and now we party, the second night in a row.
wow. 
and what immediately blew me away as soon as the bus reached our destination for the night was the venue...oh the venue.
the national palace museum of taipei.
appearing as an imposing and colossal ancient architectural masterpiece lifted, in its image, straight out of a page of china's glorious 5,000 year history of art, warfare and culture, this was a grand eastern fort - like complex on the back of a majestic range of night cloaked hills, seemingly still and floating on vertical planes of a dazzling shade of deep yellow lights, and this was where we would spend the rest of this drizzling evening.
it was to be a pilgrimage of sorts to simply walk up its long decorated pathways of white marble steps, winding and stretching rom one corner to another, flanked on each side with a million oriental style motifs and patterns carved on its solid stone based handrails and balustrades.
and it was a pilgrimage i did not hesitate to take.
and so here i was, after a walk that spanned infinity at a glance, standing in its grand reception hall. this was actually a waiting area for us delegates of the IDA to gather before they took us in for the next part of the evening, which of all things, would be a fashion show.
yes, a runway platform, complete with explosions of a sonic "house music" type electronic drums and beats featuring porcelain-skin leggy models, dressed to the nines in both contemporary and traditional outfits, would grace us soon, displaying the finest that fashion had to offer from the island would be on show, once the evening was underway.
lets see how things go.
before that, however, the doors were open for something else.
something exquisite to the eye.
and soon an epiphany emerged in my mind and my heart, as to how strikingly glorious small things can be.
this being a museum, i soon wander around and realised it housed one of the most beautiful and refined collections of eastern art and sculptures that i had ever seen in my life.
rows and rows of serene lotus-positioned Buddhas and towering celestial deities clad in skins of antique brass and dull gold, magnificently decorated right down to the last inch in amazing minute detail were displayed everywhere in pristine glass boxes, in deep dark halls and enclosures.
it truly captured my attention for quite sometime, as i simply could not pull myself away from how mysteriously arresting this works of divine art were. truly breathtaking.
as much as i wanted to stay on, soon however, i realised that i did have to leave, and i wanted to catch that fashion show that would begin soon, but before i do, i saunter around as much as i can in the seemingly endless maze of corridors and passageways within the interiors of the museum before i head out to the designated locale.
before i head down once i exited, i turned around and saw a distinctly modern looking glass building next to the main complex i was in. curious, i approached the annexe, wondering what could it be, thinking perhaps it was another art gallery or supplemental exhibtion space to the main complex.
i walk in and realize something unexpected.
as nice as the building was, it was a high class restaurant and nothing more. in fact, it was just about to be closed for the day and i had but a quick glance to appreciate its modern appeal. and in a moment, i was out again.
and as i saunter after leaving the restaurant, of course, i took as many shots as i could of the museum, looking resplendent in deep yellow in the dark of the cold, rainy night.
and each shot i took seem lovelier than the last.
as i walk down to the locale for the show, i pass by this huge artifact on display. i didn't really know what this was, but someone mentioned that it was a war drum ( though i honestly don't know ) and i was visually struck by its thorny metal exterior, with intricate carvings to boot, and the light tinge of cyan that seems to have oxidized on its surface, reminding me of something called patina. whatever it was, it was an imposing piece of work, for sure.
i soon try to make my way to the fashion show, but i soon i had to (gladly) admit to myself, that i wasnt really interested in that part of the evening anyway, and so i chose instead to do what interests me immensely more.
appreciating architectural detail.
and that's exactly what i did. and so i kept on walking.
and soon, i walk down.
where dinner would soon be served.
as dinner was being served, it was getting kinda late, and i could see the drizzle had still not let up. episodes of intermittent rain came and went, but it was clear that these incessant drops weren't going to stop anytime soon. after spending about an hour having light bites and light drinks, i head down with the rest of the crowd, who were protected by dozens of transparent plastic umbrellas and raincoats, gleaming in the intense spotlights above.
before i left, once again, i see this huge gateway that ceremoniously marked the entrance of the complex and although its not as grand as the one i saw the night before, it was beautiful to look at nonetheless, and a nice way to end the evening with.
and i was pleasantly surprised when this group of young lovelies had approached me and asked me to take a picture with them, first with their camera, then of course with mine.
i was kinda flattered at the moment, i gotta admit.
and a second shot for luck. and for fun too, of course. soon however, we needed to leave and said goodbye to each other. thanks, babes.
and so just before i left, i take one last shot of the night, and somehow it seemed approriate that the last shot i took was almost identical to the first one i had taken as i got here, reminding me of how absolutely captivating this mega complex was.
i leave with the same sense of awe i arrived with, and for this, the night was perfect.back to the hostel now, and on to day three.
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