I went on an overnight trip to Kenting from Kaohsiung on Friday. Kenting is a national park/seaside resort at the southern tip of Taiwan, 2 hours south of Kaohsiung by bus.

Any plans I make are my own and don't concern anyone else, and can be executed or canceled on my own whim. Even going to Kaohsiung only happened because I attached that plan to something external, otherwise I might have ultimately just decided to stay home.

Going to Kenting was also a take it or leave it deal, but even as I was making rational excuses not to go, I also realized part of me felt like I had to go, whether I wanted to or not. If I didn't go, I probably would have just come back to Taipei. If I didn't go, it would've meant nothing was going to change, and I wasn't going to put any effort into making anything different, no matter what the future might bring. It's not that I necessarily want anything to change, but the important thing was to still have an attitude to accept change or make the left turn or do the something different.

I didn't have to go to Kenting, I just went 4 years ago with Hyun Ae and Takako. It wasn't compelling, maybe even the opposite. And there were times when it seemed like this trip wasn't adding anything to the time before. But in some ways, traveling with other people is boring and mundane. You're constricted by wondering what other people want to do, and then do nothing particularly extraordinary.

I like traveling alone, making my own decisions on what to do and where to go. This time I did go off and explore the few side streets and extended areas of the beaches. In the evening and in the morning I managed to find quiet spots to practice shakuhachi.

And going shooting, I did get some shots of the ordinary backstreets of Kenting, away from the bustle of the tourist crowds that I wouldn't have gotten if I was with other people. That stuff is way more interesting to me. I don't think I took a single shot on the main strip.

Anyway, I'm pleased that I went. Perhaps the most valuable bit of information was how calm and soothing it was on the beach, next to the water. Comfortable and inviting, emphasizing that nothing really matters, anyone can see.

I'm probably going back down to Kaohsiung next month for Gracie's 6th birthday. Wondering about the momentum.

THURSDAY, MAY 13 - Kaohsiung bike path and Robot 85 Building. Nikon N70, Kodak BW400CN.

Port of Kaohsiung, floating restaurant and container art.

North access to Kaohsiung Harbor to the right.

Fishing. The distinct outline of Shoushan (Shou Mt.) in the lower pic, looking a lot like a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.

I got access to a bike at my uncle's place, so was able to explore farther afield than my usual Kaohsiung photostrolls. I went further south along the harbor than I had ever been.

4:15 p.m. - Creative adaptation of railroad into bike path.

4:50 p.m. - Same footbridge as the black & white shot, giving an indication of the time frame in those shots.

5:45 p.m. - Looks like it will be interesting architecture when it's done.

5:53 p.m. - The northern access to Kaohsiung Harbor actually faces more west.

5:57 p.m. - Again, it's not officially called the Robot 85 Building, that's just what I call it.

6:19 p.m. - Photoroll end with shaved ice, which I submit is better in Kaohsiung than Taipei. Maybe because the tropical fruit is better in the true tropics of Kaohsiung, or just because it's hotter in Kaohsiung which leads to greater appreciation. 

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 8:57 p.m. - Just a marker photo of the motel room in Kenting. I had barely just got off the bus on the main strip when I was approached about whether I needed a room. I did. The price was just what I expected (NT$1,000/US$30) so I asked to see it and accepted.

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 9:50 a.m. - The glory of morning, Kenting.

9:59 a.m.

Desolate feeling.

Red filter.

Believe me, I tried taking pictures of nature. It's Kenting National Park, after all. I just suck at finding appealing form and composition in nature and gravitate towards the human made.

 

To shoot nature, I'm more satisfied when I can shoehorn it into shots of settlement.