randyland

2009-10-13T13:14:00.000+08:00

Some Pictures from Keelung, Taiwan.

Bunker leftover from World War 2.

The northern tip of the island has a very unique landscape. Its Kind of lunar ish. Very smooth sandstone with very defined sharp pock marks.

Ocean scapes.

2009-10-12T23:37:00.000+08:00

Protector lion in Tainan, Taiwan

2009-09-23T13:37:00.000+08:00

My three project pictures for a project based on a song title.

I picked the song "A horse with no name" By America

And these are my submissions..

enjoy

2009-09-21T08:10:00.001+08:00

Chinese God at Longshan Temple in Taipei Taiwan.

2009-09-14T13:13:00.000+08:00

Victoria Bridge Saskatoon

2009-09-12T00:44:00.000+08:00

Micro explosions made with food coloring, water, and milk

Enjoy

2009-09-11T11:48:00.003+08:00

the old farm homestead left in the past. Memories of what once was.

Some flag poles in Saskatoon.

2009-09-08T07:36:00.002+08:00

Queen Elizabeth Power Station on the ouitskirts of Saskatoon.

2009-09-07T12:17:00.003+08:00

Ths is a train bridge near my place. Close enough to get to in 2 minutes but far enough that i cant hear the trains pass.

The Saskatchewan River and the very start of Saskatoon can be seen in the bottom right corner.

I crawled along the shore a ways and onto a bush to get the tree to frame the train, then waited until the mosquitos drank almost all my blood before the train passed.

This one is from a bridge in Taiwan, Danshui. It was actually a throw away image that I worked on. I recomposed it played with the levels in PS4 and intend this to be my first try at a triptych with square pictures.

Enojy.

2009-07-29T13:29:00.001+08:00

2009-07-23T00:03:00.004+08:00

Red door from a temple in Taiwan.

2009-07-14T13:31:00.003+08:00

Again the Victoria Bridge this time the other side looking to the north.

2009-07-11T13:26:00.002+08:00

2009-07-10T23:40:00.004+08:00

Fishing boat returning from the days work. Juwei, Taiwan.

2009-07-10T00:10:00.002+08:00

Saskatoon River Landing

2009-07-09T23:13:00.002+08:00

A composition made from incense smoke.

intended for print on canvas (3 panes)

The single for canvas.
Another intended for canvas.

chilean-dance02-web

2009-06-17T02:10:00.001+08:00

chilean-dance02-web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

Below are some Chilean performers. They were performing for at a Steak Night to raise money for daycare supplies for a daycare in their home country.

chilean-dance05-web

2009-06-17T02:08:00.001+08:00

chilean-dance05-web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

chilean-dance11-web

2009-06-17T02:07:00.001+08:00

chilean-dance11-web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

chilean dance02 web

2009-06-17T02:06:00.003+08:00

chilean dance02 web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

chilean-dance13-web

2009-06-17T02:06:00.001+08:00

chilean-dance13-web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

chilean-dance12-web

2009-06-17T02:05:00.001+08:00

chilean-dance12-web, originally uploaded by energy Photo Art.

2009-05-20T05:59:00.002+08:00

From a field not far from home.

2009-05-18T08:58:00.000+08:00

Victoria Bridge Saskatoon

2009-05-16T12:46:00.001+08:00

Pedestrian bridge in Saskatoon.

2009-05-15T01:51:00.002+08:00

Another one the other direction.

Sask river Saskatoon

2009-05-14T23:53:00.003+08:00

A shot near my home .

Saskatchewan river under Victoria Bridge.

2009-04-19T00:47:00.003+08:00

My promo card...for those of you looking for a photographer.

Front

Back

2009-03-25T09:24:00.001+08:00

4 color version.

2009-03-24T22:33:00.001+08:00

One of the famed "Faces of Bayon".

Inspired by the many painting sold in and around Angkor Wat Areas.

2009-03-24T00:45:00.003+08:00

Banteay Srei, Cambodia

I remember walking around and the colors of this sandstone like rock was amazing. It really stuck out. Looking like something between aged copper and mould.

It was not mouldy in case your wondering.

