No no, not that guy in the picture. You racist! Actually in Taiwan "monkey" can be used as a term of endearment. I know a few people whose nickname is "little monkey." Although I still can't get used to it. Every time i hear somebody called "monkey" i cringe and expect a fight to break out.
But being called "king kong barbie" is a bad thing. It is used to mean a woman who is too muscular. I think i've mentioned before that in taiwan muscles on women is considered bad. which causes women to actively go out of their way to avoid any activity which could cause their muscles to grow.
Getting back on track, sorry for the not so great picture. However this does let me touch on three different topics.
1. The mountain in the background is called gorilla mountain, as it is shaped like a gorilla. The top right is his face, the left part is his but, and the cliffs running from the top to right is his arm and leg. From this angle you can't really see it, but from others you can. Quite a few mountains in taiwan are named after animals. Only a few can I actually see the resemblance.
2. In the back of the back of the picture you can see a lady in a yellow dress. She and her fiance are taking wedding photos. this is a tradition in taiwan where before your wedding you go to some very romantic place to take photos in many different outfits. It's quite a big business here and as I've heard from some very unhappy grooms, the price can be several thousand US dollars. Unfortunately every couple get married must do this, a tradition that seems hard to escape from.
For some reason this abandoned mine is a very popular place to go. other popular spots are parks, universities, historical buildings (even abandoned ones) and faux foreign architecture. There is a water treatment plan that is a popular place to take wedding photos as one building has an ancient greek/roman facade.
3. I actually didn't notice that this guy was there when i took the picture. But since he is there, i can use him to say that I think that fat Taiwanese men are very cute. I don't know what it is, but i just find them adorable. So are the other things just an excuse and the picture really all about him? I'll let you decide.
