Earlier this month, I discovered that there were Taiwan Barbets [Megalaima nuchalis (五色鳥)] inhabiting the same nest that I photographed last year.  Last year, I found out about the nest when I was commuting to work noticed a dozen photographers standing in the road taking pictures.  I inquired with who I thought was the leader of the group [based on the price of his tripod] what they were photographing and was delighted to find out that a nest of such beautiful birds was right in the neighborhood and low enough for my 55-200mm zoom lens to take decent shots.
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The Shuili Snake Kiln

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Shuili Snake Kiln
The Shuili Snake Kiln [水里蛇窯] was built in 1927 when master potter Lin Chiang-sung [林江松] arrived in this small town in rural Nantou County.  Today visitors can create their own ceramic pieces,  learn about the ceramics making process, and enjoy the works of local artists.
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Jhongsing Lotus Pond

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Lotus
I was quite delighted a few weeks ago to notice that a couple of Lotus Flowers [Nelumbo nucifera 荷花] had bloomed in the lotus ponds in Jhongsing Village.  In the last few days or so, the number blooming has grown dramatically.  I went out yesterday morning to take a few shots.  It rained the previous night and some of the raindrops on the leaves created some lovely bokeh in a few photos.

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