Taiwan 2024 - Taitung Area, Driftwood with Rocks on Beach

Before crossing the bridge, however, there was plenty of time to explore the awesome beach.  I say "awesome" because instead of sand it had rocks leading down to the water (I don't like sand on a beach).  Also, there was very little wind, something else I don't care for on a beach.  So this one was not only tolerable, but fun to explore.

Something that caught our attention were the rocks placed on the larger driftwood here and there.  Not sure what the significance is of piling on rocks, but it's a evidently a phenomenon seen all over the world; posted here are rocks placed on Enchanted Rock in Central Texas, these were found in the Davis Mountains of far West Texas, and here we have a trailside memorial to honor a fallen hiker.

Two perspectives below of the same thing done on a different piece of driftwood:

Taiwan 2024 - Taitung Area, Different Perspectives of Sanxiantai Bridge

The place wasn't real busy, so was able to capture these near-peopleless photos of this and the peekaboo shot below:

...and this is the pathway leading to the bridge:

Taiwan 2024 - Taitung Area, Initial Shot of Sanxiantai Bridge

The first thing we did after connecting with our friends was head to the coast.  Due to its uniqueness this bridge is pretty well-known; more perspectives to be shown in tomorrow's post...

Taiwan 2024 - Taitung, Unique Building

We were in Taiwan for a little more than five weeks.  Having that much time allowed us the luxury of seeing more sights, spending more time with family, and visiting more friends.

Included among these friends was a couple living in Taitung on the southeast coast of the island.  They had moved from Houston a few years previous so knew the place well.  We were eager for their company and to see places we hadn't visited in previous trips.  It was a great visit, and a "good time was had by all", as they say.

Our hotel was across the street from the train station, and I took the opportunity to snap a few of this building along the way.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei, Chin Lee University Dorms / D850 vs. iPhone 15 Pro SHOWDOWN

Before this trip my wife and I had recently purchased new iPhone 15's.  I got the fancy Pro model, which is supposed to have a very good camera.  As mentioned in posts through the years, pictures taken with a phone camera have been greatly disappointing when compared to a DSLR.

But in light of the hype surrounding the greatly improved camera in the iPhone 15 Pro, I put a little more faith in the quality of its pics.  In fact, because it's possible to be more discreet, on many occasions I used the phone camera to supplant the Bigger Cahoona.  My hope was that they'd turn out well enough to actually be blogworthy.  But the facts of the case remained to be seen, so I took a pair of identical photos to compare the two in post capture after arriving back home.  This qualifies as a true comparison because they both boast a 48 MP sensor.  So here we are.

The pic above was taken of some university dorms at the next-door Chin Lee University of Technology, from the balcony of our "home away from home" in New Taipei City.  I was careful to use the same zoom level with both cameras (82 millimeters).  The pic above was captured with the D850.

Below is the same composition using the iPhone 15:

While the exposure level is different and could have been adjusted in the D850 to more closely match that created by the iPhone, I was careful not to do anything in Photoshop so that the pic is exactly as processed by the camera.  As can be seen, other than the exposure difference the two photos look pretty much the same.

What we see below is where the "rubber meets the road", as they say.  I tightly cropped both of the pictures, focusing on a balcony that offered more color and detail:

As shot with the Nikon D850 -

As shot with the iPhone 15 Pro:

And seeing this, the VERDICT IS IN!  The D850 far surpasses, in both color and detail, what one gets out of the iPhone 15 Pro.  I had asked myself, Now that phone cameras have made such significant advertised improvements in technology, was buying the D850 - or even the D300s before then - a waste?  The answer is no, no, and NO!  Still totally justified, and confident that a DSLR, especially at the professional level, is the go-to technology.

HAVING SAID THAT, the quality out of the phone is good enough to post so long as they aren't cropped in much at all.  Thus there are plans to create a section at the end of the Taiwan 2024 series featuring only those.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Neighborhood / If only...

Might be odd to some how candid folks are in Taiwan regarding this kind of thing.  They seem to take cleaning up after your dog seriously, and we rarely saw a mess on the streets or anywhere.  There was actually a lady in Taipei that had trained her dog, a smallish poodle, to defecated in her hand, which was gloved of course.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipe Temple, A Couple of Altars

Of course at this large temple we have the accoutrements of worship, including altars big and small to suit the faith and tastes of worshipers.

Interesting how the shadows in the pic below make it appear as though I used flash, though I did not.  Must have been interior lighting not noticed at the time.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Temple, Detailed Wall Panel

In earlier times I would have no idea what the text to the left says unless the wife or an in-law is asked to translate, but thanks to the remarkable power of Google all that was needed was a photo taken from within the Translate app on the iPhone.  It says, "Li Shancha, Zu Zu has Taishan's intention to run, Li Zhongming", then at the bottom, "To You".  Still doesn't make sense, but the gist is there I suppose.

The main reason for the interest in this pic, however, is the incredible, intricate detail in the cement work.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Temple, Blessing Placards

Now focusing on the large temple at the very base of the hiking trail, saw these cards hanging between the branches of a tree.  Suppose they are prayers or blessings for loved ones.  Reminds me of this post from Japan some years ago.

