Why do I never have a camera?

Taiwan isn't a pretty place in a traditional sense. The streets are dirty, the buildings are rusty, and the air is smoggy, but the people are lovely. One of the things I've learned to do here is to find beauty on a small scale. Focus in and see the beautiful thing and ignore the rest. It has led to some really great moments. Here are a few of my favorites.

Two buddhist monks in an underground mall watching the kids breakdancing.

A woman carrying a baby and discisplining a 5 year-old without saying a word. They were just silently staring at each other.

The local shrine where constant wooden barrel beating lulls me into a nearly trance-like state (and that's only in the two minutes it takes to walk from my scooter into work!)

A female buddhist monk driving a scooter with a pink helmet on her shaved head.

A middle-aged man holding his elderly father's hand on the way to the bathroom.

"Teacher, I lub you!"

Watching someone who "isn't really a fan of karaoke" suddenly come alive and sing as badly and loudly as they possibly can in the privacy of the KTV room.

"Gan Bei!" ("dry glass"--toasting is a way of life at a banquet, can't drink without it!)

Lion dancers tossing chocolate coins into the crowd to give them good luck.

There's been some good times.