As Spring Festival 春節 (Lunar New Year) approached we were left without a "family home" to return to so we made plans to visit the beautiful natural earth that is our planetary home. One spot that stands out on the island of Taiwan is its sandstone northern coast with calcium carbonate formations that look like a moonscape, or to an Iowa forager, giant morels. Here's a sample as you enter the park, enough to feed 500, I'd say.
and here they are in their more natural context.
This "geopark", recognized as a unique and protected world heritage site by UNESCO (UN Education Science and Cultural Organization), is actually a peninsula jutting out on the northern most coast of Taiwan, an hour ride by bus from the center of Taipei, the capital city.
The piece de resistance is the Queen's Head which not only appears on every promotion for the park (and nearby village) has it's very own boardwalk approach and photo shoot queue!
But, on this visit the Princess won Miss Photogenic.
Many of you are familiar with the term Fengshui (風水) which refers to a balance of design in art and architecture rooted in natural shapes and structures. In this place formed by wind (風) and salt water (水) the emergence of unimaginable stone forms gave us a feeling of wonder and awe as we walked among these sculptures, alien and extraterrestrial, and yet a place we still find ourselves.
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