It was nice coming here to sit in the rain with the wife (under cover of course).  It was early, so we observed various people coming to bless the day with an incense or fruit offering.  Right next to us was an older man practicing Tai Chi with great patience and precision.  Very relaxing all around.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Walks, Little Tiny Umbrella on Motorcycle

When traveling to other countries it's not unusual to marvel at some of the differences as compared to what is seen in your homeland.  Many times it's something that natives of the country view as a humdrum or everyday thing.  But other times you'll see something that's neat and/or cute by any standard, and the pic above is a perfect illustration.  This is a little tiny umbrella that is installed to protect a cell phone mounted in the bracket below.  Didn't know it at the time, but caught a water drop mid-fall to the left of the frame.

Different perspective below:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Walks, Sprouting Tree

...falling under the category of "Wherever life can exist, it will", seen in this and other posts.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Walks, the Old and the New / Birthdays in General

This and the next couple of posts were gleaned from our walks to and from the Awesome New Taipei Garden.  As can be seen above, as well as in myriad other posts in the blog, there are opportunities to juxtapose the old with the new.  I was introduced to this photographic concept in college, during a class taught by the venerated (by me) Ignacio Muñoz, when he highlighted the old against the new in a photo, in which the modern city of Segovia was captured through the arches of an ancient Roman aqueduct.

And to some, like me, it is the old that fascinates.  Perhaps ignited by nostalgia and thoughts of the "good ole' days".  Maybe lamentation that things are often not built "they way they used to be".  Could be a reactionary bristling at the inevitable rollover of progress.  Either way, this pic is a classic example of what came first as compared to what's happening now.

_______________

This is my birthday.  It's either Happy Birthday to me!!  or Who cares!?!  In my case the latter better reflected what I thought of my birthday.  In fact, one of the things that attracted me to Chenjean was her apparent indifference to the celebration of one's birthday.  In her generation's Taiwanese culture a person didn't celebrate a birthday until they reached the age of 60, which makes sense because by then you've hopefully accomplished something and, supposedly, finally gained some wisdom through sufficient life experience.

But then we had kids.  Well, you gotta do something here in America when a kid has a birthday.  And by extension you have to do something for your spouse and vice versa so the kids can see that you're special to one another.  So we did that for the duration of their childhoods.  But things changed for me a little once the youngest, Allison, was out of the house and in college.  They appeared to really care about my birthday, and gave very thoughtfully-chosen gifts along with very thoughtfully-written messages in a card.  It was through their diligence and caring that I began to enjoy a birthday for the first time, a switch in thinking that has lasted to this day...

Thanks kids!!  Love you both.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Butterfly Train, Praying Mantis

One of the most fascinating creatures on earth is the praying mantis.  DeQuan was determined to find some, so we hunted for them everywhere we went, to no avail.  Finally, after a little research, we found out that it was too early in the year to see the grownups, so on the Butterfly Trail we scrutinized the vegetation for smaller hatchlings.  And lo and behold, they were everywhere!  The pic above is one we were able to isolate; the one below gives an idea about what size they were:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Butterfly Trail, Pink Flowers with Water Droplets

One day while walking one of the busier streets in New Taipei we encountered the "Butterfly Trail".  Naturally we had to give it a go, so Allison, DeQuan and I headed upward to a new adventure.  It's amazing how, even in a large metropolis like Taipei/New Taipei City, one can walk 30 seconds up a path and all sights and sounds of urban life seem to disappear, muffled by the thick tropical vegetation.

This guy is one of the first plants we encountered.  We saw the species in many places, but the morning water droplets is what set this one apart.

And yes, there were plenty of butterflies, but unfortunately of a smaller type that tended to flit about, never settling on one place for more than a second or two.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Hunt

You know what's going to happen next, don't you? ...

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Brown Bugs

From dazzling flowers and plants to equally dazzling bugs.  The variety and bizzare-ness (to us) of the insects there are fascinating, and sometimes scary due to their size.  In almost all cases I find them beautiful.  My wife, who grew up around these creatures, is less enamored but occasionally tells stories about how, because they did not have toys of their own, she and her friends played with them in the countryside.

Same color but not as unusual brown bug on the trunk of a tree below:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Fruits (or whatever they are)

Have no idea what this guy is, but the fruit (or whatever it is) was so perfect and photographed so well that it passed the blogworthy test.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Flower, Red Bahari (I think)

Posted this species from another visit to Taiwan, but have had trouble pinning down the name...believe it's something called Red Bahari but not sure.  Below is a pretty good specimen, so decided to play with the Glowing Edges effect in Photoshop:

Speaking of Photoshop, I reluctantly canceled our subscription to the software, as the latest versions continue to be disappointing.  Still working with CS6, which is some 15 years old now, but so far still works fine.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Brooms

These are actually used to keep the trail swept.  They look homemade, perhaps by the ladies I've seen using them.

