Snapshots

Life has been really busy and eventful so far in Taiwan, but I never seem to have enough pictures for a full fledged entry. So here are a few random shots taken on various outings over the past few weeks.

This large temple is located near my apartment. It's interesting how in Asia, modern life can be interrupted at regular
intervals by these imposing buildings.

A pretty view of a river running through Beitou. The area is best
known for its hot springs.

Beitou's Thermal Valley, an expanse of water that is so hot that
it is literally steaming. 

Steaming!

A really interesting piece of art from the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
It looks like a messy splatter of paint, but is actually
embroidery. Spot the 'imagine' in the middle...?

Another interesting piece. The caption reads: 'between a
rock and a hard place'.

With the weather finally cooling down in Taiwan, it's definitely time to get outdoors and see more great sites. Hopefully more entries soon, with pretty pictures!

Does art have to make sense?

Another holiday in Taiwan, another long weekend filled with rainy weather. So while my dreams of exploring the beautiful outdoors of the Taipei area have to be postponed, I still was able to see some interesting things. And of course, the best thing to do when it's raining outside is to appreciate some art inside!

Arriving at the Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors are greeted by cheerfully colored loops. This is the work of Ronald Ventura, an artist from the Philippines whose work is on exhibit at the museum now.

They look like remarkably cheerful tracks for Sonic the Hedgehog to run through

Interestingly, the rest of Ventura's work wasn't nearly as happy. The name of the exhibit was called "Finding Home", and although the museum blurb spoke about themes of travel and what a home meant in a physical, mental and sociological sense... I didn't really get that.

Lots of neon-lit displays in darkened rooms.

I found the exhibit to be macabre, dark, and slightly uncomfortable. I don't know if this was the artist's intention, but if there was any home to be found, I would definitely think it was haunted! A lot of the exhibit was in dark rooms, unfortunately, so many of my pictures didn't turn out. My favorite (not pictured) was a large, life-sized wooden carving of a man whose lower body was a boat. A projector above the room projected images and sounds of waves crashing onto the boat, and the effect was quite haunting.

Creepy little girl

A mixed media work. The artist applies some graffiti-style techniques, adding details in layers

This surreal carousel featured two horses that slowly creaked
(audibly!) back and forth. It's hard to tell from this picture,
but one horse has two heads, and the other has two tails.

After winding through the maze-like proportions of this exhibit, I was ready for a change. Luckily, the second featured artist had a very different style. Leigh Wen is a Taiwanese artist currently living in the United States. She uses the same technique in all her art, but features it on different mediums. The results were very interesting and beautiful.

Here are a dozen ceramic bowls, decorated in her signature pattern
of wavy lines. A small hose above each bowl would slowly drip
water down. A light on the ceiling would then reflect the ripples,
causing an interesting visual effect.

These small paintings are done on deconstructed wine crates

I loved this collage piece; it was both beautiful and soothing

Stretched canvases in the shape of orchids. She also used the same technique to print on fabric, and then created
fancy ballgowns. I forgot to take a picture of those though.

This piece was GIGANTIC, easily spanning the length of the room. My guess would be that this is 30 feet wide

A closeup of her painting technique. The small spidery lines canvas all her artwork. In the paintings, this created a sense of movement that worked really well.

I loved this one as well. It was also huge, maybe over 25 feet wide and 10 feet tall

Maybe because my expectations for this museum was low, I was very pleasantly surprised. Modern art is sometimes difficult to grasp, but both these exhibits made me feel something (even if it maybe isn't the exact feeling the artist intended). And with the low admission price of 50 NT (less than $2 US), this was a fantastic break from the dreary weather outside!

Absorbing culture

... or better phrased as: "getting out of the damn heat"!

It's hot in Taipei. Terribly terribly hot. And humid. Walking a mere 5 minutes outside in the shade means that you're already drenched in sweat. So in hopes of escaping this weather while doing something interesting, I headed off today to one of Taipei's many museums.

The National Museum of History is not one of the larger museums in the city, but its frugal price tag of 30 NTD  ($1 USD) and its proximity to an errand I had to run made it the destination of the day. I had no idea what was being displayed, and was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few exhibitions available.

But because of my errand, I had to detour through the Taipei Botanical Gardens on the way. While this wasn't particularly pleasant temperature-wise, all was forgiven when a view of the museum's rear came into view, flanked by a giant lotus pond.

Giant expanse of lotus plants

Alas, it was a cloudy day today and therefore I had terrible lighting for the pictures. But it was really very pretty!

A picturesque pavilion amidst a jungle of lotus plants

Gorgeous lotus bloom

Unsurprisingly, there were more than several artists set up along the pond

Finally, I circled around to the entrance of the museum. About time too; I felt like I was about to melt! And after paying my dollar entry, I slipped into the soothing air conditioned halls and appreciated myself some art.

Front of museum. I had luckily JUST missed a load full of schoolkids, apparently.

There were four main exhibitions on display in addition to its permanent art. The first featured porcelain dolls painted by chiu zhou artists, depicting Chinese opera performers.

