Taiwan 23

This is in Hualien, taken on a morning walk.

Hualien is known for its indigenous population...the equivalent of, say, an Apache reservation in the U.S. And - like the Indians here - they subsist almost solely on government aid and tourism for their survival. It was on this walk that, at seven in the morning, I saw several sitting on the sidewalk sucking on liquor bottles. Very sad sight.

But the setting is beautiful, high up in the mountains where photo opportunities abound. This firetruck had its overheads on, but didn't appear to be in much of a hurry. I learned later that police and fire vehicles routinely keep their overheads on so that they will be noticed, functioning as a deterrent wherever they happen to be.