It should not be surprising that Taiwan would have a great aquarium, for everyone here absolutely loves seafood. It is only natural that a small live sample of all the yummy marine dishes should be available for viewing.

There are seemingly endless displays of really impressive tanks with huge glass fronts containing all manner of interesting sea creatures. The people who conceived and designed this aquarium have done a fantastic job and have made Taiwan proud.

A circling school of fish in a cylindrical glass display

The open water display with rays, tuna and a whale shark. Absolutely breathtaking.

A 10 metre open water profile of kelp beds

Or the underwater walkways that take you past corals, fish and through a ship-wreck no less.

Another really impressive exhibit was a coral reef profile in a curved glass display with a declining walkway.

Even the outdoor squid sculptures are impressive.

But we were most impressed by the penguin exhibit. The large “people” side, for ambience no doubt, is cooled to 17C. While behind the floor-to-roof glass on the “penguin” side it is chilled to a balmy Antarctic -2C. With near on 40 birds from 6 species the open display gives surperb viewing of these torpedo swimmers.

Though we did feel a little sorry for their lonely North Pole puffin cousins in the adjacent display. Though the puffins could not see their Southern avian upstarts, they must surely wonder why the crowds just walk on by.

The National Museum website has a live penguin cam. Though nothing will beat stopping by the museum yourself, you could switch your air-conditioner to “coldest” and watch them from here.

Upon return there is always a flood of sensations, a mix between the familiar and the foreign as you accustom yourself with your past experiences here and the long absence.

After a week or so the foreign becomes familiar again and you start to notice those things that have changed since your last visit. On one occasion it was the discovery of bubble tea, another was the arrival of scantly clad betel nut sellers. Sadly, another was the absence of those sellers as they were pushed out from Koahsiung county.

On this most recent return it took a while to notice any immediate change in the landscape. But there is one and it is quite insidious, it is the proliferation of the CCD security camera.

They are everywhere. It has become a game of “spot the camera” when you are out; high up a power pole, under an awning, across the street from a house, every corner of a shop.

There are 5 to be found at the front of this appartment block.

The neighbors have them to keep watch for the postman.

Temples install them to watch the spirts come and go. Two to be found here.

Even the countryside have them. To watch the grass growing no doubt.

It seems strange to me that people here feel they need to video so much of the public space.