week 36_Smith & Hsu

Tea time seems to be a fairly common afternoon pastime here in Taiwan. Somehow, whether it be of British origin or the more likely Japanese influence, people here enjoy sitting down to a nice hot cup of tea with one another for an afternoon chat. There is a lovely & fairly modern tea shop near my home that I have been intrigued by for some 8 months now, so on my birthday weekend, the husband and I decided to try it out!

Smith & Hsu Afternoon Tea Shop, Zhongxiao E. Road, Section 5

Clearly it is all about the tea here, and we may be amateurs, but we definitely had some fun picking out our tea and crumpets! :) First, you must begin with the tea...

Tea menu & Tea leaf samples

We were treated with a tray of clear glass jars containing all kinds of tea leaves from the world over. We took our time sniffing each concoction, debating if we should go with the crazy or safe options...? As we browsed the menu, we were treated to a sample of Oolong Tea... Not my fave, but I already knew this from previous encounters... In the end, we decided on an Afternoon Tea set (a set meal that comes with both food & beverages), which came with 2 pots of tea. The husband chose a Black Vanilla Tea, and I chose a Black Orange Tea... We must have been in the mood for black tea at the time (and our two choices seemed pretty safe)! In the end, we must have done quite well, because I preferred my choice as he preferred his selection.

Tea pots, with tea leaf canisters set to the side.
Leaves can be added to the tea pot or set to the side, depending on how strong you'd like your tea...

Of course, being the Americans we are... tea time would seem somehow empty without food, so we were thrilled when our tower of goodies arrived! In truth, I was expecting the middle tier to be my favorite, but actually the scones were the best! The only scones I've ever eaten have been stiff and dry... but these were warm, slightly moist and fluffy... and with the clotted cream (whatever that is?) and fresh honey they were amazing! 

Top tier: Finger sandwiches - smoked salmon, roasted chicken, & prosciutto
Middle tier: NY Style Fromage Cake (cheesecake), Apple Pie, cranberry jelly & tea cookies
Bottom tier: Warm scones with honey, orange marmalade, and clotted cream

Smith & Hsu was a great place for a lingering lunch of treats & chatting. It would be the perfect place to take an old friend to catch up. I think the husband and I will definitely go back sometime. We might even go just for the tea next time - it really was good. We enjoyed this first little afternoon tea time together. And best of all ~ it was only the first part of my extended birthday weekend celebration! :)

Birthday. Girl.

week 36_birthday weekend, day 1

Another year, another Memorial Day weekend (U.S.) = another birthday for me : )

Since at least the age of sixteen, I have established a pattern of traveling on my birthday. My first memory of being away during my birthday, although the edges of the memory are becoming a little hazy with time... was for my 16th. Our family was on a summer road trip. Pretty typical during my teenage years. We would pile into our van and drive - yes, drive - across country to explore new states unknown. My mom hoped that we might be able to see all 48 contiguous states before I graduated from high school. We never quite reached the goal, but we sure gave it a solid effort!

Maybe it stands out to me because it was my "sweet sixteen" and I found myself miles away from home, no chance of a big birthday bash. It was a long ways from Oklahoma to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The night of my birthday, I was obviously not wanting the occasion to go unnoticed, and my Dad offered to take me out for dessert. There were limited choices in the tiny town, but we stumbled upon the 'Run of the Mill Tavern' where he and I shared a delicious chocolate something. We left Mom & my sis behind, which - in retrospect - I think, is why the memory is so clear. How many times in my life have I had the opportunity to sit down with just my Dad and no one else present? After we finished our celebration, we returned to the hotel where we found Mom & sis swimming. We brought them candy bars, I guess to make up for the fact that they missed out on our awesome dessert!

