how many more weekend trips can i squeeze in? Hualien/Taroko Gorge April 25-26 '09!

Last weekend my friend and I went to Hualien City on the east coast, and I finally made it to Taroko National Park--I've heard it's the most beautiful spot in Taiwan and I can't believe it's taken me so long to visit! I took soooo many pictures but unfortunately, uploading to Blogger takes ages, so I had to narrow it down. Pictures, as always, don't do justice to the magnificent scenery, but it was truly stunning.

Okay... this first picture doesn't have anything to do with Hualien, except that I took it right before I left. There are three disgusting dogs that live in my alley, and are always sleeping right on the street outside my building. They're very sweet, and sometimes follow me for a few blocks when I'm walking somewhere, and I really like them--I just don't want to touch them. We have an understanding, these dogs and I. They come waggling up to me, lay down and roll over, showing their flea-infested bellies. I pet them with my shoe. They love it, and don't seem to take offense that I won't lay a hand on them.

And yet another food-ordering mis-hap. (See previous blog entry about cakes on sticks) I offered to pick up snacks for the train ride, as Helen was meeting me straight after her class. Again... I used the Chinese word for "piece" to tell them I wanted six cucumber rolls, and some other pieces with fish. When they rang up the total, I was surprised--it seemed like too much. And then they brought my order, and I was even more surprised!

Apparently, cucumber rolls come in sets of 6. And I ordered 6 sets!

Helen and I had a good laugh about that. And then we finished all the sushi. And then we each ate a pineapple cake, which are famous here. They don't really sound like something I'd like, but I think they're delicious! They're also very messy, as you can see by my lap post-pineapple cake.

After arriving in Hualien, we got directions to a recommended hostel and walked there, since it was only about 20 minutes from the train station. My Lonely Planet: Taiwan says that Hualien has little to offer in the way of night life, but we saw a few pubs that at least looked interesting, albeit empty.

At the Formosa Backpacker's Hostel. Our room, with a lounge and bathroom, was about $15/person for the night. We should have taken a hint and used the mosquito net for more than decoration, 'cuz we both woke up itchy. Other than that, and some very loud neighbors (playing some kind of Taiwanese drinking game till 2 AM), no complaints!

After settling in, we strolled downtown and checked out a night market by the sea. I played a ring-toss game and won a heavy jade Buddha sculpture. It's kind of ugly but I'm proud that I won something after tossing a few hundred rings. We were trying to win the (live) pet rabbits, but it's probably good that we ended up with a Buddha that doesn't need food or water. Or somewhere to poop.

a marble fountain, downtown Hualien (there are marble and limestone sculptures, statues, sidewalks, etc. all over Hualien because it can be mined locally)

A night market selling handcrafts and food made by aboriginal people from the Ami tribe

This picture is one of those things I will look at someday and think "Oh, that is so Taiwan!" Most businesses are run out of garages, which are in front of/under the houses here... there are billions of shops that make keys and stamps, the Chinese lanterns hanging, and a strange-looking car...

After the market, we cozied up in our lounge with snacks and magazines from the hostel's ENGLISH LIBRARY (what a concept)! We didn't care that most of the magazines were 2-5 years old. And I was loving the paprika-flavored Pringles until I checked the ingredients and saw that there was bacon extract in them! Of all nasty things!

On Sunday morning, after a kind-of-disgusting-but-very-Taiwanese breakfast, we found a place that would rent us a scooter without an international driver's license. We used my alien resident card and my American driver's license, even though Helen was driving. The guy at "Bu-Bu Scooter Rental" really didn't seem to mind. It cost $9 for 24 hours. Not bad!

It was a very windy day!

I sat on the back with my camera out the whole time. The 40-minute drive from Hualien City to the national park was incredible.

Some aboriginal art...

Mountains on one side, the sea on the other...

The first tunnel in Taroko

Our wheels... hot!

There were hordes of tour buses filled with tourists from Mainland China at the park. Here is a pair having a picnic-table-nap under the watchful eyes of enormous metal insects. What?!

Eternal Spring Shrine, dedicated to the 200+ men who lost their lives building the highway through the gorge in the 1950's and '60's.

Still sleeping 10 minutes later ... I couldn't resist a shot from another angle...

We climbed hundreds of steps like this up the side of the mountain to a few more monuments. Our legs were jellified and trembling by the time we reached the top. But the views were worth it!

Tunnel of Nine Turns, one of the best walking paths in the park, where you can observe the depth of the gorge and see the different types of rock in the mountain...

Looking straight up and out!

Back on the scooter, driving through the park toward a small town called Tienhsiang

I must say... for capturing this from a quickly moving vehicle, it turned out amazing. A woman in front of a bridge leading to a temple and pagoda (which is featured in Lonely Planet: Taiwan)... It looks better if you click on it and view it full-screen. I love how the woman and the flowers are in focus and everything else is a little blurred.

After lunching with some monks at a Buddhist buffet in Tienhsiang (yay, vegetarian!), we drove back to Hualien in the chilly late afternoon wind, where we returned the scooter to Bu-Bu and hopped back on the train home.

Last view of Hualien: cows and a coconut...