Beng Mealea - An early 11c Temple complex. The complex covers around 1 square kilometer.
Its around a 2 hour trip to get there, but its really worth it. The temple is really not been upgraded or maintained like the others. This adds to the atmosphere.
Walking around to the library with the blocks everywhere and the stagnant air makes it feel like a lost world changing only at a snails pace.
Climbing around and inside the ruins you really start to feel like Indiana Jones.

I eagerly went into every black tunnel and opening and came out the other side twice as fast.

You never know when a block may fall crushing anyone around, or get bitten by a snake or spider, etc etc....remembering your in a country with a poor health care system.

LOVED the experience!

2009-03-23T22:04:00.002+08:00

A Sunday distraction...made with vanilla and jasmine incense.

2009-03-19T16:49:00.003+08:00

Here are a couple shots of the entrance gates of Bauphon.

Just inside the walls, one of four pools flanking the main temple.

Basically an ancient guard house.

2009-03-16T21:18:00.005+08:00

The Cambodian farmers are not rich. They are not a simple phone call away from a John Deere service technician. They think simple use, multi-purpose, and easy maintenance.

This is a Cambodian tractor.

It is currently configured for a people hauler. It is a bus, taxi, delivery truck, AND a tractor, plow, cultivator...etc

But then you want to get there faster don't take the tractor...Just use a motorbike.

Got a queen sized mattress...don't think delivery man when you can do it yourself.

Fold and go!...Its just that simple!!
A shot of Banteay Srei (Srey) - loosely translated means "citadel of the woman".

The pink sandstone has some of the most intricate carvings of any Angkorian Temple.

2009-03-12T11:22:00.004+08:00

Boys and their trucks.

In the temple complex called Tommanon.

2009-03-12T10:58:00.004+08:00

A side project... a beautiful friend posed for some shots a couple of weekends ago.

2009-03-11T01:01:00.004+08:00

3 more from Ta Prohm. Time to move on to another temple. The scenery was so amazing, overpowering, to the point of mind numbing.

Now as I look back over these pictures I can help but wish I had had more time to soak up the ambiance even more.

2009-03-08T01:01:00.005+08:00

The people of Cambodia summed up in three pictures of kids.

1) The girls are resourceful, cute, smiling, and always looking for an opportunity.

2) The boys have some big shoes to fill. Though not all have shoes.

They may not have the newest nor most appropriate tools.

3) But with teamwork... the job will get done.

2009-02-26T17:21:00.003+08:00

2009-02-21T12:09:00.003+08:00

Here are a few more shots from Ta Prom the tomb raider temple.

The tree roots are takiong over.
Its nice to look around and notice the details off the beaten path. Like this little statue.

The tree roots are creepy...like a horror movie...walking here on a stormy night would be a total mental test....hmmm.

2009-02-15T22:23:00.004+08:00

These pictures are still from Angkor Wat.

I spoke to this little guys mother and she encouraged him to look my way.

Here is the main mountain temple in the center of Angkor Wat.
An empty hallway with echoes of silence screaming quietly.

These are from Ta Prom (this is the temple from the Tomb Raider movies).

This is a picture of one of many trees in this complex that are taking over the temple. Slowly year after year.

A face...one of many holding the Naga (serpent creature) at the entrances.

2009-02-11T22:17:00.003+08:00

A few pictures from inner Angkor Wat.

This is an inner bathing pool for the royalty.

Another shot with a boy in the background taking it easy.

The temperature was quite hot and it was midday so many people had gone back into town to escape the heat.
These are window collonettes....basically its a window decoration. But these are different because of the different color. I have no idea if that is significant or not.

2009-02-08T15:28:00.003+08:00

A few shots I took upon entering the legendary Angkor Wat.

If you have been here you may wonder how I was able to get these without the hordes of people. The answer is a lot of patience and 2 pm. When many tour buses go back to town for lunch and a break I was here waiting for a clear view.

The sun is directly overhead, everyone is resting. I was melting as was my camera. The heat was causing all sorts of issues. (Although I didn't know it was from the heat at the time.)

From the main walkway to the main temple.