That was the beginning. Since then I have spent birthdays in Paris (I remember lunch in the Eiffel Tower!, and being offered champagne repeatedly since the drinking age in Europe is 18)... St. Lucia (where we got to horseback ride on the beach!),  Oklahoma (more horseback riding!), Taiwan, Venice, and more... it's an interesting variety of places, and the list keeps growing with time :) 

Now, I find myself again in Taiwan for a birthday. My husband and I considered traveling, but this year it just didn't work out. Too many road blocks to our plans. So... without leaving Taipei (but I guess in truth, we are already here in Asia - that has to count for something!) we are enjoying a fabulous birthday weekend. For part I (Saturday), we enjoyed tea time at Smith & Hsu, bowling, and a visit to Shilin night market. Pictures and posts to follow :D

Week 36_Keeping Busy

Hello world,

I know I haven't been blogging as much recently, so I just wanted to post up at least a quick note. My husband is here for good now (yay!) as mentioned previously, and I have also been completely swamped at work! Who knew so many people wanted to "go green"?!

It's a good thing really, but it also means that I have not been taking as much time for myself. Between husband and work, I've been trying to give most of my time to other people. So I'm certainly hoping I can get back to the blog a little more, maybe after this week is over?.....Maybe be after next week is over?

This coming Monday is my birthday ~ yay, again! ~ and I have been trying to come up with something fun to do. That should mean great adventures and blog photos coming soon! :) We will most likely celebrate this weekend... and I think we have an idea of where to explore/what to do...

Other than that, all is well in Taipei. I've been hearing about SO MANY natural disasters in the US on the news lately. Hope my many American readers are keeping safe & sound. In other news, my in-laws recently moved to Australia, so I've been hearing more about Australia lately too. I can't wait to visit and check that off my long list of hopeful travel destinations! [I used to tell myself that I wouldn't be ready to have kids until I've visited at least 5 continents (minimum). Yes, believe it or not, I actually have a much more extensive list of the things I hope to do before I have kids... all mentally recorded for my own personal reference]. So far I have visited/lived in North America, Europe, & Asia... Australia would make 4... and I'm hoping I can visit South America at some point to make 5! :)

Happy travels, happy reading, and I hope you're all having a great week!
~L

week 35_this & that

Mostly, I haven't had any major adventures this past week, but here are a few pictures of the day to day...

I came across this creature...
Can you see that face on his back?
I was pretty impressed with the design on this little guy!
I swear, it looks like a face staring right back at you!

Even this building here looks rather buggy...
Yes, that is a building! And I think those are supposed to be two women with flowing hair...
That's not what it looks like to me. 

I love that my building is sure to post the "New!" sticker on our announcements
in English for me!
Right... 

Apparently, Cheerios may lower your cholesterol in the States,
but here, they just lower your ---------
(And just think, it is someone's job to go through and mark all six sides of every box!)

Spring fashion to drool over!
I love the designer window displays here!
I wonder what occasion warrants such a dress?

week 34_buddha birthday

It has already been a week since our overly adventurous outings last weekend, but I have been so busy that I still haven't even gotten around to posting everything! Aside from the mountain hiking, and bus tour of the city... there was more!


By the end of our very lengthy bus ride, we had the good sense to find an MRT station and find our way home. We hopped on the train and were chit-chatting along the ride, when I think we both realized we still weren't quite ready to call it a day yet - after all, we had just taken an hour and a half rest sitting on a bus... so we decided that we should take advantage of the MRT we were already on and get off at one of the more scenic/touristy stops, Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Jason had never seen it, and I hadn't been there in a few years, so it was a perfect spot to stroll and observe a little bit before heading back home (saving the full tour for another day, simply because the grounds are quite large - there is plenty to see!)

North gate entrance to Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall in the distance beyond

At first we were there, snapping some photos - like any good tourista would do. Jason had worn a Fuzzy's shirt that day, knowing that if we got any good pics and sent them in, Fuzzy's posts photos of their fans from around the world. [We did send in at least one pic after this outing! Will be watching the Fuzzy's website for it!]

Jason, sporting a Fuzzy's Taco Shop Tee
Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall beyond

After we had been walking for a few moments amidst the 3 main buildings of the site... we noticed something a little out of place... more specifically, that we were a little out of place... as we realized that everyone around us was wearing the same clothes...

Notice the sea of navy blue & white clothing...
Now picture us in the middle of it...!

