March 5, 2010 Central Taiwan
Earthquakes are very common in Taiwan as the island sits at the intersection of three tectonic plates. These plates are always moving and grinding together causing shaking and shifting and the occasional uplift. On one trip to the east coast of Taiwan there was a 6.2 early in the morning. The land jumped up and down so hard that the bed felt like it was bucking rodeo horse.
The umbrellas across the street are keeping the rain and sun off of the street vendors. These street vendors sell everything from ice cream (guava favored) to barbecued "squid on a stick".
The flavor and color of Taiwan villages and towns add visual stimulation to travel. Many tourist arrive by bus and are shuttled about the sights. I find the best way is to drive your self and stop at the every day shops for a snack or just to ask for directions. the people are so friendly and extend a helping hand (even when they do not understand any of my English). It is such a great place to visit.
This week there was another quake in the southern part of the country. Not much on the news, no reported deaths, that was good. But the fortune was with the people near the quake or should I say bad fortune. There was a typhoon in the region not too long ago and destroyed the local village in a mudslide. That is where the quake was the strongest. The village was abandoned since the typhoon.
I remember the 1999 earthquake that hit central Taiwan as I mentioned in my last posting. the reason I bring this up is because I wanted to share a picture of a beautiful temple located at Sun Moon Lake near the epicenter of the 1999 earthquake.
The name of the temple is Wen-Wu. Since it is a temple to Confucius (Teacher) and two martial deities the name roughly means "Art and War". This temple survived the 1999 earthquake with only minor damage. This is unique since a small island located in the middle of the lake directly across from the temple rose a foot out of the water from the quake.
I found some better pictures at a fellow blogger's website so enjoy:
I do have a picture of the entrance gate to the temple I will add here.
The umbrellas across the street are keeping the rain and sun off of the street vendors. These street vendors sell everything from ice cream (guava favored) to barbecued "squid on a stick".
The flavor and color of Taiwan villages and towns add visual stimulation to travel. Many tourist arrive by bus and are shuttled about the sights. I find the best way is to drive your self and stop at the every day shops for a snack or just to ask for directions. the people are so friendly and extend a helping hand (even when they do not understand any of my English). It is such a great place to visit.
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