It's like... a fancy diorama

Another exhibition featured some modern jade works by an artist named Tu Kuo Wei. I have to admit, I didn't understand most of it, which featured jade carved into small cubes or rods. Frankly, I thought they totally looked like something else.......

I did like this one piece though, carved out of jade

Meandering upstairs, I ended up spending quite some time looking at the prolific works by Tsai Mao Sung, who primarily did ink paintings and calligraphy. His works were numerous, filling up several rooms. I ended up snapping way too many photos to post here, so here are just some of my favorites.

This one suggests a serene mountain scene, the mist gently dissipating as the sun rises 

Bummer, this one was framed behind glass so there's a glare. But this may have been my favorite piece! The
brooding mountains, the red trees... it's all so moody!

I found this one quite romantic, with the two small figures in the foreground, holding
hands. :)

As a huge contrast, the museum also housed some oil paintings by Chiang Long Fang, whose bold and colorful work reminded me of... an artist who I can't remember at the moment. :P I can't pretend to be an art connoisseur! He does seem to have a thing for chickens though...

Chicken! Names of pieces, left to right: Messenger of Fortune, Moving Forward No. 1, and Pride

This large piece (at least 6 feet tall) gives off a very American vibe to me!

All in all, this was a pleasant and cool way to spend a few hours. It's nice that Taipei has quite a few museums to choose from, and I'll try to go to another one before the week is out and I am back on the grind.

Grenoble, France

Taking advantage of a free ride to a new city, I headed to the foothills of the Alps on a cool winter weekend. Grenoble is located north of Cannes, about a 4 hour drive away (due to either windy mountain roads, or a flatter circuitous route). And although the weather was uncooperative and rainy, the city was beautiful and utterly charming, exactly what you picture a French mountain town to be.

The cloudy, damp streets of Grenoble. A street tram
runs along the perimeter of the city center; you can see
the tracks here.

Since the weather was rainy, I had no choice but to pursue artistic endeavors and visited some museums. Luckily, there are quite a few to choose from, and I spent some time perusing portraits of dead French kings and saw an interesting exhibition about rural life in the Alps.

An old French King, Louis XIV

The Eglise Saint Louis, a pretty church located right in front of my hotel.

One of the highlights of Grenoble is the Bastille, a fortress located on a large hill overlooking the city. Unfortunately, the cable cars that service the ride from Grenoble city center to the top was out of service for winter maintenance, so my only option was to walk.

And... I didn't quite make it all the way up. I walked up a whole lot of stairs for about 20 minutes, and then decided to stop when I reached the Musée Dauphinois. The view was still very pretty, so it wasn't a total loss!

Those are snow-capped mountains waaaaay in the distance

The museum itself was quite interesting. In addition to a few exhibits, the building itself used to be a monastery in the 1600s. The original chapel is still on display, featuring an elaborate French Baroque ceiling.

Faaaaancy!

Grenoble is the perfect city to meander around in, with its beautiful architecture, modern conveniences, and lovely views!

SF MoMA

Time for a little cultural refreshment today! I visited the Museum of Modern Art, and came away with a few pieces that I liked (which sometimes doesn't happen with modern art!).

Reminds me of a comics panel

Can someone with an art degree explain to me why
Mondrian is so pervasive? I see this everywhere!

By an Italian artist. Called "The Vexations of The
Thinker".

I always wonder how much skill is involved with
paintings like these. They appeal to me in some weird
way though; I like the symmetry and simplicity. This
one was huge; over 9x9 feet. Sitting in front of it, the
colors seemed to pulsate and glow... kinda cool.

Untitled piece by American Barry McGee. I liked the boldness and size
of the collective piece (random standing man photographed to give
size context). Individually, each picture was quirky and offbeat and fun.

The ceiling and floor are by two separate artists.
The lights overhead would spin according to the
visitor's movement, so the whole effect was very
dizzying and disorienting. I like immersive
installation pieces!

They had a Takashi Murakami piece up! I love his stuff; it's so overly
saccharine, but with an implied irony. It's cheerful and colorful but just
slightly menacing as well. Um. At least that's my take on it.

Close-up of one section. I would hang his pieces on my
walls at home... if I could afford it! But even prints
usually cost waaay more than I can afford.

Heart of Darkness

Serious entry today. 

I've been writing a lot about the fun parts of this tour; the pretty beaches, the cheap food and beer... and indeed this trip has been a lot of fun. In addition to this though, we have been taking the time to revisit some of the less pleasant history that is associated with Southeast Asia. While difficult at times, this is a part of my trip that I will stay with me for a long long time and I wanted to dedicate some thoughts to it today. Both Vietnam and Cambodia has been through a lot of bloodshed and pain this past half century or so. I can't help but contrast and compare how each country has fought to survive through the difficult times, and where they are today. 