Once we had finally noticed this minor detail, we decided to move a little bit further out of the spotlight. There is a long garden area in between two buildings leading up to the main building (pictured above) and we had been wandering smack dab in the middle of the open plaza/gardens - so we found our way to the edge of the grounds and began walking toward the main building, hoping to climb the stairs and get a better view...

It wasn't until we reached the top of the stairs, looking back towards the North gate, that we could fully grasp the magnitude of the crowd. Yes, we had been standing somewhere just in the middle there... It turns out, we had stumbled upon a celebration of buddha's birthday & mother's day! Wow. [This was Sakyamuni Buddha's 2,633rd birthday, by the way]. 

When we reached the top of the stairs, the crowd had taken their places and began to sing in unison, using pink lotus flowers as a prop with small sways, bows, and gestures throughout the songs. Politicians, diplomats, and buddhists filled the grounds and we just stood there in awe watching as the sun set in the distance.

This ceremony was amazing to have stumbled upon! Here is a video from the event... but it could never match the experience of being there in person. It was a beautiful and serene ceremony, and what a way to end a weekend.

week 34_bus ride to Beitou

Somehow, we had taken our time last weekend on Saturday and so the Elephant Mountain hike didn't happen until Sunday afternoon. We were pretty beat after the hike - mostly just because of the heat! So, mistakenly thinking that we should catch a bus ride home instead of walking the 15 minute trek... we hopped onto a bus whose route included a stop at Taipei City Hall MRT station (that's typically our stop).

Shame on us! We should have walked!

It turns out the bus had just come from our stop - woops - and was headed along the rest of it's route. At first we were unsure, but even once we determined as much, we figured "What the heck? We'll just ride along and get a mini tour of the city until it loops back, right?" WRONG! As it turned out, our bus continued on a one-way journey to the suburban mountains outside of Taipei for an hour and a half before ending the line at the Bus Depot and the driver more or less booted us off, finished up his shift and parked the bus. Yep!

(No pictures... we were just on a bus... with Taiwanese people... maybe you can picture that?

Oh - and picture the end when the bus was finally empty, and the bus driver looks in his mirror at the two moron foreigners just sitting in the back and starts speaking to us loudly in Chinese... Yep...)

We had ended up at the base of some mountains - which could have been cool - but having just finished a hike elsewhere, we weren't exactly ready to go again yet.

Because we had traveled so far, it was going to be pretty pricey to hail a cab home, so we crossed the street to the opposing bus stop and got back on another bus. Wow. Thankfully, this time we had the good sense to get off at the first MRT station we came to and boarded the train to head home. But... after having sat on the bus for an hour and a half, I was ready to be out exploring once more; we decided to get off at a station called Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall so that I could show the hubby around the city a bit more.

Ha! Nice to be able to show my husband what really happens when I go out adventuring... :)

week 34_Elephant Mountain 象山 (Xiangshan Hiking Trail)

It was our first weekend living in Taiwan together, and I could tell that my husband was feeling more adventurous than me! Ha. Between his jet-lag (waking up in the mornings usually between 4-7am) and his anticipation to see more of the city, he was ready to go bright and early Saturday morning.

I was laying in bed! :)

Entrance to Xiangshan Hiking Trail, Elephant Mountain

Once I finally decided that I felt rested and had devoured a Western-style breakfast omelet, he suggested that he would like to go hiking on Elephant mountain. This has actually been on my mental 'to-do list' for months, and now that I finally have a hiking partner I couldn't lay in bed all day with a book anymore...

A little history about the trail

The four beast mountains are located just at the edge of Taipei city, and the mouth of the Elephant Mountain trail begins near our home... approximately a 15 minute walk for us to the beginning of the hike from our apartment. We saw a couple of other foreigners walking the same direction as us, and come to find out, we crossed paths with them a few times along the trail. Not to mention, we of course passed some locals... and some local old men hiking barefoot. I wonder what that was about?

Footprints from the elephants who blazed the trail...

Saturday was HOT! And we were absolutely sweating bullets. Thankfully, my sweet husband doesn't mind taking many, many breaks for his asthmatic wife - but when we finally reached the top, it was worth it!

