Up-Close and O'Naturelle

 

A neat flower with a friendly visitor and a what Su called a dog fir plant coiled awaiting for the warmth of spring to come.

  

Left: One of the buddha or taoist sculptures I saw on the outskirts of Taipei near Elephant Shan. Right: A sign that says something about Elephant Shan covered by a lush moss. 

 

Top: Wild berries of some sort that I thought looked pretty cool. Bottom: Wild ginger, it looks pretty strange. I had never seen a wild ginger plant before.

 

Left: The path we took. It's easy to see how lush this high elevation eco-system is. Right: A rusted chair from the acidity of the constant misty rain.

  

Top: Another photograph of wild ginger. Bottom: A photograph from Sun Moon Lake. The hotpink and white flowers are all part of the same flower. I just thought that this looked quite pretty.

 

A reminder of the constant drizzle.

These are some of the pictures that I have taken of nature and things I think look quite cool. 

Most of the pictures are from a hiking trip up Elephant Shan (Mountain) on the edge of Taipei. I had the opportunity to see lots of gorgeous scenery and landscapes of Taipei. I love that there is so much wildlife to explore that is so accessible from the city. I remember missing nature when I spent 6 months in the blacktop-covered-treeless Milano. Green vegetation was one thing I missed in Milano, that I do not miss here, because there is just so much of it all of the time. The campus is adorned with sub-tropical plants and flowers I have never seen. 

  

One picture at the top and the other at the bottom (or gong kai si, at the beginning).

There are many palm trees here that were planted by the Japanese many many years ago pre-1940s. These trees tower over the main boulevard and an adjorning one as well. When I first saw the sign below on one of the trees, I thought it was just another wacky sign, but instead it is a really important cautionary message. Palm tree leaves are HUGE! I would not want to be hit on the head with one, could knock you out quite easily. 

Last night I spent a good couple hours at the library studying. I love the enormous library here, makes me feel like I am back at Coffman or Wilson. I haven't found a good studying coffee shop here yet, either the coffee isn't good or far too expensive for me. I think the library with its 24 hours a day study room will be permanent home for my studying. My dormitory also has a very nice room, which was a closed down coffee shop, but I have bad luck with the internet and get bitten by tons of misquitoes while studying. I am a bit shocked by the daily difficulties with internet connectivity here. I expected a better connection wirelessly and through my ethernet cable. Perhaps, I have been spoiled for too long on ResNet at the University of Minnesota. My room is a bit uncomfortable, mainly because the chair and the desk do not go together. I cannot get my legs under the desk and a couple hours of sitting to the side can be quite tiring.