Everything I know about the Vietnam War came from the U.S. public school system. It was quite simple, actually. Communism = bad, Americans = freedom. And upon arriving in Vietnam, I found that the opposite is preached. The Vietnamese government has implemented a sort of haughty pride about the war; I guess it's appropriate, since they basically won and all. But there's nothing subtle in the way they try to flaunt their propaganda to the masses. 

The message is that Vietnam as a country has been enslaved and subjugated for years, from the evil French colonialists to the heartless Americans. The current government is credited with freeing the people from the tyranny of the aforementioned American devils. Ho Chi Minh is the father and hero to all. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City, which was a sample of where the Vietcong ambushed and trapped American troops. 

We had to sit and watch a propaganda 'documentary'
prior to entering the Cu Chi Tunnels

Homemade weapons and traps are demonstrated by local workers. Murals of American soldiers being caught in these traps of death are proudly displayed. Segments of the underground tunnels are available for exploring... you too, can feel what it's like to be a brave brother in the Vietcong!

I left Vietnam firmly believing that the U.S. should never have gotten involved in the Vietnam War. They were ill-equipped to deal with the surroundings. They had no way to differentiate between the regular population and the Vietcong. It was a mess. 

But then I visited the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields today in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. In the mid-1970s, Cambodia went through their version of Hitler (to make the comparison simple): a guy named Pol Pot who led the Khmer Rouge Regime. He cleared the cities of Cambodia and forced residents into the countryside to work as farmers. He killed intellectuals and the wealthy, and destroyed books and libraries and places of worship. He eventually executed thousands and thousands of civilians, accusing them of being spies. Estimates round out the fatality number to be close to 2 million people, or about a third of the total population.

Both the museum and the fields were brutally emotional in different ways. The museum is located at the former grounds of where many prisoners were held and tortured and killed. These were mainly people who the Khmer Rouge regime wanted confessions from. There is no sugarcoating it; photographs of starved and beaten prisoners were displayed on the walls. Prison cells remain, tiny cubicles that were 3x6 feet big, some with old bloodstains still present. Instruments of torture are displayed, with images depicting how they were used. The final estimate of deaths at this one compound? Twenty thousand.

In contrast to the concrete cells and barbed wire of the museum, the Killing Fields exuded a weird sense of tranquility instead. I like to imagine that this provides some form of peace to the dead, but in reality I don't think they rest easy.

Located about 10 miles from Phnom Penh, the Killing Fields are exactly what they seem to be. Truckloads of Cambodians were transported to this place, executed, and then dumped into mass graves. There are an estimated 300 of these killing fields located throughout Cambodia. While most of the bodies and bones have been removed, indentations in the grass indicate where the graves used to be. The audio guide explained each point of interest in the most macabre of ways.

- Tread lightly, for bones are still uncovered as rainstorms pass by.

- Here is the Killing Tree next to the mass grave containing mostly women and children. The tree is named so because bits of hair and blood and brains have been found on it; indications are that the Khmer Rouge soldiers used it to bash in babies' heads before tossing them into the grave.

- Here is a Sugar Palm Tree. It provides shade and sugar, but its stalks can be filed to a sharp edge and were used to slit the throats of prisoners, thus negating the need for expensive bullets.

This went on and on, each fact more horrible than the last. 

Remains are displayed and honored
in a memorial building

The U.S. did nothing while this genocide went on. Did we enter the wrong war? Could we have done something? I don't think that ultimately there is a correct answer for this. But the closing statements from my audio guide probably sums it up the best. While the events in Cambodia are heartbreaking, it is not the only instance of senseless genocide in the world. It has happened before, and it will happen again. Sites like these are certainly don't fit within the standard of a 'fun' vacation, but it is important to see and feel these places anyway. 

We have to remember. We have to learn from it.

Hanoi

Walking around in Hanoi during the daytime has been like a session of bikram yoga; you end up tired and dripping with sweat. Even though the official temperature was a balmy 94 degrees this afternoon, it actually felt more like 106 with the humidity at 86%.

I have met up with my tour group, and I'm really enjoying the experience so far. The group is relatively small (15 people), so it has been easy to chat and get to know the others.

And because I am lazy today, there will be few words, mostly pictures.

Lady hawking her wares, including shrimp and what
looked like maggots.

Buildings in the Old Quarter

Birdcages in a storefront

Motorbikes everywhere. I saw a whole family
of four on one motorbike yesterday.

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum site, guarded by dozens of armed
soldiers. The enbalmed body of Ho Chi Minh can be
seen, and it is CREEPY. No pictures allowed inside.

Tower at the Military History Museum.
Climbing up and down the steep stairs felt
wildly dangerous.

In addition to the military history museum, we also visited the Hao Lo Prison. Whereas art has been the primary focus of museums in Europe, the intent of the museums here so far has been to remind visitors of the hardships that this country has struggled through. Both the prison and the military museum highlighted war, with very blatant displays of death. Death row prison cells were open for visiting, and graphic pictures of de-bodied heads were shown next to a guillotine. I ended up going through the museums in deeper thought than anticipated, and it didn't feel right to take pictures. 

TANK.

Look how close the tracks are to the houses!

Pho. Yummy.