Friday, January 25, 2013

Taiwan - On the Way Outta Town

Lanyang Museum
The jarring design of Lanyang Museum mimics the nearby seafloor, which has been pushed up at an angle by shifts in the tectonic plates.  We visited on our way out of Yilan.


The museum recounts the history and geography of this locale, an alluvial flood plain that gets an average of 2,500 mm of rain a year.


The architecture of the building overpowers the displays.  The glass roof's angle causes you to fall off balance when you stare up at it from the foyer.  Dodo didn't believe it until we had her stand still and try it.  She tilted and took a step.

We learned about the geothermal springs nearby as well as the frequent flooding that made rice a prime crop.  My favorite tidbit was how they let the ducks out into the rice paddies after the rice has been harvested.  The ducks feast on the dropped rice and "contribute" to the fields organically.  After a few hours we got back in the car and started towards Jiufen, a small town on the north coast.


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