Just before walking into the temple this was to the right, kind of below the main entrance.

Another shot straight on from the walk way. A worm's eye view.

2009-02-08T15:22:00.003+08:00

This is a library, one of two in the Angkor Wat complex. Angkor is in the doorway.

Day two milling around Angkor Wat trying the impossible to get pictures without tourists.

Pre Rup in b/w

2009-02-06T22:59:00.003+08:00

The end of a long day. I went to Pre Rup a less populated sunset location. The sunset was pretty much a wash, but I still managed to get some usable shots.

I like the unusual angles and less popularly photographed areas of the temples.
This one I like as it made me think of the lion howling at the sky. However looking more closely the style of carving is such that the lions face is both very flat and in this case partially missing.

The atmosphere while I took this shot was changing very fast as the sun was dropping out of the sky. I had to really force my self to stop and think clearly and choose my subjects carefully because I knew I only had a few minutes left for the day.

This is from Preah Ko earlier in the day. Its part of the Rolous group, known for the some very beautiful early carvings.

As you can see in the foreground the ruins are often walked upon. In many cases the carvings have fallen or are in a position where they must be touched. I felt really bad walking on ancient carvings to get to the other sides, but had no choice as they were often laid as stepping stones to other parts.
This one was one of my most memorable moments. I had finished checking out Preah Ko, and was walking away when a little girl and her mom came up. Her mom worked for the APSARA Authority (the company looking after the temples).

I waited around because I knew something was going to happen. I waited for around 7 minutes standing way back so as not to be noticed. No one else was around this temple. The little girl walked up to the temple opening bend way over looking in all around and up to the top. Then took a big breath and screamed.

A few bats raced out of the opening lest they die from the sound waves. Then the girl laughed and giggled for a couple of minutes as though she knew very well the havoc she caused for the bats.
Shortly after she started playing with her echo with all sorts of whoops, bleeps, and acks.

2009-02-04T22:56:00.007+08:00

My first trip to a floating village was an interesting one. The local guy I hired as my guide found a 'boat driver' who offered to take me on a personal tour of a village called Kampong Phluk. Not many tourists ever go to this village, especially in the dry season. Now I know why.

The tuk tuk turned off the paved road onto a dirt road. We drove for quite a while and the road and houses got more um 'rustic'. The road deteriorated into a narrow bumpy path to an oxcart path and finally after enough bone jarring we stopped.

Tuk tuk (pronounced took took)

I looked around for the boats. Hmm no boats. No no we need to take a moto ride to the boat, its too bumpy for the tuk tuk. Well I've come this far, so with a back pack, and full waist pack of camera gear I hop onto the moto with the boat driver. Looking at the boat driver I though well your sure gonna earn your money the hard way driving me and you on this motorbike. I know what its like doubling people, and I have a very good idea what its like to double me....It was hard earned money.

Good part of the road.

We took off and the dirt track got worse, it turned into loose sand with big bumps, like speed humps that turned into holes which we drove into and out of. After 20 minutes they hardened up and became a road so impassable that no 4x4 could ever make it there.

At one point about 45 minutes of death defying driving my driver was sure something had broken.

Moto and Boat Driver (note 1 helmet, not for me)

After an hour!! The 'road-of-no-bone-unjarred' ended in a swampy mess. We got off and he parked his moto in the trees. Then looking the other way through the trees I saw the nose of a boat. Scrambling onto it, I then maneuvered over 5 or 6 more till the last one was in enough water that it could float.

We took off down the swamps and shortly made it to the Floating Village.
The village is partially floating and partially on stilts.

The people smiled and waved. Some stared, and others went about their business.

Laundry

Bath time

I noticed a couple of people bathing this way, fully clothed and just washing in the muddy water.

Kids jumping into the water.

Many places you go the kids are running around au naturel. Seems quite common, yet boys will be boys.

2009-02-02T23:42:00.004+08:00

On my way back out of the temple grounds I gazed at the Naga. Its a mythical creature, basically a multi-headed snake/dragonish thing used to protect the temple.

Surrounding this and many temples is a moat. This one still holds water and gives a nice reflection.

On our way to the next temple we needed to make a stop.

