Today it's Taiwan....

Very briefly, off and on while we were in Asia we'd have internet and during one of those times I posted a blog about our stopover in Taiwan...  but that was a few weeks ago and I'm going to bore some of you and re-visit that port.

In that blog I wrote that we walked up a lot of steps to some gardens and a Buddhist Temple

We've been on lots of cruises and a person has to keep in mind that a huge cruise ship docks in huge bodies of water.  Therefore, there is usually either flat land around, or in many cases, hills to walk up.  The good thing about this is that no matter how steep the walk is or how many steps there are to trudge up, you get to walk down to get back on the ship.  Of course, if you're like us, you find plenty of things along the way to make the walk up take a long time...

Like seeing birds and taking the time to snap their photo...

There was a whole flock of these birds high up in the trees... 

I haven't IDed them yet...  but hope to soon.

At the top of those steps...  way at the top....  was a huge statue of this Buddha...

And, yes...  those are the critters that graced "the end" of that previous blog.  I'm going to have to do some research to learn the significance of those dog-like creatures.  We saw them frequently in this part of Asia.

That buddha overlooks the whole city... and you can climb steps up the inside and look out the windows are various levels.

Kind of a bird's eye view of the city...

This building was being renovated and was in sad disrepair.  It was once a very beautiful structure, and still is fascinating to look at.  You can spend a long time just checking out the carvings, find various animals or other things in the artwork, or just be mesmerized by the contours and shapes.

Such intricate designs!

And so interesting to see the old with the new....  I wonder if there are still folks around who can create these masterpieces?  Somehow, I think times have changed even here.

We were strolling along in this museum and came across this full-length mirror....

I had to stop and take our picture...

It looks like Bill's got his hand on my butt, but don't worry...  we behaved ourselves.

Another bird I need to ID....

Did I mention that there are thousands of motorcycles and motor scooters in some of these Asian countries?  In some cities there are separate motorcycle driving lanes.  While waiting for a traffic light to turn green, there can be 50 or more cycles lined up ready to go.  In many places motorcycles are parked along the sidewalks, in alleys and in any place big enough to park one...  and sometimes, those parking places really aren't big enough.

We didn't ride motorcycles during this trip, but we sure took a lot of various transportation...  airplanes, trains, taxis, buses, subways...  even an elephant ride...  

But this colorful steed was the only horse I rode.

I still have a few countries left to write about...  but I've found that I'm enjoying that trip now, through my photos, nearly as much as I did when we were there.  

That's All For Today!