10th November 2013
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating. There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
It was an epic day because we overslept that morning. We had a train to catch at 7.30am and we woke up at 6.15am. Let me boast a little, if you don't mind. I was the one who woke up at 6.15am, realizing that we had overslept, I woke that lazy bum (bf) and put a stop to his thunderous snore. Bf always claim that I am the lazy worm who loves to sleep and snuggle in bed. So, I bet you know who's the lazy one now. We had a train to catch and I wanted to return to our homestay for a good night rest. Edm suggested meeting us at Shilin and told us that the Shilin closed at 2am. Gosh, that was a big mistake. The street was quiet and dim at 1am while Edm and Xl were having fun catching soft toys with machine. I regretted sacrificing my beauty sleep. We only managed to catch 5 hours of sleep (totally insufficient).
I knew I had the bad habit of snoozing my alarm. Hence, I placed it 2 metres away from me to make sure that I will walk over to retrieve it. Well, I did. I snoozed it and continued sleeping. Then, I never heard the alarm again. I felt something amiss and fished out my phone from underneath the blanket while I was still in daze.
To my horror, it was 6.15am in the morning. My heart throbbed as my legs turned jelly knowing that I am a slow poke. I alerted bf about the time and jumped into shower without hesitation. Yes, I didn't even have to time to slap on my daily skincare products. I was thankful that I managed to dry my hair in 5 minutes with 70% still dripping wet. Oh well, it's better than looking like a drench dog so much, so much.
#TRA 自强号
We hopped on to a cab to Taipei Main Station. Fortunately, we managed to make it in time. We even had the time to buy bentos and have my toilet visit before boarding. I tried to avoid dirty washrooms as much as possible. I'll probably felt uncomfortable or disgusted if the environment was not right.
#On the train
#Bf and I
#Grins and teeth
We took TRA Zi Qiang Hao (自强号) from Taipei Main Station to Hualien. I did my makeup on the train. I'm really proud of myself for doing that in the public. I had no choice but to force myself into it otherwise I'll look zombiefied for the rest of the day. That would be disastrous by then. Anyway, my makeup procedure is usually simple. I don't use eyeliner except for 2 days in Taiwan (only when I have the feel to draw or maybe too much time to spare). I'll slap my skincare (toner and moisturizer) on my face and put on some concealer for my dark circles only. I'll use tinted moisturizer if I am not in a hurry. I touch up on my brows but it doesn't make much difference as my brows are thick originally. I will fill up the small space on my left brow (Fml, there's a gap in my left brow) as no brows are born perfect. I'm considerable fast, isn't it? Tada!
#Huelien
#Chungte Recreational Area
Bf called the homestay and they arranged a driver to pick us up from the Hualien Station. It cost us TW2500 (pain, not me, but bf). His heart must be bleeding at the thought of it. We had no choice but to hire a cab as it is rural area and there is no public transport to the places of interest. The driver picked up our luggage while bf went to buy the train tickets to Taichung the very next day. We left our luggage in the car boots for the entire day. The driver was nice and patient, explaining historical structures of mountains and road, or sharing stories with us.
#Cloud, mountain, sea
It was a long walk before arriving at the beach. It took us 20 minutes walking downhill and probably slightly longer for uphill upon our return. We saw many people turning back when they were halfway through the trail, probably giving up the long walk. I thought of giving up too, but I changed my mind. It was all worth it as you would have a better scenic spot.
#Against the breezy breeze
#At the beach
#Blue-ish sea
#Steps to the beach
The scenery was enchanting as you could see big mountains with waves brushing against the rocks and water splashing. The sea was clear except that the beach was wet and greyish. It was a breath-taking view with beautiful sunlight shining along the coastline.
#Say cheese
It was then I took the dreadful long uphill walk to where we alight. The driver then took us to Ching Shui Cliff where you can see Su Hua Highway along the mountain. If you had been to Cameron Highland or probably Genting, you'd realised that the road was going around the mountain. The mountains are too big that they dug tunnels or create tunnels using bombs. Instead of going round and round, the tunnels allow them to cut through at a shorter distance.
#The cliff
#Tunnels and road
#Beautiful sea
#Late lunch
It's probably going to be hard looking for food at Hualien rural areas (not talking about town). I looked out of the window when I was in the car, wondering why are the shops all closed. Then I asked the driver out of curiosity. He then told me that the people abandoned the places as business was bad. The shops are not closed entirely, they may look as it seems like. In fact, they are still operating. The driver stopped over at this small restaurant for our lunch. They served local dishes that tasted differently from what we had in Singapore. I would not say it's fantastic but it tastes special though. Brand new tasting.