Yup you guessed it we needed gas. This is a typical local gas station. There are a couple regular ones too, but these are specifically for motorcycles. Its a lower quality gas imported from Thailand, sold per 1 Liter Johnnie Walker Red/Black Label bottles. Some use glass Pepsi bottles, but only is they don't have enough Johnnie Walker.

This one has an umbrella but most are out in the open everyday in the hot sun just waiting for a stray cigarette or lightning strike to cause havoc.

1 temple down on the first day...no bones broken. I'm happy!

We continued on to the next temple Preah Ko. More on it coming soon.

2009-02-01T17:32:00.001+08:00

More from the same temple. Actually ist a temple mountain or the city of Hariharalaya.

This is a Prasat, which is a tower structure common on many temples which represents/is a cosmic/holy mountain where the Gods live. It is a central focal point. While some temples have only one, others may have many prasats.

In Bakong there are a total of 27 Prasats of various sizes locations heights with one main one on the top center of the complex.

From here every things was laid out in a very orderly symmetrical manner.

Bakong was one of the first complexes to be built. It was built in 881.

From the top level, I looked at the carvings. They are remarkably detailed. With the sky lighting up just after the sunrise the contrast from redish rock and blue sky made for some eye candy.
A little while earlier while the sunrise was just about to come through the clouds. I had an eerie feeling about the place. A place with so much history, that has seen millions of people.

It was obviously built with a tremendous amount of effort and by people with an extremely strong conviction. Worshiped in by kings of vast kingdoms, with followers that saw the kings themselves as godly beings.

Now some time later I, alone, am standing on the top of this monument pondering its existance, its previous glory and waiting for the sun to rise again just like it has every 24 hours since the days of King Indravarman I.

2009-02-01T11:50:00.005+08:00

Back from the 'Kingdom of Wonder' - Cambodia.

I will be going through my pictures from there over the next few weeks.

60 Gb's over 12000 pictures. As I work on them I'll put them up.

There are some really great ones in the pile.

Here is the first picture I took in Cambodia. It was at a Temple called Bakong. It is outside of the main Angkor Wat area and usually requires a special tour. I hired a tuk tuk driver for the day and got him to pick me up for sunrise and drive out to this temple. As I pul

led up one lone boy was on a too-big-for-him bike and on his way to school.

As you can see there are no people. I had the temple to myself. Peaceful quiet.

I slowly climbed up the steps. The steps are very steep, slightly slanted downward, and lightly dusted with sand making them extremely slippery.

I immediatly remembered one girl I saw the evening before. She was bandaged from head to toe...or so it looked. She had crutches, a wrapped ankle, bandages on her knee, wrist, elbows, nose, forehead, chin, and looked generally in a lot of pain. And vividly remember her saying "This sucks."

I thought "Note to self: Be VERY careful! Everyday! Every step! Everywhere!"

2009-01-22T22:11:00.002+08:00

Last weekend went to Juwei, Taiwan. A small fishing port. Had some fresh salmon sashimi...mmm and waited for the sunset .

2009-01-22T00:20:00.002+08:00

There I was a little bored puttering along on my rental scooter in Kending. I decided to take a small road that lead to another one that I turned off into another one then into a farmers field, then chased out by charging cows...well they had horns and looked mad, so I turned around.

Continued along the road and stopped near the top of a hill and saw this old house. I thought about something my mother once told me. She said she often looks at old houses and farmyards thinking about what life was like for these people, who were they what did they do.
Well this house didn't look like anything special but what you can't see, is on the other side of this house is a deep valley leading down to the ocean. This is a great location for a house. It really seems a shame that this family has left it. What potential!

Peaceful, clean breezy air rushing off the ocean, a view to die for and even if you dont want to live there (not sure who that would be) but with the tourist potential it would be a gold mine.

2009-01-20T22:55:00.001+08:00

Keelung, Taiwan

2009-01-15T23:56:00.002+08:00

I was playing with licorice the other day...here are a few results.

2009-01-14T22:45:00.005+08:00

Here is a shot of Henchuan South Gate to the city. Now we just drive around it but previousily it would have been one of four guarded gates to the city.

