Yes, I know the color is wrong, but for those of us old enough to remember, doesn’t this scruffy, adorable little guy that I spied at the Chinese New Year Celebration on Lotus Pond remind you of the ever lovable Benji! Of course we all know how Benji felt about leashes and this guy’s hair is starting to thin here and there (shh…just pretend not to notice), but just look at that face…aw.
I hope you enjoyed this installment from my “Dogs of Taiwan” series.
Well, Chinese New Year has come to an end, but we had a great time at the Chinese New Year Celebration on Lotus Pond, located in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
For 5 days, starting on Thursday, February 19th, the people of Zuoying celebrated with a carnival like atmosphere of shopping, food, games and play on Liantan Road along the banks of Lotus Pond.
With the exception of the ever persistent occasional scooter (moped or motorcycle), that manage to swarm just about everywhere here with impunity, and delivery vehicles the street was closed to traffic for the duration of the event.
Whole families and friends poured into Lotus Pond to enjoy the event. It was a festive atmosphere of family oriented fun that packed in the crowds for all 5 days of the Chinese New Year.
Even their dogs weren’t left out of this celebration. As I’ve reported before the Taiwanese love their dogs. They take them everywhere they go and the New Year Celebration is definitely no exception. Everywhere we looked we saw dogs celebrating right alongside their human counterparts. In the coming days and weeks I will be posting many more photos of the dogs we saw celebrating the New Year as part of my ongoing series, The Dogs of Taiwan.
Katrina and I visited everyday enjoying more than our fill of Chinese Comfort Food. We ate:
Katrina, who is Chinese, has maintain for years that Chinese celebrate with food and I finally got to see firsthand that she wasn’t kidding. Just look at how much that adorable little girl below is enjoy her corn on the cob.
Luckily we did plenty of walking to help burn off those extra calories. The vendors and stands lined over 1 kilometer of Liantan Road and we walked the full length and back plus another 2 kilometers to from the event every day.
1 kilometer…trust me that’s a lot of vendors and stands, and they were packed from end to end every day. Even with the crowds everybody’s friendly and festive spirit made these 5 fun filled days a wonderful experience. Well from Lotus Pond, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè (Happy New Year) and Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái (May you have a prosperous New Year)!
“Hey buddy, can you spare some change? Buy me a drink, please.” I could almost hear this dog asking me that as I walked by. I was blown away seeing this dog just casually sitting on a bar stool, looking mighty sporting in his Adidas jersey. Would you buy this dog a drink, or would you encourage him to quit his habit? I know. It’s kind of tough, he is pretty adorable…isn’t he?
I hope you enjoy this installment of my “Dogs of Taiwan” series. As you can notice he, like the previous dog I posted (If Jack Nicholson was a Dog), is wearing clothing. A lot of dogs here are part of a group I like to call “Dogs in Clothes”.
I shot this photo at the Lakeview Café & Bar on the banks of Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung.
Since arriving in Taiwan we’ve noticed that the Taiwanese love their dogs, but some in Kaohsiung take it up to a whole new level. They pander and dote on their adorable little puppies to the point that would do a Beverly Hills socialite proud. Being an animal and dog lover myself, I really enjoy this.
This is the first installment in my “Dogs of Taiwan” series I plan on posting of the many dogs we’ve seen while visiting Taiwan.
The first one here may be favorite. We found him sitting around Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung. This dog is cool and he knows it. Definitely the Jack Nicholson of dogs. I like to think that if Jack was a dog this is the look he’d be going for.
And yes, that is a minion (“Despicable Me”) on his back.
You can look forward to many more photos like this coming your way during our stay here in Taiwan.