The view, looking North East

Not only were the views spectacular, but the sky was blessedly clear on the day we chose to hike. It's hard to capture these shots with a meager camera. There are some large boulders located at the top of the mountain, along a path called the 'Six Stone trail' and the views are wonderful! It was hot enough at the time we went that the tourists were limited, but there were still a handful of locals and foreigners resting among the rocks and taking photos.

My husband, king of the mountain.

In the end, we discovered that we had actually taken the scenic route... approximately four times the length of the route that the people we kept passing had taken! Once we figured that out we decided to take the shorter... and much steeper route... down the mountain. :) The much faster hike down was also immediately followed by a stop at the 7-Eleven to down a couple of water bottles! Whew!

week 33_finally

Well, after 7+ months of living apart from my husband, his plane will finally land this evening in Taipei - bringing him here to stay, for good! I suppose if you haven't ever lived half way around the world from your spouse for such an extended amount of time... Then you just can't fathom the difference that it makes. I know, I know, of course anyone would imagine that things are hard or different being apart from each other - but in fact, you have to experience it to truly 'know', you know?

It's a busy day at work, and I'll be on the clock until late today I expect, followed by the hour long bus ride to the airport to greet said hubby; I can hardly wait! Not to mention (in addition to the many hugs and kisses that plane is bringing my way), there are also American goodies tucked inside the SIX suitcases (Yay!) - Macaroni & Cheese, ranch mix for dips & salad dressings, clothes that have been hanging out in my closets in Texas, favorite movies, photos, and more! This is obviously going to be a great week for me :)

At work right now, our week is abnormally swamped for my team and I, but I am always happiest to be kept busy as opposed to bored, so I'm trucking right along. I think between keeping busy at work and having my husband here after many months, I might just actually get into a stable routine - imagine that!

I've been listening to some American radio stations online as I work this week - I happen to love almost all music: the good, the bad, and some ugly - and it's funny to think that sometimes even the American stations sound foreign to me. Seriously, have you ever listened to a radio commercial from North Dakota? I'm just saying...

Nothing quite like a taste of home!

week 32_Welcoming Matsu

Well, at first it may have seemed like any ordinary Thursday - but if you haven't figured it out yet, there is almost always something of interest going on around here! My coworkers and I had just finished a pleasant lunch at a small street shop in an alley near the office. We were enjoying the recent spring weather and had chosen the location because of the outdoor tables. We had an errand to run after lunch - some research for a project - but even before we finished eating, we could hear the music and crowds of a nearby parade...

Parade ready to cross a major intersection,
Dragon zig-zagging it's way along on the right

As soon as we'd all had our fill, we headed towards the busy street to walk to our destination, and were face to face with a very long parade on the opposite side of the street. The paraders were headed the same direction as us, so we stopped and stared frequently at the colorful displays. Religious parades here are often held in the streets, smack dab in the middle of business as usual. They simply start walking in the road and expect traffic to clear from their path as they progress. From what I hear, the government is too superstitious to even consider stopping or interrupting these public religious displays - so they walk on... and most passersby just stop to watch!

Giants walking the street

I asked my coworker what the significance of this particular parade was, and he explained that it was a Taoist religious parade hosted by a local temple(s); to honor the goddess Matsu. Matsu - a goddess of the sea, originally regarded as a safe keeper of fishermen - has grown to a patron saint status in many parts of China and Taiwan. Taoist believers now pray to her for all matters from careers, to farming, to family. Once a year her birthday is celebrated based on the timing of the lunar calendar. She is also carried once per year on a tour to every temple in her honor, blessing her followers along the way and chasing off evil spirits. When we came to one particular intersection, there were two giants dancing in the street to chase away the evil spirits.

Chasing away evil spirits

As we continued to walk along the same path as the parade, the floats seemed never ending! This was quite a huge display with hundreds of participants and even more spectators. The traffic (as you can see in the photos) generally tried to stay out of the way, but was weaving in and out as well. It's a shame that the photos can't do it the same justice as stumbling upon this in person! The colors and details of the many costumes were impressive!