#Rivers
I used to think that the river are man made as the water is really shallow. Then I realised I was wrong, it's all natural phenomenon. Our next stop is Taroko National Park which was name after Taroko Gorge. It was one of the eight biggest national parks in Taiwan. Yes, trail again. It was all about walking and silly me was hoping for a pair of slimmer legs.
#Bridge of 100 lions
The bridge was red in colour with 100 lions statue. If you take a closer look, you would have realised that the lions look different. Every lion has its own unique look. From what I observed (sort of ask for beating), I think they have really different hairstyle. Rebonded hair to curly ones. Bf sort of laughed out loud with me when I mentioned about that.
#Along the trail
#Bf and I with the Red Bridge
#Trail
I like nature reserve (except the walking part). Well, I'm willing to walk to see and find out more (How about you?). There's a lot to see at Taroko Gorge but it all depends on your interest. If you are someone who prefer to shop (gosh, shopping is damn cheap in Taiwan) or maybe slack over a cup of coffee, not a nature lover and have no interest about nature and historical events, you may not like the place much because it requires a lot of walking. I suggest that you should read up more before planning your itinerary.
I love to shop but shopping in Taiwan is not really what I like (I know it's unbelievable). I like street snacks but not shopping on streets because it can be a little messy and I just don't know where I should start browsing from. Therefore, I'm at rural areas most of the time during my trip.
#Monkeys
It's bf's second or third time to Taroko Gorge. It's probably his fourth trip to Taiwan or more since his dad is a Taiwanese. He's rather familiar with the places. He was surprised to see monkeys at Taroko Gorge when I was exclaiming out loud "Got monkeys!!!". The tourists started fishing out their camera, snapping at monkeys. I did the same as if I had not see monkey before.
#Trail and trail ahead
#River
The driver told us that the river was formed by nature. Marble is extracted from rock. Marble is a rock resulting from metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, most commonly limestone or dolomite rock. We were told that marble could be extracted from the rocks in white along the river. Unlike Singapore, Taiwan has their own resources.
#That is me
Bf told me that the path was man-made using bombs. I'm not too sure how true it is but it is amazing to know. You got to be very careful with every steps you take because the ground might be slippery even if it is not raining. There are small spaces between rocks with water dripping from time to time. We did not complete the trail as a part of it was closed due to bad weather condition. Just a week before our trip to Taiwan, I watched a news on television about earthquake at Hualien. My mum and dad were warning me not to go as it was typhoon season. Fortunately, the typhoon season ended during our travel period.
#Temple
#永春侨
#On the bridge
#In the temple
The driver told us that the mountains were protected by gods. During the building period (road), accidents happened and people lost their lives. Since then, they sent prayers to god at different areas hoping for better protection.
#Far far away
#Shelter
#Here I am
#Frog
This is a popular tourist attraction. Look closely and you will realise that the mountain (or you can call it a stone) resemble the shape of a frog with a crown (shelter). It does look like a frog to me. However, I spotted 2 frogs. How about you? Haha.
#Bridge
#Beautiful phenomenon
#Scary bridge
I was so afraid of this bridge and the driver was encouraging us to walk across to overcome our fear. It did scare the shit out of me. Before my first step on the bridge, I saw a signage saying that there should only be a maximum of 8 pax on the bridge. Wild thoughts streamed into my mind.
What happen if there are more then 8 people on the bridge?
Is the bridge too weak to take more than 8 people?
How can I be sure that the bridge is safe when it can only take up to 8 people?
What happen if there are 9 people?
Is the bridge going to shake violently?
...
I was so frightened (like a timid cat) that I grabbed bf's arm tightly. I even panicked when bf let go of my hand for a second as he was about to make a U-turn back as I was scared stiff. It was seriously high up, so high that I did not dare to look down. I tried my best to reduce my movement as much as I can. I nearly cried when bf made a few steps back leaving me alone in the middle of the bridge to take a photo. I was really scared as that was not even a suspension bridge. There is no support from above. It was just a normal bridge like the ones we drew during Art & Craft lesson when we were young. The bridge shook badly when the wind blew.
#Swallow Grotto
#燕子口
#In the cave
#Caves
Swallow Grotto is composed of marble cliff faces covered with small holes, the result of long-term erosion by river and ground water. House swifts and Pacific swallows often forage and nest here, giving the place its name. Bf told me that swallows will reside in the caves after winter season (refer to above picture).