Here is a shot from above at the Geothermal Power Plant near Kending in Taiwan. The big curvy thing is a solar panel display, and 3 wind turbines in the background.

The sign below is either about a new restaurant that may not have passed a health inspection or perhaps something about local 'ladies of the night'.
Here are a couple of quick pics of my very simple and cheap hotel room. Nothing fancy, but the price was right and it was very clean and a comfortable bed.

2009-01-14T18:06:00.003+08:00

The pruning techniques used in Taiwan are a little different than elsewhere.

2009-01-12T11:05:00.003+08:00

This first one is yesterday....me at Kending southernmost tip of Taiwan.
These are the opposite. They are Keelung. The north cost of Taiwan, last weekend.
A few more of both places coming soon.

2009-01-04T17:31:00.002+08:00

I went to Keelung in the northern coast of Taiwan. The ocean was beginning to rage, the clouds were swirling, the rocks taking the punishment that they have taken for years, incrementally changing, carving the landscape a little more, forever changed. Different today than yesterday.

2008-12-27T00:22:00.003+08:00

2008-12-14T23:36:00.004+08:00

Went to Tainan yesterday. Got up nice and early around 5 am. Tainan is a historical city in the southern part of the island. I took the high speed rail (THSR). It was quite fast, quiet and clean.
As I said I took the THSR to the city took a free shuttle to the main train station, where they have a tourist info place, where....they speak ENGLISH!!! Go figure!!...In 6 years on the island this is the first time on the main island that they had a tourist info place period. Yea Tainan!!!
While on the bus I evaluated the driving situation....its seemed less busy than Taoyuan and more room on the roads. So I decided to try and rent a scooter.

So I got a tip earlier from a student of mine to go behind the train station and rent a scooter from those guys. They were quite a bit cheaper, although absolute idiots as far as customer service, being polite, and non racist. The first guy with the English sign which said, "We rent scooters!" But he didn't rent out scooters...and pointed me to the guy next door. The second guy also said no, and pointed me to the front of the train station...the more expensive guys.

Then I stood where and asked why should I go there....didn't he want to make money...he asked if I had a license, I said yes, and his tone changed... a little...then he slowly go off his butt and helped me out.
Once again simply say no rather than being bothered to deal with a foreigner. Too bad.

Anyway it was cheap about NT 250 for 1/2 day. Thats all I needed.

Cruising around I went to the Bad Monkey Fortress (億載金城 Yì Zài Jīnchéng), a 19th century coastal fortress.

Then Anping Fort (安平古堡 Ānpíng Gǔbǎo), originally called Fort Zeelandia, was built in 1620 by the Dutch.

Then a few temples including the Taiwan Confucian Temple built in 1665 (Chinese: 台灣孔廟; also called Tainan Confucian Temple, 台南孔廟 or 台南孔子廟; or Quan Tai Shou Xue, 全台首學)(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tainan_Confucian_Temple).

And toured the whole city in general.

I got myself back to the scooter shop, back on the shuttle bus, and back home via the THSR.

Home around 10pm.

(more coming soon)

2008-12-12T10:59:00.002+08:00

2008-12-09T23:56:00.000+08:00

A fallen flower and red leaf on a vine.

feelingblue

2008-12-09T09:45:00.003+08:00

This was for a group photo scavenger hunt I am in. The topic...Feeling Blue

2008-11-28T21:40:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was a great meal.....

Tom Yum Kung...Hot n Sour Seafood Soup

Always spices up your life...mmm
Spicy Raw Shrimp...not for everyone, its an acquired taste....and i err... acquired it...
Everyone loves Moon shrimp cakes. Golden crunchy on the outside, and warm shrimpy stuff on the inside....and a sour sweet sauce for dipping.
Pad Thai: the staple of Thailand...the everlasting yummmm
Spicy BBQ'ed cuttlefish...just right with the sweet spicy sauce.

2008-11-25T10:42:00.004+08:00

2008-11-24T10:42:00.000+08:00

2008-11-14T00:30:00.003+08:00

2008-11-06T00:20:00.005+08:00

THE BOOK IS RELEASED!!!!!