Passersby stopping to watch

In addition to the costumes, there is also plenty of music similar to the American parades I've seen. Unfortunately, I would have to say that this particular was not necessarily pleasing to the ear. Definitely not. Even the guys with me were not thrilled with the musical performances, but I have the feeling their true significance was deeper than the pleasure of their listeners. PLUS - there were many, many, firecrackers! These frequently drowned out every other sound. Firecrackers are ceremonial for many kinds of occasions in Taiwan, but sadly (at least to me) they are typically just firecrackers as opposed to fireworks; they are a lot of noise and not much to see!

Firecrackers on a string and papers in the street from those already set off!
Note the scooter driving through - that has to be some kind of a hazard...

The best and most amazing part of the parade was when Matsu's carriage arrived. Of course, the traffic was in the way and I couldn't get a clear picture for you all, but... her carriage was hand-carried and as it approached, the people would bow down - in the middle of the street -  with their heads to the ground, to create a pathway beneath her carriage. With their heads bowed, and their backs facing flat upwards, Matsu's carriage continued along above. It was powerful to see --- and would have been really great to have a photo of! But I guess I will just have to live with my own memories :)

I had to take this picture ~ I love the strong modern and traditional cultures of Taiwan, and seeing them coexist together! 

After the parade watching, and running our quick errand, we headed back to the office. Just another Thursday. =)

week 31_First Impressions (Jason!)

First Impressions…. From the Husband’s Point of View

              I am very happy to report that my first visit to Taiwan was an absolute success

                After a grueling yet uneventful flight, I arrived in Taipei late in the evening to find Super Wife waiting for me just outside customs. It had been way too long since I’d seen her in person (Skype doesn’t count), so the hug lasted an appropriately long amount of time (of course I didn’t cry, who said I did? Ok, maybe a little). We got into a cab and spent an hour driving towards our (my) new home. Of course being night,  I couldn’t really get any idea of how big the city was, but it was obvious from the scooters, street vendors, and the 101 story building in the distance that this was definitely not Dallas

                The next few days were a blur, and I find that as I try to think back on them my head is filled with cloudy images of strange squiggly signs and skinny, black haired people darting in an out of subway cars and city buses. Food wasn’t a problem, since I had the lovely wife to take me by the arm and protect me from fish balls and “stinky dog food”, or whatever that stuff was. By the way, I’m all about going local with the food, but there are limits. Another comfort was the refuge of our super posh (but teeny tiny) apartment in the heart of Taipei. All the glass and polished wood, the fancy shower and the fantastic view of Taipei 101. The pictures that Lizzie had shown me over the Internet didn’t do the place any justice (though her picture taking skills have gotten great, right?)

                Our first real adventure was to Taroko Gorge, near the city of Hualien. Lizzie has already written about the trip itself, but let me add my two cents by saying is was as fantastic as she said it was, plus a little more. Imagine deep crevices in the ground where the phenomenal forces of nature have torn great cracks in the earth that go so deep you can sometimes barely see the bottom. Then you look up and even though the view is clear for hundreds of feet up, you still can’t see the tops of the great mountain peaks because of the thick mist surrounding their tops. Imagining a super deep Chinese gorge with mist covered peaks and treacherous cliffs? Good, that’s exactly what it was like. I should probably also mention that we were staying in a mod hotel in the middle of a convergence of two of the gorges, and since the lovely wife arranged it all, she gets two, no, three extra brownie points.

                Another happy surprise from the gorge trip was that while we were there I received an offer to come and interview for the China Post, the largest English language newspaper in the country. The day after we returned, I went to their main office and after an interesting test and interview for the vacant copy editor position, I was invited to come in for a five day probationary period so that the head of the copy department could decide if I will be a good fit. Fingers crossed, but I have a good feeling about this. The five days will start once I’ve returned after having come back to Dallas to wrap up our affairs in the States.

                The interview having been completed, I had almost an entire week to hang out with Lizzie and explore. We ate delicious food from fancy restaurants and little street corner vendors, we went to night markets and museums, and we gave each other long overdue hugs and kisses as often as possible since they were long, Long, LONG overdue!

                I absolutely love Taipei and I can’t wait to be there permanently. Taiwan is an amazing country with so much in store for a young couple just really setting out on their own. Who knows what kind of adventures are waiting for us. I can’t wait to find out.

                                                                                                Written somewhere over the Pacific…

-J

week 31_A fresh perspective!

I was especially sad to see the husband go. Headed back to Texas once again... He is busy, busy wrapping up every loose end so that he can move to Taipei permanently (probably loading and unloading all of our possessions in and out of a trailer into storage as I write this!), but it won't be long AT ALL until he returns! That made it easier to part ways this time. I can't wait until he is back for good so I can keep "showing him the ropes." It was fun to relive my first impressions of Taipei through him and to see his initial questions and reactions, so similar to my own! :)

And! Drum roll please...
Here is the husband's first blog post, some first impressions about his recent visit to Taipei...
I'm excited to see more from him - it will be fun having two blog authors from now on! :)

week 30_W Hotel Taipei

Just when I thought I had posted all of the fun happenings from my husband's recent visit, I found more photos on our camera! I am so forgetful already! (Imagine what I will be like at 65...)

During my husband's time here in Taiwan, we actually went "out on the town" a few times. First, with a girlfriend of mine. We had pizza & beer for dinner, followed by drinks at a nearby jazz lounge called "Brown Sugar." I didn't get very many good photos from the occasion (it was dark)... but the place was awesome! The band and the singer had a great energy, good music, and the club was packed with people enjoying the show! Cozy lighting, what looked like tasty appetizers, and decent drinks from a large open bar approachable on all sides. I'd like to go back again for sure... Maybe for a birthday, anniversary, or something :) It felt like a little slice of New York City tucked away in Taipei. The singer was a big lady with a great voice. She looked American, was announced as originally being from France, and caught us all off guard when she started speaking Chinese at one point in between songs! Very multi-cultural.

W Hotel Taipei, front entrance/drive

Chain column supporting the far end of the canopy...
It is quite stunning in person.

 Aside from the night out at Brown Sugar, the hubby and I enjoyed a really sweet date night at the brand new W Hotel. The hotel is about a block or so from my apartment, and I have been wanting to check it out ever since the recent opening! I knew the design would be fun, and it is so fresh and new that all is unspoiled yet... so we decided to stop in at the 'WooBar' one evening for a drink, just the two of us.

WooBar patio, overlooking the pool & the city beyond

The bar was on one of the middle floors [I can't remember - floor 9? maybe 10?] and as we stepped into the lounge area, we noticed the poolside patio just beyond. Luckily, we had arrived early, maybe 6 o'clock, and the place was more or less deserted - so we had our pick of where to sit. We chose two large basket swing chairs on the patio, nearby the pool. 

[You can see glimpses of the interior, beyond]
Our swing seats, poolside.....Isn't he cute? :)

It was such a perfect unplanned date, we are going to have to repeat it again sometime! The weather was lovely. The environment, serene and classy. And although I have sometimes heard patrons complain that W Hotels' contemporary design style can be quite 'cold', it actually felt very warm and inviting at this time of evening - with all of the decorative lighting to soften the edges.

a Singapore Sling & a Margarita - Yum!

I suppose there's not much else to say except that it was truly a pleasant evening - sharing a drink with one another as we leisurely swayed in our swing chairs looking out at the pool. Ah.

Poolside, looking back toward the WooBar 

Rooftop pool, WooBar beyond

W Hotel, towering above

It was a great way to wrap up our visit together, and a sweet spot for a romantic evening together. :)

week 30_"vacationing" at home

a view from our rooftop

Even though the long holiday weekend came to an end, my husband's visit was not yet over - we spent the next week-ish tromping around Taipei. For the most part, we just stuck to a normal routine. I had to work each day as usual. So we enjoyed the ins-and-outs of everyday life here... every errand a new adventure for him if not me too!

