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=0=| This is one of several decorated trucks and sometimes even cars that we saw. In one trip with a guide we were able to ask about them and learned that these vehicles were for rent. A family would would rent the truck and then take a trip up to the mountains (or whereever the tombs are) to celebrate their ancestors.... |
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| Well that is the end of the temple tours and now we get to the Taipei zoo. As promised, this series could also be entitled zoos of the world. This is a rather unusual looking bird. Below is a giraffe that we were told is Chinese though his parents were immigrants from Africa. There is also a camel that Barbara particularly liked. |
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| Here is a monkey island. One of the things we particularly liked about the Taipei zoo was that it was pretty progressive with less cages and such and more open enlosures with discrete barriers between the people and the animals. This is a monkey island, though the monkeys are pretty discrete themselves. They are brown and blend in with the island rocks pretty well. This moat didn't work so well as the monkeys often begged for food and would venture into the water in their quest for food as you can see below. Also below is an example of a penguin trash can that we thought were so cute. This trash can was from early on one of the few guided tours we took; it was to the Aborigine Village. |
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| This waterfall was on the tour and was quite impressive. This is only about half of the height of the waterfall, but was all my camera could get. |
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| Across from this waterfall was the Aboriginal Village. There was a show included which seemed pretty Westernized from my perspective. However, this was the last regular guided tour that we went on as we preferred to explore on our own. This is a sort of chorus lines with many of the actresses in semi-traditional dress. |
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| This is the finale of the show which was a reenactment of the aboriginal wedding ceremony. At the end the groom would carry his bride home to his village (on the mountianous trails) in the wooden chair shown on his back. Yikes. With him at 110 and her at 80 (plus the chair which was quite substantial with a solid wooden frame), that would be quite a load. Taiwan is quite montainous with volcanic rock and steep mountains with deep gorges. Further, it is tropical and most verdant, so it is easy to imagine a steep, slippery and wet, overgrown trail that would make even a ten mile journey with his wife on his back most impressive. Truly worthy of being her husband, though I am not sure I would like to be the new wife on such a journey either (perhaps once we were out of sight of family and friends he would let me walk beside him for most of the trip). |
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| This picture is of a hunting dance and was the dance that convinced me this show was very much tailored to Westerners with lots of pretty women and exposed legs. Perhaps reminiscent of Las Vegas (though Las Veagas may well have moved past such by now). |
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This page was last updated on September 22, 2005.
