Apologies to those who have been waiting for these shots!!!

Due to timing of a business trip, I was able to visit Taiwan for the first time since Middle School. I forgot how much I enjoyed Taiwan. Despite the debilitating heat and humidity, it was the best trip of the year so far.

A HUGE THANKS goes out to my relatives!!! I got in on a Tuesday afternoon, and we hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. First order of business, Jiufen.

8AM wake-up calls and 油條

Jiufen is an old mining town in the mountains near Taipei. These days, it’s filled with markets and tea shops:

Further down the mountain is the town of 金瓜石 (Jinguashi). This mining area lost most of its population when operations stopped in the 1980s.

The remains of Shuinandong Smelter, a 13-story copper refinery and its chimneys:

陰陽海 (Yinyang Sea):

Afterwards, we went to the National Palace Museum and a night market. This is how I felt at the end of the day: