Be whoever you wanna be–

OUT on the road you can be whoever you wanna be.  Recently tried the moniker of ‘Sir’ while movin’ around on the island of Taiwan and had lots of fun observing the confused reactions when people saw me coming. . .”Hello, Mister Sir Csizmadia David”. . .”Well, hello there to you, too, my good man.”  Too fun.

Being on the road reminds us that everything is pretty good for most folks in most places on the planet. . .really not a lot for people to worry about out here except the regular things that most people worry about day-to-day EVERYWHERE: hope I am doing well at my job…hope all of my loved ones are well…hope I get to eat something good today…hope the world leaders don’t blow everything up…hope I get a good night’s sleep tonight…etc. and so on.

The soothing news here is that all people on Earth are in this thing TOGETHER. . .I hope that all of you can venture somewhere new and interesting soon to learn a bit more about some ‘other,’ and this will help you learn a bit more about yourself. . .which will then lead to more understanding, tolerance, and cooperation among everybody. . .at least I hope it will.

I send you interdependent vibes from the island of Taiwan. . .feel them. . .they can lift you higher.

To see more magnificent images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .there has gotta be somethin’ here of interest to you.

It’s lovely out there.

Strolling Taipei–

Taipei is a big town, but it is all totally strollable. . .you can walk here, there, and everywhere in the capital of Taiwan–this a big reason that we love it here.

Just walk wherever you are, and wonderful things appear: tiny temples where one can light incense in a cozy setting to send out good vibes to the universe while sipping your 7-Eleven coffee…herbal medicine places full of roots and spices and yes, herbs, that can sooth anything that ails you…little food stalls serving up plates and bowls of goodness…etc. and so on. . .this is one of my favorite parts of road-trippin’: simply wandering around and seeing and doing and tasting whatever we can find.

Taiwan is still a prominent member of the so-called ‘Four Asian Tigers’…the other three being Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong.  In fact, Taiwan is now listed as the 22nd largest economy on the planet. . .amazing for this little island in the China Sea.  And what this means for you is that Taiwan is a great place to check out for a visit…yes, most of the action is here in Taipei in terms of economic activity, intellectual activity, dining, clubbing, and sight-seeing. . .but there are plenty of other spots to check out as well down in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan, tea plantations in the mountains, hiking up the tallest Taiwanese mountain that is nearly 13,000 feet high, etc. and so on…

…so, please consider visiting Taiwan some time. . .I am willing to bet a large splodge of wonga that you will love it here as much as we do.

To see more amazing images from around planet Earth, simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

‘istoric shores…Taiwan–

BOOM!  Somewhere along these shores of Kaohsiung, formerly known as Takow, Chiang Kai-shek arrived after losing to Mao in the Chinese Revolution way back in 1949.  Mao declared the People’s Republic of China with the Chinese Communist Party on the mainland, and Chiang set up his Chinese Nationalist government with the Kuomintang here on the island of Taiwan. . .and the rest is history.

The British had a major operation on Taiwan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries…they had set up shop here after the Portuguese had occupied the island in the 18th and 19th centuries– “Formosa” is what the Portuguese called the island…ancient tribes from the mainland had lived here before that…the Japanese ran things in the early 20th century until being defeated in World War II. . .and now after all of this topsy-turvy history Taiwan is the world’s 22nd largest economy all by itself–thriving in the worlds of manufacturing, hi-tech, intellectual capital, etc.. . .and, of course, mainland China claims Taiwan as part of “One-China”–officially referring to Taiwan as ‘Chinese Taipei.’

Okay, so we are enjoying our current stay in “Chinese Taipei,” and we are hopeful that the island will be allowed to continue all of its thriving operations and activities without too much disruption or turmoil. . .but we know that humans rarely allow things to stay nicey-nice for too long without some mumbo-jumbo to stir the pot. . .please don’t mess it up silly humans.

I send you contemplative vibes from Takow, now known as Kaohsiung, on the southern tip of Taiwan, now known as Chinese Taipei. . .feel them. . .they are full of joy and wonder.

To see more stupendous images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

Exploring Kaohsiung–

My wife was born in this seaside town in southern Taiwan, and I am honored to be here exploring it with her.  She allows me to walk here, there, and everywhere while snapping photos all along the way.

I feel her strength and her coolness and her fortitude as I wander through this outdoor art exhibition. . .an exhibition of the strength, coolness, and fortified energy of her birth town.  You can take the girl out of Kaohsiung, but you can’t take the Kaohsiung out of the girl. . .the KS is in her…ALIVE in and around her as she makes her money moves back in the U.S.. . .a KS girl who has blossomed into a world-shaking woman of beauty and joy and dignity and love…this is where she comes from. . .how did I find her?  Don’t ask…just enjoy, silly boy.

I am a lucky guy to walk side by side with my KS woman. . .what a scintillating pleasure to return to the source of her vibes here in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan in the China Sea just on the edge of the Pacific Ocean on tiny planet Earth. . .hao-hao.

Be sure to return to your source every now and then. . .it is always good to remember how far we have come and how far we still have to go in our short time here.

It’s lovely out there.

Delectable night market–

JAAA!!  We love the night market action in Taiwan. . .this one is located about two blocks away from the H2O Hotel in the heart of Kaohsiung way down on the southern end of the island, and it is full of goodness: a seemingly endless array of grilled meats and sausages, large squid with interesting slices for extra delectability, noodles with well-seasoned sauces and beautiful sunnyside-up eggs, fishes, crabs, clams, fried chicken, dumplings, etc. and so on…mmmmm, aaaahh!!

