Taiwan - September 2011

.... and for this one, exclusively images should suffice (or else dig deeper over at the wildlife journal for articulation....)

Taipei, September 2011

Outside of Taipei, it's fair to say that nature, birds, and breathtaking landscapes dominated our fortnight in Taiwan, and all that jazz can be found starting here (multiple posts for multiple amazing experiences, species and places); however, our time in the capitol was just as memorable - genuinely lovely people, delicious vegetarian food for a pittance, and a fascinatingly chaotic and vibrant urban culture sure helped.

The Botanical Gardens - bang in the thick of it (and scene of an encounter with a flock of local schoolkids, who were politely fascinated by the camera and by extension the birds - the easiest lesson I've ever delivered)

it's a cruelty-free heaven and no mistake.....

... and it's only ever 45 minutes from beautiful national parks and the mountains...

Japan - Kyushu & the volcano

We'll try this one in captions: on Honshu, the latter part of our visit was spent in the midst of this....

...and so we took this, across the west of Honshu and the entire length of Kyushu, until we reached Japan's southern tip....

...to the comparatively friendly, relaxed, small city of Kagoshima, where we spent a very enjoyable few days and nights....

..... primarily to check out Sakurajima, a fifteen-minute ferry ride over the sound and almost entirely consisting of a stunning, active volcano, which re-shapes and re=landscapes the island and its surrounding area whenever it sees fit.....

.... which - according to the very quaint visitor's centre, sometimes kicked off like this - but only if you get lucky and the semi-permanent cloud-halo lifts during an eruption (the latter evident below, behind a newly-formed rock-scape)....

.... the natural hot-springs revived our shank's ponies impeccably, and lucky for us, the halo lifted and hot action followed....

.... which was no more evident than at the Lava Observatory, where our innocent amble ended in an intense shower of burning ash (it's behind you, idiot!); back in Kagoshima the following morning, and conditions were perfect for watching activity from a slightly more comfortable distance....

.... and for the afternoon, we found ourselves a near-deserted urban beach, with clear, warm water and an unforgettably beautiful and dramatic backdrop....

..... quite a way to end our three weeks in Japan. Next Stop, Taiwan...