Thailand: My Way has arrived and is available for browsing and of course contact me if you want your own copy.

This book may be the start of it all.

Here are a few pages from the book.

In Asia the book goes for NT$1000 if ordered with in the next week or two.
(I will be putting in a bulk order so I can us get a discount). The Regular Price after that is around NT$1400.

There is no mark up.

In other words if you order from me now your paying cost. I make nothing. It may be silly to do it but this is my gift to the world. More books will follow... but I guarantee they will cost more.

I just really want to have people to have some of my work.

If your in North America then just wait...Nicole will be back in Canada in a couple of weeks and will do a promotional tour on my behalf.

Cost in Canada.....coming soon let me see what I can negotiate.

2008-11-01T10:29:00.003+08:00

Here is one from a while back. I knew these two were goofing around, so I watched them then spun around and shot and kept walking.

2008-10-31T11:16:00.002+08:00

Here is another...same place...

2008-10-30T16:12:00.003+08:00

A couple of shots from today,
Juwei, Taiwan

2008-10-25T11:43:00.002+08:00

ok I' m back on the picture posting path...

2008-10-19T08:49:00.002+08:00

Book Cover Released

Here is the front cover of the book.

I've changed the book from a hardcover to a soft cover to be more cost effective.

Its about 80 pages in length.

Preview coming....

2008-10-08T10:14:00.002+08:00

UPDATE

The book Thailand : My way is 75% finished.

expected to be submitted at the end of Oct. ready for purchase mid-end of November

2008-10-04T10:12:00.003+08:00

I know its been a while since the last post. But I've been working on a photo book.
It should be ready sometime in the end of Oct or the beginning of November.

The title is Thailand: My Way

I will post the where and how to get it info soon.

2008-09-10T17:07:00.004+08:00

A couple of tiger pictures from The Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai.

The small ones we played with the big ones we watched.

Yes his eyes are really that color...see below.

2008-09-07T12:22:00.005+08:00

We visited a couple of hill tribes while we stayed in Thailand. These are from the Kayan (Karon) people most people know them as Padoung (Padong) or in the west Long Neck women. Only the women wear the coils. There are reported to have a population of 7000. Only 300 have fled to Thailand but I suspect because of the the conditions in Myanmar (Burma) that more have come.

The women are very friendly and always have time to chat, smile, or pose for a picture.

2008-09-06T18:13:00.006+08:00

One of the long neck girls at the hill tribe Nico and I visited.

She was singing a song to her friend across the path. Her friend would join in and they would sing songs together. They were so cute.

2008-09-06T11:08:00.002+08:00

on the elephant ride....woo hoo. A trek through the jungle to the hill tribes....we stopped for a couple pictures.

2008-09-04T14:41:00.002+08:00

A small statue elephant looking over the mote that surrounds the inner city.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-09-02T00:27:00.005+08:00

This first shot was from inside the main temple that you can start to see to the right of the Golden Tomb in the next picture.

Two monks on their way to class. This compound also acts as a monk university.

The golden tomb where a part of Buddha's body actually rests.
One of the four gates that stand at North South West and East.
A tomb of an old monk framed by the pillars that make up a railing of the main Golden tombAnother location I was told there are more than 1500 temples in the city of Chiang Mai.
This one also serves as an Elementary school.

A shot of one of the original librarys...supposed to be around 400~500 years old.

Other buildings at the elementary school Temple. Apparently there are two things that every boy must face. One is being a monk for 1-2 years, and the other is Military service...often military service is served right after being a monk.
Below is an interior shot of the building on the right in the pic above.A nice reflection shot caught a couple seconds before the monks left.
A group of young trainees going about their daily lives.

2008-08-31T21:10:00.005+08:00

Aw yes the awesome trip to Thailand.
As I convert the photos (RAW to jpeg) I will put them up online.

So first a few pictures from our hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The De Naga Hotel

According to northern legend, this formidable serpentine creature, a symbol of strength, opulence, and eternal life, helped the righteous Kings in building the city. As an act of allegiance and obedience, the Naga endowed the kings with vast wealth and power, and thus safeguarding the prosperity of the land. A guardian of the Buddha and protector of earthly waters, the Naga exhibited magical powers that allowed it to take human semblance.