Showing the husband where to shop for my birthday gifts ;)

 We window shopped at the fancy department stores, and checked out the largest night market in Taipei. We hunted down a 'secondhand' mobile phone for him. 'Secondhand' was the word that the vendors knew... no one understood what was a 'used' phone??? We searched for a special light bulb that had burnt out in my apartment. Sound simple? Well, I think it took us 2 or 3 stores and plenty of pointing and show and tell before we succeeded...

Above ground, MRT station

We attended one of my Chinese lessons together, and gave the husband a new Chinese name! Fun! We visited the National Palace Museum and barely even saw a sampling of their collection - just because it is so huge! I can't wait to go back again and look at more art :)

Typical Taiwanese alley

 And I had someone to take my photo more often... clearly.

week 29_Hualien, Taiwan

Hualien, Eastern Central coast of Taiwan

 Next, we continued our vacation in the nearby town of Hualien, Taiwan. As mentioned previously, I haven't spent much time outside of Taipei, so I was certainly looking forward to exploring a new town. We checked into a different hotel, the Beauty Stay Inn, and were pleasantly surprised by the room. The hotel was older (and much more affordable than our first hotel) but has been updated recently and was very clean, modern, and spacious - I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Hualien who doesn't mind staying in town (ie not on the beach). Our hotel backed up to a river that flows through town out towards the ocean. They had bicycles for rent for anyone who would like to bicycle around Hualien or along the riverside - which looked like fun! 

After we'd settled in, we decided to explore a bit, and took a taxi to a night market on the other side of town. This particular market specialized in food (only) and there was lots of variety - everything from stinky tofu (no thank you!) to bubble tea, to noodles, fried squid, and so on. The husband and I were both feeling adventurous so we had quite a sampling as we meandered along: popcorn chicken, french fries, bubble tea, fried squid stuffed with rice and drizzled with sauces, grilled skewers of bell pepper, bacon & onions, chicken,  and probably a few more things I can't even remember... plus some caramel popcorn for the road.   

Hualien Night Market

One vendor in particular had the longest lines and seemed to be more or less famous with the locals, so we made sure to order some of their grilled skewers. We stood in line for what seemed like ages and filled our basket with the uncooked skewers of our choice then took a number and waited for our order to be called... probably an hour or so later, we were finally up! I think our ticket was number 114 or something like that! And... by the time we finished those skewers after having walked around munching the entire time, we were stuffed and tired!

The MOST popular food stand...

Sadly, I started feeling sick shortly after; it seems my adventurous eating had caught up with me. Although I had hoped we could enjoy the next day exploring the town, I started feeling sick that same evening and was not yet better by the time we had to check out of our hotel the next day. Yikes! Walking all around town with an upset stomach = not my idea of fun... but my poor husband was patient with me and we tried to make the best of it. For the rest of the afternoon we wandered Hualien on foot. We walked along the riverside, and walked to a pier to look out on the ocean. That was about all I had in me, so we headed to the train station early (sorry hubby!).

I hope we get to go back sometime and I will be more cautious about what I eat... because when it really comes down to it... what I remember about Hualien = food poisoning!!!

week 29_More Taroko Gorge...

After visiting the Eternal Spring Shrine and the Buluowan Recreation Center, we still had a few more sights to see on our tour!

our friendly Tour Guide and the Husband

Looking down on the river from the Swallow Grotto trail

Our next hike was along the Swallow Grotto trail: an open, well-paved and relatively smooth path along a mountainside road. This trail was much busier than the previous, with tour buses and large groups of people moving along snapping photos every few feet (that means us too...). And justifiably so! I'm glad we have the experience to remember though, and not just the photos. It was beautiful. The trail did offer wonderful views and is at the narrowest point in the gorge. When you look across the river you can see the rock wall and mountainside just across the way, close enough to admire the veining in the natural marble cliffs.

(Notice the people top left to give you an idea of the scale)
Looking out from the Swallow Grotto Trail

The Swallow Grotto trail is named for it's winding pathway through mountainside caves where swallow's have long laid their nests. Unfortunately, over time, the swallow population here has dwindled but we did still see a few. The swallows that we did see are probably flying around in these photos somewhere - just tiny specs against the engulfing background of the rocks... 

