Miaoli's Mingde Reservoir

A recent visit to Mingde Reservoir (明德水庫) in Miaoli County (苗栗縣) coincided with a spell of excellent weather. We stayed right by the water's edge, within walking distance of civilisation but still enjoying excellent views of the lake and nearby mountains. The dam here was built between 1966 and 1970 and is 35.5m high; the water area is around 170 hectares. The area is especially popular, and deservedly so, with long-distance cyclists who adore the combination of scenery, light traffic and moderate gradients.

Late autumn and early winter is silvergrass season in many parts of Taiwan. The grass itself is between one and two metres tall and often grows on riverbanks or beside ponds.

I posted another photo of the reservoir on Life of Taiwan's Facebook page.

Is December a good time to visit Taiwan?

At least one Singaporean blogger thinks so after visiting in December 2011 and again in December 2012. Not surprisingly, he and his family had better weather in the south than the north (winter days in Chiayi and points south are typically very sunny yet extremely comfortable in terms of temperature; nights are cool but not frigid). There's another reason why coming in December is a good idea: Relatively few Taiwanese travel at this time of year, so booking accommodation isn't difficult. The family especially enjoyed the night markets and the scenic hill town of Jiufen.

New luminous mushroom species discovered in Kenting

The academic journal Mycological Progress reports a new species of mushroom that glows in the dark: 

"Mycena kentingensis, a new luminous mushroom, was discovered in the tropical forest of Kenting National Park in Taiwan. The pileus of M. kentingensis is 3–8 mm in diameter and emits green light in the dark. The dorsal surface of the pileus is covered with short and white spines. The lamellae are nearly free... The new species of Mycena kentingensis brings the total of luminous fungi in the world to 74 species."

The actual discovery was made in autumn 2011; since then scientists have been propagating the mushroom to better understand it. According to this article in Taipei Times, Taiwan can boast of having nine of those 74 luminous fungi species. For photos and a Chinese-language report, click here. 

A library, not a temple

This library in Kaohsiung City's Fengshan District (高雄市鳳山區) is a typical piece of Northern-Palace architecture, the building style favoured by the Kuomintang regime between the 1950s and 1970s. Other examples are the National Palace Museum in Taipei, the National Revolutionary Martyrs Shine and also quite a few post-war Roman Catholic churches. 

An old dojo in Taichung

I adore Taiwan's Japanese-era buildings, such as this dojo, formerly part of Taichung's prison. Most of the prison complex was demolished in the 1990s, but this building and an office were saved and renovated and are open to the public.

Other appealing colonial-era structures in Taiwan include Futai Street Mansion and the Museum of Drinking Water (both in Taipei), as well as Taoyuan Martyrs Shrine.

Keelung, old and new

Ershawan Battery, also known as Haimen Tianxian, is a sprawling ridgetop defense post established by the Qing authorities during the First Opium War (1839–42). Little remains of the original encampment but the views over Keelung harbor are good and bilingual information boards provide some details for history enthusiasts.

The area around the fishing port at Badouzi is being transformed into a major tourist destination. The almost-completed building above will be an exhibition hall.

Unveiling the second-edition cover

The cover of the second edition shows daylily pickers in Hualien County. I'm still updating the text; the book won't be out until spring next year.