Taipei, Taiwan | Part 2 of 2

Here goes part two of my Taiwan trip, this time with a few more excursions to nearby towns around Taipei, and more explorations of the city as well. Here’s part 1 if you missed it. We kick it off with a view of Taipei 101!

A quick stop by the Ju Ming museum that honors the Taiwanese sculptor.

My first visit to Yehliu, a geopark designed around these natural rock formations by the sea.

The famous queen’s head rock which has steadily eroded over the years.

My mom and her sister.

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

Breakfast with Kev & Ellie, Yush & Cec.

And hot pot with Yush and Cec! These two are famous now since they were on an episode of House Hunters International.

Adorable stationery shop, Tools To Live By.

Another little day trip over to Yingge, a ceramics town just southwest of Taipei.

Slight regret at not buying anything here! Maybe next time.

A ride on the Maokong Gondola.

Up at the Maokong tea center.

A hike up the many many steps at Elephant Mountain for a view of Taipei 101.

Flower Market, Taiwanese style. Cut flowers aren’t really a thing here except for funerals, so it’s mainly plants.

A cool gem in Taipei: Rixing, the last remaining Chinese type foundry. That means they still make the little metal characters used for letterpress printing back in the day.

So many rows of characters, different typefaces, different sizes.

Lead scraps are melted into liquid and then re-formed into type by this machine.

A Sunday at Taipei Main Station.

Another family feast, this time at my aunt’s place.

Seven of the eight girls in my mom’s family, plus my youngest cousin and me.

And last but not least, a little postcard I made of my Taiwan adventures, which unfortunately disappeared into the postal service, never to be seen again. At least I have a photo of it! Anyone able to read all this? My Chinese is all done by copying; half the time I don’t even know what I’m writing. But I’m really glad to be able to read at all, and I often think I should really study up and learn more.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.

Part 1: Taipei, Taiwan | Part 1 of 2
Part 2: Taipei, Taiwan | Part 2 of 2