After the Swallow Grotto trail we headed back towards the hotel and hunted down some fried rice from a local street vendor across the way. Aside from the angry Chinese woman who seemed pretty lit that we couldn't speak Chinese (darn foreigners!) the rice was pretty good. :) Full and happy, we decided to venture out for a bit more hiking on our own. We started up the mouth of the Siangde Temple Trail, located just next to the Silks Place Hotel. 

Tianfeng Pagoda, Siangde Temple Trail

Looking down from the top of the pagoda, river below!

The last trail had the most sights along the way and ended at Siangde Temple. I think we both had fun climbing up the double-helix stairs of the pagoda and admiring the views from the different points along the trail. It was well worth the hike and a great way to end our day. A few pictures taken along the way...

Siangde Temple gardens

Siangde Temple, Taroko Gorge

The most reputable trail, the Tunnel of Nine Turns - the one I was really looking forward to! - was actually closed during our visit due to a recent rock slide. We're told that falling rocks are common within the gorge, and certain trails actually require permits and for hikers to wear helmets. For the inexperienced like us though... we would never make it! Ha. I say this in jest only because it doesn't take long before I stop for a breather ;) Even still, I love that Taiwan is so scenic with so many beautiful new places to enjoy!

week 29_Hiking Taroko Gorge!

Just to give you an idea of how large the National Park is, you can check out a map of the trails here:
http://www.taroko.gov.tw/English/?mm=5&sm=1&page=1#up
We managed to see about 3 of them... Guess we will have to go back for more! :)

Notice the red engraved Chinese characters in the mountainside

Hiking in Taroko Gorge was - as hoped for - spectacular! :)

Aside from having asthma and being completely out of shape, the hike was exhilarating and fun! We chose to use the hotel's tour service, and were lucky to adventure in a small group of 3 + the guide. I had initially hoped to hire a private taxi with an English speaking guide/driver to tour us around for the day (I hear that's a good way to see the gorge), but they were already booked for the holiday weekend and in the end we were very satisfied with our small group from the hotel.

Many of the mountainside stairways seemed like they might actually lead to eternity, but - steep as they may be - all of the trails were well paved and lined with handrails. Taiwan has obviously spent countless hours and money working to provide a quality national park for recreation and tourism... and it shows!

Eternal Spring Shrine

This is one of the places that we hiked to. We were intrigued to learn from our guide that the two piles of rubble at the center and right of the photo were previous shrines, fallen to earthquakes over time, and just the one on the left remains.

Eternal Spring Shrine

In addition to the magnificent landscape, the Taroko Gorge also has a culture of it's own, including an aboriginal tribe that still inhabits the area today. Our second destination on the tour was to visit the Buluowan (aborigine) Recreation Center. Our guide told us about the ways of the aborigines and some of their traditions. It was interesting to hear about some of their rituals - for example facial tattoos signifying the coming of age and responsibility. During the Japanese rule of Taiwan during the mid 20th century, the facial tattoos were not permitted and the tradition ceases to exist today. However, they do still paint their faces in the traditional method for celebrations and festivals. 

Taroko Gorge, outside of Recreation Center & Service Station

I love how no matter where we went the mountains seemed to just disappear into the clouds. We stopped in the center to admire some of the handicrafts made by the aborigines and decided to buy a handmade table runner as a souvenir. A great quality, hand-woven keepsake - it was a good choice. But the more memorable moment was when we asked if we could photo the little woman weaving, and the tini-tiny aborigine woman looked at me, patted the ground next to her, and smiled... offering for me to sit with her for a photo while she worked. 

Me with the aborigine lady as she weaves,
We bought an identical table runner to the one she is making in the photo

And what would a little adventuring in an Asian country be without some curious English signage translations?

English sign says: "What a spectacle except for the dam"

Although the dam does still operate today, the sign had a good point - it is the only thing currently standing in the center of the gorge and it looks out of place. Funny sign though. Can anyone confirm if it actually says the same thing in Chinese? :)