The hallway leading to the rooms from the main office.
The restaurant in the court.
The driveway fountians
Thew sharp Door Handles...on every door that can be opened.

2008-08-29T12:14:00.000+08:00

Chiang Mai Thailand. Another shot with a monk after walking through the temple gate.

2008-08-29T12:04:00.000+08:00

Chiang Mai Thailand, I was lucky enough to be in position waiting until a couple of monks passed each other in this shot from a monk temple/university.

2008-08-16T22:17:00.008+08:00

A couple of shots from last weeks Mid Ghost Month prayers.

Just as the West has Halloween for ghosts and ghouls, so also does Taiwan have a holiday to fete the departed spirits of the underworld (Ghost Festival, a popular occasion celebrated throughout China on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.

Historically, families offer sacrifices of the newly harvested grain to departed ancestors on this day, which also coincides with the Buddhist Ullambana (Deliverance) Festival and the Taoist Ghost Festival.

Since each of these traditions in some way honors the spirits of the departed the seventh lunar month has come to be known as Ghost Month, celebrated as a time when the "Good Brethren" (ghosts from the underworld(come back to earth to feast on the victuals offered by the living. Over time the Ullambana Festival and Ghost Festival have melded together to become the present day Chung Yuan Putu or "Mid-origin Passage to Universal Salvation."

In Taiwan, Ghost Festival is passed by slaughtering a pig and sheep, which together with a prodigious table of wine and meat is offered to one's ancestors and ghosts from the underworld. Numerous Putu festivities are also held at this time around the island, crowned by the grand Keelung Ghost Day Ceremony.

The Chinese believe that the dead become ghosts roaming between Heaven and earth. Spirits without descendants to care for them are prayed to during Ghost Festival so that they may also enjoy the warmth of life among the living. This custom, an extension of the traditional Chinese ethic of "universal love," has been woven together with the didactic legend "Moginlin Saving His Mother From Hades," giving Ghost Festival positive significance as a time for remembering the importance of filial piety.

Some general snapshots of the event follow...

2008-08-11T10:21:00.004+08:00

I was at an English speaking competition in a mall yesterday. My lovely wife was one of the scary mean judges.
Here are a few snaps from some of the contestants.

2008-07-27T16:07:00.002+08:00

Little Chinese house on the prairie.

2008-07-25T10:03:00.006+08:00

I went to Bali...the city in Taiwan not the Island.
Behind me was a giant temple being built on a hill. But I snapped this one jest before i left.
Here is the Temple I was getting pictures of...It was huge. Its not finished and there is a very large administration/ monk living quarters coming up beside as well.

Here is a quick shot between the temple and the admin/monk residence.

2008-07-23T11:22:00.002+08:00

Enjoy!!....er... I mean Relax

2008-07-22T16:42:00.001+08:00

One from Kinmen Island.

2008-07-18T16:32:00.003+08:00

One from last evening

2008-07-18T16:09:00.004+08:00

A shot from yesterday in Taoyuan.

And a sunset stop from the day before.

2008-07-14T00:05:00.003+08:00

Here is one from La La Mountain Scenic area.

As usual click for a larger view.

2008-07-12T10:34:00.002+08:00

Ever wonder how Camera lenses are made..and why they are so expensive.....here is why...

2008-07-06T20:58:00.001+08:00

A little earlier.

2008-07-06T16:00:00.003+08:00

Sunset last night.

As usual click for larger view.

2008-07-04T15:42:00.003+08:00

A shot from yesterdays short ride to a countryside temple.

2008-07-02T10:42:00.001+08:00

If your into Photoshop you gotta check out Deke's Video......total bad singing and awesomeness. 101 tips in 5 minutes.

2008-06-29T21:44:00.004+08:00

Taoyuan Train pulling into the station.

2008-06-27T00:58:00.003+08:00

Small dragon fiercely trying to scare off evil spirits.

2008-06-26T16:36:00.003+08:00

Got this one today. From the roof of a small country temple.