Liu Ka-shiang likes nothing better than to jump on a slow train and take his sweet time recording what he sees while puttering about every little nook and cranny in Taiwan. He is shown here on a train bound for Yuli Township in Hualien County. (courtesy of Liu Ka-shiang)

"This is a look at nature, and a contemplation on how to deal with the world, by one who has been very close to nature for a very long time." So writes one of the judges on the panel that chose to present a 2011 Golden Tripod Award to Liu Ka-shiang for his Fifteen Asteroids: Exploration, Drifting, and Encounters with Nature.

He is a birdwatcher. A student of old maps, ancient trails, plants, fruits, rail lines, and history. A walker who carefully observes the people and places he comes across on his outings. For 30 years now, Liu has used walking as a way to accumulate, organize, and make sense of a huge and eclectic collection of facts and impressions. And now, after an extended period of internalization and fusion, he is finally sharing his observations of Taiwan in one brilliant book after another.

Liu Ka-shiang states pensively: "As a nature writer for whom walking is at the core of his existence, I reached maturity quite late. It wasn't until the current stage of my career that I finally felt like I had really hit full stride, was seeing a lot of things clearly, and understood how to express myself in simple language."

On a sweltering day in late June, with the outdoor temperature at 35°C, he sits before me, reflecting at a leisurely pace on his career as a nature writer.