Reminds me of the Mexican neighborhood I lived in - there was a guy in the ejido that made brooms for a living using a jig set up in his front yard.  Fresh from the United States, I thought it was pretty cool that there was a guy down the street that made brooms every day to be sold somewhere.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Trailside Mansion

I've captured this mansion before, but believe this to be a better shot.  The mansion is right alongside the trail, and is always immaculately maintained, though I've never seen anyone around the place.  Whoever it is lives in a very, very nice situation.  It's mystifying, however, that there does not appear to be a road leading up to it, even from behind...

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Hillside Hike, Trailside Mural

Since our last visit back in 2018, they've done quite a bit to spruce up the place, this mural along the pathway being an example, as well as considerable upgrades to the Awesome Garden itself.  Taiwan generally is a much more developed nation when compared to just six years ago, and especially since my first visit there in 1987.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Hillside Hike, Painted Steps

The place where we stayed the last few visits in Taiwan has been really ideal, and we hope to base there regularly in the future.  It's an apartment owned by our sister-in-law, and since she and her husband live here in the States we generally have the place to ourselves while there.  The building is nestled between the well-manicured Chihlee University of Technology and this pathway, with the Awesome New Taipei Garden near the base of the climb.  To meander in this direction, one would not know that right next door is one of the largest cities in the world.  Go the other way, however, and the city awaits, with its hustle-and-bustle Far East traffic; constant din of buses, subway cars and market hawkers; and the grime and smells of urban life.  The proximity of this city life to our present location was emphasized in this post from 2020.

This and the following dozen or so posts will be alongside this pathway as it winds its way to the top of the hill, or in the immediate vicinity surrounding our "home away from home".

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Pink Flowers After a Rain

 

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Black-and-White Butterfly

Capturing butterflies can be a tricky business.  Some species are skittish and flit about so spasmodically that it's impossible to catch one still enough for long enough to snap a decent photo.  The one featured above is different, however, in that it remains in one place, and allows a human to get close enough, to get a good shot.

Found the line of orange shapes on the dorsal sides of its wings to be interesting, and wonder what the advantage is in nature...

Slightly different perspective below:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden Bridge

Managed to catch this one at a lower shutter speed, which is desirable for waterfalls, and it is absolutely the truth that the water stopped running not ten seconds after snapping the photo.  This timing happened two days in a row for us, which was strange if not a little spooky.  Then we saw that the flow is controlled by a valve a little higher up, which is turned off for maintenance at about the same time every day.

Two more perspectives of the same scene below:

If anyone is curious as to exactly where Awesome New Taipei Garden is, the lat-long coordinates are:  25.04462 N, 121.42317 W.

Taiwan 2024 - New Tapei Garden, Hibiscus #5

While not technically the best of the bunch, thought this interesting due to its place in the bloom cycle.

Not writing a whole lot here because am placing stories in a family history file somewhere else in Word.  Will still dabble once in a while in this platform, however, when the mood strikes...

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Hibiscus #4

Hadn't seen one like this before.  Interesting how only a slight variation in characteristics makes for such a different look in a given species.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Hibiscus #3

Love this rust color against the yellow anthers.

Aren't we fortunate to see the colors that we do?  For us there is the "full" spectrum, but many more colors are out there that we can't see.  And for those that are not us?  The lower animals (with the exception of some birds) see only most, or even just a fragment, of the colors that we can see.  I've often wanted to know what slider values in Photoshop are needed to see a picture such as this exactly as our dog Koko does...

Different angle of same below:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Hibiscus #2

...pretty much the same as that posted yesterday, only with a fringe that is yellow instead white.

These flowers are so beautiful and popular that there are entire clubs and societies devoted to the proliferation, development and showcasing of different variations.  Their work over time has borne fruit in what we see in the Awesome New Taipei Garden.  Three more posts to go that feature this species.

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei Garden, Hibiscus #1

If you're a fan of hibiscus then settle in, as this and the next few posts will focus on these beautiful works of nature.

I was in awe when we came across this variation in the Awesome New Taipei Garden; the mix of colors and contrast with the yellow and orange against the purples and reds really catches the eye.  And while there I'm thinking, "Wow, it was sure worth traveling all the way to the other side of the world to see and capture this unique and wonderful hibiscus."

What do I see when we get home?  My brother-in-law has the exact same thing next to his driveway about five blocks from us here in Houston...

Wider view of same below:

Taiwan 2024 - New Taipei, Awesome Garden Blue Flower #2

It can be seen here that the glowing center emanates from the backlit morning sun.  As often happens in my kind of photography, these effects are not purposeful; I was simply interested in capturing the water droplets on the petals while the most impressive quality of the photo just happened to be there.  And since I was not there by myself, many of these garden images were taken "on the fly" - that is, while hurriedly walking along a trail and at the same time keeping up with the company.

This is a testament to the superiority of a DSLR as compared to a phone camera.  It would have taken a little longer to compose and focus a shot like this with the iPhone, while the super-fast and intuitive features of a DSLR allows for these on-the-fly pictures to be captured literally while on the move.