Tyler Bjorkman

Male, 27. Formerly Seattle based, now living in Kaohsiung. Taiwan http://instagram.com/tylerbjorkman http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerbjorkman/

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Cishan Old Street, Kaohsiung County, Taiwan (旗山老街） by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

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Moon Festival, Yunlin County (雲林縣） by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

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Ghost Sea Castle by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

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Train Conductor, Kaohsiung Main Station 高雄車站 by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

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The 2¾ Driftwood Shack, Anping District 台南安平區 by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

The 2¾ Driftwood Shack

Anping District, Tainan City 台南安平區

I found this beach shack in Anping district 安平區 on one of my trips up to Tainan.   Its made out of driftwood in the sense that it all comes from wood that washes up on shore. However I think most of it is rigging from oyster farms that get smashed apart during typhoons.  I have seen many makeshift fishing and beach shacks in southern Taiwan but nothing quite this elaborate.  It is quite the little shack standing 2¾ stories tall with a dedicated garage, a swim gear room, 2nd floor and a large crows nest.  When I was there a large utility light that looked to be powered by a scooter battery was being installed. 

The people that built and maintain the shack are a very nice group of recent retirees that swim in the bay everyday and drink tea after the sun goes down.  They were kind of to invite over the fire to drink pao cha 泡茶 and eat Chinese sausages 香腸.  Besides socializing and exercising I was told by one of the group members that one of the main things they do is swimming education.  This particularly notable as many Taiwanese people don't know how to swim.  The same group member lamented the fact that many Taiwanese people are afraid of the water despite living on a tropical island with many famous beaches.  

  Mamiya 7 II

Fuji Proiva 100F

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Ziguan Disctrict, Kaohsiung 梓官區 by Tyler Bjorkman on Flickr.

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The End of Summer 

It took till about the 2nd week of October for summer to finally to cycle out but now it is gone.  These images are some of the last gasps of summer.  That is not to say that there aren't parts of the island that still don't get hot during the day, but nothing like the omnipresent weight that summer was. 

I was able to make it up to Taipei and the northeast coast right before fall fully came in.  The north and particularly the northeast of the island did not disappoint.  Looking at things for the perspective of modified landscapes, there was quite a lot to see.  The northeast is largely covered in steep hills and small mountains that come right up the pacific coast.  What this amounts to is that any sort of village, port, or industrial incursion is basically hanging onto the side of a mountain.  

October 2013

Mamiya 7 II, Provia 100F