One of the great joys of being out on the road is the opportunity to taste new things, ingest wild things, and feel the pulses of so many others around you doing the same thing. . .everyone is happy in night markets–wish that this feeling could be injected in every person in every place on the face of the planet…things would be just a tad nicer than they are now if we could.

But since this dream is not really possible, we will just keep enjoying everything in every place that we can and keep sending out as many good soothing vibes as we can. . .these vibes gotta make a little bit of a difference, don’t they?  Sure, they most certainly gotta.  Feel all of the goodness we are sending out to you from Kaohsiung…hao-hao!!. . .

. . .oof, I’m gonna need some cardio after this feed session.

To see more amazing images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .you can go just about anywhere that you like right here, right NOW.

It’s lovely and filling out there.

Dragon and Tiger Pagodas–

BAM!  It’s the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas on Lotus Lake in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and we are feeling tons of good vibes from these two powerful icons of the Chinese Zodiac. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

These pagodas were built in 1976, and this entire area all around Lotus Lake is one of the most important sites to visit when in Kaohsiung.  Families, friends, and acquaintances of all shapes and sizes make their way here to soak up the good energy and enjoy wonderful views of this cozy lake.

The proper procedure is to enter the dragon’s mouth, climb the dragon pagoda, descend, climb the tiger pagoda, descend, then exit out of the tiger’s mouth.  Along the way you also exit the dragon’s rear and enter the tiger’s rear–this has soothing spiritual benefits similar to those acquired when applying Tiger Balm to a sore back, but this is stuff for deeper study and attention that space does not allow here today.  Woe unto any of you who do not follow proper procedure here…hao-hao!

Anyway, this is a fabulous place to visit when hanging out in southern Taiwan. . .please check it out some time. . .you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaayy!!

To see more magical images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely and soothing out there.

Night Market…Kaohsiung–

MMM!  This is a night market about one block away from the H2O Hotel in the heart of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and we are lovin’ ALL of the sights, sounds, fragrances, and flavors here. . .jaaaa!!

We dive right into this thing and gobble everything we can: meats on sticks, blowtorch-seared pork chunks, stinky tofu, noodles in delectable sauces topped with fried eggs, fried chicken, dumplings, squids, fishes, crabs, sausages, fried rice, more noodles, etc. and so on. . .everything here is EXTREMELY TASTY!

Taiwan has wonderful night markets EVERYWHERE…please consider coming to Kaohsiung, Taipei, or anywhere else here some time and checking them out. . .you will be oh-so satisfied, I gar-ron-taaaaayy…HAO-HAO!!

To see more stupendous images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . do it. . .you can go just about anywhere that you like right here, right NOW.

It’s lovely out there.

Love River, baby!

KAPOWY!  The river that runs through the center of Kaohsiung here in southern Taiwan is called the “Ai.”  ‘Ai’ is the Mandarin word for ‘love’…so what we gots he-ya is da Love River, babies. . .mmmm, aaaaahh!

The Love River has walkways on both banks so we can walk up and down this thing all day long if we like…and like, we do.  We have parks full of greenery…birds are flitting about chirping here and there and everywhere…and we appear to have the whole thing to ourselves as there are not many other folks out and about.  I love it when we have things all to ourselves–jaaaa!!

The river leads out to Sizihwan, aka Sizih Bay, which leads out to the South China Sea which leads out to the Pacific Ocean. . .woweewowow, we are really deep in it, and we are lovin’ every second of it.  Love is good in all forms: rivers, mountains, juice, and from fellow humans. . .appreciate them all right here and right NOW.

I send you love vibes from the Love River in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. . .feel them. . .they will help you breathe easy today and every day.

To see more amazing images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .you know you want to.

It’s lovely out there.

Crustacean cover–

Asia is full of cute stuff…cartoon characters on backpacks, jackets, key holders, hair clips, eye glasses, tea cups, food items, etc.  But, c’mon, nothing is cuter than a lobster phone cover, right?  Right.

We saw this baby while sipping beverages in a bar called Le Bistro D’Ours just around the corner from the H2O Hotel in the heart of Kaohsiung here in southern Taiwan…so handy, so chic, so wonderful, and OH-SO CUUUUTE!

Thank you to this happenin’ chick for allowing us to snap a quick pic. . .we love EVERYTHING about being on the road…especially the cute stuff that we see here, there, and everywhere.

I send you crustacean cover vibes from a bar here in Kaohsiung. . .feel them. . .they will protect you from the bumpy road ahead in 2018.

To see more magical images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .you deserve a virtual trip NOW.

It’s lovely out there.

Big open-air eating place–

How can it be Arong when it feels so right?–OUCHY!!

We are hangin’ in Kaohsiung–my wife’s birthplace–down is southern Taiwan, and it’s dinnertime.  We see this open-air joint with tables full of beer drinking dudes and dudettes…lots of seafood on display in large tanks…a bit of calm bustle in the air. . .WE GOTTA EAT HERE…just our type of place–hao-hao!

We sit…large bottles of beer are delivered–a bottle of sake for my wife, so shay-shay…selections are made from the tanks…and now we soak up the atmosphere and wait for the food to arrive…mmm, aaaahh.

As the food starts arriving we find ourselves gobbling clams, prawns, greens, crab, noodles, whole fish, etc. and so on. . .we gobble everything in sight cuz it is cooked wonderfully and totally delicious…we drink everything cuz we are thirsty…and we feel good cuz this place is good–smooth, casual, comfortable, welcoming, and OH-SO TASTY!

Please look for Arong on a corner just a couple of blocks from the H2O Hotel in the heart of Kaohsiung if you ever find yerself down here searchin’ for a meal. . .you will love this place–I gar-ron-taaayy!

To see more amazing images from around our extremely small planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .you might find something delightful.

It’s lovely out there.