DAY 2 : Ivory Balls & Snip Snip Snip...

6:30am and can't sleep a bit more. I just would like to get a few more hours but it's not going to happen. The buildings accross the street are just far enough apart to kick the sun into my room at the CRACK of dawn.

Oki and I ate a small breakfast with his aunt and headed over to the Taiwan National Museum. The Museum is a giant fortress set into the rolling green hills with orange and lt. Blue tiles. From the top you can see a bit of the valley where the clouds just coat the tip tops of the hills. It really looks like a painting from a scroll in the museum.



Lots of carvings and caligraphy but the highlight was an ornate ivory ball with 17 other intricately ivory balls inside of it. There is a chain extending up from the top of the ball and some ornaments from the bottom. The amazing thing is that it's all carved from one piece. You can't even believe it when you are seeing it.



We head back to the train station and I decide I need a haircut. Traveling in the rainy season with extra locks equals a big pain in the ass to a guys who hair is better descibed as a chemistry experiment than a having a bit of product. I find a place, head inside and open a look book to help show the non-english speaking kids what i want... NONE OF THE ABOVE... I motion to my head and indicate smaller but obviously from the results i think i made the 'invisible' or 'make it all go away' sign somehow. Ah yes... the follies of travel but a good cut for traveling.