Taiwan - Nostalgia edition

I worked in Taiwan for 8 months as a fresh faced college grad.  I had no idea how the world works but life was full of possibilities, every thing was a new experience and coming back to Taiwan was like returning home.  Work was long and hard but everyday was a chance for me to exercise my creative muscles and soak in everything game development had to offer.  I was finally there at a game company making games.  It was truly an exciting time!  Even living on only 1000 USD a month and in a dump of an apartment, everything was good.  I was on my way, to what I don't know, but I was getting there.  Life however, didn't share in my excitement.  In fact by what happened I say it took one look, rolled its eyes and with a devious smirk and a snap of the fingers I was on a plane heading back to the USA.

What does that have to do with the pictures?  Well nothing really, but my dilapidated basement apartment was located close to a big lake that's a very popular tourist area.  I had the chance to revisit the area and it was pretty much like I remembered.

There is one big lake with a bridge over and lots of food vendors and peddle boats.  They revamped the area to make it more modern and with more shops, but it was essentially what it was 9 years ago.

One of the shop had these really colorful leather bracelets.  I'm a bit old for leather jewelries but the way they were arranged and displayed was a photographer's dream.

In some ways the second time I left Taiwan I really left it.  It's no longer my home but I'm no longer that fresh faced college grad.  Almost a decade later I see that by leaving Taiwan my horizon was expanded and my person became more well rounded.  Perhaps it wasn't a devious smirk that was on life's face, maybe it was the smile a mother bird gives to her baby chick before pushing it out of the nest so it can spread its wings.

Until next time, Formosa.