#Another bridge
#Gigantic rocks
Mountains change from time to time. Weather conditions are the main cause of it. For instance, earthquake. Earthquake can cause big rocks falling from height or soil erosion due to heavy rain. Hence, measurements and analysis are done frequently and safety bars had been put up to prevent falling rocks from hitting the tourist/people. We were told that a week before our trip to Hualien, a little boy suffered major injuries due to falling rock even though he was wearing a safety helmet.
#Next stop
#At the beach
#Seven Star Lake
Seven-Star Lake known as 七星潭 at Hualien, is originally a bay for fishing port but not just a scenic spot for tourists to take rest. Its beach is naturally paved with cobbles. It was my first visit to a beach with pebbles instead of sand. I did some research online before my trip. A great white shark was found at the lake in 1997.
#Stacking competition
#UNO Stacko
We were competing for the highest stack creation. The one on the right was done by me. It was obvious that I won the game. But some sore loser claimed that mine was ugly and my pebbles were too big.
You think I care???
You only mentioned about competing of height but not the appearance. Anyway, I still think mine looks good. Rofl.
#Qi Xing Tan
#Pebbles everywhere
#Beautiful current
#花莲市区
The driver recommended us to the town of Hualien. He called it 花莲市区. It's a place where you can do some shopping. Shopping is cheap there, but not a great variety as the place is relatively small.
#The night street
#Muah chee 麻薯
Hualien is famous for Muah chee (麻薯). The one I bough was freshly made. I wanted to buy more initially. Unfortunately, the fresh ones can only be stored for 3 days. They have package ones but it contain peanut paste instead of peanut flakes. I don't really like peanut paste so I give it a miss.
#Trying shoes
#Long queue
#Xiao long bao
The driver recommended Xiao long bao from this particular stall. The queue was long and you got to have some patience for good food. Bf bought 3 to try and it was delicious.
#Railway street
#The street
After shopping at Hualien shopping district, we made our way to the shopping street at old railway track where you can watch street performances or probably find some creative and innovative products. As for me, I got myself a big cotton candy in blue.
#With my cotton candy
#Yummy
Bf was pulling off the cotton candy with his finger and it melted instantly. He was searching for water source desperately. He deserved it because I was warning him not to do it. Anyway, he was lucky enough to find a water tap.
#Zi qiang ye shi 花莲自强夜市
We booked the driver for a day. He was supposed to start at 9am and end at 6pm. We felt sorry to keep him waiting all the time. It was rather late by the time we were done at Hualien Shopping District. However, our homestay is at a quiet corner. I knew it wasn't be best location, but I was looking forward to the room with cute little sheep. Not only that, they rear 3 goats in a shed and they have 2 dogs in the house. It's just so irresistible.
We offered another TW200 for the driver to extend to a later timing. Fortunately, he was a nice man and was willing to compromise a little. Here we go, 花莲自强夜市.
#棺材板
It was a thick toast with selective ingredients of your choice. We were told that it is a product of Taitung instead of Hualien. Bf told me that the ones at Hualien tasted better than Taipei, so we had one at 自强夜市. It was so nice that I ate nearly half of it.
#Me and bf
#Waiting for our food
#Smelly beancurd
I was not a fan of smelly beancurd. I like it though. But bf was the one who kept suggesting having smelly beancurd all the time.
#Pan fried bun
#Making of buns
#Apple kiwi and pan fried bun
#Beef noodles
There were so much to see and eat. I was full but I wanted to try the beef noodle badly. Poor bf suffered this time round. I had a little bit of everything while he finished the leftover all the time. He probably wished for death when I told him that I wanted to have beef noodle. We were eating halfway when he told me that he could not eat anymore. He mentioned that he was 200% full. I knew he wasn't lying when I saw his awful look (hahaha!).
#Sheep Chimney
It was about to rain when we board the cab back to our homestay. We stayed at Sheep-Chimney (Click on the link if you are interested to find out more). I was browsing on the internet when I came across the sheep house that looked really cute. Bf booked the sheep house with the cutest theme. It was the cutest and cosiest homestay.
The homestay owner was running her way out to welcome us even though it was late at night. She was surprised that we actually played the entire day with no rest. She briefed us about the room and breakfast. It was really kind of her.
#My room
#Bf, me, sheep
#Lovely tent
I love this tent so much even though I nearly tripped to death because of it. It was awesome overall. I was tired and worn-out. I fell asleep in split seconds after my shower.
Good night.
Cheers,
Pzy
