Saturday, March 23, 2013

Biking the Jin-Shui-Ying National Trail


Cycling on the Jin-Shui-Ying National Trail (浸水營古道) is illegal but popular. It's an excellent one-day hike but you'll need transport to the trailhead, whether you start on the Pingtung side or the Taitung side, and also someone to pick you at the end. We did it with the help of Blue Skies Adventures.

Friday, March 15, 2013

On many temple roofs...

...you'll see these three figures. From left to right, they're Taoist immortals who represent blessings, wealth and longevity. You'll see the exact same statuettes atop many shrines - presumably they're mass-produced somewhere.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Wild leopard cats in Taiwan

According to this article, there are around 1,000 wild leopard cats in Taiwan's mountains. A story about another leopard cat rescued in Miaoli can be read here. If you want to know how big they grow or how to tell them from common household cats, which they resemble in size and colouring, take a look at this report.